Revelation
CHAPTER -- XVI --
The Plagues Poured Out
(Excerpt from Daniel
and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911)
VERSE 17. 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. 18.
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. 19. 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. 20. And every island fled away, and the
mountains were not found. 21. And there fell upon men a great hail
out of heaven,
p 697 --
(picture omitted)
p 698 -- 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.
The Seventh Plague.
- Thus has Inspiration described the last judgment which is to be inflicted in
the present condition of things upon those who are incorrigibly rebellious
against God. Some of the plagues are local in their application; but this one
is poured out into the air. The air envelops the whole earth; it follows that
this plague will envelop equally the habitable globe. It will be universal. The
very air will be deadly.
The gathering of the
nations having taken place under the sixth vial, the battle remains to be
fought under the seventh; and here are brought to view the instrumentalities
with which God will slay the wicked. At this time it may be said, "The
Lord hath opened his armory, and hath brought forth the weapons of his
indignation."
"There were
voices." Above all will be heard the voice of God. "The Lord
also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the
heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people,
and the strength of the children of Israel." Joel 3:16. (See also Jer.
25:30; Heb. 12:26.) This will cause the great earthquake, such as was not since
men were upon the earth.
"And thunders
and lightnings" - another allusion to the judgments of Egypt. (See Ex.
9:23.) The great city is divided into three parts; that is, the three grand
divisions of the false and apostate religions of the world (the great city),
Paganism, Catholicism, and relapsed Protestantism, seem to be set apart each to
receive its appropriate doom. The cities of the nations fall; universal
desolation spreads over the earth; every island flees away, and the mountains
are not found; and great Babylon comes in remembrance before God. Read her
judgments, as more fully described in chapter 18.
"And there fell
upon men a great hail out of heaven." This is the last instrumentality
used in the infliction of punishment upon the wicked, - the bitter dregs of the
seventh vial. God has solemnly addressed the wicked, saying, "Judgment
p 699 -- also will I
lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep
away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place."
Isa. 28:17. (See also Isa. 30:30.) And he asks Job if he has seen the treasures
of the hail, which he has "reserved against the time of trouble, against
the day of battle and war." Job 38:22, 23.
"Every stone
about the weight of a talent." A talent, according to various authorities,
as a weight, is about fifty-seven pounds avoirdupois. What could withstand the
force of stones of such an enormous weight falling from heaven? But mankind, at
this time, will have no shelter. The cities have fallen in a mighty earthquake,
the islands have fled away, and the mountains are not found. Again the wicked
give vent to their woe in blasphemy; for the plague of the hail is
"exceeding great."
Some faint idea of
the terrible effect of such a scene as is here predicted, may be inferred from
the following sketch of a hailstorm on the Bosporus, by our countryman, the
late Commodore Porter, in his Letters from Constantinople and its Environs,
Vol. I, p. 44. He says: -
"We had got
perhaps a mile and a half on our way, when a cloud rising in the west gave
indications of approaching rain. In a few minutes we discovered something
falling from the heavens with a heavy splash, and with a whitish appearance. I
could not conceive what it was, but observing some gulls near, I supposed it to
be them darting for fish, but soon after discovered that they were large balls
of ice falling. Immediately we heard a sound like rumbling thunder, or ten
thousand carriages rolling furiously over the pavement. The whole Bosporus was
in a foam, as though heaven's artillery had been charged upon us and our frail
machine. Our fate seemed inevitable; our umbrellas were raised to protect us,
but the lumps of ice stripped them into ribbons. We fortunately had a bullock's
hide in the boat, under which we crawled, and saved ourselves from further
injury. One man of the three oarsman had his hand literally smashed; another
was much injured in the shoulder; Mr. H. received a blow in the leg;
p 700 -- my right
hand was somewhat disabled, and all were more or less injured.
"It was the
most awful and terrific scene I ever witnessed, and God forbid that I should
ever be exposed to anotherl Balls of ice as large as my two fists fell into the
boat, and some of them fell with such violence as certainly to have broken an
arm or leg had they struck us in those parts. One of them struck the blade of
an oar, and split it. The scene lasted perhaps five minutes; but it was five
minutes of the most awful feelings I ever experienced. When it passed over, we
found the surrounding hills covered with masses of ice, I cannot call it hail,
the trees stripped of their leaves and limbs, and everything looking desolate.
The scene was awful beyond all description.
"I have
witnessed repeated earthquakes; the lightning has played, as it were, about my
head; the wind has roared, and the waves at one moment have thrown me to the
sky, and the next have sunk me into a deep abyss. I have been in action, and
have seen death and destruction around me in every shape of horror; but I never
before had the feeling of awe which seized me on this occasion, and still
haunts, and I fear forever will haunt me. My porter, the boIdest of my family,
who had ventured an instant from the door, had been knocked down by a
hailstone, and had they not dragged him in by the heels, would have been
battered to death. Two boatmen were killed in the upper part of the village,
and I have heard of broken bones in abundance. Imagine to yourself the heavens
suddenly frozen over, and as suddenly broken to pieces in irregular masses of
from half a pound to a pound weight, and precipitated to the earth."
Reader, if such were
the desolating effects of a hail-storm of ice, which discharged stones the size
of a man's fist, weighing at most a pound or so, who can depict the
consequences of that coming storm in which "EVERY STONE" shall be of
the weight of a talent? As surely as God's word is truth, he is thus soon to
punish a guilty world. May it be ours, according to the promise, to have
"sure dwellings" and "quiet resting places" in that
terrific hour. Isa. 32:18, 19.
p 701 -- "And
there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, and from the throne,
saying, It is done!" Thus all is finished. The cup of human guilt
has been filled up. The last soul has availed itself of the plan of salvation.
