The final verses of Revelation 16 conclude the fifth major section of Revelation. As we draw closer to the end of the book, we also focus more clearly on the end of history and especially on God’s judgment of His enemies. Christians may have become weary of the unrelenting scenes of divine wrath, as God brings down His enemies one by one. But Christians may find through careful attention that the bad news of God’s wrath on His enemies is organically tied to God’s good news for believers.

Looking ahead to upcoming chapters, we find that God’s judgment on Babylon avenged and vindicated “the blood of prophets and of saints” (Rev. 18:24). The casting down of the harlot Babylon precedes the arrival of Christ’s glorious bride for the marriage feast of the Lamb (19:6-8). A blood-drenched Jesus who slays His enemies is also the Savior, mounted on a white horse, who is called “Faithful and True” (19:11). Moving back unto our passage, as the seventh bowl of wrath is poured out; the voice from heaven’s throne shouts words that thrill the hearts of biblical believers: “It is done!” (v. 17).

There is a profound redemptive-historical relationship between Christ’s cry from the cross and this loud call from heaven. Having accomplished redemption by His atoning death, Jesus uttered the Greek word tetelestai, meaning “it is accomplished.” Now, from heaven at the end of the gospel age, at the brink of His return, Jesus shouts gegonen, meaning “It has come to pass.” This perfectly fits the redemptive relationship between the two events: the salvation that Christ accomplished on the day of His crucifixion will come to pass only in the crowning victory of His day of return.

What results, then, will occur at the end of this age when Christ returns? Our passage presents four endings that arrive with the coming of Jesus and the final judgment: the end of the world, the end of worldly society, the end of sin, and the end of the gospel opportunity for salvation.

First, a clear emphasis of these verses is that Christ’s return spells the end of the world in its present form. When the seventh bowl was poured, “there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, pearls of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake” (v. 18). These violent phenomena intensify descriptions that we have previously seen about the end of the world. Revelation 6:12-14 spoke of “a great earthquake” and the sky vanishing “like a scroll that is being rolled up.” Now, with the seventh bowl of wrath thrown into the air, the physical world is assaulted by lightning, thunder, and an earthquake to end all earthquakes.

Verse 20 tells how sweeping the upheaval of this final earthquake is: “every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.” Objects that symbolize permanence – mountains and islands – are swept away in destruction. The best way to understand this is that the present physical order will be shaken and purged so as to be renewed and glorified in the new age after Christ’s return. Jesus Himself referred to the new world as the “regeneration or renewal” (Matt. 19:28). Paul spoke of the undoing of the world as its “redemption” (Rom. 8:23), when “creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption” (Rom. 8:21).

Even more pointed than the world’s end is the end of worldly society (v. 19). Scholars suggest that in John’s day, “the great city” would have referred to Rome. If that is so, Rome was identified as a symbol of the world system, together with Babylon, a city that had been deserted by then for centuries. It is not merely one city or one nation that falls under this judgment but “the cities of the nations,” that is, the entire corrupt world system in service to Satan and opposition to Christ. It’s not just Rome or some later great capital of evil that is decimated but all the worlds cultural, political, economic, and sociological centers.

This judgment reminds believers today not to be intimidated by the menacing power of the world or enticed by the seductive pull of its sinful pleasures. When Christians are tempted to desire worldly approval, we should remember this end that is in store for the city of the world. Paul urged Christians to realize, therefore, that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). Christian parents should thus be raising their children not for the world but for the kingdom of Christ. While believers live in the world, we must not be of the world so as to enter into its way of thinking and acting.

Together with the destruction of the worldly society, this passage also shows Christ’s return as bringing the end of sin. The reason that God remembered Babylon is that God keeps a close record of all sin. The Old Testament presents countless examples of God’s noting, recording, and remembering sin, as well as His obligation to punish it. Often God patiently provides a long opportunity for repentance and salvation through faith. Paul writes that “in his divine forbearance he passed over former sins” (Rom. 3:25), not fully punishing them immediately.

In the end, sin itself will be brought to an end. Paul wrote that after ascending to heaven, Christ “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25). In the cataclysmic end of the world, including the final judgment and its punishments, we see the end of sin in the creation made by God. No wonder the angels sing, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns” (Rev. 19:6). Knowing that sin will be defeated at the end of the age should decisively shape the lifestyles of those who look to Christ for salvation.

We have seen that the great cataclysm that accompanies the return of Christ brings the end of the world, the end of worldly society, and the end of sin. This being the case, it is evident that this same event heralds the end of the gospel opportunity by which sinners can be forgiven and cleansed through faith in Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 9:27-28 the writer states that Christ’s first coming, culminating with His atoning death for sin on the cross, establishes a present opportunity for salvation, through faith in Him. During this age, sinners who die without believing in Jesus face the immediate prospect of divine judgment. Then, when Christ returns at the end of the age, the opportunity of salvation is no longer offered. Instead, Jesus delivers those who have been waiting for Him even as He brings a destructive end to all those who have rebelled against Him.

John’s vision showed that even as the terrible judgment falls on the last day, Christ’s enemies “cursed God” for this severe plague (v. 21). This reaction to God’s just punishment confirms their enmity to God. As unrepentant enemies and sinners, they are smitten to the ground with “great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each,” which “fell from heaven” on them (v. 21). Great hailstone attacks from heaven are a biblical symbol of wrathful judgment on the enemies of God (see Josh. 10:11; Isa. 28:2). Hailstones of this colossal size would easily have enough force to slay all those beneath them, utterly silencing the lips that curse their God.

This judgment shows the need for the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of God’s Word. Not even the cataclysms of the end of the age can motivate Satan’s minions to repent and give God the glory He deserves, even as the seconds of gospel opportunity flee from history forever. Their example should help persuade you that now is the time to repent before your heart is so hardened in sin and unbelief that you are no longer able to do so. This call is especially urgent if you angrily rise against God in response to minor trials and judgments that you have already experienced. Joy and peace can be yours by confessing you sin to Jesus and calling on His name for forgiveness. God’s covenant of grace promises all who seek forgiveness through Christ: “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (Heb. 8:12).

Revelation 16:17-21 Study Questions:

Why does the voice from the throne announce “It is done!” after the seventh bowl of wrath is poured out (v. 17)?

As we consider this news of the impending collapse of the world’s idolatrous systems – economic, social, environmental and political systems – what does it mean to be faithful in the present?