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Revelation 16:21 meaning

An explanation of Revelation 16:21

The culmination of judgment in Revelation presents a dramatic scene where massive hailstones rain down from heaven, each weighing about a talent. This event underscores the intense severity of God’s wrath unleashed upon a rebellious humanity that refuses to repent despite the evident divine provocations. The imagery evokes the plagues of Egypt, particularly the plague of hail, where God’s power was demonstrated as He sought to relent the hearts and behaviors of the stubborn Pharaoh. In this context, the verse captures the profound human response to divine judgment, revealing an unsettling truth: rather than turning toward God in humility, people resort to blasphemy.

In Revelation 16:21, the reaction of the "earth-dwellers" epitomizes the hardened heart amidst calamity, illustrating how severe judgments can lead one further away from repentance. The consistent theme of hardened hearts against divine actions parallels the accounts of Pharaoh, and serves as a sobering reminder of the spiritual blindness that can accompany rebellion against God. The imagery of hail serves not only as a literal event of destruction but as a symbol of God’s righteous anger towards sin and rejection of His sovereignty. For the plague thereof was exceeding great reinforces the gravity of the circumstances wherein people choose enmity over reconciliation with their Creator.