Extracts and comments from Revelation Chp. 16:17-20
V.17
And the seventh angel poured out his vial (b)into the air; and there came a (a)great voice out of the Temple of Heaven, from the throne, saying, “IT IS DONE”.
(a) “Great voice”; God Almighty, from the throne “IT IS DONE”. This great climax in the dealing with mankind, this point ends the rule of man. (Joel 2:11). Our Lord said “It is finished”, (John 19:30), when He had completed the work on the cross of Calvary. At the point where the Father states “It is done”, our Lord’s enemies are made His footstool. Psm. 110:1, Matt. 22:44, Mark 12:36, Heb. & 10:13). This is just prior to Christ’s rule from Jerusalem when He and His Father’s name will be One, (Zech. 14:9).
(b) Charles Welch makes the interesting point in his book 'This Prophecy' on page 196, that the 7th angel pouring out his vial "into the air", is dealing with Satan himself; as "the prince of the authority of the air" (Eph. 2:2).
V.18
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a (a)great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the Earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
(a) There have been very great earthquakes in man’s recorded history, but this one yet to be will be the largest ever in man’s time on Earth. Science knows the great devastations that have happened in the past, (see: Velikoski "World in Upheaval”), but this one surpasses them all. (See note at the beginning of Rev Chapter 9 ). As is known from Scripture (Zech. 14:8 & Ezk. 47:8 and other verses of those Chapters) at some stage in the future prior to the Millennial Reign, Jerusalem will apparently become a sea port. This is possibly due to the great earthquake quoted in verse 18, however, as the reading of the above text show the water apparently flows from the site of the Temple in Jerusalem, and is fresh! There is also the statement that the Dead Sea is "healed", which almost certainly means that it will support marine life. As at present the Dead Sea is approx. 1300 ft. below Sea level, the volume of water flowing from Jerusalem clearly will be very large. As Jerusalem is inland from the Mediterranean Sea and is approximately 700 metres above current sea level, the possibility is that the same earthquake will reduce the height quoted, (Isa. 40:4); or Jerusalem will sit at that future time high above the sea port that will exist. It seems that the new sea way would run from the Mediterranean from West to East via Jerusalem to the Dead Sea flowing south eventually into the Gulf of Aqaba and on into Red Sea.
V.19
And the (a)great city was divided into three parts, and the (b)cities of the nation's fell; and (c)great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.
(a) “The great city”; Jerusalem.
(b) “Cities of the nation's fell”; unimaginable devastation as New York, Toronto, Boston, London, Sydney, Tokyo, to name a few, the skyscrapers falling, the panic, the destruction, the desolation.
(c) “Great Babylon”; the source of all the world’s pagan religions and Satanic systems, (see Dan. 4:30), (Gen. 10:10), & (Gen. 11:9). See also earlier notes.
V.20
And every (a)island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
(a) The result of the great quake, will be no mountains, and movement of the world's islands! Knowing as we do today that land masses are floating on a sea of molten rock, the violence of the upheavals will possibly push land masses together, as in the ancient past. (Isa. 24:19-23).
And there fell upon men a great hail out of Heaven, every stone about the weight of a (a)talent: and men (b)blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
(a) “Talent”; about 114 lbs. (approx. 52 KG). Obviously deadly.
(b) The usual response from totally unredeemable people. See 14:1(c).
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