Explore the Bible Online

Revelation 16:18

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

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.

Revelation 16:18 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Revelation 16:18

Theological / Devotional

Voices. Or, “sounds,” “noises.” Compare chs. 4:5; 8:5; 11:19. What the “voices” utter may be similar to the declaration of ch. 11:15.

Thunders. Or, “peals of thunder.”

Lightnings. Or, “flashes of lightning.” Textual evidence attests (cf. p. 10) that this word precedes “voices, and thunders.”

A great earthquake. A literal earthquake, as the remainder of v. 18 implies (see on v. 1; cf. vs. 20, 21), but accompanied by a figurative earthquake, which shatters mystical Babylon (v. 19). As a literal earthquake leaves a literal city in ruins, so a figurative earthquake brings ruin and desolation to “great Babylon” (see on chs. 17:16; 18:6–8, 21). The threefold union of vs. 13, 14 collapses (cf. Isa. 28:14–22).

Such as was not. Both literally and figuratively.

By SdaBc