It is Done! | Revelation 16:17-21 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (5/3/26)

Let's come together to the book of... And... As we seek to complete this chapter together by gods. It is done. What comes to mind when you hear those words?

Perhaps, for many, they point back to that sacred and triumphant moment when Christ declared, it is finished on the cross, his work being complete there for our salvation, and rightly so. But today, we're going to be reminded that this is not the only time the Lord would proclaim a work being complete. We're going to see that he's going to share similar things again in a future time, but for an entirely different reason. What we're about to consider is the Lord declaring something to be done in connection to what will occur when an appointed angel will pour out the seventh and final bowl of God's wrath upon the earth. And we're gonna read it together here in Revelation 16 beginning in verse 17 down to the end of the chapter before we seek to understand God's mind behind it.

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. And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake, such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon The Great to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found, and great hailstones, about 100 pounds each, fell from heaven on people. And they cursed God for the plague of the hail because the plague was so severe.

Father, again, we've come to a text where we encounter people cursing you, but we come to bless you. We come to honor you and praise you and lavish you with our adoration. We pray that in this moment we would worship you in our listening, in our hearing, in our receiving. Give us clarity, give us application, and may every truth that is unleashed draw our hearts closer to thee. We ask these things in Jesus's name.

Amen. So the reason why we read here the Lord saying it is done from his heavenly throne is because the seventh bowl of God's wrath that will be poured out will mark the completion of God's judgments upon the earth. In other words, everything that needs to be done before the return of Jesus Christ to this world has been settled. It has been achieved. And so the climactic event that we have here essentially provides us the details of what will take place in preparation for the ushering in of Jesus Christ in his second advent.

The curtains of the heavens are about to be peeled back and it's going to be what we find here that's going to see it happen. And one of the most interesting things about the verses that we just read, this prophecy that John provides, is how in the ESV the word great appears a total of five times. It's emphasized great great great great. But what's more intriguing is that if you read the original language, the word translated as great, which in Greek is megas, appears a total of seven times in this text. Look back again here at verse 17 where it says the seventh angel poured out his bolt into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple.

See that word loud? In the original, it's megas. Scroll down here to verse 21. Look at the very last word where it says here that something is severe. It's going to be severe and that is in reference to the plague of this bull.

And again, it's the word megas. Does that word sound familiar? It's where we get the word mega. So clearly, this is intentional. This is John repeating this to amplify that the events under this judgment will produce mega things.

Massive things are going to take place when this judgment is executed. And for the sake of our time today, I would love for us to consider at least three mega things, three great things that will occur as the Holy Spirit highlights them for us under this judgment. The first thing that we have to consider here, though there are others that we can investigate, is that there will be a great earthquake. Look again at verse 18. And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a great earthquake, not just an earthquake, a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.

I mean, twice you're saying it. Now Jesus, when he taught about the last days, informed us clearly that some of the birth pains leading up to his return will in fact be earthquakes. There will be literal shakings beneath our feet. But this earthquake is the mother of them all. At this juncture in the tribulation period, there will be a great earthquake so massive, so significant that it will be historical.

John tells us plainly that man has never experienced anything like this. And why that's important to underscore is because this is yet another confirmation that what we're dealing with here in the book of Revelation is still yet to come. This is future. Unless of course you are willing to interpret even this allegorically and some are willing to do that. But I propose that that is very difficult to support because following this description of this earthquake, we are given physical and geographical dimensions.

So consider some of the impacts of this great earthquake again in verse 19. The great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations fell. What are we dealing with here? Actual global impact. Tangible results, ramifications, consequences that you can see and feel.

And that is further confirmed when we examine what else the Bible has to say about this very earthquake because it's not just here in the book of Revelation. John singles out one city. He speaks about all cities, but in the beginning of verse 19, he brings to our attention the great city. Which city is he referring to? Some would say Babylon.

Because in the coming chapters following this, Babylon is referred to as the great city. But this can also speak of Jerusalem and that's probably more likely. Why? Because Jerusalem is separate from the other cities of the nations. It's distinct, at least in this context.

And more than that, we know back in Revelation 11 verse eight, when we study about the two witnesses who will be preaching from the streets of Jerusalem, that it was also titled as the great city. And so the great city in view here is likely Jerusalem. There are unique things that happen to it in comparison to every other city. It will be split into three parts. And I believe this conclusion is confirmed again when we bring in the totality of God's word to shed light on what's before us.

