“The Wrath of the Lamb” Revelation 6:12-17
“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
When the fifth seal is opened by the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and John saw the souls of those slain for their faith under the altar in heaven during the seven-year Tribulation on earth. These are those who boldly proclaimed their faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ and as a result they will be martyred. They are in heaven crying out, “How long, O Lord until you avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
When the sixth seal is opened, it appears that God immediately begins to answer their cry! The martyrs cried, "Avenge us!" but the unbelievers on earth will cry, "Hide us!" The opening of the sixth seal will produce worldwide convulsions and catastrophes, including the first of three great earthquakes (Revelation 6:12; 11:13; 16:18-19). All of nature will be affected: the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the heavens, the mountains, and the islands. Both Isaiah and Joel, prophets in the Old Testament prophesied of this same event.
“Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” (Isaiah 13:9-11)
“For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations, And His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter. Also their slain shall be thrown out; Their stench shall rise from their corpses, And the mountains shall be melted with their blood. All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.” (Isaiah 34:2-4)
"And I will show 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 coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” (Joel 2:30-31)
Even though John wrote using symbolic language, these verses describe a scene that would frighten even the most courageous person. People will try to hide from the face of God and from the face of the Lamb! Imagine wanting to hide from a lamb! Dr. Vance Havner once said that the day would come when the most expensive piece of real estate would be a hole in the ground, and he was right.
We will see more of "the wrath of God" as we progress through Revelation (Rev. 11:18; 14:10; 16:19; 19:15). We will also encounter the wrath of Satan (Rev. 12:17) and the wrath of the nations as they oppose God (Rev. 11:18). If men and women will not yield to the love of God, and be changed by the grace of God, then there is no way for them to escape the wrath of God.
Rank and wealth will not deliver anyone in that terrible day. John's list included kings, captains, and slaves, the rich and the poor. "Who shall be able to stand?" Anyone and everyone who rejected God’s love is included in this list! My friend you don’t want to be there on that day! Trust the Lord today!
God bless!
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