Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Revelation Chapter 16 mean?

Revelation 16 resumes the account of God’s judgments on the wicked. It describes the bowl judgments, the third seven-part series of God’s wrath described in the book of Revelation. Prior to this were seven seal judgments, the last of which were the trumpets. The trumpet judgments totaled seven, the last of which were these bowls of the wrath of God.

The first bowl judgment brings harmful and painful sores to those who carry the mark of the beast. The second judgment turns the sea into blood and kills all the marine life. The third bowl judgment turns rivers and springs into blood. Unlike prior incidents where some portion of the sea or rivers was affected, this event appears to ruin all waters throughout the entire earth (Revelation 16:1–4).

Following the third bowl judgment, an angel declares that God is just to avenge the wicked for their murderous acts against the saints and prophets. The angel’s declaration is met with full agreement from a voice from the altar (Revelation 16:5–7).

The fourth judgment scorches the wicked with fire, but instead of repenting, unbelievers curse God. This might refer to a reduction in earth’s natural protection from the sun, “allowing” it to burn the people of earth. The fifth bowl judgment plunges the kingdom of the beast into darkness. The wicked respond by gnawing their tongues in anguish and by cursing God. The sixth judgment dries up the Euphrates to prepare the way for the kings of the east. Next, demons assemble the kings of the whole earth to battle against God at a location referred to as Armageddon, meaning the hill—or mountain—of Megiddo (Revelation 16:8–16).

The seventh bowl judgment brings about an earthquake that splits Jerusalem into three parts. Also as a result of this earthquake, cities worldwide fall, Babylon feels God’s wrath, islands flee, mountains crumble, and hailstones weighing about 100 pounds bombard people. Still, the wicked refuse to repent. Instead, they curse God (Revelation 16:17–21).

At this point, earth has been fatally ruined and the tribulation is all but over. Chapters 17 and 18 will go into greater detail, some of it poetic and descriptive, to further explain the fall of the wicked. Chapter 19 will resume the moment-by-moment description of the end times, including the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Chapter Context
Revelation 16 resumes the account of God’s judgments on the wicked. It describes the bowl judgments, the third and final series of judgments. The seven seal judgments of Revelation 6:1–17 and 8:1 are the first series of judgments. The trumpet judgments of Revelation 8:1—9:21 and 11:15 are next. All of these judgments vent God’s wrath and are recognized as the day of his wrath and the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:17). Chapters 17 and 18 further describe the destruction caused by the judgments. Revelation 19 and 20 will describe the culmination of God’s wrath and the final events of the end times.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

This verse indicates that a loud voice commands the seven angels to pour out their bowls onto the earth. Likely, the loud voice is God’s voice. He alone has the ultimate right to initiate judgment, because He alone is holy, righteous, and just. It is not the prerogative of men or angels to inflict judgment of their own will. Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

The bowls contain the wrath of God, and the whole world is the targeted area to receive the judgments. However, as the following verse indicates, the kingdom of the beast is the focal point. As these bowls of wrath are poured out, the results resemble what occurred in Egypt when Pharaoh refused to release the Hebrews from captivity. The beast and his followers will feel the intense pain of God’s judgment, but they will remain unrepentant.

Context Summary
Revelation 16:1–7 reports the beginning of the bowl judgments which were predicted in Revelation 15:5–8. The first and second judgments resemble the plague of boils and the plague of blood that God brought upon the Egyptians when Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrews leave Egypt (Exodus 7:19–21; 9:8–12). The third judgment turns the water sources into blood. The second and third judgments resemble the third trumpet judgment (Revelation 8:8), but their intensity is greater. A break occurs in 16:5–7 as an angel reflects on the first three bowl judgment and affirms that God is just to judge the wicked.

Verse 2. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

When the first angel emptied his bowl onto the earth, grievous sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast on the forehead or right hand (Revelation 13:16–18). These were unbelievers who worshiped the beast. The sores would certainly produce marks all over their bodies, just as they bore the mark of the beast. They had blasphemed God by practicing idolatry and would now pay the price. The Greek term here is helkos, which can refer to an ulcer or abscess—this is not a minor rash.