I invite you to go to the prophet Zechariah in chapter 14. We looked at this last week when we considered how significant the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel is to our eschatology. How the events of the last days will unfold. And we're coming back here to these verses that we didn't look at last week to see how this will add more color to our understanding. Zechariah chapter 14, one of the most significant passages in all of the Bible.

Chapters 12 to chapter 14. Don't come to a conclusion and how you understand the last days without the book of Zechariah. That would be a grave mistake. And I believe a lot of people who have ideas about what the last days will look like are in error because they ignore passages like this. Look at verse three of Zechariah 14.

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, pause, the nations that surround Jerusalem according to the previous verses of this very same chapter, He will fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day, his feet shall stand on the Mount Of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount Of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the mount shall move northward and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

So again, we discussed. We came to this passage to see how Zechariah adds further detail to the sixth and seventh bowls of God's wrath. But I bring this up to us again because I want us to consider the geographical aftermath of Jesus Christ returning to fight against his enemies. There's so many details here. And and what we find here in relation to our study is that there will be an actual earthquake caused by the return of Christ.

That's inferred by verse five. Look what he says. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Now notice that this earthquake will alter actual terrain in Jerusalem. You have the Mount Of Olives that will be split in two.

You have this valley that will provide a pathway for the Jewish people to flee from their oppressors just before the Lord judges her enemies. And we even see a thematic truth being established here, do we not? When God delivered Israel out of Egypt, he brought them through a valley between towering walls of water. And in this final act of deliverance, they will escape through a valley between mountains. He's come to save his people and the reorientation of the landscape upon Christ's return is even further fleshed out for us.

Scroll down to verse eight. You see where I'm going with this, I hope. On that day, the same day that Christ returns, living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the Eastern Sea and half of them to the Western Sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter, and the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Ramon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its side from the Gate Of Benjamin, the place of the former gate, to the corner gate, and from the Tower Of Hananel, to the king's wine presses. Okay. We can't examine every detail presented here at least for now, but I want us to at least arrive to one simple thing. At the very least, can you and I admit and acknowledge the remarkable detail of what will actually take place, the topography that will ensue at the return of Christ.

I bring this to your attention because again, there are some who claim that what Zechariah describes, the very verses that you and I just read are, you guessed it, allegorical. That they've been fulfilled in history somehow. This doesn't say of anything of what's to come. All of what you just heard can be spiritualized, apparently. But the position of these physical changes do not allow for such an explanation.

It reinforces, contrary to the growing trend today, may I remind you, that the land of Israel still has relevance to the Christian faith. Namely in how we understand the return of Jesus Christ and his millennial kingdom. So, don't be ashamed of what you believe because it's founded in God's word. It's found here in scripture. And just as there was a real earthquake at Calvary when Jesus Christ died, there will be an earthquake when he comes in majesty and glory.

One that will bring down every city. One that will change Jerusalem itself as Jesus Christ prepares the very area, the very region of his throne where he will rule and reign forever and ever. And before we move on, I'd like for us to consider, yes, Zechariah's details here, his his prophecy is very helpful in helping us understand the end, but his attitude about it is what I want to speak about momentarily. Something happens early in Zechariah's prophecy that moves me and I hope it moves you. There's like this interjection, there's this shift in his tone almost, in his language, in his grammar in fact.

Look at the last part of verse five of Zechariah 14. He says, then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him. Do you see what's happening? As he's describing this remarkable prophetic sequence of what's going to happen when Messiah returns to this world, he can't help but speak in the personal. And he wants...

It's as though he's so emboldened, he is so moved by this manifestation through this prophetic vision, that he declares his loyalty to this Messiah. He is my God. He's not just the Lord. He's not just the God of Israel. He's not just going to rule over the entire world.

He is my God. And I wanna suggest to you today that Zechariah's attitude, his posture, his act of worship here should be produced in us when we study prophecy. You know why some people study prophecy? So they can get more ammunition for debate about who has the more accurate eschatology and framework of understanding the last days. Okay.

You guys argue all you want and there is time to debate, but I wanna be like this prophet who in seeing and understanding what the Lord will do causes him to say, Oh, he's my God. I'm unashamed. This should make you and I fearless. This should cause you to be moved. This should cause you to bend your knee and say, This is what the Lord will do.

