[REV 16:1-2 NASB]:

(Rev 16:1 NASB) "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."

(Rev 16:2 NASB) So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image."

[Expositer's Bible Commentary On Rev 16:1-2]:

"2. Pouring out of the seven bowls (16:1-21)

1 This chapter describes the "third woe" (see comments at introduction to ch. 15) in the form of the outpouring of seven bowl judgments. They occur in rapid succession with only a brief pause for a dialogue between the third angel and the altar, accentuating the justice of God's punishments (vv. 5-7). This rapid succession is probably due to John's desire to give a telescopic view of the first six bowls and then hasten on to the seventh, where the far more interesting judgment on Babylon occurs, of which the author will give a detailed account. Again, seven symbolizes fullness, this time fullness of judgment (cf. Lev 26:21). The striking parallelism between the order of these plagues and those of the trumpets (8:2-9:21), though clearly not identical in every detail, has led many to conclude that the two series are the same. The similarity, however, may be merely literary.
Each plague in both series (the trumpets and the bowls) is reminiscent of the plagues on Egypt before the Exodus. The first four in both series cover the traditional divisions of nature: earth, sea, rivers, sky. But in each of the bowls, unlike the trumpets, the plague on nature is related to the suffering of mankind. Furthermore, each bowl plague seems to be total in its effect ("every living thing... died" [v. 3]), whereas under the trumpets only a part is affected ("a third of the living creatures... died" [8:9]). Therefore, it seems better to understand the trumpets and bowls as separate judgments; yet both are described in language drawn from the pattern of God's judgment on Egypt under Moses (see comments at 8:7ff.). The final three plagues are social and spiritual in their effect and shift from nature to humanity.

The question arises whether these descriptions should be taken more or less literally. The answer is probably less literally. But the important point is that they depict God's sure and righteous judgment that will one day be literally and actually done in this world.

2 The first bowl has no strict counterpart in the trumpets but recalls the sixth plague of boils under Moses (Exod 9:10-11). As the antagonists of Moses were affected by the boils, so the enemies of Christ who worship the beast will be struck by this plague. Perhaps "painful" sore might be translated "malignant" sore (Swete)."

[Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 16:1-2]:

"J. The bowls of divine wrath (chap. 16)

Chronologically this chapter is close to the time of the second coming of Christ, and the judgments described fall in rapid succession. Alford says, "There can then be no doubt here, not only that the series reaches on to the time of the end, but that the whole of it is to be placed close to the same time" (The Greek Testament, 4:696). Daniel indicated that these closing days of the Tribulation will be a time of world war (Dan. 11:36-45). World events are now pictured by John as rapidly coming to their climax.

1. THE FIRST BOWL (16:1-2)

16:1-2. John recorded that he heard a loud voice from the temple instructing the seven angels to pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth. This is undoubtedly the voice of God speaking from His heavenly temple. The adjective translated "loud" (megalēs) is frequently used in this chapter (v. 17 also refers to the loud voice). But the same Greek word is used in connection with intense heat (v. 9), the great river Euphrates (v. 12), the great day of God Almighty (v. 14), a severe earthquake (v. 18), the great city (v. 19), Babylon the Great (v. 19), huge hailstones (v. 21), and a terrible plague (v. 21). The judgments being poured out are greater, more severe, more intense than anything that has happened in the preceding events. When the first angel... poured out his bowl of wrath, it produced ugly and painful sores on those who had the beast's mark and worshiped his image.

The question has been raised as to whether the bowls of the wrath of God are chronologically subsequent to or identical with the seven trumpets of the angels. There is clearly much similarity between the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments. They both deal with (a) the earth (8:7) or the land (16:2), (b) the sea (8:8; 16:3), (c) the rivers and springs of water (8:10; 16:4), and (d) the sun, moon, and stars (8:12) with only the sun mentioned in the bowl judgments (16:8-9). The fifth trumpet dealt with demon possession with the sun and sky darkened (9:1-3), which is similar to the fifth bowl in which darkness will cover the earth and sores will cause agony among men (16:10-11). The sixth trumpet deals with the river Euphrates (9:13-14), and the sixth bowl will dry up the Euphrates (16:12). The seventh trumpet implies that the Great Tribulation is coming to its end (11:15-19), and the seventh bowl of the wrath of God records a loud voice from heaven, saying, "It is done!" (16:17) with resulting destruction of the earth by earthquake and hail, which is also included in the seventh trumpet (11:18-19).

