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!”Revelation 16:17
What is “done” in this passage is a complete judgment upon the “great city Babylon” — a worldwide power that has systematically persecuted the saints. God is pouring down avenging wrath on a people dead set against Him and His people. And it has been a series of tragic catastrophes that have only been received with increasingly hardened hearts, similar to Pharoah’s response to the plagues in Egypt under Moses.
Massive earthquakes shake the globe with the pouring of the seventh bowl. The city of Babylon is split three ways. The urban centers of the world are all in ruin as well as they crumble under the quakes. One big earthquake is a human tragedy. The scope of these quakes makes it a global catastrophe. As survivors struggle through the chaos, hundred pound hailstones (perhaps the result of volcanic activity that caused the earthquakes) fall on what is left. Even these jaded survivors curse God in the smoking dust of fallen civilization. It is a grim description (Revelation 16:17-21).
This is part of the “last act” of God’s drama of human history. And I can’t help but stand it against the time of year, starting this evening as we focus on the redeeming love that occurred with the gift of the birth of Jesus. God will spare those who believe in His saving work in Christ. God sent His Son to take His wrath on the cross so we could know peace with Him! We may have a holy fear to see what awaits those who reject God’s love in Christ, but we are free to love God in Christ’s forgiving love. And that gift is what I celebrate in joy! Amen!
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