Revelation 16:17-21
And Then There Were None
We continue to go further into the future. It has been awhile since I
mentioned this so let me do so again now. The further into the future
we go, the less certain even our guesses can be.
Prophecy Scriptures are a difficult batch of Scriptures to
understand. They were written that way by God, and we only have three
tools to interrupt them: other Scriptures, history, and current
events. The further into the future we move, the less our current
events help us in understanding the future.
You can see the important of current events. 100 years ago, Israel
was not even a nation. That conversation did not even begin until
the defeat of the Axis powers after WW2. Before then, most
prophecies about Israel were allegorized. Until television, we had
no idea how the whole world might watch the Two Witnesses lie in
the streets, resurrect, and ascend into heaven. Before the RF chip,
we had no idea how the anti-Christ might mark every person in the
world so they might not buy or sell. Of course, we still do not know
that this is the way God will fulfill those Scriptures; however,
current events do give us insights into how God MIGHT fulfill them.
By the time we arrive at the Seventh Vial Judgment, I believe we have
all but lost the tool of current events. Things will have changed so
much in the seven years of the Tribulation that very few of the events
which are happening today would be recognized, except perhaps as
the match which lit the fuse to create that time period.
In case you are wondering why I am saying this again now it is
because in addition to losing the tool of current events; I believe
we are also losing the tools of history and other Scriptures. There
has just never been anything like what the Bible describes will
happen in the last part of the Tribulation, and as far as I know,
there are not additional Scriptures-to help us either. That makes my
educated guesses less educated and more guesses. Still, we will
continue into the Scripture to see what God has for us.
I. \\#Rev 16:17-21\\ The Judgment the Angels Poured.
Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his
vial into the air; and there came a great voice
out of the temple of heaven, from the throne,
saying, It is done.
A. \\#17\\ This Judgment Is Poured into the Air
1. That is strange.
2. Judgments have been poured onto and direct toward the
rivers, seas, lands, and even the sun; but never into the
air before.
3. I am not sure what it means, but if I were to guess I
would say it is because this judgment is world-wide.
a. No matter what continent you get on, sooner or later
it stops.
b. No matter what river, stream, or lake you get in,
sooner or later it stops.
c. Oceans and seas don’t end, but even the ocean can’t
get to every spot on our planet—only the air can do
that.
B. This Judgment Causes Two Major Effects on the Planet.
Rev 16:18 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.
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.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains
were not found.
1. The worst earthquake "since men were upon the earth."
a. That statement begs the question, "Were there
earthquakes before men were placed on earth?"
(1) No. The earth never had cause to tremble and
shake until man sinned.
(2) Today’s science and science fiction want us to
believe that the world was born out of chaos,
explosions, and volcanoes; but that is man’s
version of a godless creation.
(3) The Bible does not paint that kind of picture at
all.
b. Then why make this statement? God used it to make it
clear that mankind has never seen an earthquake like
this before—not ever.
c. Jesus spoke of an earthquakes in "divers places" as an
end time indication.
(1) His statement indicates that as the end time
approaches, there may be more earthquakes which
are more severe, and which happen in new and
different places on the earth.
(2) It might even be that there will be a scientific
reason why this may happen; however, no matter
how many earthquakes occur between now and them,
there will not be ANY like this one.
d. This is NOT the first earthquake of the Tribulation
At least four others have been mentioned, although
they may not all be literal earthquakes.
(1) \\#Rev 6:12\\ when the Sixth Seal Judgment was
opened, "there was a great earthquake, and the
sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the
moon became as blood."
(2) \\#Rev 8:5\\ when the Seventh Seal Judgment was
opened, "there were voices, and thunderings, and
lightnings, and an earthquake."
(3) \\#Rev 11:13\\ when the Two Witnesses who had
been killed were resurrected and ascended to
heaven, "the same hour was there a great
earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell,
and in the earthquake were slain of men seven
thousand; and the remnant were affrighted."