Similarities, however, do not prove identity, and a comparison of the trumpets with the bowls of God's wrath reveals striking differences even though the order of the judgments is the same. In the trumpet judgments, generally speaking, a third of the earth or heaven is afflicted, whereas in the bowl judgments the effects of the judgments are on the entire earth and are much more severe and final in character. Accordingly it seems best to follow the interpretation which has long been held in the church that the seven bowls are an expansion of the seventh trumpet, just as the seven trumpets are an expansion of the breaking of the seventh seal. The order is climactic and the judgments become more intensive and extensive as the time of the second coming of Christ approaches. All indications are that the bowl judgments fall with trip-hammer rapidity on a world that is reeling under previous judgments and a gigantic world war. Some bowl judgments are selective and extend only to the wicked (16:2, 8-11), and several affect parts of nature (sea, rivers, sun, etc.).

In the first bowl judgment people who followed the Antichrist received painful sores. Sores also come with the fifth bowl (vv. 10-11)."

[Rev 16:3 NASB]:

(Rev 16:3 NASB) "The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died."

[Expositer's Bible Commentary On Rev 16:3]:

"3 The second bowl turns the sea into polluted blood (see comments at 8:8). Genesis 1:21 is reversed; all marine life dies (cf. Exod 7:17-21)."

[Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 16:3]:

"2. THE SECOND BOWL (16:3)
16:3. After the second trumpet blew (8:8-9), "a third of the sea turned into blood," killing "a third of the living creatures" and destroying "a third of the ships" (8:8-9). In the second... bowl, however, every living thing in the sea died (16:3). It is probable that the ocean here did not chemically correspond to human blood, but that it looked like blood and had the same effect in killing everything. Just as in the second trumpet, the blood here is analogous to the first plague in Egypt (Ex. 7:20-25). As most of the earth's surface is covered by the seas, this is a worldwide, tremendous judgment."

[Rev 16:4-7 NASB]:

(Rev 16:4 NASB) "Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.

(Rev 16:5 NASB) And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things;

(Rev 16:6 NASB) for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it."

(Rev 16:7 NASB) And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."

[Expositer's Bible Commentary On Rev 16:4-7]:

"4 The third bowl affects the fresh waters of the earth, which are essential to human life. They too become polluted as blood (cf. Exod 7:17-21).

5-7 Here the reference to blood calls forth the dialogue between the angel and the altar concerning the logic of the plagues. The blood that sinners drink, which is poured out on them, is just requital for their shedding of the blood of the saints (15:1-4) and prophets (11:3-13; cf. 17:6; 18:20). With blood, God vindicates the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. God's wrath is exercised in recognition of their love. People must choose whether to drink the blood of saints or to wear robes dipped in the blood of the Lamb (Minear, I Saw a New Earth, in loc)."

[Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 16:4-7]:

"3. THE THIRD BOWL (16:4-7)
16:4-7. Just as the third trumpet made "a third of the waters" bitter (8:11), so the third... bowl extends the judgment of the second bowl on the sea to rivers and springs and they became blood (16:4). John heard the angel in charge of the waters proclaim that God the Holy One is just in His judgments (v. 5). For God's work in turning the waters to blood is in response to the shedding of the blood of... saints and prophets (v. 6). This is echoed by a word from the altar declaring the judgment just (v. 7; cf. 15:3)."

[Rev 16:8-9 NASB]:

(Rev 16:8 NASB) "The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.

(Rev 16:9 NASB) Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God Who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory."

[Expositer's Bible Commentary On Rev 16:8-9]:

"8-9 The fourth bowl increases the intensity of the sun's heat; it is the exact opposite of the fourth trumpet, which produced a plague of darkness (cf. 8:12). The earth dwellers, instead of repenting of their deeds and acknowledging the Creator, the only act that could even now turn away God's wrath, curse (blasphemeo, "slander," "blaspheme") God for sending them agonizing pain (vv. 11, 21). Yet their problem goes beyond the awful physical pain and is moral and spiritual (cf. Isa 52:5; Rom 1:25; 2:24)."

[Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 16:8-9]:

"4. THE FOURTH BOWL (16:8-9)
16:8-9. This judgment focused the intense heat of the sun. In response people cursed... God and refused to repent (cf. v. 11). By contrast, the fourth trumpet (8:12) darkened a third of the heavens but did not include additional intense heat. It is clear from this and other prophecies that dramatic changes in climate will occur in the Great Tribulation."

[Rev 16:10-11 NASB]:

(Rev 16:10 NASB) "Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,

(Rev 16:11 NASB) and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.

[Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 16:10-11]:

"10-11 The fifth bowl plunges the kingdom of the beast into darkness. This is not a reference to the fall of the Roman Empire or Caesar worship, though John's words would include this level of meaning. In 2:13, John used the word "throne" (thronos) to designate the stronghold of Satan at Pergamum. Thus "the throne of the beast" symbolizes the seat of the world-wide dominion of the great satanic system of idolatry (the Abyss? cf. 20:1). This system is plunged into spiritual darkness or disruption, bringing chaos on all who sought life and meaning in it. Charles seeks to connect this darkness to the darkness and pain caused by the demon-locusts of the fifth trumpet (9:1ff.). But in the trumpet plague the locust-demons are the direct cause of the pain, while the darkness is incidental. This bowl plague, however, though similar to the fifth trumpet, strikes at the very seat of satanic authority over the world, and the darkness is probably moral and spiritual rather than physical (cf. 21:25; 22:5; John 8:12; 12:35-36, 46; 1 John 1:5-7; 2:8-10; Wisdom 17:21). Again the terrible refrain is repeated: "But they refused to repent of what they had done."

[Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 16:10-11]:

"5. THE FIFTH BOWL (16:10-11)
16:10-11. This judgment was directed toward the beast's throne, imposed darkness on the earth, and inflicted painful sores (cf. v. 2) on people. Again they cursed... God and refused to repent. This is the last reference in Revelation to a failure to repent (cf. 2:21; 9:21; 16:9; cf., however, 16:21). The fifth bowl is similar to the fifth trumpet (9:1-11) in that both will bring darkness, but the fifth trumpet has to do with demon possession rather than physical pain."

[Rev 16:12-16 NASB]:

(Rev 16:12 NASB) The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.

(Rev 16:13 NASB) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;

(Rev 16:14 NASB) for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.

(Rev 16:15 NASB) "Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.

(Rev 16:16 NASB) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon."

[Expositer's Bible Commentary On Rev 16:12-16]:

"12-16 The sixth bowl is specifically aimed at drying up the Euphrates River and so will allow the demonically inspired kings from the East to gather at Armageddon where God himself will enter into battle with them. The reference to the Euphrates in the sixth trumpet is a striking parallel to the sixth bowl plague (9:14). Thus many identify the two series as different aspects of the same plagues. But while the sixth trumpet releases demonic hordes to inflict death on the earth dwellers, the sixth bowl effects the assembling of the rulers (kings) from the East to meet the Lord God Almighty in battle.

The Euphrates was not only the location of Babylon, the great anti-God throne, but the place from which the evil hordes would invade Israel (see comments at 9:14). Thus, by mentioning the Euphrates by name, John is suggesting that the unseen rulers of this world are being prepared to enter into a final and fatal battle with the Sovereign of the universe. It is a warfare that can be conceived only in terms that describe realities of a primordial and eschatological order, an order that is more descriptive of contemporary actualities than political history (Minear). Thus John does not, in my opinion, describe the invasion of the Parthian hordes advancing on Rome or any future political invasion of Israel (contra Mounce, Revelation, p. 12). How could such political groups be involved in the battle of the great day of God Almighty? Instead, in terms reminiscent of the ancient battles of Israel, John describes the eschatological defeat of the forces of evil, the kings from the East.

Further confirmation that these Eastern kings represent the combined forces of evil in the world is John's reference to the three froglike evil (akatharta, "unclean") spirits that proceed out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Frogs were considered unclean (akatharta) animals by the Jews (Lev 11:10, 41). The background for this figure is not clear but probably relates more to pagan metaphors for evil than to any specific OT references. To the Persian, the frog was the double of Ahriman, god of evil and agent of plagues (Moffatt, EGT, 5:447).

