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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Revelation 16:17 - 16:21
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev_16:17-21
17Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." 18And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
Rev_16:17 "Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air" This could be a reference to Satan's kingdom as found in Eph_2:2. The air above the earth was considered the realm of evil by the first century world. The battle with evil is finished (cf. Rev_16:17-21).
Rev_16:18 This imagery is used several times in Revelation (cf. Rev_4:5; Rev_8:5; Rev_11:19; Rev_16:18).
Rev_16:19 "The great city" Some see this as a reference to Jerusalem because of Rev_11:8. However, I think even Rev_11:8 is a symbol of Rome (cf. Rev_11:8; Rev_16:19; Rev_17:18; Rev_18:10; Rev_18:18-19; Rev_18:21). Rome is described as the great whore of Babylon (cf. Rev_14:8) which was the ancient seat of godless society. In John's day Rome was that center of the emperor cult that persecuted the Church. In the period of the end-time Antichrist it may be another world city. John continues to describe the destruction of the seat of fallen human, anti-God government in Revelation 17-18.
▣ "was split into three parts" This possibly is an allusion to the vision of Ezekiel 5, which describes utter defeat.
▣ "the cities of the nations fell" This shows the ineffective alliance of fallen human governments against our God and His Christ (cf. Psalms 2). See note at Rev_10:11.
▣ "Babylon the great was remembered before God" The phrase "then God remembered" is often a symbol of God's judgment (cf. Rev_18:5; Rev_19:15). This particular cup of judgment was discussed earlier in Rev_14:10.
▣ "the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath" Drunkenness was an OT metaphor for God's judgment (cf. Psa_60:3; Psa_75:8; Isa_51:17; Isa_51:22; Jer_25:15-16; Jer_25:27-28; see Special Topic at Rev_14:10).
"Wrath" is the term orgç. See full note at Rev_7:14.
Rev_16:20 "every island fled away" This is similar to the sixth seal (cf. Rev_6:14).
▣ "the mountains were not found" These were OT symbolic phrases for cataclysmic end-time events (cf. Psa_97:5; Mic_1:4; Nah_1:5).
Rev_16:21 "huge hailstones" Hailstones have always been the sign of God's judgment (cf. Jos_10:11; Isa_28:2). This is another possible allusion to the Egyptian plagues (cf. Exo_9:23-24). In Eze_38:22 hail is used on the end-time enemies of God. The weight of the hailstones has varied.
▣ "about one hundred pounds each" This is literally "a talent weight." The weight of "talents" in the Ancient Near East has varied from 45 to 138 pounds. Their exact weight is unknown, but these are obviously exaggerated weights to show the damage and death they will cause.
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