Centuries earlier the Philistines attempted to corrupt the Israelites’ faith and faced stern judgment at God’s heavy hand. He struck them with tumors (1 Samuel 5:6). When God struck Egypt with plagues, He caused boils to break out on the Egyptians’ bodies (Exodus 9:8–11). Undoubtedly all business and social life will come to a grinding halt because of the severe pain humans experience from the sores. Because this bowl judgment targets the kingdom of the beast, we can conclude that the bowl judgments occur in the second half of the tribulation.

These same sores are mentioned during future plagues (Revelation 16:11), so these bowl judgments are not entirely separate from each other. At the very least, the effects of this judgment will not have ended before the next ones begin.

Verse 3. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.

The second angel empties his bowl into the sea and the sea becomes a putrefying mass. This verse describes the sea as “like the blood of a corpse.” This is an unusually specific reference, meaning the writer has in mind a body that’s been dead for some time. Whatever happens to the water, it becomes like the rotting fluids found in a decomposing body. As a result, everything in the sea dies.

When God struck ancient Egypt with plagues, He turned the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:19–21), but this second bowl judgment is more widespread; the language used here suggests it might pollute all oceanic bodies of water. Further, the second bowl judgment is far more intense than the second trumpet judgment that turned one third of the sea into blood and killed one third of marine life (Revelation 8:8–9). It seems the trumpet judgments expand the seal judgments, and the bowl judgments expand the trumpet judgments. Each series of judgments is more intense than the previous series. Everything is moving toward a climax, when Jesus returns to earth to capture the beast and the false prophet and cast them into the lake of fire.

No doubt, this judgment cripples the beast’s shipping and fishing industries. The effects of this judgment would be even further reaching than simple commerce. A massive change in ocean waters can have a drastic effect on weather and rain. Also, if “everything” living in the oceans were to die, it would remove a primary food source for the entire world. Even more dire, ocean plants produce most of the oxygen in the atmosphere. The death of everything in the oceans would start a countdown to the extinction of all life on earth.

Verse 4. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.

The contents of the third bowl empty into the water supply sources. As a result, the water supply sources turn to blood—this is most likely a symbolic description, just as it was in Revelation 8:8–9. This is somewhat different than the second bowl judgment (Revelation 16:3), which more specifically described the putrid condition of ocean waters and how everything living in them died. The fact that this affects all of “the rivers and the springs of water” means that now all of the world’s water—fresh or salt—has been corrupted. Earth, at this point, is in the midst of planetary death throes.

This bowl judgment is an intensification of the third trumpet judgment (Revelation 8:10–11). This third bowl judgment affects the water people use for drinking, bathing, washing clothes, and keeping plants, lawns, shrubs, and trees alive. Just as the second bowl judgment seems to have affected all ocean waters, so too does the third bowl judgment seem to pollute all of the world’s fresh water.

When the nation of Israel rejected God and turned to idolatry by building and worshiping a golden calf, Moses ground the idol into powder and sprinkled it into the people’s water source (Exodus 32:19–20). Perhaps the gold powder temporarily changed the color of the water. This was God’s way of making the people see and taste the putrefying effects of their sin.

Similarly, the beast and his followers had shed the blood of the saints and now would taste blood. Their sin would return to haunt them. This is precisely what an angel will declare in the next few verses.

Verse 5. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,for you brought these judgments.

The apostle John reports in this verse that he heard an angel in charge of the waters—the waters that have just become blood—extol God. The angel addresses God as, “O Holy One, ” and declares that He is just and eternal.

As the Holy One, God cannot think or do anything wrong or sinful. So, what He does in judging the wicked is right and in keeping with His abhorrence of evil. As the eternal God, He has always been holy and just, is holy and just now, and always will be holy and just. He never accuses the innocent and never excuses the guilty. The angel understands clearly that God is the source of the judgments. He agrees fully with God’s action of turning the waters into blood. He yields his administration of the waters into God’s righteous hands.

In the fifth seal judgment, the martyrs had begged God to punish their murderers (Revelation 6:9–11). Now the time of vengeance on their behalf has arrived.

Verse 6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,and you have given them blood to drink.It is what they deserve!”

The angel who proclaims that God is holy and just says the wicked received what they deserved. They had shed the blood of saints and prophets, and therefore God gave them blood to drink. The wicked had received ample warnings about the coming wages of their sins.

