TRIBULATION PERIOD | 7TH VIAL (BOWL)

1. The Events of the Tribulation Period

a) Revelation 16:17-21. The seventh vial result sin a judgment of Almighty God that destroys the entire world system and judges all unsaved men severely. But even though enormous hailstones fall, the unregenerate still refuse to repent. This judgment is so devastating that it prepares the world for the coming of Christ to set up His earthly kingdom. 

Revelation 16:17-21 New English Translation (NET Bible)

¹⁷ Finally 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!” ¹⁸ Then there were flashes of lightning, roaring, and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake—an earthquake unequaled since humanity has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. ¹⁹ The great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations collapsed. So Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. ²⁰ Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. ²¹ And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people, but they blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it was so horrendous.

h) Revelation 18:1-24. The destruction of commercial and governmental Babylon—the New World Order for which man has yearned ever since his rebellion at Babylon—now occurs, possibly during the seventh vial since it fits there (verse 19) just before earth’s final judgment. It will totally collapse the Antichrist’s system and further pave the way for the best event of the Tribulation. 

Revelation 18New English Translation (NET Bible) 

Babylon is Destroyed

18 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance. ² He shouted with a powerful voice:

“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!
She has become a lair for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detested beast.
³ For all the nations have fallen from
the wine of her immoral passion,
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.”

⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, ⁵ because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered her crimes. ⁶ Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. ⁷ As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ ⁸ For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”

⁹ Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. ¹⁰ They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,

“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom has come!”

¹¹ Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo any longer— ¹² cargo such as gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all sorts of things made of citron wood, all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble, ¹³ cinnamon, spice, incense, perfumed ointment, frankincense, wine, olive oil and costly flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, slaves and human lives.

¹⁴ (The ripe fruit you greatly desired
has gone from you,
and all your luxury and splendor
have gone from you—
they will never ever be found again!)

¹⁵ The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn, ¹⁶ saying,

“Woe, woe, O great city—
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing,
and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls—
¹⁷ because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!”

And every ship’s captain, and all who sail along the coast—seamen, and all who make their living from the sea, stood a long way off ¹⁸ and began to shout when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, “Who is like the great city?” ¹⁹ And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning,

“Woe, Woe, O great city—
in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth—
because in a single hour she has been destroyed!”
²⁰ (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment against her on your behalf!)

²¹ Then one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,

“With this kind of sudden violent force
Babylon the great city will be thrown down
and it will never be found again!

 
²² And the sound of the harpists, musicians,
flute players, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again.
No craftsman who practices any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the noise of a mill will never be heard in you again.
²³ Even the light from a lamp
will never shine in you again!
The voices of the bridegroom and his bride
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,
because all the nations were deceived by your magic spells!
²⁴ The blood of the saints and prophets was found in her,
along with the blood of all those who had been killed on the earth.”

i) Revelation 19:11-21. We finally witness the Glorious Appearing of Christ in Power and Great Glory as King of kings and Lord of lords to set up His thousand-year reign on this earth. 

Revelation 19:11-21New English Translation (NET Bible) 

The Son of God Goes to War

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war. ¹² His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. ¹³ He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. ¹⁶ He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

¹⁷ Then I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky:

“Come, gather around for the great banquet of God,
¹⁸ to eat your fill of the flesh of kings,
the flesh of generals,
the flesh of powerful people,
the flesh of horses and those who ride them,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slave,
and small and great!”

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. ²⁰ Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf—signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. ²¹ The others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.