And as we put these pieces together, as we realize Zechariah 14 talks about the Lord planting his feet on the Mount Of Olives, and then we connect with Acts chapter one where Jesus looks at his own and he ascends it on high, and the angels promise him that promise him that he will return the same way that he went up. Oh, it's gonna be the feet of Jesus that are gonna come on the Mount Of Olives. That's my God who's given us the playbook so clearly for us to understand exactly what's going to come to pass. There's gonna be a real earthquake and it's gonna fulfill prophecy. But Jerusalem is not the only city featured in this prophecy.

Come back to Revelation 16 and look at verse 19 once again. In the latter part, it says the great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations fell and God remembered Babylon the Great to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. So another city is highlighted by John and it's Babylon The Great. And we're given a preview of her annihilation, her destruction. And so important to God is the downfall of Babylon the Great, this future system that chapter seventeen and eighteen are dedicated to telling us how and what's going to happen to Babylon.

That's stunning to me. This is important to God. What is Babylon The Great? We've talked about this briefly in the past and we'll look at it in greater detail as I just said. But for now, you can know this for certain.

It is actually a literal future city that is going to be the global hub of evil in the world during the tribulation period. In case you doubt that, go to Revelation 18 and just peek for a second and look at verse nine. Revelation 18 verse nine. And the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off in fear of her torment and say, alas, alas, you great city, you mighty city Babylon.

For in a single hour your judgment has come. More to come about Babylon, but for now, for the sake of our meditation today, I wanna highlight one thing from our main text. God remembered Babylon. God remembered Babylon. That's not to suggest that he's forgetful or that he loses sight of certain things or things escape his knowledge.

On the contrary, this reinforces that nothing evades him. Nothing is ever lost. He holds everything and everyone into account. Whether it's our humble service or the sin of the unrepentant. And unfortunately, many interpret God's silence and his lack of immediate response to ignorance, indifference, approval, or even nonexistence.

But John reminds us that God remembers even if he acts later. And here's how that might be helpful for you and I as the people of God. There's many things that God's knowledge can aid us in and here's one simple thought for you to consider. There is not a single injustice that's been committed against you that will be forgotten by God. Not one.

Go back to Revelation 18 verse 20. Why did God judge Babylon? This massive global international system that will export so much filth and persecution? Revelation eighteen twenty gives us one reason. Rejoice over, oh heaven, and you saints apostles and prophets for God has given judgment for you against her.

For my people, I'm going to judge Babylon. It's amazing. One of the temptations that appear throughout the Bible concerning the people of God, not the evil, not the wicked, those who belong to God, is that they would want to avenge themselves. They would seek out revenge. If you don't think that's possible, then make sense of Paul's writings.

Like what he says in Romans 12 verse 19, brothers never avenge yourselves. Never avenge yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God. You know what that really means? Make room for the wrath of God. Give place to it.

In other words, get out of the way. When somebody wrongs you, and I am fully aware that in a room with people with this size, Some of you have been greatly wounded, not just by those who hate Christians, not just by unbelievers, but those who profess Christ, who have bruised you significantly because of their sin, their betrayal. And I wanna simply provide this remedy. Leave room for God's wrath. He remembers.

He will not forget. Even if it doesn't seem to be acting now, there is a time coming as long as they remain stubborn in their sin. And perhaps you regularly comfort yourself with the thought of how you can get even with them, how I can pay them back. Here's the problem with that. At least one of them as one person pointed out, when we seek to repay evil with evil, we often do it with interest.

We tend to go overboard. We tend to go beyond and we make a bigger mess for ourselves and for others. So I wanna encourage you with one simple truth from the scripture in Revelation, find your comfort in the reality that God remembers. He sees it all. Every word of gossip, every slander, every physical abuse, every unfaithful act done by the closest people to you, God remembers.

And if those who hurt you are children of his, he will discipline them. And if those who hurt you are enemies of him, he will deal with them. God remembered Babylon and we're gonna see exactly what's gonna happen to her in the coming days. But we come to the final great thing for us to look at in this passage and that is in verse 20 to verse 21. Let's read it again, shall we?

And every island fled away and no mountains were to be found, and great hailstones, about 100 pounds each, fell from heaven on people, and they cursed God for the plague of the hail because the plague was so severe. So we heard this already that the final effect of this earthquake that will take place is that it's going to set the stage for the millennial reign of Christ. And the extent of the damage that it will cause goes beyond just cities falling and crumbling. We actually read here that islands, islands will flee and that everything else will be made of plain. Mountains will literally vanish.

