The Seventh Vial (Great Hail)

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SEVENTH VIAL.

(Great Hail.)

Rev. 16:17-21.

"And the 'Seventh Angel' poured out his Vial INTO THE AIR: and there came a great voice out of the Temple of Heaven, from the Throne, saying--IT IS DONE. And there were VOICES, and THUNDERS, and LIGHTNINGS; and there was a GREAT EARTHQUAKE, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the Great City (Jerusalem) was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found (they will be leveled). And there fell upon men a GREAT HAIL out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the Plague of the Hail; for the Plague thereof was exceeding great."

It is worthy of note that at the breaking of the "Seventh SEAL," and the sounding of the "Seventh TRUMPET," and the pouring out of the "Seventh VIAL," that the same things occur. That is, voices and thunderings are heard, great lightning is seen, and there is a GREAT EARTHQUAKE. And at the sounding of the "Seventh TRUMPET," and the pouring out of the "Seventh VIAL" there is a GREAT HAIL STORM. This only confirms what has been already stated that the "SEVENTH SEAL" includes the 'Trumpets" and "Vials," and that the "SEVENTH TRUMPET" includes the "Vials," and that what happens during the "Seventh SEAL," and the "Seventh TRUMPET," and the "Seventh VIAL," all refers to the same period, the "END OF THE WEEK." In other words, the opening of the "Seventh SEAL" reveals the events that are about to happen; the blast of the "Seventh TRUMPET" announces the events as forth-coming, and the outpouring of the "Seventh VIAL" executes them.

When the "Seventh SEAL" was broken there was "SILENCE" in Heaven, but when the "Seventh TRUMPET" sounded, and the "Seventh VIAL" was poured out there were "GREAT VOICES" in Heaven. The "Great Voice" at the pouring out of the "Seventh Vial" was from the Throne, and cried--"IT IS DONE." When Christ expired on the Cross He cried--"IT IS FINISHED," that is, the way and plan of Salvation was complete, and this voice from the Throne that cries "IT IS DONE" may be His voice, announcing that the pouring out of the "Seventh Vial" finishes the wrath of God.

The "Great Earthquake" that follows will be the greatest that this world has ever seen. It is foretold in Zech. 14:4-5. So great will it be, that it will level the mountains, and destroy islands, and so change the contour and shape of the Land of Palestine and the surrounding countries and seas, as to make new maps of that part of the world necessary; and it will raise the Dead Sea so that its waters shall flow again into the Red Sea. Ez. 47:1-12. It will divide the "Great City" (Jerusalem) into 3 parts, and the cities of the Nations (the "Ten Federated Nations"), and "GREAT BABYLON,"

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whose destruction is described in chapter eighteen, will be destroyed in that "Great Earthquake." This reference to the "City of Babylon" is further incidental proof that the City of Babylon is to be rebuilt. Among the cities destroyed in that Earthquake will be Rome, Naples, London, Paris, and Constantinople.

At that time there will fall upon men a "GREAT HAIL." Each stone will weigh about a Talent, or 100 pounds. Here we have a repetition of the "SEVENTH EGYPTIAN PLAGUE." Ex. 9:13-35. Hail has been one of God's engines of destruction. He used it to discomfit the enemies of Israel at Beth-horon in the days of Joshua. Josh. 10:11. The "Law" required that the "Blasphemer" should be "STONED TO DEATH" (Lev. 24:16), and here these Blasphemers of the "End Time" shall be STONED FROM HEAVEN.

It must not be forgotten that the "Seventh Vial" covers the whole period from the time the "Seventh Angel" pours out its contents until Christ returns to the Mount of Olives. For the earthquake that splits the Mount of Olives, upheaves the land of Palestine, levels mountains, submerges islands, and destroys the cities of the Nations, along with the City of Babylon, is caused by the touch of Christ's feet on the Mount of Olives at the Revelation stage of His Second Coming (Zech. 14:4), and the "Great Hail" in all probability will not fall until the time comes in the crisis of the Battle of Armageddon for the destruction of the Allied armies of Antichrist. Hailstones will be the missiles used by the Armies of Heaven.

In Rev. 19:15, we are told that out of the mouth of Christ, at His return, will go a "SHARP SWORD," that with it He should smite the nations, and in 2 Thess. 2:8, we are told that Antichrist (that WICKED), shall be consumed by the "SPIRIT OF THE LORD'S MOUTH." Whether we take these statements as literal or not, it is clear that they stand for some supernatural means of destruction, and refer more to the followers of Antichrist, than to Antichrist himself, for he personally is not to be destroyed, but is to be cast ALIVE into the "Lake of Fire." Rev. 19:20.

As the pouring out of the "Seventh Vial" finishes the "Wrath of God," it is in harmony with the purposes of the Book of Revelation to foretell at this point what will then happen to the enemies of God. These we will now examine under the heading the "Seven Dooms."