There are obvious parallels between this plague and the intense darkness that came upon Egypt in the ninth plague (Exodus 10:21–29). In Egypt’s case, the Holy Spirit described that darkness as “a darkness to be felt” so that “they did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days.” Conversely, “all the people of Israel had light where they lived.” Yet the consequences of the outpouring of the fifth bowl is not a simple repetition of the ninth plague in Egypt. (If it were, Christ could not come back yet for there is no instance in post-Pentecost history where our planet was plunged into such darkness.) Instead, we do better to understand the darkness metaphorically (as so much in the book of Revelation). God is light (John 8:12; 1 John 1:5) and his light gives people light. In Jesus Christ God’s light shines in human darkness (John 1:5) so as to make life possible and give life purpose. To have no sense of purpose, to see no way forward, to grope in the dark in your attempt to make sense of life incapacitates people and renders people hopeless and helpless. Rebels around the world had heard the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:6–11) and so were shown light, but they rejected the light. So God removed all light from these rebels completely (John 3:19). In their hopelessness and helplessness, these rebels in the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13) “gnawed their tongues in anguish.”
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish