Bowl 4 of 7 · Revelation 16:8–9

The Fourth Bowl

The fourth angel pours his bowl onto the sun. The sun is given power to scorch people with fire.

People are scorched by the great heat. They curse the name of God, who has authority over these plagues.

But they do not repent or give him glory.

Understand the words

To scorch means to burn with intense heat.

To blaspheme means to speak against God with contempt. Here, the people respond by cursing God's name.

To repent means to turn away from wrongdoing and toward God. To give God glory means to honor him.

Pause and notice

Where does the fourth angel pour his bowl? How do the people respond?

Look back at the passage

He pours his bowl onto the sun. The people curse God's name. They do not repent or give him glory.

Explore the Scripture and artwork

The sun and scorching heat follow John's description. The angel's wings, visible stream, town, clothing, and people's poses are artistic choices.

The painting illustrates the vision. These verses do not identify a particular modern heatwave as this bowl.

Christians differ on how these visions relate to historical events. This exhibit follows John's order without assigning a modern date.

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Next: Darkness over the beast's kingdom. Revelation 16:10–11.