The books are closed. The number of the saved is completed. The final period is
placed to this world's history. The vials of God's wrath are poured out upon a
corrupt generation. The wicked have drunk them to the dregs, and sunk into the
realm of death for a thousand years. Reader, where do you wish to be found
after that great decision?
But what is the
condition of the saints while the "overflowing scourge" is passing
over? They are the special subjects of God's protection, without whose notice
not a sparrow falls to the ground. Many are the promises which come crowding in
to afford them comfort, summarily contained in the beautiful and expressive
language of the 91st psalm, which alone we have space to quote.
" I will say of
the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in him will I trust. Surely
he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome
pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt
thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid
for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the
pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at
noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;
but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see
the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge,
even the Most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither
shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." Ps. 91:2-10.
*******
By the will and grace of God we will study this more in-depth tomorrow.
By the will and grace of God we will study this more in-depth tomorrow.
All GLORY and HONOR,
all PRAISE to our SAVIOR, our GOD, our KING-
Jesus Christ our LORD.
Amen.
*******
William Grotheer
excerpt-
'When the seventh angel pours out his vial into the air,
"a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the Throne" declares
- "It is done." A series of events involving the earth are pictured
to John as following this declaration from the Throne. A great
earthquake, Babylon divided into three parts, the "cities of the
nations" fall, "every island fled away, and the mountains were not
found." A judgment call must again be made. Are these literal happenings,
or is symbolic prophetic language still being used? It is obvious from context
that "Babylon" is a symbolic term and is applied to the
"harlot." (17:18). Then are the "cities of the nations" the
national units of the great international city? Does the symbolism stop here,
and the "islands" and "mountains" are to be understood
literally?
The seventh plague itself is described as hail, every stone being
"about the weight of a talent." (16:21) It is said to be
"exceeding great." This can be understood only as literal language.
While men "blasphemed God," those who have been looking at the
transgression of earth's inhabitants from heaven's perspective declare,
"Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."
(16:7)
The first section of the book of Revelation closes with similar
language as is found in this 16th Chapter. Under the seventh angel of the
Trumpets, and the Third Woe are described events when God takes unto Himself,
His great power and reigns. (11:15-19) These must be considered as
parallel with the time of the seven last plagues.'
The Seven
Last Plagues
There is a
principle to the interpretation of the revelations given in the Seven Last
Plagues chapter which is frequently overlooked. All the plagues, save one,
constitutes God's response to what man has done in probationary time. (The one
exception is the third plague which is a repeat of, "blood" due to
the death decree against the"saints". See comment, Great Controversy, p. 628) This principle of
understanding Revelation 16 is easily seen by noting the first plague. (16:2)
The "grievous sore" falls on those who "had the mark of the
beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." When was this mark
received, and when was this worship begun? Before or after the close of
probation? The answer is simple - prior to the close of probation. Using this
same principle for the sixth plague, we find the plague itself falls "upon
the great river Euphrates." (16:12) Its results carry over into the
seventh plague "great Babylon comes into remembrance before God."
(16:19) But what causes God to pour out
this plague? The answer is that the triumvirate of evil - the dragon, beast
(Rev. 13), and the
false prophet (2nd beast of Rev.13) -
gather the rulers of earth to Har-Magedon.
Lest there
be a misunderstanding, let it be clearly understood that all the Seven Last
Plagues come after the close of human probation. However, the explanation as to
why the plague is poured out is distinctly separate from the plague itself.
This needs to be understood and distinguished in the study of Revelation 16.
Thus Revelation 16:13-16 will be fulfilled prior to the close of probation.
(See use made of Rev. 16:13-14 in Great
Controversy, pp. 561-562)
While the sixth plague is poured out on what is termed "the great
river Euphrates," the "spirits of devils" had gathered the
leadership of earth with their forces to a place with a Hebrew designation.
Herein is a factor of the Jewish equation. God's wrath reveals how He views
this development. To Him it is what He has always revealed it to be - Babylon,
the epitome of rebellion. Thus the symbolism of "the great river
Euphrates," and the fact that the "whore" is carried by the
beast that "was, and is not, and yet is" who makes war with the Lamb.
(Rev.17:14) But the spirits of devils do not gather their devotees to the river
Euphrates, but rather to a place called in the Hebrew, Har-Magedon. . . .
Har-Magedon
In the Hebrew language - har - means,
mountain. This rules out "Megiddo" for it is a valley. (Zech. 12:11)
However, there is a mountain named in the Old Testament which meets linguistic
requirements. It is called, har-mo'ed -
Mount of the Congregation. It is described as being "in the sides of the
north" or Mt. Zion "the city of the great King." (See Isa.
14:13; Ps. 48:2) By noting the objectives of Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12-14, it is
he who plans to "sit upon the mount of the congregation" -har-mo'ed. To this end, the spirits of devils gather the
nations of the earth. Daniel simply states - "He shall plant the tabernacles of his
palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain." (11:45) To John it
revealed that "the spirits of devils" coming from the dragon,
beast and false prophet gather
the nations to the mount of the congregation. But the prophetic message behind
this symbolism is that literal Jerusalem is to be made "an holy city"
from man's view-point, while God's view-point the deception is in reality,
Babylon the Great. The significance to us is that when this occurs, the
prophecy states - "And at that time shall Michael stand up." (Dan.
12:1) "But the true leader of all of this rebellion is Satan clothed as an
angel of light. Men will be deceived and will exalt him to the place of God,
and deify him. But Omnipotence will interpose, and to the apostate
churches that unite in exaltation of Satan, the sentence will go forth,
'Therefore shall her plagues come in one day...'" (TM, p. 62) How near are we to the fulfillment of this
Divine edict? (Bold and italicized emphasis added.)
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