What is the list of plagues in the New Testament?
The most explicit reference to "plagues" in the New Testament is found in the Seven Bowls (or Vials) of God’s wrath, described in Revelation 15–16. Here, the plagues echo the Exodus story but with a global scope.
The word "plague" often brings to mind the dramatic scenes of Egypt in the Old Testament, particularly the ten plagues that led to the Exodus. However, the New Testament also contains references to plagues, disasters, and divine judgments—most notably in the apocalyptic visions of the Book of Revelation. While the New Testament does not present a list of plagues in the same format as Exodus, it does describe a series of catastrophic events, judgments, and afflictions that play a central role in its prophetic literature.
Plagues in the New Testament: An Overview
While the term "plague" appears less frequently in the New Testament than in the Old, the concept is far from absent. The Greek word for plague, "plēgē," translates as blow, stroke, wound, or calamity. In the Gospels and Acts, plagues are sometimes referenced as general afflictions or diseases. For example, in Luke 21:11, Jesus warns of "great earthquakes, famines and pestilences," using the word "loimos," meaning pestilence or plague.
However, the most detailed and dramatic presentations of plagues are found in the final book of the New Testament—Revelation. Here, the apostle John describes a series of visions involving three sets of seven judgments: the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Bowls (or Vials). These judgments contain various "plagues" that are poured out upon the earth as part of God's final judgment. The language is highly symbolic, drawing from the prophetic traditions of the Old Testament, especially Exodus and the prophetic books.
The Seven Seals: The Beginning of Judgments
The first set of judgments in Revelation is the opening of the Seven Seals (Revelation 6:1–8:1). While not all the seals involve what would traditionally be called "plagues," they introduce a series of catastrophic events that set the stage for the more direct afflictions to follow.
- First Seal: The White Horse (Conquest)
The rider on a white horse, carrying a bow, goes out to conquer. - Second Seal: The Red Horse (War)
The rider on a red horse takes peace from the earth, leading to widespread war. - Third Seal: The Black Horse (Famine)
The black horse and its rider symbolize famine, as food becomes scarce and expensive. - Fourth Seal: The Pale Horse (Death by Plague, Sword, Famine, and Wild Beasts)
The rider’s name is Death, and Hades follows. Authority is given to kill a fourth of the earth by sword, famine, plague ("thanatos" in Greek, sometimes translated as pestilence), and wild beasts. - Fifth Seal: The Souls Under the Altar
This seal reveals the souls of those martyred for their faith, who cry out for justice—no physical plague, but a spiritual reminder of suffering. - Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances
This seal brings a great earthquake, the darkening of the sun, the moon turning to blood, stars falling, and the sky being rolled up like a scroll. - Seventh Seal: Silence and the Seven Trumpets
The seventh seal introduces silence in heaven and prepares for the next cycle of judgments.
While not all of these are plagues in the medical sense, the fourth seal specifically mentions "plague" as part of the means by which a quarter of humanity is killed.
The Seven Trumpets: Intensifying Disasters
After the seventh seal is opened, seven angels are given trumpets. Each trumpet blast brings a new calamity, and several of these are described as plagues (Revelation 8–11).
- First Trumpet: Hail and Fire Mixed with Blood
A third of the earth, trees, and green grass are burned up. - Second Trumpet: Burning Mountain Thrown into the Sea
A third of the sea turns to blood, a third of sea creatures die, and a third of ships are destroyed. - Third Trumpet: Wormwood
A great star called Wormwood falls from the sky, making a third of the rivers and springs bitter and causing many deaths. - Fourth Trumpet: Darkening of Sun, Moon, and Stars
A third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck, darkening a third of the day and night. - Fifth Trumpet: The First Woe—Locusts from the Abyss
A star falls from heaven to earth and opens the Abyss, releasing smoke and locusts with the power to torment people without the seal of God for five months. Their torment is like the sting of a scorpion. - Sixth Trumpet: The Second Woe—Release of Four Angels and a Plague of Mounted Troops
Four angels bound at the Euphrates are released to kill a third of humanity, leading a vast army of mounted troops—often interpreted as a supernatural or symbolic army bringing plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur. - Seventh Trumpet: The Third Woe—Final Judgments
The seventh trumpet heralds the final judgments and the coming of God's kingdom, leading into the seven bowls of wrath.
