Revelation 16:17–21 (ESV)
The Seventh Bowl
17 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 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. 19 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. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And
great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
As the Lord pronounces
the end of the outpouring of His judgment, the created order itself begins to come unhinged. After describing this same event, Peter poses a question we all need to consider daily: what sort of people ought we to be (2Pt 3:11)? The only basis for confidence
on that dreaded day is that our Lord Jesus paid the full price of our punishment while dying on the cross (Jn 19:30), then rose from the dead and returned to the Father, where even now He is preparing a place for us.
I pray: Lord, receive our heartfelt thanks for having Jesus bear Your judgment for us. Because You promise to spare Your people from the terrible plagues that will accompany the final judgment, we ask You to
keep us in the true faith. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 2224.