When Moses handed down the civil law to Israel, he decreed the principle of reciprocity, that a murderer must pay for his crime with his own life. Numbers 35:33 states: “You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.” Earlier Moses had warned the Israelites that they could not disobey the Lord without facing the consequences. “Be sure your sin will find you out,” he said (Numbers 32:23). Those who disobey the Lord by practicing idolatry in the tribulation will discover the truth of Moses’ warnings.

Verse 7. And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty,true and just are your judgments!”

In this verse the apostle John reports that he heard the voice agree that the Lord God Almighty’s judgments are true and just. Revelation 6:9–11 tells us the martyrs under the altar cry out for vengeance on the wicked. They are told to wait a little longer until the number of their fellow martyrs is full. Now, under the third bowl judgment, the time has arrived to avenge the martyrs’ deaths.

At this point of the tribulation, human wickedness has reached its peak, and the martyrs witness God’s judgments on the wicked. They attest to the fact that God’s judgments are true and just. God may not judge all sin immediately or as quickly as we wish, but He judges it fully, in His own time. Christians who suffer at the hands of violent, wicked men may wonder why God doesn’t punish the wrongdoers right now, but they may rest assured He will take appropriate action when He deems best.

Verse 8. The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.

The fourth angel pours his bowl onto the sun with the result that the sun’s temperature becomes so high that the sun’s rays scorch people. There is an area in California in the United States with such high temperatures that it is called Death Valley. It’s not uncommon for sunlit rocks and paved surfaces around the world to become hot enough to cause serious burns. But when the fourth angel delivers his bowl judgment, striking the sun, temperatures everywhere on earth may far exceed those of Death Valley.

This verse uses the Greek root word didōmi, which implies something that is “allowed” or “granted.” This might mean that the sun, itself, is not going to be changed so much as earth will be more susceptible to it. In other words, this bowl judgment might mean something previously restraining the sun’s potency—such as the ozone layer—will be crippled, “allowing” the sun to scorch the earth.

Looking at all these environmental judgments together, one can see how they could combine to create extreme conditions. Death and decay from earlier judgments can interfere with earth’s natural defenses against solar radiation and temperature change. In this judgment, life-threatening sunburn and perhaps skin cancer may become common. What’s described here might be thought of as an extreme form of global warming. Glaciers may melt and become raging floods. Drought and heat may contribute to crop loss, causing further famine and starvation. Grasslands would become deserts, wildfires would rage out of control. Pushed too hard, air conditioners and other machines would break down, causing massive deaths from heat exhaustion and sun stroke.

As a worldwide problem, even believers will suffer from the furnace-like heat of the sun. Revelation 7:16 holds God’s promise that the believers that come out of the great tribulation will never experience the sun’s scorching heat again.

Context Summary
Revelation 16:8–16 reports what happens when the fourth, fifth, and sixth angels emptied their bowls of God’s wrath. It continues the apostle John’s description of the bowl judgments which began in Revelation 16:1–7. The fourth and fifth bowl judgments resemble some of the events of the trumpet judgments, but are much more intense. These events occur just prior to the return of Christ to subdue His enemies and establish His kingdom on earth (Revelation 17—19).

Verse 9. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

This verse continues to describe the heat from the sun after being affected by the fourth bowl judgment. It becomes so intense that people are scorched by it. One can only imagine a world ravaged by prior judgments, now suffering under intense heat and solar radiation.

Nevertheless, the blazing heat does not soften the hard hearts of the wicked. Instead of turning to God in repentance, they revile God. They recognize He has the power to send the plagues, but they curse Him for sending them. They refuse to humble themselves. Adamantly, they refuse to repent and ascribe glory to Him. The reaction of the wicked to God’s judgment contradicts the notion that manmade civilization is getting better and better and will ultimately arrive at a utopia. Wickedness in the great tribulation is so advanced that civilization chooses to defy God in spite of knowing He is judging them because of their wickedness. Romans 1:18 states: “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

This verse also supports a recurring theme of both the Bible and this revelation: humanity has no one to blame for rejecting God but themselves. No matter how much proof, evidence, or pressure God applies, people who want to reject Him will always find a way. Whether it’s through excuses, self-deception, or blatant hatred, the one and only thing keeping each person from finding God is their own sinful choice.

