Chapter 15 is viewed by Shincheonji (SCJ) as the restoration of narrative order after Revelation 12–14. It begins the climax of God’s judgment through the seven bowls—seen as the final woes before Satan’s world ends in Revelation 20.
The setting begins with a great and marvelous sign: seven angels with seven last plagues, signaling the completion of God’s wrath. These angels emerge from the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (TTT)—SCJ’s name for their own organization.
The sea of glass mixed with fire is where those who overcame the beast are gathered. SCJ teaches that these “overcomers” are New John (Lee Man-hee) and his companions, who stood against betrayal and destruction. They are said to have spiritually defeated the “beast” (representing false pastors of the Tabernacle Temple), and now qualify to carry out judgment.
This chapter is also considered a spiritual Passover parallel: just as the final plague freed the Israelites from Egypt, the seven last plagues in Revelation are said to liberate God’s people from spiritual Babylon.
In Chapter 16, the seven angels now pour out their bowls on the earth—symbolic of testifying against the Tabernacle Temple (TT), which SCJ claims betrayed God and united with the Gentiles. Each bowl is interpreted as a testimony given by New John and the overcomers, revealing the lies and spiritual corruption within the TT.
Examples of interpretations:
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1st Bowl (sores): Represents emotional and spiritual wounding as people realize they’ve been deceived.
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2nd Bowl (sea to blood): Symbolizes the death of souls in the TT who now belong to Satan.
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6th Bowl (Euphrates dried up): Said to expose the lies of false doctrines and prepare the way for the “kings of the east” (interpreted as SCJ’s victorious leaders).
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Armageddon: Not a physical war, but a spiritual battle between truth and lies, centered around the revealed wordSCJ Bible Study 2024 (o….
Ultimately, Chapter 16 is SCJ’s doctrinal justification for judgment against betrayers and destroyers—fulfilling what they call God’s 6,000-year grieving heart. It ends with a declaration of God’s reign beginning, marking a transition into the final defeat of Satan in future chapters.
This is an ongoing series, and changes may occur until its completion. Additional articles will be added over time as they become available.
Revelation Chapters 15–16: The Final Bowls of Wrath and the Collapse of Babylon
The Last Plagues, the Song of Victory, and the Unveiling of the Tabernacle of the Testimony — Through the Eyes of the Overcomer, Lee Man-hee (이만희)
The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb
It began with a breathtaking vision—one unlike anything New John had seen before. “I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed” (Revelation 15:1).
Standing before the sea of glass, New John was not alone. He and his brothers, the overcomers of Revelation 12 who had triumphed over the group of the dragon, had gathered as one. These were not victors of fleshly battle, but of spiritual war—those who had overcome with the blood of the Lamb and the word of testimony. They stood not on ordinary ground, but on a sea of glass mixed with fire, a flooring of judgment and purity—symbolizing both the Word and the fire of God’s judgment. It reflected their suffering and their endurance.
New John’s heart trembled—not with fear, but with awe—as he beheld the scene. They held harps, not made by man, but given by God Himself. And with these harps, they sang. Not a song of mourning, but of victory—the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.
From their mouths came the words, full of reverence and proclamation:
“Great and marvelous are Your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways, King of the ages” (Revelation 15:3).
“Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15:4).
This song was not random. It was the fulfillment of the Song of Moses sung after the crossing of the Red Sea—then by physical Israel, now by spiritual Israel. The 12 tribes, born of God’s seed, harvested and sealed into Mount Zion, were the true singers. And it was the Song of the Lamb—for it was by the Lamb’s blood that they had overcome.
Yet, beneath the melody was a sobering contrast: while the overcomers stood in victory, the congregation members of the tabernacle temple had been conquered by Satan’s pastors. They had received the mark of the beast, worshipped false shepherds, and betrayed the covenant—just as the people once followed John the Baptist before the true light appeared.
But the heavenly army of New Spiritual Israel fought. They battled with the words of Revelation and the testimony of fulfillment—even to the point of death. And they overcame.
The Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 238–241; The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, pp. 219–223
The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony is Opened
New John turned as the vision unfolded again.
“Then I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the testimony—and it was opened.” (Revelation 15:5)
This temple was not built by human hands. It was not a denomination born of tradition. It was the very tabernacle established by Jesus through the Promised Pastor, New John himself. In awe, New John saw seven angels emerging from the temple. Their garments were glistening white, their chests girded with golden sashes—a divine military array, holy and pure.
One of the four living creatures, majestic and radiant with the authority of the throne, stepped forward. It handed to the seven angels seven golden bowls, each filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
Smoke began to fill the temple—not smoke of destruction, but of God’s glory and power. Its thick presence signified one thing: no one could enter until the seven plagues had finished. Judgment had begun, and until its completion, the doors of salvation remained closed to those who had the mark of the beast.
