Revelation 16:18

16:18-20 The catastrophic events of this judgment scene recapitulate the scenes portraying the destruction of the world (6:12-14; 11:13). They also foreshadow the final judgment (20:11-15) when the earth will be dismantled to make way for the new creation (21:1; cp. Isa 45:2; Rom 8:19-22).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Rev 16:18 . The conventional stormtheophany brings on an exceptionally severe earthquake, which (Rev 16:19 ) shatters Jerusalem into three parts and entirely overthrows the pagan cities. Rome’s more awful ruin is attributed in Rev 17:16 to the invasion of Oriental hordes ( cf. Rev 16:12 ); here the allusion to her downfall is proleptic (= Rev 17:2 , Rev 18:6 f.), as a climax to the foregoing catastrophe. Probably the great city is Jerusalem (sc e.g. , Andr., Bengel, Simcox, B. Weiss, J. Weiss), as in Rev 11:8 . She is distinguished from the Gentile cities as Rome also is singled out from her allies and adherents. Being primarily guilty, Rome-Babylon is reserved for a special fate. The whole passage is enigmatic and obscure. Did the earthquake destroy the inhabitants of Jerusalem? and why? The allusion must be to some form of the tradition underlying Rev 11:1-13 and Rev 14:18-20 , or to that of Zec 14:4-5 . Both earthquakes and invasions had been combined already in the O.T. eschatology ( cf. Isa 13:13 f.; Hag 2:21 f.); both perils were real, at this period; and, in delineating both dangers with a free, poetic imagination, the prophet aims as usual at impressiveness rather than at any systematic regularity. For earthquakes in Jerusalem, cf. G. A. Smith’s Jerusalem , i. pp. 61 f. ἐμνήσθη : neither magnificence nor age wins oblivion for an empire’s crimes against the moral order.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now is declared the execution (as is said in verse 27) and the things that shall last come to pass in heaven and in earth, before the overthrow of the beast of Babylon: both generally, verse 18, and particularly in the cursed city, and such as have any familiarity therewith, in the 3 last verses.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

voice . . . thunders . . . lightnings--A has the order, "lightnings . . . voices . . . thunders." This is the same close as that of the seven seals and the seven thunders; but with the difference that they do not merely form the conclusion, but introduce the consequence, of the last vial, namely, the utter destruction of Babylon and then of the Antichristian armies.

earthquake--which is often preceded by a lurid state of air, such as would result from the vial poured upon it.

men were--so B, Vulgate, Syriac, and ANDREAS. But A and Coptic read, "A man was."

so mighty--Greek, "such."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 18. A great earthquake] Most terrible commotions, both civil and religious. Or a convulsion, shaking, or revolution.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(18) And there were voices . . .—There is some variety in the order of the words in different MSS. There were lightnings, and voices, and thunders (comp. Rev_8:5; Rev_11:19); there was a great earthquake, such as was not from the time there was a man upon the earth. The earthquake, which is the shaking down of the kingdom of evil (comp. Heb_12:26-29), completes the overthrow of which the earlier judgments have been precursors. The throne of the wild beast has been visited, the centre of his power smitten; now the metropolis of his empire is about to fall. And the great city (i.e., Babylon, the symbol of the world-power’s capital) became into three parts. It lost its power of cohesion. The three evil spirits endeavoured to unite all powers in one grand assault, but there is no natural cohesion among those whose only bond is hatred of good. The first convulsion shakes them to pieces, and the cities of the nations fall. Every subordinate power in which the earthly element was mingled (comp. Dan_2:41-44) is overthrown in the earthquake, even as every tree which the “Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up” (Mat_15:13); and great Babylon was remembered before God, &c. The features of the overthrow of Babylon are described more fully later on (Revelation 17, 18), where the various aspects of evil in the great metropolis of the world-power are dealt with (Rev_17:1-7; Rev_18:1-3). The fall of Pagan Rome is but one illustration of the overthrow of Babylon.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. voices, and thunders, and lightnings] Rev_8:5, Rev_11:19. Here the best reading is lightnings and voices and thunders.

earthquake] Rev_6:12, Rev_11:13 : but this earthquake seems distinguished from those as surpassing them greatly in degree:—unless the second of those be the local aspect of this.

such as was not, &c.] Cf. Dan_12:1; St Mat_24:21.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the great city was divided into three parts,.... By which is meant not Christendom, distinguished into Protestants, Papists, and neutrals, which has been long the case; nor the city of Jerusalem, as inhabited by Christians, Jews, and Turks; nor the city of Rome itself, the seat of the beast, which will have suffered under the fifth vial; but the whole Romish jurisdiction, which is the great city, that reigns over the kings of the earth, as it will now be; though some think the Turkish empire is meant, which they suppose was only afflicted under the preceding vial, but will now be divided into three parts, and afterwards into six, Eze 39:1 and so come to ruin; and others are of opinion that it is included in this great city at least; and doubtless the remains of it are to be taken into this account, and probably are considered in the following clause; wherefore it is better to understand this of the Romish jurisdiction, so often called the great city in this book, Rev 11:8 and its division into three parts is either in reference to the three heads of it, the dragon, beast, and false prophet, or to the three unclean spirits that come out of them, which will lead on to this ruin; though the allusion seems rather to be to the destruction of Jerusalem, Eze 5:2 and denotes the utter ruin of the Romish antichrist, in all its branches and remains; a tenth part of this city will fall towards the close of the sixth trumpet, Rev 11:13 and now all the other nine parts will fall, a threefold division will be made of the city, each division containing three parts: the Jews (e) have a prophecy, that upon an appearance of a star at Rome, which they suppose will be when the Messiah comes, the three upper walls of that city will fall, and the great temple, or church (St. Peter's), will fall, and the governor of that city (the pope) will die:

