Smoodock's Blog

The fifth bowl of wrath, then, affected the power or authority of the Beast. It affected the extent to which his throne or seat of authority was felt throughout the world. Peter mentions in his first epistle that believers were under persecution in five Roman provinces that now comprises part of modern day Turkey (1Peter 1:1, 6-7; 4:12). I argued in a previous study, The Persecution in Asia Minor, that such a widespread persecution had to have had a common source. That source couldn’t have been the Emperor, although he had the power to cause such a persecution. The reason why it couldn’t have been him is that Rome simply killed their adversaries. They didn’t infiltrate them in order to gain power over them (cp. 2Peter 2:1-3). The only other entity who had power to cause such widespread persecution was the high priest in Jerusalem. He had such power, and the first three persecutions of Jesus’ disciples were begun under the influence and authority of the high priest officiating out of the Annas family of high priests. Annas, remember, was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, and Jesus was brought before him first (John 18:12-13).

The fact that the throne or seat of authority of the Beast was judged (Revelation 16:10), means that his authority had become limited in some manner. Josephus records that Annas (also called Ananus[1] and Ananias[2]) had five sons who were appointed high priests, and this doesn’t include his son-in-law, Caiaphas or his grandson, Matthias,[3] under whom the Jews’ war with Rome began. The point is that, just as the war began, the high priest, Annas (called Ananias in Josephus) was slain just as Jesus claimed would occur (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62). In other words, Annas of the Bible lived to see Jesus’ coming, and he was slain on the 6^th day of the 6^th month of the year 66 AD, after being high priest for 60 years (appointed in 6 AD).[4] The death of Annas occurred on what appears to be twenty-three days after the war began. Therefore, he was able to see the event begin, but was slain soon afterward.[5]

Thus, if Annas was slain, the power or authority behind all the persecutions of the Church was taken out of the way, and this is precisely what seems to have occurred with the pouring out of the fifth bowl of wrath. As a result of the Lord’s judgment, the whole Jewish state was in the state of confusion or darkness (Isaiah 59:9; Joel 2:2). It was without the guidance of arguably the most powerful high priest of the first century AD.

James uses the tongue as a metaphor for speech, which can be used for good (Acts 2:26), but James uses it in the context of teaching a lie (James 3:1, 5-8). Therefore, in the context of gnawing “their tongues in pain” (Revelation 16:10), has to do with their failure to get the job done. That is, they sought to destroy the nascent church, but all their labors were in vain, and what they thought to do to the elect of God had backfired, and the Lord brought that kind of judgment upon them. The Greek word for pain (G4292), is translated so only in the Apocalypse. In the Septuagint it is usually translated misery (G4192), but it’s often translated toil (G4192) in the context that one labored in vain (see the LXX for, Psalm 78:51; 109:11; Isaiah 49:4; Jeremiah 20:5). Although they were warned (cf. Acts 2:40; 3:20-23), the unbelieving Jews continually refused to repent of their evil deeds and their rebellion against the Lord (Revelation 16:11; cf. Romans 2:24; 1Timothy 6:1; James 2:7), no matter what the Lord did in an effort to get them to do so.

____________________________________________________

[1] See Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, 20.9.1.

[2] See Acts 24:1

[3] See Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, 20.9.7.

[4] See Josephus: Wars of the Jews, 2.17.8-9.

[5] Compare Josephus Wars of the Jews, 2.17.8-9 with 2.17.6-7. The war began on the eve of the festival of Xylophory (Wars, 2.17.6), which occurred on the 14^th of Ab (the fifth month) according to Wars, 2.17.7. Annas’ death occurred on the 6^th day of Elul (the 6^th month of the Jewish calendar), which was 23 days after the war began (Josephus: Wars, 2.17.8-9).