02.49. LECTURE No. 49 -- Rev_16:17-21
LECTURE No. 49 -- Revelation 16:17-21 The Word Revelation Means to Reveal - This Last Book of the Bible Is a Real Revelation of the Risen and Ascended Christ - A Blessing Is Promised Upon Those Who Read and Keep the Sayings of This Book - The Battle of Armageddon Will Be Fought in Palestine between the Armies of Heaven and the Armies of Earth - The Final Judgments Under the Seventh Vial - Joy in the Midst of Sorrow - The End of God’s Judgments in Sight - The Whole World Will Suffer Under These Last Judgments - The Testimony of the Prophets to These Things - God Will Shake Both the Heavens and the Earth - The Cities of the Nations Will Fall - The Doom of Those Who Will Blaspheme God
LET us not forget that the word, “Revelation,” means “to reveal,” or “to make known” in the sense of unveiling, or to view. The very title of the Book, therefore, contradicts the idea that the Book of Revelation is a closed Book, and has no message for those of us who are living today.
On the contrary, it is as it says,
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified it unto His servant, John, who bear record of the Word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ; and of all things that he saw . . .
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
These words declare the nature and character of the Book and pronounce a distinct blessing upon those who read the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein.
We have every reason and every encouragement, therefore, to study the truth which is given to us in this last Book of the Bible. Just as the Book of Genesis is a Book of Beginnings, the Book of Revelation is a Book of Consummation; that is, a Book wherein is revealed the closing days and the last things contained in God’s wonderful plan of redemption.
We have already studied the first three chapters of the Book which reveal to us the ascended Christ as Lord among the churches during the entire church age, and we have already studied concerning the judgments of God, which are to come upon the earth, under the breaking of the seven seals of the seven-sealed book, and under the sounding of the seven trumpets.
We are now studying the judgments of God, which will occur under the last seven vials of the wrath of God to be poured out upon the earth during the closing days of the tribulation period, the account of which is given in Revelation, the 16ith chapter.
Review In our last message, we spoke chiefly concerning the three unclean spirits like frogs that are to come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
These three unclean spirits, we are told, will be the spirits of devils working miracles, which will go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the Battle of that great day of God Almighty.
We also discovered in our last lesson that when this time comes, the nations will be gathered together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon, which means the Mount of Megiddo in Palestine, which belts across the middle of the Holy Land from the Mediterranean Sea to the River of Jordan. In this place the Battle of Armageddon will be fought as the last great decisive battle of the tribulation period.
We learned also that the Battle Armageddon will not be a battle between the nations of the earth, but will be battle between the armies of the earth under the leadership of Antichrist, and the armies of heaven, under the leadership of the true Christ.
When this coming battle is fought in Palestine, we know that blood will come out of the winepress of God’s wrath, even unto the horse bridles by the space of a thousand six hundred furlongs.
Advance Lesson - The Seventh Vial
We are now ready to advance in our study, by reading what is written in Revelation 16:17-21, where it says,
“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. 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.
“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.
“And every island fled away and the mountains were not found. 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.”
Looking Forward to the End
These words, as terrible as they are, bring to us in our study a sense of joy and relief, because the judgments contained under the seventh vial are the very last ones to be poured out upon the earth under the judgment plans of God to be accomplished during the tribulation period. This fact is confirmed in the words, “It is done,” contained in Revelation 16:17, which indicates a turning point in the order of events, during the tribulation period.
You will remember that when Jesus died upon the cross, He cried out, saying, “It is finished.” In other words, the great sacrifice for sin was complete because He had shed His own precious blood in love, and suffering, and sacrifice upon the cross to make atonement for the sins of the world. His death upon the cross, therefore, marked a point of dispensational change in God’s plan of redemption. In like manner, when the judgments included under the Seventh vial are poured out and accomplished, the purposes of God in judgment will be finished, and another point of dispensational change will have come.
We do not wonder, therefore, that in Revelation 16:17 of our lesson text it says,
“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.” The Whole World Will Suffer Under This Judgment
It is interesting to note that the seventh angel will pour out his vial into the air. This would indicate that the whole world will be affected by these last and final judgments to be executed under the seventh vial.
In our studies thus far, we have learned that under different judgment scenes, the atmospheric heavens above the earth will be disturbed, but no doubt when the Seventh angel pours out his vial into the air, the atmospheric heavens will become so affected that many of the things recorded in the scriptures by the prophets will be brought to pass. The Testimony of the Psalms For instance, in Psalms 102:25-26, the Psalmist said,
“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.”
