(17) And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. (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. (19) And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. (20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (21) And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Here ends the pouring out of the vials, and a tremendous pouring out it is. It is said to he into the air, meaning the empire of Satan, who is emphatically called, the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:2. But we must include the whole territories of Pope, and Turk, also, because Satan's empire is over them, and the air takes in the whole of their empire and Satan's together. And as this puts an end to all the struggles, which for so many hundreds of years have been carried on by hell and its auxiliaries, against the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ, we may well suppose, that the decision which is final, will be most strikingly glorious. I shall not in this place, anticipate what is said, in allusion to this great day of Christ, in the latter part of this book of prophecy; but if the Reader will read what is delivered on this subject, Revelation 19:11 to the end, he will see the best explanation of the transactions of this sixth vial.
I beg the Reader, however, that he will not too hastily pass away from this most blessed view of Christ, under the seventh vial. If voices, thunderings, and lightening bespake the manifestations of the Lord Jesus, and a great voice came forth from the temple, that is the Church, saying, it is done. Oh! how ought we to hail the glorious event! Jesus had before been seen standing upon the earth, and upon the sea, and swearing by him that liveth forever and ever, that in the days when the mystery of God shall be finished, there should be time no longer; and here we behold the confirmation, of the same, and Christ himself coming to finish it, Revelation 10:1-7
Oh!, the unspeakable joy, when the Church shall see the blood of the saints avenged, the whore and all her cursed crew, which from age to age, have been drunken with the blood of the saints, cast down to rise no more. And hell repaid his numerous temptations, whereby the saints of God through the whole time-state of the Church, have been assaulted with his devilish cruelties. How will that hymn of praise burst forth from ten thousand times ten thousand souls, in unceasing love and thanksgiving to our adorable Lord; We give thee thanks, Lord God Almighty, which art, and which was, and art to come, because thou host taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned, Revelation 11:17.