(4) \\#Rev 11:19\\ when the Seventh Trumpet
Judgment sounds "there were lightnings, and
voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and
great hail."
e. Now, we are at the fifth and worse earthquake the
world has ever experienced. How bad will it be?
(1) \\#19\\ It caused "the great city" to be divided
into three parts.
(a) We are not sure which city that is.
(b) Only two cities are mentioned by name in
Revelation: Jerusalem and Babylon.
(c) Most of the time, they are not named but
mentioned by description.
(d) \\#Rev 11:2\\ the Bible mentioned "the holy
city" which I believe to be Jerusalem as
it is the only city God would call holy.
(e) In \\#Rev 11:8\\ One "great city" is said to
be the same city "where our Lord was
crucified." That would be Jerusalem too.
(f) But in \\#Rev 14:8\\, Babylon is also
called "that great city."
(g) The bottom line is we are not sure but for
my guess, since "great Babylon" is
mentioned in the same verse, I think God
will shake Babylon into three parts.
(h) I think that is WHY the Bible mentioned
that the great city of Babylon came into
God’s mind, i.e. He will be judging it.
(2) "the cities of the nations fell"
(a) The Bible does not say ALL of the cities of
the nations fell, but it does indicate that
at least some fell.
(b) I suppose that could mean that some cities
in every nation fell, maybe even every city
in every nation…
(3) \\#20\\ "every island FLED away,"
That makes it sound like the islands are not
there anymore.
(4) "the mountains were not found" - It doesn’t
appear that they are there anymore either.
2. The worse hail storm the world has ever seen.
Rev 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail
out of heaven, every 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.
a. The Bible does not say it is the worst ever seen. That
is my commentary.
b. EVERY STONE WAS ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF A TALENT
(1) How much is a talent?
(2) It depends on whose talent it was and when it was
being used.
(3) Wikipedia says, "The heavy common talent, used in
New Testament times, was 129 lbs. 14 oz."
https://en.wikipedia.orewiki/Talentimeasurement)#:—:text=The
%2Oheavy%20common%20talent3/02C%2Oused,(71%201b%203%20oz).
(4) Some other countries used talents that weighed
between 60 to 75 pounds.
(5) So we would guess the stones would be between 60
to 130 pounds. That is a big range, but I don’t
think it will matter whether you get hit in the
head with a 60 lb. or 120 lb. chunk of ice, you
you will be just as dead.
c. We do not know for certain if this was worldwide or
for how long it lasted, but it was poured out on the
air which is EVERYWHERE.
C. \\#17\\ Notice the "great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne."
1. This is the same voice that spoke in \\#Rev 16:1\\.
a. I speculated then that this would be God’s voice.
b. Who else’s voice would come out of the heavenly
temple?
2. Now we are told the voice came out of the temple and FROM
THE THRONE.
a. Again, that must be God for who else will sit upon His
throne?
b. Notice that the THRONE is in the HEAVENLY TEMPLE.
c. We have not known that before.
d. God’s Throne Room is in God’s heavenly temple.
3. The phrase spoken is "It is done."
a. That is not the same Greek word used by Jesus on the
cross \\#John 19:3\\.
b. They are similar in meaning but two completely
different words.
c. This one has the idea of being performed, assembled,
or made. It also means "come to pass," "to be
completed" or "to be finished."
d. This phrase sounds like God has gathered all the
ingredients and then put them together, like baking
a cake.
e. It also brings up the thought of time.
4. Two thoughts:
a. The statement might mean that it is TIME for Jesus to
return.
(1) God could be saying, "Everything is prepared.
Jesus IS coming now.
(2) When we started the chapter, I told you that even
though the vials read as though they were poured
out in rapid succession, they might actually be
fulfilled more slowly—possibility taking us to
the very end of the Tribulation.
(3) This phrase is part of the reason I said that.