To the Egyptian, the frog was not loathsome, as some suggest, but the symbol of the goddess Heqt, a goddess of resurrection and fertility. But to a Jewish mind, such gods were demons (daimonion, v. 14), Satan's emissaries, and inseparable from idolatry (9:20; 18:2; 1Cor 10:20-21). These demons produce miraculous signs like the false prophet (13:13-14), and this connects their activity to the deception of the earth's kings. Since these demons come from the "mouths" of the figures, lying and deceptive words are implied (cf. the sword from Christ's mouth that is equal to his word of truth). These kings are summoned to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. It is not necessary to limit John's language to the imperial emperor cult or to the Nero redivivus myth (see introduction to ch. 13). Under the sixth bowl, the kings are only gathered. Not until the seventh bowl do the confrontation and defeat actually occur (19:19-21).

Somewhat abruptly, but not inappropriately so, a warning is issued. Those who worship and serve the Lamb must be constantly vigilant lest their loyalty to him be diverted through the satanic deception (cf. Matt 24:43ff.; 1 Thess 5:2, 4). The Parousia (coming) of Christ is here connected with the judgment of Armageddon and the fall of Babylon. After John has described the latter in more detail (chs. 17-18), he describes the vision of the return of Jesus (19:11-16). In v. 15 the third of the seven beatitudes is pronounced (cf. 1:3; 14:13; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).

Similar to the exhortation given to those in the churches at Sardis (3:2-4) and Laodicea (3:18), the warning about Jesus' coming "like a thief" implies a need for alertness to the deception of idolatry and disloyalty to Jesus. Like a guard who watches by night, the true Christian will remain steadfast and prepared. It is not necessary to relate this warning only to the end time as in the context, since the appeal for the steadfast loyalty of Christians is relevant at any time. Such appeals, however, are associated in the Gospels with the return of Christ (Mark 13:32-37). There is no evidence that John is here reinterpreting the second coming of Christ, seeing that event in the crises of history as Caird suggests (p. 208). Since John's description does not refer to the Roman Empire but to the eschatological judgment, there is no need to resort to any reinterpretation hypothesis.

Many modern interpreters identify Armageddon with the Galilean fortified city of Megiddo and believe that a literal military battle will be fought in the latter days in that vicinity (cf. New Scofield Reference Bible, notes at Judg 5:19 and Rev 16:16; H. Lindsay; Seiss; J.B. Smith; Walvoord). While this sense is not impossible, it is better to take the name as being symbolic. In Hebrew har means hill or mountain, while megiddin (Gr., magedon) could mean Megiddo, a Canaanite stronghold in the Jezreel Plain later captured by the Israelites Josh 12:21; Judg 5:19). Megiddo, however, is a tell (artificial mound only seventy feet high in John's day according to Mounce, Revelation, p. 301) and not a hill or mountain and is never so designated, though the fact that over two hundred battles have been fought in this vicinity makes the site an appropriate symbol for the eschatological battle (Swete). Neither can it mean Mount Carmel near Megiddo (Lohmeyer), for such a designation is never used and would be totally obscure to the residents of Asia to whom John writes and who probably were for the most part ignorant of Hebrew. Therefore it is better to understand the term symbolically in the same manner as "in Hebrew" in 9:11 alerts us to the symbolic significance of the name of the angel of the Abyss.

Several other possibilities for the meaning of har megiddon have been suggested. Rissi derives the word from har moed ("mount of the assembly") and connects this with Isaiah 14:12-15, where the king of Babylon, lifted up in pride, tries to ascend to the "mount of the assembly," i.e., the throne of God (Rissi, Time and History, pp. 84-85). While the theory is interesting, it rests on a conjectural emendation of the Greek text without any MS evidence and has no direct support from the immediate context (vv. 12-16). Another suggestion derives from the Hebrew har megiddo the phrase "his fruitful mountain," i.e., Jerusalem, and connects the reference to the final battle to be fought near Jerusalem (Joel 3:2; Zech 14:2ff.; cited by Charles, Commentary on Revelation, 2:50). Caird (p. 207) mentions a view where magedon (from (Armagedon, "Armageddon") is related to the Hebrew gadad, which means "to cut," "attack," or "maraud"; as such with har ("mountain") it would mean "marauding mountain" and would be John's variation on Jeremiah's "destroying mountain" (Jer 51:25).

