Translation
Then one of the four living beings
Go to footnote numbergave to the seven angels
seven
bowls
Go to footnote numbermade of gold
Go to footnote numberand full
of the wrath
of GOD, who lives forever and forever.
Paraphrase
Then one of the representatives of all living beings that God created, gave to the full regiment of the agents of God’s power, all the amassed evidence which God had collected, which was motivated by His righteousness, and was the fullness of the deserved punishment which would be meted out by THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS, who lives forever and forever.
Footnotes
1: “One of the four living beings”
The representatives of all living things that God has created give the evidence of guilt to the agents of God’s power in recognition that the living things they represent are indeed deserving of God’s wrath. Revelation is consistent in demonstrating that God’s punishments are always deserved, for He is not capricious (playing nasty tricks) in His actions toward His creation.
2
This word is different from the word used in Revelation 14:10. There it is “cup,” here it is “bowl.” But the impact is the same in that both of them are symbols for the accumulation of something, in this case it is the evidence which demands punishment.
3
The symbolic use of gold may seem to not fit in this context of punishment. However, once again the balanced character of God’s qualities is evident; He does not punish out of spite, or because He is mean and cruel, rather His anger is deserved because His righteous and holy nature have been offended and something must be done to appease His holy nature. Indeed, something has already been done, and God Himself is the one that paid the high price necessary for our reconciliation to Him. Therefore, anyone who does not avail himself of that offer must rightly suffer God’s wrath. There is no other alternative.