4/5/2025
We’re reading through Revelation along with NT Wright’s Revelation for Everyone. These notes include discussions of topics of additional interest and attempt connections with more Old Testament material.
We discussed impressions of the chapter after reading it.
Eden Deng pointed out that the pace appears to be intensifying. We have the feeling of moving faster. We briefly discussed biblical authors’ use of literary techniques to make us feel emotion and provide emphasis, recalling Genesis 22, the near sacrifice of Isaac, where, following God’s shocking instructions to Abraham, the pace of the story dramatically slows through the author’s unusually detailed account of travel preparations and progress.
The bowls, through shared imagery and vocabulary, recall earlier judgment events especially the plagues on Egypt of Exodus 5-14. Although it would take a lot of time to tease out all the judgment story references in Revelation 16, I thought it important to make an attempt at understanding the Exodus story since it is central Israel’s history and so prominent here.
We spent much of the class reading and discussing the notes on Exodus 5-14 here:
https://www.kalevcreative.com/exodus-notes
Many artists have been inspired by this passage.
British School Painter, Seven Angels Pouring Vials of the Wrath of God upon the Earth Influenced by William Blake, 19th century, Wikimedia Commons
Walters Ms. W917 - Apocalypse with commentaries by Andrew of Caesarea, The Seven Vials of Plague are Distributed, ca. 1800, Wikimedia Commons
Matthias Gerung, Ottheinrich-Bibel, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cgm 8010, Page 298: The Giving of the Seven Bowls of Wrath / The First Six Plagues, Revelation 16:1-16, ca. 1530-1532, Wikimedia Commons