The Opening of the Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:12 (KJV) 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; 13 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.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 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; 16 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: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Introduction

It has been some time since we have been in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The last time we opened this book, we were in the sixth chapter and we looked at the opening of the first five scrolls. As a way of review, let us look at each of those events as “the Lamb” opens each seal:

· First Seal (Re 6:1-2) – The noise of thunder, one of the four beasts says, “Come and See.” A white horse, and he that sat on the horse was given a crown and bow – “he went forth conquering and to conquer.”

· Second Seal (Re 6:3-4) – the second beast says, “Come and See.” A red horse – and he that sat on the horse was given a sword - power was given to take peace and death.

· Third Seal (Re 6:5-6) – the third beast says, “Come and See.” A black horse – and he that sat on the horse was given a pair of balances – A measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny.

· Fourth Scroll (Re 6:7-8) – the fourth beast says, “Come and See.” A pale horse – and he that sat on him was death, and hell followed after him. He was given power to kill a quarter of the earth with the sword and hunger and death.

· Fifth Scroll (Re 6:9-10) – no announcement from one of the beasts. Instead John sees, under the altar in heaven, the souls of those that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, do you not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

NOTE: While all the signs are clear that Jesus could return at any moment, please get a glimpse of this statement, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” As bad as we think things are right now, those believers in the Tribulation, will have the whole earth against them.

The Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:12 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.

Many theologians, commentators and expositors believe that this is the beginning of the second half of the Great Tribulation period. The day of God’s wrath is at hand.

The sixth seal is broken, and the result is a great earthquake. Do you remember the sound that accompanied the breaking of the first seal? “The noise of thunder.” The vision of John is filled with sight and sound.

There are actually six disasters accompanied with the sixth seal being broken.

First, “…great earthquake” – The recipients of the Revelation, the seven churches, had experienced devastating earthquakes leading up to the time of the writing of the Revelation (Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea). Upon reading and hearing about this earthquake, they could easily imagine the worldwide damage such a quake could cause.

There have been many earthquakes on our planet. The USGS estimates that several million earthquakes occur all over the world each year, most near fault lines.[1]

Since 1990, some earthquakes that were the largest and deadliest.[2]

Year Magnitude Fatalities Location

1990 7.4 50,000 Iran

2004 9.1 227,898 off West coast of Northern Sumatra

2008 7.9 87,587 Eastern Sichuan, China

2010 7.0 316,000 Haiti

2011 9.0 20,896 East Coast of Honshu, Japan

In this case, the word carries the idea of shaking or agitation of the earth with the effect of changes to the earth: opening chasms, mountains becoming valleys and visa-versa. Words cannot describe the total effect of this earthquake. This is the first of several earthquakes mentioned in the Revelation: 6;12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:16-19.

Second, “…and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair,- The action of this seal does not just concern the planet earth, but the heavens as well. Sackcloth is a coarse black cloth, commonly, made of goat’s hair used in making grain sacks. When mourners wore sackcloth, it was usually next to the skin. It was also worn as a sign of repentance. Some prophets also wore sackcloth. It was an emblem of sadness and distress. The Lord proclaimed to the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 50:3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

Some theologians have surmised that the dust from the destruction of the earthquake would fill the sky to the point that the sun would be darkened. The destruction is so great that it could be said that the sun was in mourning.

Another viewpoint is that this is the judgment of those who worship the sun. Throughout the ages, man has worshipped the sun in one form or another and the power of God to cause the sun into darkness would put this worship in chaos.

Third, “…and the moon became as blood” – the discoloration could easily be caused by the smoke or dust in the atmosphere caused by the earthquake.

The prophet Joel spoke of these same events happening before the day of the Lord:

Joel 2:30-31 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Dr. Henry Morris explains:

“The vast worldwide network of unstable earthquake belts around the world will suddenly 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 gasses into the upper atmosphere. It is probably these that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear blood-red.”[3]

The ultimate consequence of the darkening of the sun and moon would have on life on earth would be equally devastating. Disruption of the cycle of daylight and darkness would affect plant and animal life.

Revelation 6:13 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.

Fourth, “…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.”– the Greek word aster literally or figuratively means a star, but it can also mean any heavenly body other than the sun and moon, like asteroids or meteors. The latter is probably the case for a massive meteor shower, as the stars are present in Revelation 8:12. When the wind howls, green fruit on the trees will release and drop its fruit randomly and haphazardly on the ground, so will the stars of heaven fall on the earth.

Revelation 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Fifth, “…the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together” – The view for those remaining on the earth is a catastrophic change in the earth’s atmosphere. John likens it to a scroll that splits in the middle and rolls up on each side. The devastating effects this judgment might refer, at the very least, a significant change in the heavens, so that you could not see the sun, moon, or stars, or that their appearance is dramatically affected that they are not recognized.

Stacked on top of each of the previous five events, this one will change the sky. There is a promise of a “new heaven and new earth” (Revelation 21:1-2; 2 Peter 3:10), but this is not it. Not yet!

Sixth, “…every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” – Since the first event is a great earthquake, the results of the Teutonic plates shifting and all the other events up to this point would finally see the earth’s crust unstable. Mountains ranges like the Rockies, Alps and others would be made flat or moved out of their normal place. Islands in the sea are simply mountains under the ocean, so if they were to be made flat, the islands will disappear.

To say that the results of the breaking of these six seals is terrifying, overwhelming, or devastating would be an understatement. Anything Hollywood could produce concerning the destruction of the earth in their “end of the world” scenarios, will pale in comparison to what is going to happen.

Revelation 6:15 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 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.” – The effects of the sixth seal are not just on the physical landscape of the shaking of the earth, stars, and heavens, but affects the hierarchy of the world and her governments down to the poorest person on the planet. Albert Barnes says the world is filled with consternation.

“This consternation would extend to all classes of men, and fill the world with alarm, as if the end of all things were coming. Rulers--all who occupied thrones, High officers of state, Rich men, Commanders of armies, Men of great prowess in battle, Servants, and Freemen will be affected. The idea is that all classes of men, high and low, would be filled with alarm.” (Barnes, 1957)

“…hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;” – these are the natural places of refuge in the time of danger (Jud 6:2; 1Sa 13:6; Is 2:17-21). But how ridiculous is their action. Their hiding place of choice is the very place being shaken and made flat.

Revelation 6:16 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:

In their panic and fear, they plead and pray. However, the prayers are not to the God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all life; it is to nature itself, “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us.” Instead of repenting and asking forgiveness from the LORD God, they seek any other way including death rather than facing God or the Savior.

“…from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:” – I am always amazed at the ill thinking of the human mind. These people obviously know that there is judgment on them and on the world and they know whom the judgment is coming from “him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” But their hearts are so darkened that they cannot and will not worship the Creator or the Lamb that “takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

We have two different responses: from the martyrs we have “avenge us” and from those remaining on the earth, “hide us.”

Revelation 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

So severe are the six scroll judgments that they suppose that the end of the world was coming. The Old Testament Poets and Prophets proclaimed what the end of time would entail.

Psalms 76:7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD isat hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD isnear, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

But these are not the redeemed. They are not taught in church or in seminaries concerning the Day of the Lord or the End of Time according to the Holy Scriptures. But there is no doubt who is judging them, and they know why. They also know that no one can stand up to God; “who shall be able to stand?”

Conclusion

[1]http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php [2]http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/byyear.php [3]Henry M. Morris, The Revelation Record (Wheaton, IL, Tyndale House, 1985) 121