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Rev.16:1,2: And I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth." And the first angel went and poured out his bowl into the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore upon the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
         What is said here refers to men in general, smitten with sin. However this very well describes what is happening to the souls in whom God wants to destroy carnality. God strikes them with a noisome and grievous sore, with all kinds of temptations.

Rev. 16:3: And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.
         This person is overwhelmed with strange sufferings which leave him comfortless. This sea had been calm and peaceful for a long time. Every living soul died in the sea, which signifies that the fleshly and coarse feelings died.
         Another meaning is that God hits the wicked with this second plague. The first chastisement was to punish sin with sin in this life. This second sin now is punished with stupefaction, numbness of the faculties, so that these people lose the brightness they had. They remain as useless as if they were dead, because their blood is as of a dead man; all seems snatched and quenched.

Rev. 16:4-6: And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous art Thou, who art and who wast, O Holy One, because Thou didst judge these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink. They deserve it."
         The third plague is fountains and rivers where the materially minded people took their pleasures.
         These men, who so cruelly persecuted God's servants and had the best of their patience, made a boast of their wickedness and considered just the evil they had them endure, these will be punished in the same manner, sooner or later.
         Your angels and saints rejoice because they consider these persecuted ones as their brothers. They love them so much more as they see in them the likeness of their Sovereign. You reserve for Yourself the day of vengeance, that day in which You will send all justice.
         As for the soul God wants to strip, when He sends the third plague, He has His fountains, the sources of comfort. Yet, all that once cheered the soul changed into hardship and spoilage. There is not any more sweetness and peace; only suffering, distress, bitterness and grief. However, God is no less righteous.

Rev. 16:7: And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments."
        Oh men, you flatter yourselves, cover yourself with the mantle of an apparent piety, and you say you glorify God and work justly. ."The judgments of God are true and righteous"; they will show that truth and righteousness are not in you. (Editor's reference: "Judgment" by A.P. Adams and "Who Redeemeth Thy Life from Destruction," by Ray and Doris Prinzing. Jesus said. "I came not to judge the world, but to save it." The Cross continues to shout and proclaim the Redemption message, "Not Guilty, for mankind is Redeemed." End of note).

Rev. 16:8,9: And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues; and they did not repent, so as to give Him glory.
        Here is the difference between the sinners and the righteous: the righteous accept their misfortunes and receive them with resignation. That resignation grows according to the trial the Lord gives them. Sinners get irritated and impatient against the evil and "blaspheme" dreadfully. These evils do not lead them inwardly. The sun which has only sweet influences in a temperate climate becomes scorching for these souls who burn with the fire of lust.
         For the soul that God wants to strip, this fourth plague afflicts him very often with a strange burning within and without. This soul is tempted with blaspheming.
         Some go through this in their spiritual life and do not understand. Instead of submitting and abandoning themselves to God, they do not wish to yield, and become furious when God is fighting in this soul to destroy their malignant nature. In his despair, this one may even set himself against God, when he should be going against his own self.

Rev. 16:10,11: And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.
         The fifth plague afflicts one interested in goods and honor. This is the seat of the beast. One who had become fat with the possessions of the poor and weak ones becomes poor himself. This is the greatest grace God can send; however, sinners do not benefit by this grace and do not get converted; increasing their fury and blasphemy, "they repent not" of their evil deeds.
         The seat of the beast, or her throne, is knocked down. Self-love and carnality are attacked in their source. This is the most cruel suffering this kind of soul could possibly know. This throne of self-love is full of darkness; there is no more light. These troubles, instead of sweetening man's nature and rendering it more pliable, cause violent anger; it may even look like demon possession. Poor nature! You may struggle but you must die. Defend yourself as much as you please; your resistance only increases and lengthens your torment. (Editor's reference: "Losing Our Self-Life, and Finding HIS LIFE," by Ray and Doris Prinzing. End of note).

