Hailstones and Earthquakes
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Well, that depends somewhat on your overall view of end times and your hermeneutical method(s). Literal earthquakes and hail are recorded in Scripture, so it is consistent to take them literally. However, because so much of Revelation is figurative, it's also possible that they are figurative.
What I suggest is that instead of focusing on this one question, seek to grasp the big picture of the book, and of the themes that Scripture as a whole presents of end times. Do some research on history and commentaries, then come back to the details to see how they fit in the larger story.
What I suggest is that instead of focusing on this one question, seek to grasp the big picture of the book, and of the themes that Scripture as a whole presents of end times. Do some research on history and commentaries, then come back to the details to see how they fit in the larger story.
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It is hard to see the whole puzzle without fitting all the pieces together.
Historical Record
In 589 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II laid siege to Jerusalem, culminating in the destruction of the city and its temple in the summer of 587 or 586 BC.
Ezekiel 4:1-2
The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized
“And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.
Ezekiel 5:1-2
Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed
“And you, O son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it as a barber's razor and pass it over your head and your beard. Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair. A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city. And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.
Both the Historical Record and the Prophesy of Ezekiel (and Jeremiah for that matter) make it clear that Jerusalem was destroyed by War and invasion in the 6th century BC.
-------- HOWEVER --------
Ezekiel 13 prophesies that it will be heavy rains, hailstones, and stormy winds that will tear the wall down in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 13:8-14
False Prophets Condemned
Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God. 10 Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’ Therefore thus says the Lord God: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
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So here is my question: Are great hailstones, a deluge of rain, and a stormy wind to be taken literally in Ezekiel 13, or are they a metaphor for war?
Historical Record
In 589 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II laid siege to Jerusalem, culminating in the destruction of the city and its temple in the summer of 587 or 586 BC.
Ezekiel 4:1-2
The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized
“And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.
Ezekiel 5:1-2
Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed
“And you, O son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it as a barber's razor and pass it over your head and your beard. Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair. A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city. And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.
Both the Historical Record and the Prophesy of Ezekiel (and Jeremiah for that matter) make it clear that Jerusalem was destroyed by War and invasion in the 6th century BC.
-------- HOWEVER --------
Ezekiel 13 prophesies that it will be heavy rains, hailstones, and stormy winds that will tear the wall down in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 13:8-14
False Prophets Condemned
Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God. 10 Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’ Therefore thus says the Lord God: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
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So here is my question: Are great hailstones, a deluge of rain, and a stormy wind to be taken literally in Ezekiel 13, or are they a metaphor for war?
Do you need to know whether the wind and rain were literal before grasping that Ezekiel is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem? No. There is plenty of information to frame the picture and have a general sense of the events portrayed without understanding every detail.
Why can't they be both? God uses natural means of destruction as well as armies when He wages war.
Why can't they be both? God uses natural means of destruction as well as armies when He wages war.
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Ezekiel provides important and vital information and clues for interpreting prophesy correctly.
Ezekiel (chapters 4,5, and 13...) shows us that great hailstones, heavy rains, a stormy wind - all components of a thunder storm which would also include lighting and peals of thunder although not mentioned - are used to describe great destruction caused by war.
This vital information must be factored when interpreting Revelation. The seventh bowl of wrath this will be applied to.
Ezekiel (chapters 4,5, and 13...) shows us that great hailstones, heavy rains, a stormy wind - all components of a thunder storm which would also include lighting and peals of thunder although not mentioned - are used to describe great destruction caused by war.
This vital information must be factored when interpreting Revelation. The seventh bowl of wrath this will be applied to.
So according to Wikipedia:
The Walls of Jerusalem (Hebrew: חומות ירושלים, Arabic: أسوار القدس) surround the Old City of Jerusalem (approx. 1 km²). In 1535, when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Suleiman I ordered the ruined city walls to be rebuilt. The work took some four years, between 1537 and 1541.[1][2] The length of the walls is 4,018 meters (2.4966 mi), their average height is 12 meters (39.37 feet) and the average thickness is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). The walls contain 34 watchtowers and seven main gates open for traffic, with two minor gates reopened by archaeologists.
