Apocalipsis 16:21

The accompanying storm will include huge hailstones that will fall on the earth crushing people (cf. Revelation 8:7). Hail was often an instrument of divine judgment in biblical history (cf. Joshua 10:11; Job 38:22-23; Isaiah 28:2; Isaiah 28:17; Ezekiel 13:11-13; Ezekiel 38:22-23). In spite of all these judgments the hearts of earth-dwellers will remain hard, as Pharaoh’s did during the plague of hail in Egypt (cf. Exodus 9:24). They will know that God sent this calamity, but rather than repenting they will shake their fists in God’s face. God will stone these blasphemers with these huge hailstones (cf. Leviticus 24:16).

"We cannot emphasize too strongly that in the three series of divine judgments-first the seals, second the trumpets, third the vials (or bowls) of wrath-we have those preliminary hardening actions of God upon an impenitent world, by which He prepares that world for the Great Day of Wrath-at Christ’s coming as King of kings, as seen in Revelation 19:11-15. . . . [Note: Newell, p. 259.]

J. Dwight Pentecost believed that the bowl judgments describe the second advent of Jesus Christ to the earth.

"Since the bowl judgments must span some period of time, we must view the second advent of Christ as an event that encompasses a period of time. In that regard, we find an interesting chronological note in Daniel 12:11-12: ’From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.’ Twelve hundred ninety days span the second half of Daniel’s seventieth week, and that time period brings us to the end of the Tribulation period. But the blessings of Messiah’s reign are not enjoyed until some forty-five days later. Therefore, it is suggested that the forty-five day period is the period in which the judgments associated with the second advent of Christ are poured out on the earth. And that entire forty-five day period, then, could be called the second advent of Christ.

"Further, it is suggested that the 1,290 days come to their completion with the appearance of the sign of the Son of Man in heaven (Matthew 24:30). The judgments of Revelation 16 follow in a forty-five day period and are concluded with the physical descent of Jesus Christ to the earth. Hence, Revelation 11:15 brings us to the second coming of Jesus Christ back to the earth at which time He will experience the fulfillment of the Father’s promise . . . [in Psalms 2:8-9]." [Note: Pentecost, Thy Kingdom . . ., p. 301.]

It seems to me that the 45-day period may be the time of preparation for the beginning of the Millennium following Christ’s return. It seems unnatural to describe the return of the Lord as taking this long to happen (cf. Acts 1:9-11). Therefore I prefer the view that the bowl judgments describe what happens before Jesus Christ returns rather than when He returns. These judgments then set the stage for the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.

Before recording that event in chapter 19, God led John to give more revelation concerning the fate of Babylon in chapters 17 and 18.

Thomas viewed the description of the seventh bowl as extending through Revelation 22:5. [Note: Thomas, Revelation 8-22, pp. 567-85. See Chilton, The Days . . ., p. 418, for a similar view.] He saw all that follows to Revelation 22:5 as a result of this final climactic judgment. More students of Revelation, however, have seen the description of the seventh bowl as limited to Revelation 16:17-21 with the consequences of that judgment following through Revelation 22:5.