Verse 10. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish

This bowl judgment is unique in that it’s specifically targeted at the “throne” of the beast. The fifth angel’s bowl seems primarily to affect the center of the beast’s kingdom, the heart of his power. While the other bowl judgments seem to be global, this one might be more localized. That opens up different possibilities for what it might actually be, in literal terms.

This judgment cloaks the beast’s kingdom in darkness. The beast and his followers loved moral and spiritual darkness, now they experience a more tangible form of darkness. If this is a literal physical loss of light, it might mean all electrical grids fail, and environmental conditions combine to create a thick, noxious darkness. Without electricity, and in the grip of natural disasters, it would be nearly impossible to use a computer, drive a car, or conduct business. TV news would be silent. Business would fail. Fear will grip people’s hearts.

When God smote the ancient Egyptians with darkness, people could not see one another and no one dared to move about (Exodus 10:22–23). The prophet Joel predicted that the tribulation would be a day of thick darkness (Joel 2:2). Afflicted by “harmful and painful sores” (Revelation 16:2) and scorched by the sun (Revelation 16:9), people will not be able to obtain medical help in the total blackout. They will gnaw their tongues in pain. This darkness will preview the horrible outer darkness in which the wicked will spend eternity (see Matthew 8:11–12).

Verse 11. and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

This verse reports that the people who experienced painful sores (Revelation 16:2) curse the God of heaven. Clearly, they know God exists and dwells in heaven. But they reject the light that shows them who God is. The fact that they curse God shows how hard and wicked their hearts are. Their hearts are, as Jeremiah 17:9 says, “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.”

These people languish from a severe physical condition—painful sores—but their spiritual condition is far worse. Instead of turning to God and repenting of their evil ways, they turn against Him defiantly and refuse to repent. They are forever set in their opposition to God, and they will suffer eternally in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Jesus predicted this condemnation by telling His audience, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Fortunately, God forgives even the foulest sinner who repents and trusts in Jesus as Savior (1 Timothy 1:15).

Verse 12. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

This verse tells us the sixth angel poured his bowl on the river Euphrates. The contents of the bowl caused the river to dry up. Prior bowl judgments have either corrupted or destroyed most of the water on earth (Revelation 16:1–4). This judgment is not about corrupting or removing the use of this water. Rather, it seems to be about removing a barrier used for defensive purposes: preparing the way for invading kings from the east.

The Euphrates is called “the great river” five times in Scripture. It was the eastern boundary of Israel’s inheritance (Deuteronomy 1:7; 11:24). To some extent the river provided protection for Israel because it was difficult to cross and a wilderness to the west separated it from Canaan, the Promised Land. It flows almost 2,000 miles toward Palestine before making its way southeast to the Persian Gulf. In the first century, when Revelation was written, the Euphrates divided East from West, and the kingdoms of China and India lay beyond it to the east.

Centuries earlier, the armies of Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon by diverting the Euphrates that flowed through the city. They were able to march into Babylon on the dry river bed and capture the city. In the great tribulation, the eastern invader will cross the Euphrates, march through Babylon, and enter Palestine.

Verse 13. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

John reports in this verse that he saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, who is the Devil (Revelation 20:2), out of the mouth of the beast (Revelation 13:1–2), and out of the mouth of the false prophet (Revelation 13:11–14). Ephesians 2:2 describes the Devil as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” Since the dawn of human history, the Devil has been exerting his influence over unbelievers. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul calls him “the god of this world.” In other words, the Devil rules the world, the evil world system. Near the end of the tribulation, he holds unbridled sway over his two evil henchmen.

John compares the unclean spirits that come out of mouths of the trinity of evil to frogs. Frogs were an appropriate comparison for this era, since they were seen as unclean and slimy. The second plague that God sent upon Egypt was that of frogs. The Egyptians found the frogs to be so obnoxious that Pharaoh entreated Moses to remove all the frogs. He promised to let the Hebrews leave Egypt if the Lord would remove the pests. Then the Lord caused the frogs to die, and when the Egyptians gathered them into piles, “the land stank” (Exodus 8:14).

Upcoming verses will give more details on these “unclean spirits,” and their role in the end times.

Verse 14. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

This verse identifies the three unclean spirits that John saw coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The symbolism of those “frogs,” as they were described in the previous verse, is explained here. They are demons, and they perform miraculous signs.