They will be brought low. And the way we're supposed to understand this is that there is a shaking coming that's elaborated in the prophets and what we're gonna read in the coming chapters, but there will be some who will escape the earthquake, who will not be directly impacted by it. However, they will not be able to escape God's wrath at this juncture. Because verse 21 says, and great hailstones about 100 pounds each fell from heaven on people. So the final great thing we're looking at is a great plague.

A great plague. Hailstones happen today. History records some massive hailstones that have really hurt people, damage property. The Bible records hailstones and what we have here is something unlike we've ever seen. Imagine a hailstone flinging from the sky around a 100 pounds each.

That's God. Those are God sized hailstones. But why hailstones? That was my question. Why hailstones?

I mean, there's so many other things that we've seen in terms of God's judgment even his implementation of nature. So why this? Well, here's what you discover in your study of God's word. Hailstones are frequently used in scenes of God defending his people. So in Joshua chapter 10, when that nation and that generation entered into the promised land early in their conquest, they went to war with many kings and in the chapter where the sun stands still, we read that God sent great hailstones and flung them in the direction of those who oppose God's work.

And again, in keeping with the theme of the Exodus, John seems to recall and bring to our memory one of the plagues in Egypt. Hailstones, the seventh plague more specifically. In fact, you know what God told Job? That one of his weapons of choice, the top ones at least, are hailstones. Now, you don't believe me maybe?

Let me read it to you from Job 38 verse 22 to verse 23. Job 38 verse 22 to verse 23 reads, have you entered the storehouses of the snow? Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? So with this in mind, when we come to this seventh bowl, we realize something. God is going to war with the final generation of the wicked just before Christ comes to earth.

But it doesn't end here. It ends here with the the chapter. It ends here, yes, with a description of what takes place in the seventh bowl, but then there's this parenthesis. There's there's this break in chapter seventeen and eighteen and you can make a case that the sequence of what we've just looked at continues where? In Revelation 19 verse one.

So we're gonna have a break here in the next two chapters of what's gonna happen to Babylon more specifically, and then it's as though John presses the play button again in chapters 19 verse 11. Just look at it because it's gonna give you a preview of something glorious. Revelation 19 verse 11, then I saw heaven open and behold a white horse. You know who this is. Right?

The one sitting on it, it's called is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges and makes war. I'm not sure how you've ever imagined Jesus Christ returning physically because he will come bodily, but one of the things that will go before him before he does come with his saints are hailstones. And in fact, did you realize back in chapter 16 verse 17 how the seventh angel poured out his bowl into where? The air. We've seen these divine heavenly saucers being poured out upon what?

The earth, the sea, springs and rivers, even the sun itself. But now we read that it comes upon and into the very atmosphere. Why is that? You know what I thought initially? Because what's left?

But it's more than that. If we have in mind that this is going to swing open the gates of heaven, so to speak, for Christ to actually come, then there seems to be some kind of cleansing agent with this bowl as it's being poured out into the air. Remember what Ephesians two tells us about Satan, that he's the prince of the power of what? The air. And we can almost say, it's as though God through this is is removing and purging that domain of his influence as the Son of God is ready to enter through the heavens.

And he will. It is done. We are studying about this future declaration of finality and victory, but we've also come this Sunday to reflect on it is finished. If you believe in the truth of it is finished, you don't have to worry about the it is done in this chapter. If you understand the magnitude, if you understand the soul saving grace that comes with those three words that Jesus said with his cracked lips and bruised body and hanging flesh, then you have no reason to fear the wrath of God.

If you have not put your soul into that truth, if you have not surrendered the fate of your eternal future into the truth of the gospel, then you have every reason to tremble throughout the series in the book of Revelation. But we are not those who tremble. We tremble, yes, in joy. We we tremble in awe, but we tremble knowing also the great forgiveness that God has given us. I'm clean.

I'm saved. I'm safe forever. That is what we are going to savor this afternoon. The fact that Jesus Christ helps us, yes, but more importantly, saves us from the wrath of a holy God. Let's prepare our hearts to celebrate that truth.

With all that we've heard, Lord, we now turn our attention to the truth that brings us here to begin with, the gospel, the saving love of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that you would help us remember the great price you paid that we freely receive so that we can be free, yes, for eternity, but free from sin now. Free from the power and dominion of all trespasses, all iniquity, all rebellion can be broken off of our lives and it has been because of the power of the blood. Lord, give us reverence. Give us a fear of you in this moment.

And at the same time, may we rejoice in knowing what is our inheritance because of the great price you paid. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Let's stand.

We're going to sing and reflect on these truths and we will partake in a moment.