Now I don't know if these walls are representative of the walls that surrounded Jerusalem in the 6th century BC, but my feeling is that they are ballpark representative. NOTE: Anyone with more precise information about the 6th century BC walls around jerusalum please weight in.
With this available information the context is that the Prophet Ezekiel says in Ezekiel 13 that a thunder storm (hail, rain, and wind) will cause the stone walls that surrounds Jersusalum to fall. A stone wall of this magnitude typically won't fall from a thunderstorm. So there is context for the hailstones not being literal. Because literal hailstones would not be able to tear down such a thick and sturdy stone wall. Yes/No???????
The Walls of Jerusalem (Hebrew: חומות ירושלים, Arabic: أسوار القدس) surround the Old City of Jerusalem (approx. 1 km²). In 1535, when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Suleiman I ordered the ruined city walls to be rebuilt. The work took some four years, between 1537 and 1541.[1][2] The length of the walls is 4,018 meters (2.4966 mi), their average height is 12 meters (39.37 feet) and the average thickness is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). The walls contain 34 watchtowers and seven main gates open for traffic, with two minor gates reopened by archaeologists.
Now I don't know if these walls are representative of the walls that surrounded Jerusalem in the 6th century BC, but my feeling is that they are ballpark representative. NOTE: Anyone with more precise information about the 6th century BC walls around jerusalum please weight in.
With this available information the context is that the Prophet Ezekiel says in Ezekiel 13 that a thunder storm (hail, rain, and wind) will cause the stone walls that surrounds Jersusalum to fall. A stone wall of this magnitude typically won't fall from a thunderstorm. So there is context for the hailstones not being literal. Because literal hailstones would not be able to tear down such a thick and sturdy stone wall. Yes/No???????
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,[c] 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[d] each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
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Prophesy fulfillment of Verse 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!”
"Air superiority is the single most important factor deciding the outcome of a modern conventional war"
https://www.airforcemag.com/PDF/Mag...ocuments/2016/February 2016/0216supremacy.pdf
"Military aviation came into its own during the Second World War. The increased performance, range, and payload of contemporary aircraft meant that air power could move beyond the novelty applications of World War I, becoming a central striking force for all the combatant nations."
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,[c] 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[d] each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
------------------------------
Prophesy fulfillment of Verse 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!”
"Air superiority is the single most important factor deciding the outcome of a modern conventional war"
https://www.airforcemag.com/PDF/Mag...ocuments/2016/February 2016/0216supremacy.pdf
"Military aviation came into its own during the Second World War. The increased performance, range, and payload of contemporary aircraft meant that air power could move beyond the novelty applications of World War I, becoming a central striking force for all the combatant nations."
Analysis of Verse 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.
Lightning and thunder are components of a thunderstorm like the hailstones, rain and wind in Ezekiel 13.
They are all metaphors for war. The earthquake being grouped with theses is also a metaphor for war.
If we were to go with a literal interpretation then why would the bowl of wrath be poured into the air when an earthquake occurs in the ground???? In this context a literal interpretation doesn't fit together like pieces of a puzzle should.
However, in the 20th century two atomic bombs were dropped from the air capping off the biggest and deadliest (aka greatest) war or "earthquake" this world had ever seen.
For example, the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb blast was equivalent to 13 kilotons of TNT; which is equivalent to a 6.0 magnitude earthquake! The difference is that an atomic bomb releases most of its energy into the air, while an earthquake releases energy into the ground. From Google.
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs - never seen before by man - were an earthquake that fell from the sky or air, and ended the greatest war that man had ever seen; thus fulfilling these words:
Rev 16:18 "a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake."
Rev 16:17 "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air"
Lightning and thunder are components of a thunderstorm like the hailstones, rain and wind in Ezekiel 13.
They are all metaphors for war. The earthquake being grouped with theses is also a metaphor for war.