It is surprising that no one has suggested taking magedon as deriving from the secondary sense of the Hebrew gadad that means "to gather in troops or bands" (BDB, p. 151). The simple way in Hebrew to make a noun from a verb is to prefix a ma to the verbal form. Thus we have maged, "a place of gathering in troops," and the suffix o, meaning "his," yielding "his place of gathering in troops." This is almost equivalent to the expressions in vv. 14, 16—"to gather them [the kings] for the battle on the great day of God Almighty"-and would allude to the prophetic expectation of the gathering of the nations for judgment (Joel 3:2, 12). In any case, the name is symbolic and probably does not refer to any geographical location we can now identify, whether in Palestine or elsewhere; but it describes the eschatological confrontation where God will meet the forces of evil in their final defeat. As Mounce states:

Har-Magedon is symbolic of the final overthrow of all the forces of evil by the might and power of God. The great conflict between God and satan, Christ and Antichrist, good and evil, which lies behind the perplexing course of history will in the end issue in a final struggle in which God will emerge victorious and take with him all who placed their faith in him. This is Har-Magedon (Revelation, p. 302).

Nevertheless, it refers to a real point in history and to real persons who will encounter God's just sentence."

[Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 16:12-16]:

"6. THE SIXTH BOWL (16:12-16)
16:12. According to John's revelation, the sixth angel poured out his bowl and dried up the river Euphrates to prepare the way for the kings from the East. There has been endless speculation about "the kings from the East," with many expositors trying to relate them to some contemporary leaders of their generation. A survey of 100 commentaries of the Book of Revelation reveals at least 50 interpretations of the identity of the kings of the East. The simplest and best explanation, however, is that this refers to kings or rulers from the Orient or East who will participate in the final world war. In the light of the context of this passage indicating the near approach of the second coming of Christ and the contemporary world situation in which the Orient today contains a large portion of the world's population with tremendous military potential, any interpretation other than a literal one does not make sense. Alford states it concisely: "This is the only understanding of these words which will suit the context, or the requirement of this series of prophecies" (Alford, The Greek Testament, 4:700).

This is related to the great river Euphrates because this is the water boundary between the Holy Land and Asia to the east (cf. comments on 9:12-16). While the implication is that the water is dried up by an act of God, the fact is that dams have been built across the Euphrates River in this century to divert water for irrigation so that there are times even today when there is little or no water in the Euphrates. The Euphrates River is frequently mentioned in Scripture (e.g., Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:7; 11:24; Josh. 1:4). The drying up of this river is also predicted in Isaiah 11:15.

16:13-16. John was then given a symbolic and comprehensive view of the preparation for the final bowl of God's wrath. He saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of Satan (the dragon) and the two beasts (Antichrist [13:1-10] and the false prophet [13:11-18]). One need not speculate on the identity of the three frogs, for verse 14 explains that they are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs. These demons go throughout the world influencing kings to assemble for the battle on the great day of God Almighty ("Almighty" [pantokratōr] is also used in 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 19:6, 15; 21:22).

While the meaning of this symbolic presentation is clear, there is a major problem involved in what the demons do. The coming world government in the Great Tribulation will be established by the power of Satan (13:2). Here, however, Satan, the world ruler, and the false prophet unite in inciting the nations of the world to gather for the final world war. Actually the war is a form of rebellion against the world ruler. Why then should satanic forces be let loose to destroy the world empire which has just been created?

The answer seems to be in the events which follow. Satan, knowing that the second coming of Christ is near, will gather all the military might of the world into the Holy Land to resist the coming of the Son of Man who will return to the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4). Though the nations may be deceived in entering into the war in hope of gaining world political power, the satanic purpose is to combat the armies from heaven (introduced in chap. 19) at the second coming of Christ.

The war is said to continue right up to the day of the Second Coming and involves house-to-house fighting in Jerusalem itself on the day of the Lord's return (Zech. 14:1-3). The reference to "the battle" (ton polemon, Rev. 16:14) is probably better translated "the war" (NASB). Thus it is better to speak of "the war of Armageddon" (see v. 16) rather than the "the battle of Armageddon." The war will be going on for some time, but the climax will come at Christ's second coming. "Armageddon" comes from the Greek Harmagedōn, which transliterates the Hebrew words for Mount (har) of Megiddo. That mountain is near the city of Megiddo and the plain of Esdraelon, the scene of many Old Testament battles.