Isaiah’s Prophecy Again in Isaiah 51:6, the prophet said, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”
What Jesus Said
Also in Matthew 24:29, Jesus Himself said,
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” A Divine Warning In Hebrews 12:25-29, there is another very interesting and instructive passage, which says,
“See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace; whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.”
Another Prophecy
Again in 2 Peter 3:10-14, the Apostle Peter says,
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
“Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”
God Will Not Keep Silent
Again in Psalms 50:3-4, it says,
“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.”
It Is Done
Understanding these things, we do not wonder that when the seventh angel, in the vision which John saw, poured out his vial into the air, there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, “It is done.” These are things which have long been written in the Word of God for our instruction, and they are still there as a warning from God to men upon earth, who will refuse to repent until these things come upon them. The Earth Also Will Quake and Tremble When the seventh angel pours out his vial into the air, not only will there be terrible commotion in the atmospheric heavens above the earth, but the earth itself will shake and tremble with a great earthquake. This is confirmed in Revelation 16:18, where it says,
“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.”
Fear Will Come Upon All Men No doubt, when this time comes, the words of Isaiah 2:19-21, will be fulfilled. In these verses, the prophet said,
“And they shall go into the holes and the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty, when ariseth to shake terribly the earth.”
No doubt then will be fulfilled the words recorded in Haggai 2:6-7, where it says,
“For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land: And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.” The Cities of the Nations Will Fall The Apostle John, himself, gives added details concerning the result of this terrible earthquake, which is to come upon the world as one of God’s last judgments, in Revelation 16:19-20 of our lesson text, where it says,
“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. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” A Confirmation of This Prophecy That the great City of Jerusalem is to be divided by a great earthquake is confirmed in Zechariah 14:4-5, where it says, concerning Christ and His return,
“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”
Not only will the City of Jerusalem be affected by this earthquake, but we are told in Revelation 16:19 of our lesson text that the cities of the nations will fall, and great Babylon will come in remembrance before God, who will give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. A Personal Experience
I am sure that most of you cannot begin to realize or to sense the meaning of these words, announcing that the cities of the nations will fall under the impact of this terrible earthquake, but personally, I can realize faintly, at least, the meaning of what is stated here, because I arrived in Tokyo, Japan, just five months after the terrible earthquake, which occurred in Tokyo and Yokohama on September 1, 1923. I was able, therefore, to see the disastrous results of an earthquake in which two great cities were virtually destroyed and in which 90,000 people perished. During our six years of missionary work we experienced many earthquakes, some of them which were very severe. So we can realize and almost see and feel the tragedy of this last great judgment, which is to come upon the earth under the seventh vial.
Another Plague to Be Added To the shaking of the heavens above, and the shaking of the earth beneath men’s feet will be added another plague, for in Revelation 16:21, it says,
“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 hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”
Concerning this verse, Seiss, in his Book on the Apocalypse, says,
“The Jewish talent for silver-weight was about 115 pounds, and that for weighing other things was about 135 pounds. The Egyptian talent was about 86 pounds, as also the Greek. Some make the Tttic talent about 56 pounds, and a talent was used in Antioch which weighed about 390 pounds. Just which of these is meant we cannot say; but taking the mean of all, or even the lightest, we have a weight equal to as much as a strong man can conveniently lift.
Hail of a pound in weight is terribly destructive; but this would give us hailstones as large as the blocks of ice which commerce wagons haul about our streets. Such masses falling upon houses would crush in the strongest of them, batter down walls, stave ships, and leave but few retreats of safety for human life on the surface of the world.” An Historical Example
We might suggest also that in this plague of great hail, you will have a repetition of the seventh plague which God wrought on the Egyptians, as recorded in Exodus 9:23-26, where it says:
“And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.”
Blasphemers Were to Be Stoned to Death In Leviticus 24:16, there is a passage which says, “And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.”
After reading this passage, we do not wonder that God will send this plague of great hail upon those who will be living at that time, for we are told our lesson text that men will blaspheme God because of the plague of the hail. Being blasphemers, who will have repeatedly refused to repent under the foregoing judgments, which God will have sent upon them, they will justly deserve being stoned to death according to the terms of the law, which was originally given by the Lord Himself. Therefore, when God sends the plague of hail upon them, and literally stones them to death, they will be receiving only what they justly deserve.
Indeed, my friends, to blaspheme God is the last thing which an unrepentant sinner can do, before the judgments of God come upon him and the only thing left for God to do with a blasphemer is to execute the law against him, and that is what He will do when He sends the plague of great hail upon them, and literally stones them to death. He does not do this now, because this is the day of grace, but when the right time comes, He will do this very thing, behooves, everyone of us, therefore, to be mindful of these things and to take warning for the future.
~ end of lecture 49 ~