and the cities of the nations fell; of the Pagans and Mahometaus; or as there will be an utter extirpation of the Papacy, so of Paganism and Mahometanism, in the several nations where they have obtained, and where there will be now any remains of them;

and great Babylon came in remembrance before God; not Constantinople, as Brightman thinks, because that Rome, the seat of the beast, is affected under the fifth vial, and the great city under this; but since no other is called Babylon in this book but the Romish antichristian state, it must be meant here; see Rev 14:8 for many hundreds of years Babylon seemed to be forgotten by God, no notice being taken of her sins and iniquities in a judicial way; but now God will remember her sins, Rev 18:5 and inflict deserved punishment upon her:

to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath; as a just retaliation for the wine of her fornication, with which she has intoxicated the kings and inhabitants of the earth; the wrath of God is sometimes signified in the Old Testament by a cup, a wine cup, a wine cup of fury, see Psa 75:8 and here the exceeding greatness of his wrath is expressed by the phrases used, and intends the pouring out of all his vengeance, to the utter ruin of the Romish antichrist.

(e) Zohar in Numb. fol. 86. 1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18 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.

Ver. 18. And there were voices] A description of the last judgment, when heaven and earth shall conspire together for the punishment of the wicked. See Mat 24:36-41; Mat 24:50-51 2Pe 3:10-12 2Th 1:8.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings - Accompanying the voice that was heard from the throne. See the notes on Rev 4:5; Rev 11:19.

And there was a great earthquake, ... - See the notes on Rev 6:12; Rev 11:19. The meaning is, that a judgment followed as if the world were shaken by an earthquake, or which would be properly represented by that.

So mighty an earthquake, and so great - All this is intensive, and is designed to represent the severity of the judgment that would follow.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The seventh vial is poured out upon the air which lies between the earth and the heavens, to indicate that the judgments of God are going to fall upon the whole creation. After which follow these words, it is done. All is over, time is no more; upon which immediately follow lightnings, &c.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

See Rev 4:5; 6:12; 11:13,19. Either declarative of the majesty and power of God, {as Exo 19:16, when God came forth to give his law} the violation of which God here was coming out to punish; or of the great stirs and confusions in that part of the world where the beast’s greatest interest lay. Or, the

voices, thunders, and lightnings, may be understood as declarative of the former, and the great earthquake of the latter.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. Voices—Though the seventh seal sends forth the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet the seven plagues, the seventh plague sends forth no further seven-series, but ends with this catastrophe. The voices, and thunders, and lightnings are the prelude to the great earthquake.

Such as was not… earth—For it covers all the continents and disturbs all the islands. It changes the face of the human earth. The seer wants words to magnify our thoughts to its true magnitude.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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. The usual accompaniments of any special manifestation of God"s power or presence. (see on Rev_4:5 and Rev_6:12-17) A similar description is given of the close of the seal and the trumpet visions.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A great earthquake, such as had not been since men were upon the earth - It was therefore a literal, not figurative, earthquake.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

18. There were voices, and thunders, etc. See 8:5; 11:19. These features accompany the tremendous movements of the divine will. A great earthquake. A mighty agitation, and rupturing such as was never seen before. Society will be upheaved to its very foundations.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

18. ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί. Text. Rec[565] reads φων. καὶ βρ. καὶ ἀστ. with 1; א* reads βρ. καὶ ἀστ. καὶ φ. καὶ βρ.; B2 omits καὶ βρονταί.

[565] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.

σεισμὸς ἐγένετο. B2 and Primas[566] omit ἐγένετο. Primas[567] has for ἐγένετο … οὕτω μέγας et signa magna.

[566] Primasius, edited by Haussleiter.

[567] Primasius, edited by Haussleiter.

ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο. Text. Rec[568] οἱ ἄνθρωπος ἐγένοντο with 1. אB2 ἄνθρωποι ἐγένοντο.

[568] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.

18. ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί. Rev 8:5, Rev 11:19.

οἶος οὐκ ἐγένετο … τηλικοῦτος. So far the phrase hardly goes beyond the familiar Hebraism ὄπου ἔχει ἐκεῖ τόπον, but the addition of οὔτω μέγας after τηλικοῦτος is singular, and probably marks the entire distinction of this earthquake from that of Rev 11:13. For the sense cf. Dan 12:1; St Mat 24:21.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.