REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 16:18

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

 

Chapter Sixteen

The Great Tribulation

The Seven Trumpets

Judgment Resumed

Trumpet Number 7 (Woe Number 3)

 

The Seventh Bowl

 

Review

As the seventh angel pours the seventh bowl of wrath, the last of the twenty-one judgments of God, into the earth’s atmosphere the voice of God is heard saying, ‘It is done,' meaning the judgments of God's plan have now been accomplished. For those men who have rejected Jesus Christ, it will be a frightening and fearsome experience.

 

The psalmist Asaph, the prophets Zephaniah, Haggai, and others foresaw Tribulation concluding with the great Day of the Lord’s wrath at Armageddon, including the ultimate destruction of Babylon (cf. Revelation 17-18):

Psalm 50:3-4 - Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people.

 

Zephaniah 1:15, 17 - That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness…And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

 

Haggai 2:6 - For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.

 

As a result of the pouring, the following verse details the physical cataclysmic disturbances upon the earth.

 

 

(Verse 18)

 

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

 

The final vial is introduced by voices (literally, rumblings, akin to sayings or languages), pearls of thunder, and flashes of lightning, indeed similar to those preceding the seventh seal and seventh trumpet judgments:

Revelation 8:5 – And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

 

Revelation 11:19 - And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His Testament: and there were bolts of lightning, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

 

 

The Greatest Earthquake

And there was a great earthquake, such as was not (the likes of which had not occurred) since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

The most powerful seismic upheaval of all time will change the earth’s landscape in preparation for the Millennium. This exceptional earthquake of the severest magnitude will most likely take place when Jesus rests His feet on the Mount of Olives. Along with its aftershocks, it also marks the severity of the devastation that follows. God is going to shake the earth like a baby rattle. [See also Earthquakes: Revelation 6.10 Study]

 

 

(Verse 19)

 

And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

 

The great city is untitled, however, three determinations have been postulated as to its identity:

1. Some believe the city refers to Rome, identifying it as the seat of the apostate church

 

2. Some indicate Babylon emerges as the capital city of Antichrist’s world government during the last days of Tribulation, i.e., a rebuilt city of Babylon on the Euphrates River. Babylon the Great is delineated in Chapters 17 and 18.

 

3. Some concur it refers to Jerusalem since Jerusalem is alluded to earlier as the great city by John:

Revelation 11:8 - And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the Great City, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. [cf. Revelation Study 11.7]

 

Jerusalem seems to be more in line with the context of this passage. While there is no indication that Jerusalem will be destroyed, the passages clearly state the city will be divided into three parts. At this point, Armageddon cues fulfillment of prophecy:

Zechariah 14:4 - Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave (divide asunder) in the midst thereof toward the east and the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

 

So, the text indicates the Lord descending with His saints. And, as He sets his feet on the Mount of Olives it splits in two. One half will move to the east and the other to the west, forming a great valley between and causing the two parts of the divided Mount of Olives to move north and south. Thus, Jerusalem is divided into three parts.

 

The Mount of Olives

Also known as Olivet (lit. olive garden), the Mount of Olives is one crest part of a huge north-to-south mile-long limestone ridge east of the old city of Jerusalem. Its summit (about 300 feet above the Temple Mount) lies about one-half mile from the city wall separated by the Kidron Valley and borders the Judean wilderness toward the Dead Sea.

 

Old Testament

Other than Zechariah’s prophecy, some significant events concerning Moriah in Israel’s history include:

1. When David fled barefoot there from his rebellious son Absalom (cf. 2 Samuel 15:14, 30)

 

2. When Ezekiel saw a vision ( theophany or Christophany – A pre-incarnate appearance of Christ) of Messiah at Moriah (cf. Ezekiel 11:23-24)

 

3. When Nehemiah gathered wood from the Mount’s abundant olive trees to celebrate the first Feast of Tabernacles after the seventy-year Babylonian captivity (cf. Nehemiah 8:15)

 

New Testament

Many conspicuous accounts of Jesus are noted, some encompass:

1. When Jesus instructed His disciples how to pray (cf. Luke 11:1-4)

 

2. When Jesus sat and gave the Olivet discourse about the signs of the times, the end of the Age, the Great Tribulation, and the Second Coming (cf. Matthew 24-25)

 

3. When the Lord’s Supper was ended, Jesus approached the base of the Mount of Olives into the Garden of Gethsemane (cf. Matthew 26:30)

Traditionally, it is also said that the Mount of Olives was the location where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem (cf. Luke 19:41).

