As always, the information
presented in this post proceeds from the foundation established in previous
posts. That foundation is prerequisite
to the best understanding of the information to follow.
Revelation 6:12-17 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth
seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell
unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken
of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the
kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief
captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the
mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath
is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
The sixth seal is
identified as the beginning of “the great day of His wrath” [the Lamb, Jesus, as identified in previous posts]. I let that fact stumble me for the longest
time, because I am a staunch pre-tribulation rapture believer. As I finally chose to open myself to the
possibility that my long-held views were possibly off the mark, I came to the
realization that the pretrib and prewrath views were complimentary; one did not
have to exclude the other. Recognizing
that the first four seals mirrored the “birth pain” signs described by Jesus
was one of the first keys to clarifying my understanding.
The first impact of this
seal is a great earthquake event. There is no
specific location identified as the center point of this event, but it has an
impact that is felt worldwide. This earthquake is so powerful that it
causes the mountains and islands of the earth to change positions. The
9.0 earthquakes in Indonesia in December 2004 and in Japan in March 2011 could
foreshadow this event. Following is an excerpt from Wikipedia regarding
these quakes.
Re 2004: “The magnitude
of the earthquake was originally recorded as 9.0 on the Richter scale,
but has been upgraded to between 9.1 and 9.3. At this magnitude, it is the second
largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. This
earthquake was also reported to be the longest duration of faulting ever
observed, lasting between 500 and 600 seconds (8.3 to 10 minutes), and it was
large enough that it caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as half an
inch, or over a centimeter. It also triggered earthquakes in other
locations as far away as Alaska.”
Re 2011: It was “one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the
world since modern record keeping began in 1900. The earthquake
triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres
(133 ft)….The earthquake moved Honshu (the main
island of Japan) 2.4 m (8 ft) east and shifted the Earth on its axis
by estimates of between 10 cm (4 in) and 25 cm (10 in).”
For the sun to turn black might reference an extended
eclipse-like effect. The red moon would provide even less light than normal
for the night. The effects on the sun and moon would appear to be temporary
since the trumpet judgments will again affect these heavenly bodies (Rev.
8:12 & 16:8).
Henry Morris
provides some scientific insight: “…the vast worldwide network of unstable
earthquake belts around the world suddenly will begin to slip and fracture on a
global basis and a gigantic earthquake will ensue. This is evidently, and
naturally, accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast
quantities of dust and steam and gases into the upper atmosphere. It is
probably these that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear
blood-red.”
It would
seem that the stars falling toward earth are just allowed to get close to
earth, and then God supernaturally destroys them before they destroy earth
since that is not His intent at this time. This could be supported by
terminology in Isaiah talking about the host of heaven dissolving.
Isaiah 34:4 “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and
the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall
down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig
tree.”
The
emphasis seems to be on instilling a godly fear into man. God is trying
to get his attention before it is too late to recognize who He is and turn to
Him in faith and repentance. This reasoning seems to be supported with a
cross reference in Joel talking about this time.
Joel 2:30-32 “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,
blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the
LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the LORD shall be delivered….”
This great day of wrath is referenced many times in scripture. It is a time in which God will exact vengeance
against His enemies and all that is wicked in this world. Although God
has exacted judgment against the nations of the world throughout history as recorded
in scripture, this “day of the Lord” or great day of wrath judgment will be
worldwide and will occur just before Jesus returns as King.
Isaiah 2:10–12 & 17 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust,
for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man
shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD
alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be
upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up;
and he shall be brought low… And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and
the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted
in that day.
Isaiah 13:6&11 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it
shall come as a destruction from the Almighty….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.
Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD
revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and
he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
Malachi 4:5–6“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD….
Acts 2:19–20 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs
in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable
day of the Lord come….
1 Thessalonians 5:1–3 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye
have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day
of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace
and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman
with child; and they shall not escape.
Most
people lump together the tribulation period and the day of the Lord, but it is
clear to me that they are directed toward different people groups with
different purposes. The tribulation is directed toward the people of
Israel and the city of Jerusalem as a refining fire to produce a purified
remnant of believers that accept Jesus as the Messiah. The day of the
Lord is directed in wrath, vengeance and destruction against the wicked world
and His enemies. Though I believe these two periods of time occur
basically in conjunction with one another; I do not believe that God’s wrath
necessarily begins at the same time as the 70th week.
I am
convinced that the events of the sixth seal begin the final “day of the Lord,”
the time of God’s wrath and vengeance against His enemies and all that is
wicked in this world. It is this time from which believers are promised
deliverance; and they will be seen standing before the throne in chapter 7.
(to be
continued…)
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