Living in the Last Days (12)

“The Fifth and Sixth Seals”

Revelation 6:9-17 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. 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 me…”

I. Intro

In chapter four, John is caught up to God’s throne room. In chapter five, the focus shifts to the seven-sealed scroll in God’s right hand and the One worthy to open it. The scroll contains the requirements for reclaiming the earth and can only be opened by the Kinsman Redeemer. As the seals are broken and the scroll opened, the unfolding of the consummation of the age-God’s plan for the redemption of all creation-is revealed. At the breaking of the fifth seal, the scene shifts from events on earth to happenings in heaven. While the martyrs make an appeal for vengeance, God stalls His wrath. More must be added to their number before He strikes back. The martyrs are under the altar: They were sacrificed because of their faith in Christ. Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

II. The Fifth Seal (Martyrs under the Altar)

When the Lamb-Jesus-opens the fifth seal, John sees under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. In verse 10, they asked God, “How much longer will your judgment?” They cried with a loud voice. These are martyrs killed during widespread persecution of believers. Because their murderers are still on earth, the martyrs, who have recently been killed, cry out for vengeance. Shortly after the Rapture, the seals are broken, the first of which speaks symbolically of peace on Earth. However, at the breaking of the second seal, peace is taken from the earth and people begin to kill one another. This is the beginning of what Jesus called the ‘Great Tribulation.’ Matthew 24:21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” From Matt. 24 it is evident people will be saved during the Great Tribulation. This will be the most horrible time in history to be a Christian, because persecution will be the most severe ever. However, Jesus says, “Immediately after the tribulation, everyone living, shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory.” Therefore, the souls under the altar are apparently those who are saved after the Rapture and martyred during the Great Tribulation. Now, they cry out to God to avenge their blood. This cry is in complete contrast to how Jesus responded to His executioners. Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Why the difference in attitude for the souls under the altar? The age of grace is over, and the Day of Judgment has begun on earth for all who have rejected Christ. However, during this time of judgment, the Lord will continue to be long-suffering allowing many to be saved. God’s response to the prayer of the souls under the altar is two-fold. First, He gives them white robes, symbolizing purity. But how can souls wear white robes? The word translated ‘souls’ (psyche) [soo-kay] has various meanings in the Bible. It is the word from which we get the word “psychology” It often represents people with bodies. Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” It could be when those under the altar are martyred during the Great Tribulation, they are immediately translated to heaven and given glorified bodies. However, the Bible doesn’t say. God also tells them to rest yet for a little season. God has a divine purpose that must be fulfilled and can only be understood from His perspective of eternity. We must always remember this statement: God is not in the business of explaining; He is in the business of sustaining. In our lives, we must often remember the words of Jesus in John 13:7 “Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”

III. The Sixth Seal

Now, the scene shifts back to earth, where there is a great earthquake. There have been many earthquakes throughout history. However, this one is far more powerful than any before. During the opening of the first four seals, there was war, famine, pestilence, and violence on Earth. Yet, things will get much worse. Matthew 24:8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” After the earthquake, John writes, “the sun became black as sackcloth of hair.” Sackcloth is a garment made from black goat or camel hair and is worn as a sign of mourning or anguish. Isaiah 58:5 “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, And to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord?” Also, the moon will appear to be red as blood due to whatever causes the sun to be black or blocked. John continues, “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 heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” This could be the result of a natural earthquake of catastrophic proportions, resulting in volcanic ash that would blot out the sun and make the moon appear red. The result on earth would be tidal waves and tsunamis that would cause worldwide destruction. This is the fulfillment of the Lord’s words in Haggai 2:6 “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, And I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;” What John sees might also be nuclear warfare. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima shook the Earth for several miles. The sun was darkened by a pillar of smoke that rose 8,000 meters or 26,000 feet. It also produced what is called a ‘mushroom cloud’ that looks as a scroll placed upside down. The bomb produced total destruction for a radius of one mile. Today, nuclear weapons are over 1,000 times more powerful. The stars John sees falling to earth could be nuclear missiles. John may call them stars because the only weapons he has ever seen are swords, spears, bows and arrows. Jesus describes this is Luke 21:11 “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” The destruction could also be meteorites or asteroids impacting the earth. Asteroids, also called planetoids are celestial bodies that orbit the sun. They can range in diameter from a mile to hundreds of miles. If a one-mile wide asteroid impacted the earth at 30,000 mph, it would have 10 million times greater destructive power than the bomb that fell on Hiroshima. The dust and debris thrown into the atmosphere would block out the sun worldwide and wipe out most life on Earth. There is a gigantic asteroid, RQ36, on course to make contact with earth between 2169 and 2199. It is more than 1800 feet wide and has a 1 in 1,000 chance of coming into contact with Earth. Whatever the cause, John is describing worldwide devestation. Because of the devestation, “the kings of the earth, great men, rich men, cheif captains, mighty men, every bondman, and every free man” hide in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. They cry out for the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of the One who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

During the Cold War, Nikiita Khrushchev (leader of the Soviet Union from 1953-1964) warned that in the event of a nuclear war, the living would envy the dead.

Proverbs 11:4 “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: But righteousness delivereth from death.” The reaction of unbelievers during this terrible time is not one of repentance but of panic and wanting to die. All these catastrophes describe the great day of His wrath, which is also called ‘the Day of the Lord.’ The great day of His wrath is the Tribulation, Daniel’s 70th week. Daniel 12:1 “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”

IV. Conclusion

The chapter closes with John asking the rhetorical question, ‘who will be able to stand?’ Only whoever believeth on the Son. John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Listen to the last phrase of that verse again. These judgments are temporary, but unbelievers will find God’s wrath abideth on them throughout eternity in the lake of fire. The fifth and sixth seals are a chilling warning to all unbelievers. They are also a motivation for believers to do everything possible to win their friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors so they will avoid God’s wrath.