Armageddon is ready to start now.
17 Then the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since people have been on the earth, so great was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce anger. 20 Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared. 21 Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.
Revelation 16
The destruction of Babylon starts here and continues through to the end of chapter 18.
Literal or metaphorical earthquake?
God says “it is done!”. God has clearly exercised patience, and is now finished. He is going to bring judgement on the Whore, and on the nations. His loud voice issues forth. Is it audible on earth?
I have two theories:.
- It’s an actual earth quake – perhaps triggered by a nuclear weapon.
- It is metaphorical – God’s people rise up and condemn the wickedness.
Option 1 – Physical earthquake
The Whore of Babylon is about to suffer a great earthquake that has never happened in such magnitude since people have been on earth.
There are 3 major fault lines in the USA, they all have associated or connected faults with them, not that God requires fault lines to trigger an earthquake, however he most frequently uses earthly means.
- Ramapo Fault System running through New York
- San Andreas Fault System running through California
- New Madrid Seismic Zone – 150 mile-long series of faults stretches under five states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, and is responsible for four of the largest earthquakes in the history of the United States 1
I have said that the bowls of wrath in Revelation 16 are mostly Non-Literal, and I think that is true. However, I do consider that this is possibly literal. It may well be triggered by an atomic weapon or two.
The collapse of the Whore starts here but in Revelation 18, there is the hint of a nuclear weapon detonating.
After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
Revelation 18:1
Nuclear explosions are very bright, and generate enormous clouds with lightning and thunder (Rev 16:18).
I am not suggesting that it must be a nuclear attack, only that there is some indication in the text that might hint at it. [UPDATE: I’m far more inclined to understand this as Donald Trump. I wrote about this quite some time ago and only now realised I never uploaded the page. See here: https://endtim.es/rev18-messenger/]
The war in Ukraine has raised the possibility of nuclear war with Russia and the indication at the conclusion of Bowl 6, was that the war was just getting serious, as more nations join the war. The US govt has updated its guidance on what to do in case of nuclear attack.1
Option 2 – Metaphorical earthquake.
God is clearly about to bring his wrath on the Whore of Babylon, speaking of the same destruction of Babylon, but without a mention of an earthquake.
This might represent a vocal uprising from God’s people to condemn the Whore. This loud voice of Revelation 16:17-18, the smoke and rumblings, represent people rising up to bear witness against the Whore. Peter’s explanation of Joel’s prophesy speaks of the same type of event. The Bible does use earthquakes symbolically (e.g., 2 Samuel 22:8; Psalm 77:18; 104:32).
Isaiah 29:5-6
Then suddenly, in an instant,
you will be punished by the Lord of Armies
with thunder, earthquake, and loud noise,
storm, tempest, and a flame of consuming fire.
Psalm 29:8
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
These are metaphorical earthquakes, not literal. They describe the object being shaken to its foundation.
In stating that it results in 3 divisions, this might be the result of physical war, or perhaps demographic division. I believe that this division will be between the Left, Right, and Christian Right. Or if today’s events are anything related, a division between Democrats and Republicans, and those who refuse to vote for either.
[UPDATE: When I originally wrote this, I was seeing the ideological polarisation in three domains as I wrote above. Now as the 2024 election unfolds, I think this is likely. Given the reaction in 2016 to Donald Trump’s election victory, where Antifa and BLM destroyed towns and suburbs for 2 years, it is quite possible to see this happening again, but worse. If Kamala Harris wins, the ideological split is likely to be more profound and reconciliation between the groups impossible. I have speculated that Donald Trump fits the messenger in Revelation 18, and it should have been obvious at the time, that the pharmaceutical deception that came in under him which resulted in the economic depression of Revelation 18, would lead to a fracturing of the Whore at the end of Revelation 16. The pharmaceutical deception that was responsible for the start of Revelation 16, culminates in an irreparable division at the end of Revelation 16.]
50kg Hailstones
20 Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared. 21 Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.
Revelation 16
In Isaiah 28:17 we find the pre-modern description of a “truth bomb”. “Then hail will sweep away the refuge of falsehood…”
Frequently in Scripture hailstone imagery is used to depict the striping away of lies (Ezekiel 13:9, 11; 38:22; Isaiah 30:30, 31; 28:2, 17; Psalms 78:47-49; 105:32, 33; 147:16, 17; 18:12-15). Some might argue that because we are given actual weights and because Egypt was devastated by hail, that this must be literal. I contend that it demonstrates significance of the devastation. The heaviest hail recorded reached 2.25lbs/1kg. While I don’t doubt God can produce 100lb (50kg) hail, given the right settings (376mph (551ft/s) or 604kph (168m/s) air updraft required to keep it aloft). This is an extremely high speed, far exceeding the capabilities of any natural updraft; it would require divine intervention. A 50kg/100lb hailstone is approximately 48cm in diameter or almost 19 inches. Huge!
Preterists think this was fulfilled in AD70 when Romans hurled rocks at Jerusalem, and shortly after started painting them black to make them harder to see. But the remainder of the imagery doesn’t fit AD70 which means it cannot be the correct intepretation.
How long does the economic destruction last?
It is unknown. Jesus returns at the end of this event, to judge and start the 1000-year reign with his saints.
The World Economic Forum (large and powerful corporations) said in March 2020, that it intended to use the COVID-19 event to fundamentally change the economy of the world, essentially destroying the economic hegemony of the USA. They called this, the Great Reset. This economic collapse would take mere months, and is unlikely to take years, although it is possible. The USA has borrowed and printed vast sums for the COVID-19 pandemic, which will ultimately be its undoing. An internal war, nuclear explosion or massive earthquake would easily tip the USA over the edge.
FOOTNOTES:
- https://www.foxla.com/news/what-to-do-in-case-of-a-nuclear-explosion.amp ↩︎
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