This passage is building to an event often referred to as a “battle,” when in reality it’s more of a “war,” referred to using the name of a particular location: Armageddon. The mission of these three spiritual beings is to gather leaders of the world together for this conflict. The time is set for “the great day of God the Almighty.” This looks ahead to Revelation chapter 19, which describes the return of Christ, who strikes down the nations and “tread[s] the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15). All the armies of earth with all their deadly, sophisticated weaponry will be no match for the Almighty!

There is no scholarly consensus about the immediate reasons why these armies gather. Some teachers believe they assemble to battle the beast—the Antichrist—but why would the Devil draw men into battle against his ally? Other teachers offer a more plausible explanation. They think the international armies assemble in order to join the armies of the beast in an all-out attempt to annihilate the Jews and to dethrone God and His Son. It’s possible that they may be initially brought with the intent of fighting against Antichrist, but then turn and join him to fight a common foe.

Verse 15. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

This verse is sometimes printed in parentheses, or in red letters, making it clear that it’s a side note referring to the words of Jesus Christ. His statement presents a challenge to tribulation believers to stay alert. They will be blessed if they do so, knowing Jesus will return to earth suddenly and unexpectedly. His return will take unbelievers by surprise, just as a thief’s visit takes a homeowner by surprise and is a frightful event. The apostle Paul informed the Thessalonian believers that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). The tribulation begins, therefore, like a thief in the night and also concludes like a thief in the night.

The allusion to keeping one’s garments on, that he may not go about naked and exposed draws upon the custom of the day when men wore loose fitting robes. When a man walked quickly or ran or climbed stairs, the robe could become untied and fall open. Men wearing robes needed to be alert and careful about their behavior so their robes would not slip open. An unclothed person inside their house, also, is not prepared for a sudden visitor or to rush out in an emergency. Staying clothed, in a spiritual sense, means believers need to be careful about their behavior (Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 2:28).

Verse 16. And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

This verse gives the location to which the demons mentioned in verse 14 assembled the international armies. They collect these fighters at a place called Armageddon. This name transliterates the Hebrew words har Megid’do, meaning “the hill / mount of Megiddo.” Mount Megiddo is close to the city of Megiddo, a former royal Canaanite city (Joshua 12:21), and close to the plain of Esdraelon. Megiddo is also mentioned in Zechariah 12:11 as a reference to the mourning for Josiah who was killed by Egyptian archers in that area (2 Chronicles 35:22–25). The Lord enabled Barak to overthrow the Canaanites at this site (Judges 5:19).

While this event is commonly referred to as the “battle of Armageddon,” it looks to be an extended series of ongoing fights. Zechariah prophesied in Zechariah 14:1–2 that, before the Lord returns, the war of Armageddon will include plundering and raping in Jerusalem. Half of the city will be taken into captivity. “Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle” (Zechariah 14:3). This means that there will actually be something of a “war of Armageddon,” ending in the return of Christ at the second coming.

Verse 17. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”

When the seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, a loud voice from the temple, from the throne, declared, “It is done!” To this point, the seventh instance of a series of judgments was made up of the next series. God’s first judgments in the tribulation are seal judgments; the seventh seal is primarily made up of the trumpet judgments. The trumpet judgments are next, and the seventh trumpet judgment is mostly composed of the bowl judgments. God’s third and last set of judgments are the bowls. Each series increases in intensity, and now the judgments conclude with the definitive and terrible seventh bowl judgment.

This instance is described as the angel pouring his bowl “into the air,” but unlike the other bowls, what follows doesn’t seem specifically targeted at the item the angel pours into. This angels’ action might suggest the judgment is especially wide-ranging, covering the entire earth. What’s described in the following verses certainly fits that interpretation. It might also be a reference to an attack on Satan, who is sometimes described as “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

Once this bowl is poured, God declares the end to His judging. Once the events of this bowl judgment are completed, the tribulation will be finished and the end times will move into their final stages. “It is done!” is similar in meaning to what Jesus declared from the cross about His work of redemption. John 19:30 tells us, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” While Jesus used the Greek term tetelestai from the cross, implying a fulfilled payment, this verse uses the word gegonen, which more literally means something is completed or finished. Those who refused to accept the finished work of Jesus on their behalf will face the full judgment of God.