(4) If we are at the end of the Tribulation, a lot
of suffering would be culminating at the same
moment.
(a) From Revelation 11, the Two Witnesses that
died might be resurrecting and ascending
to heaven at this time.
(b) From Revelation 16, the birds of the air and
beasts of the field could be beginning
their feast on the dead bodies at
Armageddon, the Hill of Megiddo.
(c) From Zechariah 14, the walls of Jerusalem
could be falling to the anti-Christ’s
troops while the city is being pillaged and
the few people left alive are being chained
and shackled.
(d) From Revelation 19, Jesus could be rising
from the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and
preparing to mount His steed to return to
the earth and destroy the wicked who have
trampled His holy city.
b. However, it is also possible that even though God has
completed His direct judgments upon the earth, that
He will wait a while longer, allowing the world to
descend further into pain, suffering, and death
before Jesus returns.
(1) As fire must be applied to the ingredients of a
cake before is cooks, so God may allow the world
to bake in the hot oven of justice before He
returns.
(a) Some might wonder at that possibility.
(b) They might think continuous judgments,
things might actually get better.
(2) We need to remember that a lot of the pain,
suffering, and death of the Tribulation is NOT
being caused by God and His judgments.
(3) Now, there is no doubt a LOT is; but the devil,
his henchmen, and sin itself will inflict their
own share of pain, suffering, and death.
(4) Never forget that the pathway of sin is always
downward, the payment of sin is always pain and
suffering, and the final port for sin is always
death.
(5) If it is God’s plan to let things continue after
His last direct judgment, things will NOT get
better but worse.
II. \\#Rev 16:19\\ The City that God Remembered
A. That would be Babylon.
B. This is not the first time Babylon has been mentioned in the
book of Revelation.
1. The first time was just after we crossed into the last
half of the Tribulation and the bloody harvests began.
2. One of the three angels came with a message which I told
you I thought was largely prophetic, namely that Babylon
would fall.
Re 14:8 And there followed another angel,
saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great
city, because she made all nations drink of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication.
3. Just like two of the bloody harvests were just getting
started, God had already started dismantling the anti-
Christ’s kingdom; and ultimately, it would all fall.
4. The anti-Christ’s kingdom will have three arms:
a. The religious arm:
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which
gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped
the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him?
b. The political arm:
Rev 13:7 …and power was given him over all
kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
c. The economical arm:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell,
save he that had the mark, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name.
5. I believe the term Babylon, although it is also a city and
a country, will be the codename for any part of the anti-
Christ’s kingdom or for all of the anti-Christ’s kingdom.
C. In \\#Rev 16:19\\, "the great Babylon came in remembrance
before God."
1. That does not mean that God ever forgot about it.
2. It means God is bringing Babylon up to the front of His
mind and thoughts.
3. It means God is about to dismantle.
D. I am pointing this out because in the next two chapters, John
sees God dismantling the anti-Christ’s system.
1. I do not believe this is the last thing God does to the
the anti-Christ as the location of these chapters might
indicate, i.e. these are last two chapters before Jesus
returns so some might think these are the last things God
does to the anti-Christ.
2. I think God started dismantling the anti-Christ’s system as
soon as the devil put it together.
a. I am not sure how far, but I would say back to near
the middle of the Tribulation.
b. Revelation 16 may have jumped ahead to describe all of
the judgments but chapter 17 pulls us back in time to
where those judgments began.
c. If so, while the devil and his henchmen are having to
deal with the judgments from God, they are also
having to deal with unrest within their ranks.
d. The Lord willing, we will see that starting next week.
May I take this opportunity to remind you that God is always at work.
What we see has random may not be random at all. Now, I am not
willing to say that God determines everything that happens because I
believe God gives us a freewill and choice, but I am going to say
that God is always in control and nothing happens that He does not
allow.
For example, you are here today. That was God's plan. Would you
surrender to Him today?
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