New John’s heart grew heavy. He understood the implications. The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, the true dwelling place of God, had opened—but it was not yet a place of welcome. Until the judgment was complete, only those who had overcome the beast could stand within it. It was the only place where all nations would later come to worship—the place where God’s throne, the four living creatures, and the angels now dwelled.
This vision was not a metaphor. It was reality. Its fulfillment had taken place in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea. The temple seen by New John was not in the clouds, but established on the earth. From that place, God’s wrath would be poured out—not haphazardly, but through the testimony and hearts of those who overcame.
The bowls were now ready.
The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, pp. 224–230
The Seven Angels and the Golden Bowls
As the glory of God filled the tabernacle and smoke veiled the temple, New John turned his eyes toward the seven angels. He knew that they did not come empty-handed. From the hand of the living creature, they had each received a golden bowl—but these were not ordinary bowls. In the spiritual realm, these were vessels of judgment, not crafted of metal but made of people, filled with the Word of truth and spirit.
These angels held in their hands the wrath of God, and the bowls they carried symbolized not a physical liquid, but the Word of judgment, now entrusted to those who overcame. Just as Jesus once declared, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63), so too were these bowls. Each one carried the life-giving judgment that would now be poured out across the world.
New John could feel it—judgment was no longer distant prophecy. It had become present reality. The bowls would strike at the core of falsehood: at those who had received the mark of the beast, who worshiped its image, and who had opposed the testimony of the one who overcame.
Then it came—a voice.
A loud voice, not from man, but from the temple itself. A voice that thundered with divine authority and shook the very realm of spirit:
“Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” (Revelation 16:1)
New John stood silent. His breath slowed. It had begun.
The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, pp. 224–230
First Bowl: Painful Sores
The first angel stepped forward, holding his golden bowl with steady hands—his face resolute, aglow with divine urgency. New John watched closely, every fiber of his being alert. Then, in obedience to the command from the temple, the angel tilted the bowl and poured out its contents—not onto the ground, but upon the land, the spiritual landscape where betrayal had taken root.
“The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” (Revelation 16:2)
But this was no physical disease. The ugly and painful sores were spiritual afflictions. They marked the torment of the soul, the internal agony of those who had followed falsehood—the members of the tabernacle temple who had worshiped the destroyers and received their mark. These were the seven messengers and their congregation members who had turned from the Word and bowed to Satan’s pastors.
New John could feel their anguish—not from afar, but intimately, as one who had walked among them. The wounds they bore were not on skin, but in spirit and conscience. The sores were symptoms of betrayal, guilt, and fear—because now the truth was being revealed.
Their teachings had been exposed. Their alliances with false pastors were laid bare. And now, the judgment of the first bowl was upon them.
New John, as the one who overcame, did not gloat. His heart was heavy, for these were once fellow believers. But they had made their pledge without discernment, unknowingly binding themselves to the mark of the beast. Now that mark turned against them as a burning sore—revealing their role in the betrayal of God’s tabernacle.
The judgment had begun.
Second and Third Bowls: Blood in the Sea and Rivers
New John’s gaze lifted to the heavens again. The second angel, with measured solemnity, came forth. He, too, poured out his bowl—not upon people this time, but upon the sea.
“The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.” (Revelation 16:3)
The waters churned—symbolically, spiritually. The sea was not physical. It represented the destroyers, the group of the dragon, and the world of false religion—denominations and pastors who had ruled over many waters with corrupted doctrine.
The blood was not literal either. It was spiritual death—a sign that their teachings had turned from life to decay. Like the blood of a dead man, the doctrines once paraded as truth had become lifeless, putrid, unable to give salvation. The congregation members, the “living things in the sea,” now perished spiritually.
Then came the third angel, pouring his bowl not upon the sea, but onto the rivers and springs of water—symbols of pastors and churches, respectively.
“The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.” (Revelation 16:4)
New John watched as these waters too were stained crimson. These were the evangelists, the pastors ordained by Satan, the ones who had stained the truth with their lies. The doctrine they poured from their pulpits had now been judged false, and in return, they were given blood to drink—what they deserved, for they had shed the blood of the saints.
A voice then echoed, likely from the angel of the waters, righteous in judgment:
“They have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”
It was justice—not cruel, but righteous.
New John felt the weight of this judgment. The blood-red waters revealed a complete spiritual death for those churches and pastors. Their sermons were now curses. Their rivers—once flowing with supposed life—had become poisonous.
Still, more was to come.
