The Skeptics Annotated Bible (1010 page)

16
And
I heard a great voice
out of the temple
saying to the seven angels
, Go your ways, and
pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

(16.1)
“I heard a great voice … saying to the seven angels … pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”

First Vial
: Noisome and grievous sores on those with the mark of the beast

2 And
the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast
, and upon them which worshipped his image.

(16.2)
“The first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast.”

Second vial
: A dead man’s blood kills everything in the sea.

3 And
the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

(16.3)
“The second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.”

Third vial
: Rivers turn to blood.

4 And
the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

(16.4)
“The third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.”

5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and
thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

(16.6)
“Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.”

7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

Fourth vial
: Burning people to death.

8 And
the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

(16.8)
“The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.”

9
And men were scorched with great heat
, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues:
and they repented not to give him glory.

(16.9)
“And men were scorched with great heat … and they repented not to give him glory.”

Fifth vial
: Torture so severe that people chew off their own tongues.

10 And
the fifth angel poured out his vial
upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness;
and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

(16.10)
“The fifth angel poured out his vial … and they gnawed their tongues for pain.”

11
And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

(16.11)
“And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

Sixth vial
: The Euphrates River dried up

12 And
the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up
, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

(16.12)
“The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up.”

(16.13-14) Three frog-like unclean spirits come out of the mouths of the dragon, beast, and false prophet. They are miracle-working devils that gather kings to fight in God’s upcoming war.

13 And
I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

(16.13)
“I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.”

14 For
they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

(6.14)
“They are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

15 Behold, I come as a thief.
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

(16.15)
“Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”

16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Seventh vial
: voices, thunders, lightnings, earthquakes, hail.

17 And
the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air
; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake
, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

(16.17-18)
“The seventh angel poured out his vial into the air … and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake.”

19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

(16.20)
“And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”

21 And there fell upon men
a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent
: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

(16.21)
“A great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent”
Since a talent was about 33 kilograms, this would be a new world record. (The current record holder weighed only 0.75 kg.)

(17.1-6)
The great whore that sitteth upon many waters
The great whore has “committed fornication” with all the kings on earth. Everyone else is “drunk with the wine of her fornication.” She sits on a scarlet colored beast with the usual 7 heads and 10 horns. She carries a cup full of the “filthiness of her abominations” and has a big sign on her forehead saying: “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.” You’ll know her when you see her.

17
And there came
one of the seven angels which had the seven vials
, and
talked with me, saying
unto me,
Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

(17.1)
“One of the seven angels which had the seven vials … talked with me, saying … Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.”

2
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

(17.2)
“With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and
I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

(17.3)
“I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”

4 And
the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

(17.4)
“The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.”

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

(17.5)
“Upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

(17.6)
“I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs.”

7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

(17.12-14) Someday Christians will fight in a holy war between Jesus and the ten kings that are allied with the beast.