The fifth and sixth trumpets are particularly associated with plagues, both in their supernatural infliction of torment and their massive scale of destruction.
The Seven Bowls: The Final Plagues
The most explicit reference to "plagues" in the New Testament is found in the Seven Bowls (or Vials) of God’s wrath, described in Revelation 15–16. Here, the plagues echo the Exodus story but with a global scope. Revelation 15:1 refers to these as "the seven last plagues," indicating finality and completeness.
- First Bowl: Painful Sores
Ugly and painful sores break out on people who bear the mark of the beast and worship its image. - Second Bowl: Sea Turns to Blood
The sea turns to blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea dies. - Third Bowl: Rivers and Springs Turn to Blood
The rivers and springs also turn to blood. The angel declares the justice of this judgment on those who shed the blood of saints and prophets. - Fourth Bowl: Scorching Sun
The sun is given power to scorch people with fire, and they are seared by the intense heat, but they curse God instead of repenting. - Fifth Bowl: Darkness on the Beast’s Kingdom
The kingdom of the beast is plunged into darkness, and people gnaw their tongues in agony. - Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dries Up and Demonic Spirits Assemble the Kings for Armageddon
The Euphrates River dries up to prepare the way for the kings of the East, and demonic spirits go out to gather the kings of the world for battle on the great day of God Almighty at Armageddon. - Seventh Bowl: Cataclysmic Earthquake and Hailstones
The seventh bowl brings a tremendous earthquake—unparalleled in human history—splitting the great city into three parts and causing cities of nations to collapse. Huge hailstones, about a hundred pounds each, fall from the sky.
These seven bowls are explicitly called "plagues" (see Revelation 15:6, 15:8, and 16:9), and their purpose is to complete God's wrath upon the earth.
The Symbolic and Theological Significance of the Plagues
The plagues of Revelation serve multiple purposes. On one level, they are judgments against evil, idolatry, and persecution of God's people. On another, they are a call to repentance for those who witness these events yet refuse to turn to God. The repetition of plagues in cycles of seven suggests completeness, echoing the way seven is used throughout the Bible to indicate wholeness or perfection.
Many of the plagues in Revelation resemble the ten plagues of Egypt, drawing a deliberate parallel. Both sets of plagues occur as acts of divine judgment, both are meant to demonstrate God's power over false gods and oppressive empires, and both are intended to lead to deliverance—first for the Israelites, then for the people of God in the New Testament vision.
However, the plagues in Revelation are not merely historical recapitulations; they are also highly symbolic. The language of Revelation is apocalyptic, using vivid imagery to communicate truths about spiritual realities, cosmic conflict, and the ultimate victory of God. The plagues function as both a warning and a promise—warning of the consequences of rebellion, and promising vindication and deliverance for the faithful.
Other References to Plagues in the New Testament
Outside Revelation, the New Testament uses the word "plague" or "pestilence" occasionally, mostly in the context of end-time warnings or as descriptions of Jesus' miraculous healings. For example:
- Luke 21:11 (Jesus speaking of signs of the end times): "There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven."
- Acts 28:8-9 (Paul heals the father of Publius, who was ill with a fever and dysentery, a kind of "plague" or disease).
These references, though brief, connect the experience of suffering and disease to the larger context of God's redemptive work, whether through times of trial or through miraculous healing.
Conclusion: Understanding the Plagues of the New Testament
The New Testament "list of plagues" is most clearly found in the apocalyptic visions of Revelation, where three cycles of seven judgments—the Seals, the Trumpets, and the Bowls—unleash disasters and afflictions upon the earth. While not all are called "plagues" in the literal sense, many involve pestilence, disease, or supernatural torment that fits the biblical concept of a plague.