Context Summary
Revelation 16:17–21 tells what happens when the seventh angel empties his bowl of the wrath of God. This is the last stage of the tribulation—the final chapter in God’s outpouring of wrath on the world. What the sixth angel did prepared the way for the seventh bowl judgment to put an end to the kingdom of the beast. Chapters 17—19 give a detailed account of the fall of the beast and his kingdom.

Verse 18. And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.

Lightning, thunder, and a devastating earthquake occurred when the seventh angel poured his bowl into the air. A similar occurrence followed the seventh seal judgment (Revelation 8:5) and the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments (Revelation 11:13, 19). It’s reasonable to assume those earthquakes would have brought severe destruction, but the earthquake that follows the outpouring of the seventh bowl is unprecedented in magnitude and destruction. Revelation 16:18 describes it as the greatest earthquake to strike the earth in human history. What is described in the following verses has led interpreters to suggest that the geography of the entire world will be changed—that this event will be worldwide, and not restricted to the region of Israel. If so, then global mountains and coastlines will be altered.

This judgment is a precursor to the calamities that follow. It may also be a preview of what happens when Jesus returns to earth to establish His kingdom. Zechariah 14:4 predicts that when the Lord returns to earth, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, the place from which He ascended into heaven, and the Mount of Olives will experience an earthquake. The Mount of Olives will split in two from east to west, with a northern half and a southern half.

Verse 19. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.

We learn from this verse that the earthquake resulting from the seventh bowl judgment is felt globally. Cities worldwide collapse into rubble. Whether or not the re-arrangement of islands and mountains is global, this event is strong enough to create havoc in every part of the earth.

Jerusalem is likely the location here called “the great city,” and it, too, experiences the magnitude of the earthquake. It split into three sections.

Babylon also falls under God’s judgment. The city is said to drain the cup of the wine of the fury of God’s wrath. The imagery is significant. Revelation 17:2 charges Babylon with the sin of making the residents of earth drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality. The great earthquake that levels cities across the globe may coincide with the dividing in two of the Mount of Olives when Jesus returns to earth (Zechariah 14:4–5). Further, Babylon may be the capital of the beast’s empire. Throughout biblical history Babylon is cited as the center of idolatry. It seems the city on the Euphrates River will be rebuilt in the tribulation and will incorporate demonic religions.

Verse 20. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.

The earthquake not only destroys cities but also triggers massive geological change. Earthquakes are a major cause of tsunamis, and this earthquake is so massive that islands are noticeably moved. The earthquake also flattens mountains. The world will undergo tremendous topographical changes that include changes to Israel’s landscape. The Mount of Olives will split into two. One half of the mountain will move northward; the other half will move southward (Zechariah 14:4). This event will create a very wide valley. After the tribulation, Jerusalem will become a seaport (Zechariah 14:8). The mountainous parts of Israel will disappear (Revelation 16:20). A river will begin its flow from Jerusalem and enter the Dead Sea, making this otherwise unproductive body of water a productive place for fishermen (Ezekiel 47:7–10).

Also, the barren desert will become fertile. Isaiah 35:1 prophesies: “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus.” Verse 6 says waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. Verse 7 predicts that the burning sand will become a pool and thirsty ground will become springs of water.

Verse 21. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

The seventh and final bowl judgment brings not only a devastating worldwide earthquake but also a crippling hailstorm. Each hailstone weighed about 100 pounds and these falling monstrosities pummeled people.

As of this writing, the heaviest recorded hailstone recorded in the United States weighed just under two pounds. That storm fell on South Dakota in 2010. Damage from such a storm is devastating, and incredibly dangerous for any living thing caught outside. One can only imagine what injuries will occur when the seventh bowl judgment brings hailstones many times larger than anything yet seen on earth.

Isaiah 30:30 associates hailstones with God’s judgment. Ezekiel 13:13 also associates hailstones with His wrath, stating, “Therefore thus says the LORD GOD: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end.” The seventh plague in Egypt in the time of Moses was enormous, unprecedented hail that “struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast” (Exodus 9:25). Nevertheless, when the storm ended, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not release the Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt (Exodus 9:34). Like Pharaoh, people struck by the 100-pound hail in the great tribulation period will refuse to repent. Instead, they curse God because of the hail. Once again, the human heart is seen as callous and desperately wicked.

End of Chapter 16.

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