Single lesson
Revelation 16: The First Six Bowls of Wrath
Revelation 16:1–16; Revelation 16:17–21
This vision shows the first six bowls of God’s wrath poured out on the earth. As each bowl is poured, the passage highlights both the severity of judgment and the repeated refusal to repent. This lesson also brings together The Seventh Bowl of Wrath.
Before you teach
John hears a loud voice from the temple command the seven angels to pour out God’s wrath. These verses trace the first six bowls, include voices that declare God’s judgments righteous, and end with a warning to stay watchful amid deception and gathering for war.
Explain the central teaching of Revelation 16: The First Six Bowls of Wrath, using two details from the reading. This vision presents God’s judgments as righteous and shows that severe warning does not automatically produce repentance. This passage presents the seventh bowl as a completed and severe act of divine judgement, ending with people blaspheming God under the plague.
Welcome: Revelation 16: The First Six Bowls of Wrath
5 minIntroduce “The First Six Bowls of Wrath”, “The Seventh Bowl of Wrath” and locate Revelation 16:1–16; Revelation 16:17–21. This vision presents God’s judgments as righteous and shows that severe warning does not automatically produce repentance. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
Revelation 16:1, Revelation 16:9, Revelation 16:16
Read and explain the passage
12 minThe First Six Bowls of Wrath (Revelation 16:1–16): A loud voice from the temple commands the seven angels to pour out the bowls of God’s wrath on the earth. The first bowl brings harmful and painful sores on people who have the mark of the beast and worship his image. The vision identifies the target of this judgment clearly.
The Seventh Bowl of Wrath (Revelation 16:17–21): The seventh pours his bowl “into the air”. Then a loud voice comes from the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” In this vision, the voice’s location gives the announcement great authority, and the words signal completion.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “The First Six Bowls of Wrath”, “The Seventh Bowl of Wrath”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
Revelation 16:1, Revelation 16:2, Revelation 16:17
Discuss the details and their meaning
8 minUse the three questions below. Begin with “Who is struck by the first bowl?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. This passage presents the seventh bowl as a completed and severe act of divine judgement, ending with people blaspheming God under the plague. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
Revelation 16:2, Revelation 16:5, Revelation 16:6, Revelation 16:7, Revelation 16:21
Make and respond: Vision and message evidence map
12 minWork on “Revelation 16: The First Six Bowls of Wrath: Vision and message evidence map”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “The First Six Bowls of Wrath”, “The Seventh Bowl of Wrath” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
Revelation 16:1, Revelation 16:11, Revelation 16:21
Closing: return to The Seventh Bowl of Wrath
3 minRevisit Revelation 16:17–21. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about The Seventh Bowl of Wrath and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
Revelation 16:17, Revelation 16:19, Revelation 16:21
Questions to explore
Who is struck by the first bowl?
Look at the exact description in the verse: the people affected have the mark of the beast and worship his image.
Revelation 16:2
How does the passage explain that God’s judgments are righteous?
Read both the angel of the waters and the altar, and notice the connection between shed blood and this judgment.
Revelation 16:5, Revelation 16:6, Revelation 16:7
What human response closes the passage?
Read the final line and observe what people do because of the severe hail.
Revelation 16:21
Make, think or respond
Revelation 16: The First Six Bowls of Wrath: Vision and message evidence map
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- a Bible or the source reading on this page
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “What the passage describes”, “What is explained in the text”, “What question remains”.
- Read Revelation 16:1–16; Revelation 16:17–21. Use “The First Six Bowls of Wrath”, “The Seventh Bowl of Wrath” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Compare your notes with a partner. Check that every quotation is accurate and every conclusion has support in the passage.
- Circle an explanation the passage itself provides. Leave unexplained details as questions for further reading.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Revelation 16: The First Six Bowls of Wrath connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For learners who need more support, prepare the reading headings “The First Six Bowls of Wrath”, “The Seventh Bowl of Wrath” and let them match short quotations to the correct heading.
- For confident readers, compare two sections of Revelation 16:1–16; Revelation 16:17–21. Ask for a written explanation with two supporting references and one question that the text leaves open.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read Revelation 16:1–16; Revelation 16:17–21. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Revelation 16
1 I heard a loud voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth!”
2 The first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth, and it became a harmful and painful sore on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man. Every living thing in the sea died.
4 The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
5 I heard the angel of the waters saying, “You are righteous, who are and who were, O Holy One, because you have judged these things.
6 For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve this.”
7 I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.”
8 The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.
9 People were scorched with great heat, and people blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues. They didn’t repent and give him glory.
10 The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was darkened. They gnawed their tongues because of the pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores. They still didn’t repent of their works.
12 The sixth poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings that come from the sunrise.
13 I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, something like frogs;
14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of that great day of God the Almighty.
15 “Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his clothes, so that he doesn’t walk naked, and they see his shame.”
16 He gathered them together into the place which is called in Hebrew, “Harmagedon”.
17 The seventh poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
18 There were lightnings, sounds, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake such as has not happened since there were men on the earth—so great an earthquake and so mighty.
19 The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 Great hailstones, about the weight of a talent, came down out of the sky on people. People blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for this plague was exceedingly severe.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.