Rev. 16:12-14: And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
         This plague, which seems so inferior to those which preceded it, surpasses them all; although the waters are changed into blood, they do not dry up completely. We must know that human nature is so eager for food that it prefers to feed and quench its thirst with trouble, than to be left without anything. The strong carnal souls feed themselves with the most terrible conditions.
         As I am writing, a truth which I had never understood on being stripped is shown to me here. It is presented in this passage expressed clearly, telling us that some souls go through all the states which are intended to dispossess them and make them die out to their nature, yet they are not dispossessed, stripped nor dead to self. They remain alive in their circumstances; their very state becomes food for them. In the great light of eternity we will see souls which have gone through many states and they have become possessed of these very stages. We will never know this by what these persons say about themselves nor by our own judgment and reasoning power, but by the scent of the heart and by a supernatural light and insight that God gives.
         Truly advanced souls embrace or reject things by the discernment of the heart. This discernment is fairer than any other. We do not discern these persons by what they say. A hundred miles away we may discern what is in the heart of a person. But human affectations must be entirely dead to have this discernment, otherwise our own inclination or dislike may become mixed into the matter.
         When God does not want a thing (from these souls that are united to Him by an unbroken tie) He places them into suffering. This suffering eventually produces a kind of discernment. When such a person allows himself to be fully yielded to the leading of God, he possesses the least discernment of what God wants from him, or of what He wants from others, while others lack the poverty of their own spirit to yield to God.
         We must notice that this can only and always be for a perfectly emptied soul which God designs to use for others. Let not people who live in the natural take this for themselves; however many are the states of grace they may have gone through, they will be deceived. Those who are in the first trials of hatred (or inclination to others) must not take this for themselves either, because then they are placed again in the natural plane, which God permits to purify them.
         Returning to what I said, the natural man is so malicious that he prefers to be fed on evils, than to stay without food. He feeds even on hardest troubles; that is why the river was dried up, which is more troublesome to him than the change of the waters into blood. This river dries up to prepare the way of the kings. This passage is for the princes of this world. This dryness of the Euphrates refers to the dryness of all known graces (all props, even the most hidden ones), and all troubles whatever they may be. It is a total dryness of all that is and survives whether it be benefits, troubles, or even evils. This state is the hardest to fulfill.
         It is also certain that there will be a terrible war and a gathering of kings who will fight against the victorious King who will uphold and defend the kingdom of our Lord.
        The unclean spirits coming out of the mouth of the beasts which-again-are self-love, self-interest and carnality ...or, in other words, those who are most opposed to pure love, are prideful ambition, love of independence, and covetousness. These three spirits stir the whole earth by fighting.
        This is a general revolution, but the end will see all things subdued under the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The fight will be dreadful, for Satan will defend himself with all his might. (Editor's  note: This fight will be " dreadful" only to those who have given a reality to Satan in their lives. This  fact was recently revealed to a child of God as she was struggling with sin or "missing the mark." She saw the form of Satan in a dream and was horrified. The Spirit of God took her by hand and instructed her to view the figure, both front and rear. To her surprise she found that the horrible being in front of her was nothing but a cardboard figure; supported by a cardboard easel. She was instructed to "knock it down," for the only life it had was the life that was given to it through her fear.  Scripture states that Christ Jesus has the keys of death and hell, what is there to fear? Christ Jesus has overcome ALL and He is our focus, He is "Life." End of note).

Rev. 16:15: "Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame."
         Oh God, You come as a thief, either when You overtake the sinner in his sin, or when You want to fill the soul with joy after trying her with so many evils.
         Likewise when You come in Your wrath or to fill the world with joy at Your second advent, You will come as a thief when You are least expected. (Editor's note: He has "come" in the Spirit to every man "in their own order" End of note).
         But the watchful soul will be attentive; he will not be overtaken. (If she is taken by surprise, it will be with joy).
 We "keep our garments" by keeping the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He who keeps the Spirit of Jesus Christ, that is a spirit of self-denial and poverty, is well dressed, though he be deprived of all. But he who seems well dressed and is not inwardly stripped is naked, and his shame will appear even to those people who think that one is well dressed. The world interchanges the meaning of things. For them nakedness means one who is dispossessed; to be well dressed means wealth and carnality. However the carnal soul, appearing clothed, is in fact naked. That soul has not put on Jesus Christ; the poorest are well clothed; they have put on Jesus Christ.