If we were to go with a literal interpretation then why would the bowl of wrath be poured into the air when an earthquake occurs in the ground???? In this context a literal interpretation doesn't fit together like pieces of a puzzle should.
However, in the 20th century two atomic bombs were dropped from the air capping off the biggest and deadliest (aka greatest) war or "earthquake" this world had ever seen.
For example, the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb blast was equivalent to 13 kilotons of TNT; which is equivalent to a 6.0 magnitude earthquake! The difference is that an atomic bomb releases most of its energy into the air, while an earthquake releases energy into the ground. From Google.
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs - never seen before by man - were an earthquake that fell from the sky or air, and ended the greatest war that man had ever seen; thus fulfilling these words:
Rev 16:18 "a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake."
Rev 16:17 "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air"
Prophesy in Verse 21 has been fulfilled
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.
/https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/1d/b8/1db82154-0dfa-41cf-809e-d19a0d4e0ae9/janfeb2016_e01_bombs.jpg)
Super interesting facts that probably none of you have ever heard about
Even now, 70 years later, more than 2,000 tons of unexploded munitions are uncovered on German soil every year. Before any construction project begins in Germany, from the extension of a home to track-laying by the national railroad authority, the ground must be certified as cleared of unexploded ordnance. Still, last May, some 20,000 people were cleared from an area of Cologne while authorities removed a one-ton bomb that had been discovered during construction work. In November 2013, another 20,000 people in Dortmund were evacuated while experts defused a 4,000-pound “Blockbuster” bomb that could destroy most of a city block. In 2011, 45,000 people—the largest evacuation in Germany since World War II—were forced to leave their homes when a drought revealed a similar device lying on the bed of the Rhine in the middle of Koblenz. Although the country has been at peace for three generations, German bomb-disposal squads are among the busiest in the world. Eleven bomb technicians have been killed in Germany since 2000, including three who died in a single explosion while trying to defuse a 1,000-pound bomb on the site of a popular flea market in Göttingen in 2010.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/hist...ands-tons-unexploded-bombs-germany-180957680/
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.
Super interesting facts that probably none of you have ever heard about
Even now, 70 years later, more than 2,000 tons of unexploded munitions are uncovered on German soil every year. Before any construction project begins in Germany, from the extension of a home to track-laying by the national railroad authority, the ground must be certified as cleared of unexploded ordnance. Still, last May, some 20,000 people were cleared from an area of Cologne while authorities removed a one-ton bomb that had been discovered during construction work. In November 2013, another 20,000 people in Dortmund were evacuated while experts defused a 4,000-pound “Blockbuster” bomb that could destroy most of a city block. In 2011, 45,000 people—the largest evacuation in Germany since World War II—were forced to leave their homes when a drought revealed a similar device lying on the bed of the Rhine in the middle of Koblenz. Although the country has been at peace for three generations, German bomb-disposal squads are among the busiest in the world. Eleven bomb technicians have been killed in Germany since 2000, including three who died in a single explosion while trying to defuse a 1,000-pound bomb on the site of a popular flea market in Göttingen in 2010.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/hist...ands-tons-unexploded-bombs-germany-180957680/
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More on the Prophesy fulfillment of Verse 21
I title this post: "Weather Based Metaphor"
Verse 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.
Bombing of Tokyo, (March 9–10, 1945), firebombing raid (codenamed “Operation Meetinghouse”) by the United States on the capital of Japan during the final stages of World War II, often cited as one of the most destructive acts of war in history, more destructive than the bombing of Dresden, Hiroshima, or Nagasaki. Although the precise death toll is unknown, conservative estimates suggest that the firestorm caused by incendiary bombs killed at least 80,000 people, and likely more than 100,000, in a single night; some one million people were left homeless. The Japanese later called this the “Night of the Black Snow.”
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bombing-of-Tokyo
Ok, so besides the tremendous plague of "hailstones" that fell from the sky here on Tokyo, we can also see a segue here to fulfillment of Verse 19 - and the cities of the nations fell
But let us hold off on verse 19 and remain on task with Verse 21 for this post.
