What is the meaning of Revelation 16:20? Then • The verse opens with “Then,” showing sequence. It follows the pouring out of the seventh bowl (Revelation 16:17). • This is the climax of God’s wrath on a rebellious world, echoing earlier prophetic build-ups like Revelation 15:1 and the earthquake of Revelation 11:19. • The timing links to Jesus’ own words about unprecedented tribulation in Matthew 24:21–22, underscoring that these events are future and literal. every island fled • Scripture pictures a global quake so violent that islands disappear from their locations. Compare Revelation 6:14, where “every mountain and island was removed from its place,” and Isaiah 24:19–20, which speaks of the earth “reeling like a drunkard.” • Islands “flee” because the earth’s crust is being reconfigured as the Lord prepares to establish His kingdom (Revelation 11:15; Luke 21:25–26). • This fulfills Old Testament warnings such as Ezekiel 38:20, where “the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves on the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble.” no mountain could be found • Mountains flatten or vanish, illustrating the totality of the judgment. Revelation 20:11 portrays a similar scene: “earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.” • Isaiah 40:4 foretells, “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low,” anticipating the direct rule of Christ. • Micah 1:3–4 shows that when the Lord comes down, “the mountains will melt beneath Him.” Revelation 16:20 is a literal fulfillment of such prophecies, demonstrating God’s absolute power over creation. summary Revelation 16:20 describes a real, future, earth-shaking event that accompanies the seventh bowl of God’s wrath. The sequence (“Then”) anchors it in time, the disappearance of islands shows the global scale, and the leveling of mountains highlights the total transformation of the planet in preparation for Christ’s reign. |
    |