 

According to Josephus, in A.D. 70, Roman commander Titus stationed his headquarters on the northeastern slope, a crest called Mount Scopus [the exact location remains unknown since Jerusalem’s destruction changed the topography]. There the Roman army placed catapults and hurled stones, the weight of a talent, into Jerusalem, aiding its destruction.

 

Also, of intrinsic value, is the fact that the Ascension of Jesus occurred on the Mount of Olives, the same pace of which He shall so return as foretold by Zechariah 14:4 [see above] and two angels standing by in white apparel:

Acts 1:11-12 - Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey.

 

And the cities of the nations fell (collapsed)

As convulsions and aftershocks increase, every major city of all nations in league with spiritual Babylon is reduced to total ruin.

 

And great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her (and gave her) the cup (fury) of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

God shall remember the great Babylon that forms the subject and object of God’s wrath during the next two chapters (cf. Revelation 17:5). Before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Babylon receives the cup (fate) of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Notice the distinct nuance between fierceness and wrath:

A. Fierceness: (Greek; θυμός (thumos), meaning breathing hard with passionate fierce indignation – Anger)

 

B. Wrath: (Greek; ὀργή (orgē), meaning violent punishment or avenging anger)

[See notes relating to the cup in Revelation 14.9 study]

 

The scene following the great earthquake captures the essence of what the Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 2:4-6 - He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set My King upon My Holy Hill of Zion.

 

 

(Verse 20)

 

And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

 

Parallel to Revelation 6:14-17, the whole world is convulsed as every island vanishes by sinking into the waters, and mountains are flattened or could no longer be found. These descriptions generally accompany the last judgment. In comparison: The judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah was local, on the other hand, the final bowl is more widespread and will affect the entire globe, but will not be annihilated.

 

It is said that the restoration of the Antediluvian environment will return to its original topography. Subsequently, it certainly will be conducive to better climate conditions for the Millennium.

 

 

(Verse 21)

 

And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every [hail] stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

 

Those who escape the great earthquake will face an unprecedented hailstorm. Raining down, hurled, or descending upon men are huge hailstones (literally talent-like in weight) from above.

 

There are varying measurements for talents dependent upon culture. It could range anywhere from 96 to 125 pounds. Regardless, the average, a 100-pound talent falling from the sky will pulverize anyone or anything it strikes (cf. Exodus 9:22-26). Isn’t it interesting that Jerusalem was destroyed by catapulting 100-pound stones, while 100-pound hailstones rain from heaven during the last judgment destroying the earth?

 

Precedents and predictions of hail used in judgment are located elsewhere in Scripture. Some examples involve:

1. Joshua’s battle at Bethhoron. It records more Amorites being killed by God causing walnut-size hailstones to fall upon the enemies than the Israelites slew with the sword (cf. Joshua 10:11)

 

2. Isaiah speaks of a tempest of hail and the destroying storm which God in His judgment will send (cf. Isaiah 28:27)

 

3. Ezekiel speaking of God pleading with men with pestilence, blood, an overflowing rain, great hailstones combined with fire and brimstone (cf. Ezekiel 38:22)

 

And men blasphemed God because of the plague (calamity) of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great (so horrendous)

The consequence which God will bring upon those who worship the beast will be unimaginable. Since Antichrist has taught men to curse God, they do this until their last breath. The picture is of a tortured humanity holding to satanic allegiance and refusing to recognize and accept the authority of God. Sol the last vestige of tortured civilization is seen defiantly blaspheming God, hence amplifying the depravity of man.

 

Epilogue

Question:

Why is eternal punishment eternal?

Answer:

Humankind, in the hardness of their hearts, will not change. They deserve eternal punishment because they will not repent. Scripture’s prime example is Judas Iscariot.

 

Man’s hope is repentance and reconciliation with God, then to focus and follow Jesus Christ. So when Judgment strikes, as was in the Passover, it shall be ineffective. God sent His only begotten Son to shed His blood on Calvary’s Cross to reconcile an unholy man to a holy God. The Bible solemnly warns everyone to flee from God’s forthcoming wrath.

John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.

 

The greatest judgment is placed upon Babylon, the seat of Satan’s power. Even though Tribulation is technically complete, a parenthetical detailed study of Babylon ensues in Chapters 17 and 18.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   Describe the final earthquake.

2.   Name the great city in verse 19.

3.   Describe the Mount of Olives.

4.   Name some events that occurred on the Mount of Olives.

5.   What great prophetic event will take place at Olivet?

6.   Describe the final pouring of God’s wrath.

7.   Why will man not accept Christ during final judgments?

 

 

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