Fourth Bowl: The Sun Scorches
New John lifted his eyes toward the radiant angel who now approached with the fourth golden bowl. The angel paused only briefly before lifting the bowl high and, with reverence and force, released its contents—this time, not upon the land or sea, but upon the sun itself.
“The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire.” (Revelation 16:8)
New John braced himself. The brilliance of the sun was overwhelming, yet what he saw wasn’t warmth—it was wrath. This sun was not the physical star that shone over the earth. It represented a false pastor, one who once claimed to give spiritual light but had in truth become an instrument of judgment.
The sun’s rays, once thought to enlighten, now burned. It scorched the people, not with literal heat, but with the truth of judgment. The very doctrines they had trusted were now turning against them. The pastors who had received their thrones and authority from the dragon—the destroyers of Revelation 9—now stood exposed, seared by the Word of God they had denied.
New John’s heart tightened. He had seen these pastors torment God’s chosen people—flogging the congregation members of the tabernacle with the doctrine of Satan, disguising it as righteousness. They had acted with power, yet their power was false.
“They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” (Revelation 16:9)
Even as the fire of truth revealed their lies, the destroyers refused to repent. They cursed the very God they claimed to serve. Their tongues, once proud, now became weapons of self-destruction.
New John grieved, not with weakness, but with the sorrow of one who had once been among them. He remembered the spiritual torture they inflicted. He saw the damage they caused. Yet now, the spiritual sun—the one that should have illuminated the Word—was burning with holy fire.
And still, they did not turn back.
Fifth Bowl: Darkness on the Beast’s Throne
As if to follow the scorching heat with complete absence of light, the fifth angel now approached with a grave purpose. New John could sense it: a deep silence hung before the outpouring. When the bowl was poured, it did not touch earth or sky—but directly struck the throne of the beast.
“The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.” (Revelation 16:10)
Darkness fell—not as absence of daylight, but as the utter collapse of spiritual authority. The throne was not a literal seat, but a symbol of religious dominion—the place from which false shepherds ruled. The institutional churches, once considered untouchable, were engulfed in confusion, dismay, and exposure.
New John saw men—pastors, leaders, evangelists—gnawing their tongues in agony. These were the very tongues they once used to preach, to deceive, to command.
“They cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” (Revelation 16:11)
The pain and sores were not new afflictions but the continued effect of the spiritual sores from the first bowl. The darkness now showed the world who they truly were: betrayers who had abandoned the Word and spread doctrines of deception. The collapse of their kingdom was not merely organizational—it was doctrinal and moral, a total judgment.
New John looked upon the scene and saw clearly: the tabernacle temple’s pastors—the very ones who had inflicted spiritual torment upon the people—were now the judged. Their power could no longer be upheld. Their doctrine could no longer shield them. Their darkness was exposed.
Still, no repentance came.
Sixth Bowl: The Euphrates Dries Up
As the previous bowl plunged the throne of the beast into darkness, a new angel emerged—the sixth, solemn and unwavering. He stood with his bowl, facing east, and when he poured it, New John felt the air shift. This bowl, unlike the others, affected a river—a mighty river that once symbolized power, provision, and a boundary.
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.” (Revelation 16:12)
New John’s eyes followed the vision. The Euphrates, once teeming with symbolic water—doctrine—was now dry, exposed, barren. This river was not of the Middle East; it represented the teachings of false pastors, those aligned with the dragon, who had once boasted of spiritual authority.
In Revelation 9, New John had seen this river before—he had seen angels of judgment released from it, who killed a third of God’s people with fire, smoke, and sulfur—the poisonous doctrine of betrayal. Now, under this sixth bowl, those doctrines lost their power. The water dried. Their teachings stood exposed.
This clearing of the riverbed was not for peace—but to make way for kings.
Who were these kings from the east?
They were not rulers in the worldly sense. They were God’s chosen kingdom and priests—those who had been captured by the destroyers, once under the rule of false shepherds, but now liberated by the Word of fulfillment. The drying of the river signaled the collapse of false barriers. A path had opened for God’s people to return—not to Babylon, but to Mount Zion, to the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.
New John’s spirit stirred. Yet the vision did not end there.
Suddenly, he saw three evil spirits appear—grotesque, like frogs, leaping from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
“They are spirits of demons performing signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16:14)
The frogs, detestable and deceptive, symbolized false doctrines—teachings of demons dressed as miracles. They leaped from the mouths of religious leaders and spiritual authorities across denominations and borders, seeking to gather kings for war.
But this was no war of swords.
