THE SEVEN SEALS

Part 2

Revelation 6:12-17

The Sixth Seal – The Day of the Lord  6:12-17

In the scene of the fifth seal, the souls in heaven implore God to vindicate them and avenge their spilled blood; they are told to exercise patience. Then in the scene of the sixth seal John pictures the Judgment Day, when the unbelievers face the wrath of God and the Lamb.

Throughout Revelation, John refers directly and indirectly to the judgment at the end of segments and cycles. For instance, at the conclusion of his introduction he alludes to the judgment that unbelievers face: Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will tear their clothes in lament over Him (1:7).

The sixth seal and the seventh are devoted to the judgment of the unbelievers. If we read the information John supplies in the next few verses, we understand that he is not speaking of an event that people can ignore. Rather, he points to the inescapable final judgment of which catastrophes in nature are forerunners.

Judgment in Nature 12-14

After the opening of the sixth seal, John notices signs on the earth and in the sky. The first item he mentions is a great earthquake, a phenomenon not unknown to the original readers of Revelation. For instance, in the first century earthquakes devastated the cities of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. But notice that this earthquake is qualified by the adjective great.

The sun is eclipsed and the moon has a reddish color. The stars are falling toward the earth, and the sky disappears. On the earth the landscape of mountains and islands completely changes.

John’s wording reveals that he is thoroughly familiar with both the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus’ discourse on the last things.

Here we see the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy:

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord Joel 2:30-31.

Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse concerning the signs of His coming that there would be the increasing of earthquakes Matthew 24:7.

We also see the fulfillment of Zephaniah’s prophecy: The great day of the LORD is near-- near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.

I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth Zephaniah 1:14-18.

Peter speaks of this end time judgment upon the heavens and the earth:  2 Pet. 3:10-14.

For those people who reject Christ and curse God, the upheavals in nature are a picture of terror and dread they are unable to escape. Because John devotes the next chapter to the saints, now he focuses attention on the unbelievers.

Judgment of Unbelievers 15-17

Here is a portrayal of all the levels of humanity from top to bottom that face the coming judgment. Having rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, these multitudes are unable to escape the wrath of God and the Lamb.

Attempts to escape from divine judgment end up in failure. The classes of people mentioned above try to hide in caves and among rock formations of mountainous areas. But when natural catastrophes strike, they have nowhere to hide themselves.

In Revelation, the enemies of God and the Lamb see the shaking mountains and falling rocks; in desperation they call on these rocks to fall on them, for being crushed by them is preferred to facing divine wrath. God is depicted as the one seated on the throne in heaven from whose face no one can ever hide (Psalm 139:7–12).

The phrase the wrath of the Lamb occurs only here in the New Testament. This does not mean that wrath is limited to the Lamb and excludes the Father.

The word Lamb is the symbol of the Christ who confronts his enemies at the end of the age. These people are the adversaries who will make war against the Lamb and the Lamb will overcome them (17:14).

Who is able to stand the wrath of the Lamb? This rhetorical question has the implicit answer: “No one but the innumerable multitude of God’s elect.” Nahum 1:2-6

God’s enemies are not asking for mercy and fail to show genuine repentance. On the contrary, they seek to hide from the Judge but are unable to escape.