What are the seven Vials of wrath?
The seven vials of wrath are the final bowl judgments poured out upon the earth in Revelation 16, representing the full and undiluted outpouring of God's anger on a rebellious world just before the return of Christ.
Revelation 16 opens with a great voice from the temple commanding the seven angels, "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." These vials are not a repeat of the earlier trumpet judgments but the complete and final expression of divine wrath, ending God's long patience with mankind.
The first vial is poured upon the earth, and a noisome and grievous sore breaks out on those who have the mark of the beast and who worship his image, painful and foul-smelling sores much like the botch of Egypt that Scripture warned of long before. The second vial is poured upon the sea, turning it to blood like that of a dead man, so that every living soul in the sea dies. The third vial is poured upon the rivers and fountains of water, and they too become blood.
The fourth vial is poured upon the sun, giving it power to scorch men with great heat; rather than repenting, men blaspheme the name of God. The fifth vial is poured upon the seat of the beast, filling his kingdom with darkness, and men gnaw their tongues in pain and curse God because of their sores, still refusing to repent. The sixth vial is poured upon the great river Euphrates, drying it up to prepare the way for the kings of the east; three unclean spirits like frogs come from the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet to gather the kings of the earth to the battle of Armageddon.
The seventh and final vial is poured into the air, and a great voice from the throne declares, "It is done." This brings voices, thunders, lightnings, and the mightiest earthquake the earth has ever known, so severe that the great city is divided into three parts, the cities of the nations fall, every island flees away, and the mountains are no longer found. Great Babylon is remembered before God to receive the cup of the fierceness of His wrath, and a tremendous hail, each stone about the weight of a talent, falls upon men, who still blaspheme God rather than turn to Him. Even this final judgment is echoed elsewhere in Scripture, such as the great shaking described in Ezekiel and the devouring hailstones spoken of through Isaiah, showing that these events are the culmination of warnings woven throughout the whole of God's word.
The scriptures
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. 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. 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. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 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. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 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. 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, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. 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. 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. 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. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 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. 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. 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. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 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.
The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.
And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.
From the books
This answer is drawn from these passages in the Mary Banks Faith Library.