Read with Me
Revelation 16:17-21 (HCSB)
Then the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the sanctuary from the throne, saying, “It is done!” There were flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since man has been on the earth—so great was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; He gave her the cup filled with the wine of His fierce anger. Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared. Enormous hailstones, each weighing about 100 pounds, fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.
Listen with Me
The final bowl of God’s wrath poured into the air results in the complete collapse of the Roman government, the devastation of the city of Rome, and the killing of huge numbers of people as a direct result of God’s judgment upon them. God’s declaration from His throne in heaven that “It is done!” shows that by this final act God’s wrath on those who have persecuted His people is fully spent and His judgment is completed.
This final judgment on the ruling system that has brought such pain and suffering to God’s people, in typical apocalyptic style, is shown as being accompanied by signs, both natural and supernatural, signs in heavens above and on the earth below (Luke 21:10-11). There are huge flashes of lightning and roaring sounds that come from heaven, as well as a devastating earthquake that shatters the seat of power. This earthquake is depicted as being so powerful that it collapses all the cities of the whole empire and levels all the mountains. It is accompanied by a storm of gigantic hailstones that crush everyone they land, a direct reference to the seventh plague that He brought on Egypt in the days of Moses (Exodus 9:13-35).
Again, these events are so horrific, so massive and so intense that there is no doubt that they are not natural but are supernatural, sent directly from God’s throne. Their purpose is no longer to warn, but to devastate and destroy what had become the most powerful, and the most abusive, empire on the earth. The time for mercy and the opportunity for repentance had long passed, and now God was hardening the hearts of the leaders and the people who slavishly followed them to the point that their response to this disastrous turn of events was simply to blaspheme God’s name.
Pray with Me
Father, it is a horrible thing to rebel against You so long and so thoroughly that we are no longer allowed to repent, but instead end up in Your crosshairs, just as Pharaoh did in Moses’ day. On the other hand, it is a great comfort to know that You protect your people, even in the midst of Your judgments just as you did in those days, and that You will punish those who persecute Your people until they and the abusive system they align themselves with are completely devastated. Thank you, Lord, for Your love and Your grace toward all those who rely on You. Amen.