What particularly jumps out for me is this coined term, “Night of the Black Snow.”
What is the meaning of this "Black Snow"?
In a three-hour period, the main bombing force dropped 1665 tons of incendiary bombs, killing tens of thousands of civilians, destroying 250,000 buildings, and incinerating 16 square miles of the city. The human carnage was so great that the blood-red mists and stench of burning flesh that wafted up sickened the bomber pilots, forcing them to grab oxygen masks to keep from vomiting. The winds also whipped up the ashes of the burned buildings and the thousands of burned bodies, thus it became the "Night of the Black Snow." http://www.burnpit.us/2017/03/night-black-snow-american-warplanes-firebomb-tokyo-100000-die
How utterly apocalyptic!!!!!!!!!!!
It utterly fascinates me how man has taken this truly dreadful event and has softened it by using a weather based metaphor of "Black Snow".
This seems almost like a wink and a nod from the Lord of Lords who also softened His apocalyptic prophesy by referring to these utterly devastating military events by using a weather based metaphor of "100 pound Hailstones.
It in fact is poetic.
I title this post: "Weather Based Metaphor"
Verse 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.
Bombing of Tokyo, (March 9–10, 1945), firebombing raid (codenamed “Operation Meetinghouse”) by the United States on the capital of Japan during the final stages of World War II, often cited as one of the most destructive acts of war in history, more destructive than the bombing of Dresden, Hiroshima, or Nagasaki. Although the precise death toll is unknown, conservative estimates suggest that the firestorm caused by incendiary bombs killed at least 80,000 people, and likely more than 100,000, in a single night; some one million people were left homeless. The Japanese later called this the “Night of the Black Snow.”
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bombing-of-Tokyo
Ok, so besides the tremendous plague of "hailstones" that fell from the sky here on Tokyo, we can also see a segue here to fulfillment of Verse 19 - and the cities of the nations fell
But let us hold off on verse 19 and remain on task with Verse 21 for this post.
What particularly jumps out for me is this coined term, “Night of the Black Snow.”
What is the meaning of this "Black Snow"?
In a three-hour period, the main bombing force dropped 1665 tons of incendiary bombs, killing tens of thousands of civilians, destroying 250,000 buildings, and incinerating 16 square miles of the city. The human carnage was so great that the blood-red mists and stench of burning flesh that wafted up sickened the bomber pilots, forcing them to grab oxygen masks to keep from vomiting. The winds also whipped up the ashes of the burned buildings and the thousands of burned bodies, thus it became the "Night of the Black Snow." http://www.burnpit.us/2017/03/night-black-snow-american-warplanes-firebomb-tokyo-100000-die
How utterly apocalyptic!!!!!!!!!!!
It utterly fascinates me how man has taken this truly dreadful event and has softened it by using a weather based metaphor of "Black Snow".
This seems almost like a wink and a nod from the Lord of Lords who also softened His apocalyptic prophesy by referring to these utterly devastating military events by using a weather based metaphor of "100 pound Hailstones.
It in fact is poetic.
Great Point! Thank you for making this.
Rev 22v18.19
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
So let me ask you this question to see if you have pondered on this.
Does Rev 22v18:19 apply only to the Book of Revelation, or does it apply to the entire book of God's Word (the book we refer to as the Holy Bible)?
Rev 22v18.19
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
So let me ask you this question to see if you have pondered on this.
Does Rev 22v18:19 apply only to the Book of Revelation, or does it apply to the entire book of God's Word (the book we refer to as the Holy Bible)?
Concerning hailstones and any other plagues of the bowls, or vials
Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Isa 13:4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
The vials of the wrath of God has not even happened yet, and is the time that God goes against the whole world that followed the man of sin, New Age Christ, and it will be Him using the power of nature to do it.
The bombings in Japan have nothing to do with Revelation.
Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Isa 13:4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
The vials of the wrath of God has not even happened yet, and is the time that God goes against the whole world that followed the man of sin, New Age Christ, and it will be Him using the power of nature to do it.
The bombings in Japan have nothing to do with Revelation.
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