Revelation 6:12-17 (NKJV) 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. 13 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. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 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, 16 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! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
V12 “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.” Jesus’s judgment consists of two things: 1) on earth—earthquake and every mountain and island moved (by the earthquake) and 2) in the atmosphere—sun becomes black, moon like blood, stars of heaven fall, and the sky recedes as a scroll. Both are very frightful and intended to remind people that God’s wrath is real, and people need to repent and cry out for the forgiveness of sins trusting in Jesus alone. Compare Isaiah 34:4, Joel 2:30-31, and Matthew 24:29. It is best to interpret these passages in their plain, normal sense. If it is interpreted symbolically, then every person might have a different interpretation, which is no help at all. God tells the truth, and the truth is that John saw these.
Henry Morris in Defend’s Study Bible writes: “While the inhabitants of the earth are still suffering under the famines, plagues, and violence of the earlier seal judgments, a great physical cataclysm will suddenly strike. For the first time in history—at least since the upheavals of the great flood—a global earthquake will convulse the earth, accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast quantities of dust particles into the upper atmosphere, turning the appearance of the sun into darkness and the moon blood-red. Note also that several Old Testament prophecies of the coming “day of the Lord” apparently predict the same catastrophe (e.g., Joel 2:30-31; Zephaniah 1:15; Isaiah 13:9-10).”
V13 “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.” Henry Morris in Defend’s Study Bible writes: “The Greek word for “star” (aster) can mean any object in the heavens, including planets, asteroids and meteorites. Planetary scientists have long been concerned with the possibility that a swarm of asteroids or giant meteorites would collide with the earth in its orbit, and that seems to be what John describes here. Perhaps this also is part of the trigger which unleashes the great earthquake. Isaiah says that when this happens, “the host of heaven shall be dissolved,” and that “the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light” (Isaiah 34:4; Isaiah 13:10), evidently blotted out by the same volcanic dust cloud that darkens the sun.”
V14 “Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.” This might refer to earth’s atmosphere showing strange manifestations of weather, etc.
V15 “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…” They finally understand who it is and why He does these judgments—sin. Yet, they do not repent. They hide, perhaps thinking that it will all clear up shortly. No matter what one’s social status is, they all are scared out of their wits. God’s judgments affect all without favoritism. What will we do with warnings like this? Personally, I recognize that God is THE King, the supreme. I willingly bow my knees to Him. Who is God? As a human, I refer to Jesus Christ, who was referred to by His enemies and His followers.
In brief here is my reason:
“Why Am I A Christian?
“I put my faith and trust into Jesus Christ alone in Oct or Nov 1961 at the Mel Trotter Rescue Mission in Grand Rapids, MI.
“My story starts with Jesus.
“Some decades later I wondered why am I a Christian? Let me respond very briefly my journey.
“My subjective grading scale:
Guaranteed—Most reasonable—reasonable—possible—unreasonable—most unreasonable—Impossible
“Did Jesus exist? Was there a Jesus walking around the Middle East 2,000 years ago? His friends spoke of Him (the 4 Gospels) and His enemies (secular government/philosophers, etc.) and the Jews. All 3 wrote about a Jesus. Jesus to the secular people was a man, a teacher, who did strange things and was worshiped as God. Jesus to the Jews was a demonic possessed magician. So, yes, it seemed most reasonable.
“What was this Jesus like? Again, we have to turn to all 3 sources. But, the Gospels were written before the secular writers. The Gospels were written about the same time as the Jewish critics. So, it is reasonable to most reasonable that the Jesus in the 4 Gospels was described accurately.
“What did Jesus approve and teach? Again, we have the same 3 sources. According to the Gospels, He did many things, marvelous, things that only the creator, God, could do. This seemed at this point to be the most reasonable.
“So, what Jesus says is true and reliable whether history, science, social, spiritual, or anything else. It was most reasonable.”
V16 “…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!” They would rather die than face God’s judgment. Perhaps, they are so steeped in their evolutionary beliefs, that they believe if they are dead, there is no afterlife. They have the truth but suppress it (Romans 1:18).
V17 “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” They understand that they cannot fight Him, but they will not repent. People do not repent because of pride, love of sinful pleasures, or believe in lies.
We learn:
- God does judge
- God’s wrath is severe
- God’s wrath is coming