Rev. 16:16: And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.
         Here a battle must be fought among those who are kings. Some are kings because they reign by Jesus Christ, or rather, Jesus Christ reigns in and by them. They are truly kings because those who are perfectly submissive to God are made independent of the creation. This does not mean they will not obey their superiors, but that the creature is separated from them. They are seen as God sees, and obey as obeying God. Independence is not contrary to obedience for those who are supposed to obey; on the contrary obedience is more perfect than ever with them. But it does away with all subjection, all sight of the creature in what is done, all power to act in view of pleasing when it is not God's will. These souls are free, unhindered by men.
         These kings are gathered to fight other kings who are the princes of the world, who think they are kings. (They are slaves.) Those who are thought to be the most free in this world, are the most dependent and bound, and those who are believed to be bound are the most free. Those who are free with the freedom of Jesus Christ only know the weapons which are: trust in God, denial of all self, sacrificial spirit, and patience. The weapons of others are anger, passion, pride, arrogance, hatred, and reliance on their strength.

Rev. 16:17,18: And the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air; and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." And there were flashes of lightning, and sounds of peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
         This last blow is the stroke of grace which consumes all woes and which is the last of all misfortunes and the beginning of all blessings. The vial is poured out into the air, because it holds and pours out the entire capacity of the soul.
         There came a great voice out of the temple. In other words the voice comes out of the depths of the soul. The voice seems to come from God Himself, saying: "It is done." These words designate that every hope is absolutely taken away from the soul. No resource is left. This is the most terrible and distressing state. It seems God confirms this. Human nature, seeing its last death blow, comes into frightful terrors, horrible alarms, and dreadful agitations, such as was not since men were on the earth. If this state is the greatest of all misfortunes, it is also the last.
         When it pleases God to send His inner Spirit into the world, He does so only when it is about to be banished. When things are in a desperate condition, when truth is the most fought against, the most condemned, then will truth and light appear with the greatest brightness. But alas, before this, how many terrible thunderings and lightnings! It seems everyone will put on his armor to fight against truth if possible. Even those who are filled with truth go through terrors and strange frights, because of the evils threatening them. Things will be completely hopeless. "It is done" will be the word. But let us have patience. It is true there will be a consummation, but it will be the end of pains and the ruin of the enemies of truth.
     This last persecution will be the strongest of all.

Rev. 16:19:  And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
         It seems the soul is divided in three: There is a division of its superior and inferior part. The soul seems to think that within her are two promptings, one that is working and the other censuring the one that is working; one that is drawn to do something, the other condemning this move. One condemns, and the other, finding he is condemned, seeks the cause of the condemnation and finds it not. It seems that an army of reasoning powers are fighting each other, killing each other and continually coming back to life. This is a great torment.
         In this battle in the soul, the cities of the nations-- the refuges of human nature-- are being lost and fall. In this struggle, it seems one pleads in behalf of the other, and has often the advantage, but finally is destroyed and defeated through a total sacrifice, and a perfect surrender. Human nature has no hope any more. In this fight, some self-will remains and would like to use its freedom to defend itself, like a drowning person using the little strength left to protect himself from death, but this effort causes him to die promptly.
         The self comes in remembrance before God. This great Babylon, this mother of trouble and confusion, this enemy of peace, quietness, and simplicity, is remembered by God. But it is to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.
         Oh God, what a wine! It will be pure indeed. God will say to her: You did what I did not want; you rebelled against Me. Now you will do what you don't want. Oh Babylon, by your confusion you trouble the earth! But you will be destroyed in a way that will astonish the earth.

Rev. 16:20: And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
         All that which lifted up the soul and sustained it is destroyed. The soul does not find any more heights and depths. Once lifted up, she is now brought down. The soul has no greater stay than being sunk into the deepest humility.

Rev. 16:21: And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
         If God took away all props from the soul and did not have her feel the weight of His indignation, it would not be so bad. But bearing the weight of the wrath of God is most  terrible. These thunderbolts constantly fall, fast and thick as hail. God adds all woes and withdraws any apparent stay and the soul is left helpless. With this comes persecution; no one remains to comfort.
         Oh God, who could bear Your wrath?
         When self is strong and carnality is big, human nature becomes so strangely furious that it would destroy itself if help was not sent. Some allow these blows to destroy them. Others resist violently and suffer so, that sometimes they die; or by repeated efforts, they leave their state, never to return again. That is, they lose their peace while the others, through these hardships, find an endless peace.
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^{(1) Guyon, Mme. Jeanne, CHRIST OUR REVELATION, Gardiner, Main, Reprinted 1987 Christian Books Publishing House ( Book in now out of print)}

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