As John sees the end drawing near, he describes the angels of heaven crying with a loud voice. Three angels appear, the first one announcing that the hour of God's judgment has come, the second one crying out that Babylon, which is used as the symbol of Rome, is fallen, and the third one describing the terrible fate of those who worship the beast or its image. As a final punishment, these false worshippers are thrown into a lake of fire, where they will forever be destroyed. Seven more angels then appear, each one carrying a bowl, the content of which symbolizes the wrath of God about to be poured out in the form of the seven last plagues. The plagues will inflict the wicked of John's day, just as a series of plagues inflicted the ancient Egyptians prior to the time when the Israelites were delivered from their bondage. When the first angel pours out his bowl upon the earth, foul and evil sores grow on the men who bear the mark of the beast and who worship its image. When the second angel pours out his bowl on the sea, the sea turns to blood and everything living in it dies. Catastrophes of a similar nature follow when the remaining angels empty their bowls.
The great catastrophic events that bring an end to all the kingdoms of earth will also be the occasion for the return of Christ on the clouds of heaven. As Christ approaches the earth, the wicked people will be slain by the brightness of his coming. For a period of a thousand years, Satan will be bound, and the earth will be desolate. During this time, the righteous will be made safe in the city of God, which is the new Jerusalem. At the end of the thousand years, the city of God will descend to earth. Then the wicked will be raised from the dead, and after making an attempt to overthrow the city of God, they will be destroyed in what John tells us is the second death. The closing chapters of Revelation present a glowing description of the new Jerusalem with its streets of gold, its walls of jasper, its gates of pearl, and the river of life, which will flow eternally from the throne of God. In this heavenly abode, neither sorrow nor crying will exist, for God will wipe away all tears, and there will be no more death.
