Revelation 16:17-21
Verse 17 now the last vial is poured out and a great voice comes out of the Temple in Heaven saying “it is done!”
Sound familiar? Jesus while on the cross, when He is ready to give up His spirit says “it is finished” or in some translations “it is done.”
So what is “done?” Well the Tribulation is called the hour of temptation or of God’s wrath. The plagues are completed so from the point in which this takes place which should be close to the end of the seven years, Armageddon will take place and Jesus returns to set up His Throne in Jerusalem.
Remember that there is no chronological order in most of the book and the events that follow will be happening in the midst of the seal, trumpet and vial judgments. We can not get hung up on thinking sequentially or we will be very confused.
Verse 18 there will be voices, thunders, lightening and a great earthquake. Which will most likely be on a level that we have not experienced through out the ages of the earth? This is a demonstration of God’s wrath, judgment and the greatness of Who He is.
It is even stated that there has been nothing like this since men have been on earth. Notice the phrase “so great.” So stay ready to go in order not to be here for this event or for that matter any of the wrath of God!
Verse 19 the great city [Babylon] is divided in three parts as a result of the great earthquake. Babylon is particularly singled out to drink of the fierceness of God’s wrath. It even comes up as a remembrance, so evidently it has developed a very bad record with the Kingdom of Heaven! Cities of Nations also will fall apparently due to the destruction.
Now this Babylon has been quite a mystery for so long. When we work through the next two chapters it may be a surprise to many as to who this really represents and why it is slated for such destruction.
Verse 20 every Island and the mountains will disappear. This is not an indication of the whole earth being affected. Just the ones that surround this local that will be destroyed most likely with a nuclear attack.
Verse 21 hail drops out of the sky the weight of a talent. What does a talent weigh?
Well, and Egyptian talent in Bible times weighed about 60lbs. Roman talents weighed 71lbs. The Greek one weighed 56lbs and a Babylonian talent weighed 67lbs.
Some of the more contemporary translations use a 100lbs as the weight. However, which ever weight depicts the size of these hail stones, anyone of them would be major destruction to whatever they land on.
Notice again how God gets blasphemed because of how great the plague of these stones will be. It’s quite understandable that people would react this way, it is such a shame that they have to suffer all this due to rejection of the true way of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