Accordingly John heard the warning coming from Christ Himself: Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.

Christ's return is often compared to the coming of a thief. It implies suddenness and unpreparedness as far as unbelievers are concerned. Just as Christians are not to be surprised by the Rapture of the church (1 Thes. 5:4), so believers at the time of the Second Coming will be anticipating His return. Blessing is promised to the one who is prepared for the coming of the Lord by being attired in the righteousness or clothing which God Himself supplies.

Taken as a whole, the sixth bowl of the wrath of God is preparation for the final act of judgment before the Second Coming, and is the later stage of development related to the river Euphrates, anticipated earlier (Rev. 9:14). The time factor between the sixth trumpet and the sixth bowl is comparatively short.

[Rev 16:17-21 NASB]:

(Rev 16:17 NASB) "Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done."
(Rev 16:18 NASB) And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
(Rev 16:19 NASB) The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
(Rev 16:20 NASB) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
(Rev 16:21 NASB) And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, *came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague *was extremely severe."

[Expositer's Bible Commentary On Rev 16:17-21]:

"17-21 The seventh bowl is poured out into the air. Nothing further is said about the "air"; rather. John is concerned with the loud voice that cries out, "It is done" (gegonen), or, "It has come to pass." With this seventh bowl, the eschatological wrath of God is completed (cf. 6:17; 21:6; John 19:30). Flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, and a severe earthquake occur (cf. 4:5; 8:5; 11:19). These eschatological signs symbolize the destruction of the anti-God forces throughout the world (cf. Heb 12:27). So great is the earthquake of God's judgment that it reaches the strongholds of organized evil represented by the cities of the pagans (ethne, "nations"). Even the great city Babylon, which seduced all the earth's kings and inhabitants (17:2), now comes under final sentence (see comments on 11:8).

[Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 16:17-21]:

"7. THE SEVENTH BOWL (16:17-21)

16:17-20. The seventh angel then poured out his bowl into the air. John heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, It is done! A similar pronouncement followed the seventh trumpet (11:15-19). Here also John saw lightning flashes and heard thunder, which was followed by a severe earthquake (16:18). John was then informed that this will be the greatest earthquake of all time (other earthquakes are mentioned in 8:5 and 11:19), and the resulting description indicates that it will affect the whole earth with the possible exception of the land of Israel. The great city which split into three parts refers to the destruction of Babylon. The most important event, however, is that the cities of the nations collapsed. The huge earthquake will reduce to rubble all the cities of the nations (Gentiles). The stage is thus being set for the second coming of Christ. Obviously in the collapse of the world's cities there will be tremendous loss of life and destruction of what is left of the world empire.

Though Jerusalem is mentioned in 11:8 as "the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified," "the great city" here is specifically Babylon, as indicated in 16:19. God will give Babylon the cup filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath, that is, she will experience a terrible outpouring of His judgment. Some have suggested that this city is Rome, but is called Babylon because of its spiritual declension. While this has been debated at length by scholars (cf. J.A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, pp. 381-82, 397-420), it is preferable to view "Babylon" as the rebuilt city of Babylon located on the Euphrates River, which will be the capital of the final world government (cf. Walvoord, Revelation, pp. 240-41).

In addition to the terrible earthquake and probably because of it, John recorded, Every island fled away and mountains could not be found. These verses (vv. 18-20), if taken literally, indicate topographical changes in the earth which eventually will also include great changes in the Holy Land in preparation for Christ's millennial kingdom.
16:21. In addition to the earthquake, huge hailstones of about 100 pounds each fell on people. Such huge masses of ice supernaturally formed would destroy anything left standing from the earthquake and would no doubt kill or seriously injure those they hit. In spite of the severity of the judgment and its cataclysmic character the hardness of human hearts is revealed in the final sentence: And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

The question is sometimes raised why eternal punishment is eternal. The answer is that people in the hardness of their hearts will not change; they deserve eternal punishment because they are eternally unrepentant. With the final destruction coming from the seventh bowl of the wrath of God, the stage will then be set for the dramatic and climactic second coming of Christ, revealed in chapter 19. Before this event, however, a future detailed description is given of Babylon in chapters 17-18."