New John knew this was the spiritual battlefield—a war over truth, over interpretation, over the testimony of reality. The battlefield was called Armageddon, not a valley in Israel, but a spiritual location. In reality, it was the nation of the Betrayer and the Destroyer—the place where Revelation chapters 16, 17, and 18 unfold in fulfillment.
The battle had begun—not with weapons, but with doctrine.
And in this war, God and the devil were contending through their chosen people and their respective words.
Seventh Bowl: “It is Done.”
The seventh angel ascended, holding the final bowl. As he approached, New John could sense the weight of finality surrounding him. All of heaven seemed to pause. The voices ceased. Even the wind within the vision stilled. This was the moment—the last plague, the final blow to spiritual Babylon.
“The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘It is done.’” (Revelation 16:17)
That voice—it was not a whisper. It thundered from the throne of God, authoritative and resolute. It echoed the same solemn declaration made by Jesus at the cross: “It is finished.” But now, these words were not of atonement—but of judgment completed, of Babylon fallen, of God’s kingdom established.
The bowl had been poured into the air, not onto land, sea, or river. Why the air?
New John understood: the air symbolized the breath, the spiritual environment—and now, the truth of what had been hidden was being broadcast, exposed, and made known to all creation. The actions of the betrayer and the destroyer were now declared aloud—as a scandal, as wrath, as justice.
And then, New John recalled the words spoken to him:
“Elders, what do you mean by the Betrayer and the Destroyer?”
And the answer rang with sharp clarity:
“Exactly, that’s what I mean. The pastors who entered the tabernacle temple are the destroyers who appear according to Scripture, and the congregation members of the tabernacle who receive the mark from them are the betrayers who were destroyed.”
He remembered the testimony of Chairman Lee Hee-man and the witnesses who had seen with their own eyes and now testified without hesitation: the seven messengers of the tabernacle were the betrayers, and the Nicolaean teen pastor and Tan Song-hwan, the director of the education center, were the destroyers.
And then it happened.
“There came flashes of lightning, rumblings because of thunder, and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the pain.” (Revelation 16:18)
New John’s spirit shook. He felt the thunder—not just in sound but in meaning. Thunder, in the spiritual sense, was the movement of God’s spirit—His command, His execution, His judgment moving swiftly across the sky. And earthquake—the upheaval, the collapse, the final shaking of religious Babylon.
This was no natural disaster. This was God’s administrative judgment, splitting the great city into three.
The collapsing city was Babylon the Great—the religious institution built on lies. The education center, the central body of the destroyers, was falling. Its branches, described as islands and mountains, could not withstand the fury of God’s wrath. They too began to crumble.
The cup filled with the wine of God’s wrath was now completely poured. All seven bowls—complete.
New John watched as the destruction rippled from person to person, church to church, nation to nation, not through bombs or fire, but through the power of testimony. The sound of fulfilled testimony, passed from mouth to mouth, had a greater effect than any physical judgment.
As Babylon collapsed, it split into three distinct paths:
- Some remained in Babylon—the worldly churches who rejected the testimony.
- Others turned back toward the tabernacle temple—the place of betrayal.
- But some—the remnant, the seekers, the sheep who recognized the voice of truth—went to Mount Zion, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.
“Ah, ultimately, it is split into the church of the Betrayer, the church of the Destroyer, and the church of the Savior, right?”
New John’s heart confirmed it. The division was now visible, irreversible.
Final Call from the Promised Pastor
Then came the final cry—not from heaven this time, but from earth, from the mouth of the one who had seen and testified to all: New John (Lee Man-hee, 이만희), the Overcomer.
“I’m showing you the punishment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, and the secrets of the beast which she sits on. I will also show you the secrets of the prostitute, so please come out of her and do not submit to sinning, to not receiving a judgment.”
It was a cry not of condemnation, but of invitation—to flee Babylon, to leave behind deception, and to enter the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. To join the 12 tribes. To stand among the overcomers.
This was not just the conclusion of Revelation 16—it was the completion of the entire prophecy.
The Book is Fulfilled, The Testimony is Complete
With this final bowl poured and the voice from the throne echoing across the heavens, New John looked upon the vision—now reality—and declared:
✔️ The letters were sent.
✔️ The tabernacle was judged.
✔️ The war was fought.
✔️ The harvest was reaped.
✔️ The bowls were poured.
And now, God’s dwelling is with His people.
“I, New John, testify that this is the fulfilled reality of Revelation.”
He who saw it all now invites all to listen, believe, and enter.
Please take the time to check the Bible verses we’ve provided as references. Use them as a guide for your own understanding and discernment. It’s important to verify and confirm information with external sources, witnesses, and experts to ensure validity and transparency. Additionally, remember to pray for wisdom as you seek to identify any errors and ensure that your understanding aligns with biblical teachings.