The Seventh Vial Plague (Rev 16:17-20)

"It is Done" (Rev 16:17)

The seventh and final Vial Plague of the Third Woe is poured out in the air in Revelation 16:17. The air symbolizes the entire domain and dominion of Satan‒the Prince of the Power of the Air. (Ephesians 2:2) This Vial Plague includes an attack on all evil spirits who symbolically have their existence in the air because they cannot step their feet upon the ground with a physical body.

When this last Vial Plague is poured out, the voice of God the Father can be heard from his throne in the temple in heaven, saying: "It is done." Seemingly, the seventh Vial Plague is done as soon as it begins. This symbolically depicts how rapidly the final cleansing of the earth‒both spiritually and physically‒will occur during this last Vial Plague. However, the dearth of details in Revelation 16:17, leaves us wondering: "what was done?" Fortunately, an angel explains to John the details of what is done during the seventh Vial Plague, but it will take him three chapters to do so in Revelation chapters 17-19.

The Greatest Earthquake of All Time (Rev 16:18-20)

John is not alone in predicting a great earthquake at the time of the Second Coming. "The Old Testament prophets fully expected a catastrophic earthquake as an immediate precursor to the latter-day coming of Jehovah to the world [see Hab. 3:6; Zech. 14:14; Heb. 12:26-27]." (Richard Draper, RJA, 630; see also D&C 133:22-25; Ezek 38:19-20) John actually predicts three earthquakes in the Book of Revelation. All three are still in our future. The first earthquake will occur at the end of the sixth seal. It will cause mountains and islands to be "moved out of their places." (6:14) The second earthquake will occur at Jerusalem when the Two Witnesses resurrect at the end of the Second Woe. (Rev 11:13) The third earthquake will occur at the end of the Third Woe when Christ steps his foot on the mount of Olives in Jerusalem at his Second Coming. In that day, "the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley." (Zech 14:4; see also D&C 45:48) When the third earthquake strikes, "living waters" will literally flow continually from the foundation of the temple in Jerusalem through the new valley in the mount of Olives and into the Dead Sea. The waters of the Dead Sea will eventually be healed. (Ezek 47:1-2; Zech 14:8)

According to Revelation 16:20, the third earthquake will be so powerful that "every island" will flee away and mountains will no longer be found. The islands in this verse are actually continents. In other words, the Western and Eastern hemispheres will be reunited into a single landmass as they were before the flood in the days of Noah. D&C 133:23-24 also predicts this, saying: "He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land … and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided." The clash of continents during the Third Woe will occur very rapidly just as the continents separated rapidly at the time of the flood. With just three hours of destruction the topography of the American Continent completely changed in 34 AD when the Savior was crucified. (3 Ne 8-11) This destructive pattern from the past is a type for the rapid changes that will occur worldwide when the continents reunite and mountains melt and flow down like hot wax. (Nahum 1:5)

Learn more about the geologic forces that will cause rapid topographical changes during the future Third Woe from my podcasts on June 7 and 9, 2026.

June 7, 2026 - Podcast

June 9, 2026 - Podcast