Revelation Chapter 6:12-17 Lesson 9 Christ Independent Methodist Church 4078 Silver Lake Drive, Palatka, FL 32177 March 9, 2011 Michael K. Hudson Sr. Senior Pastor The chickens have come home to roost. Old sayings are wonderful things. They teach wonderful truths that many have forgotten. They give life lessons that each person needs to learn and apply to their lives. Unfortunately, many of these old sayings are used without any regard to the lessons they teach. They are just used because it sounds good. This old saying, about the chickens are coming home to roost, means that sooner or later the consequences of foolish mistakes find their way back home. A person who is living in sin might have the foolish thought that because judgment is not quick and decisive; he is getting away with his sin. The world thinks that it can avoid the punishment for its sin. But, it Arizona Crater, the first proven, best preserved impact crater and the biggest in the world cannot. The world has rejected the Lord and His plan of redemption, but in chapter six, the consequences of the world s sin hits hard. As the old sermon Payday Someday preached by Robert G. Lee, the opening of the fifth seal is the beginning of the last half of the Tribulation Period when the wrath of God increases in intensity. The payday or the day of reckoning is arriving. Revelation 6:12 17 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; 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 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 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: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
I. The opening of the sixth seal of the title deed to the earth 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; When the fifth seal is opened, the scene is in heaven. But, when the sixth seal is opened the scene shifts back to the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ, the only One who is worthy, breaks the sixth seal of the seven-sealed scroll. When this seal is broken, drastic events happen on the earth. The entire universe is shaken by the events that happen when this seal is broken. Many Bible scholars have taken these events as being symbolic, not literal. They read the account of the sixth seal and wonder how such an event can happen on the world. Because of this, they take the events as being symbolic. They have taught that the upheaval seen here is a type or symbol of the world s systems being destroyed, which causes great distress in the earth. However, it does not seem likely that the great men of the earth would be hiding themselves in the rock crying for the mountains to cover them up because their world systems have fallen. There is no evidence that this passage should not be taken literally. John is seeing what happens when the Lord shakes the earth with His wrath. He is literally shaking the world at its very core. And, everyone on the earth realizes His power and presence as He pours out His wrath on the world that is filled with sin and rebellion. The Old Testament prophets predicted this coming cataclysmic judgment on the world. A. Effects upon the natural world 1. Earthquakes Can an earthquake shake the entire world at its foundation? Can one earthquake affect all the nations and great cities of this world? Looking back over history, one will discover that there have been massive earthquakes that have destroyed entire cities and killed thousands of individuals. An earthquake on January 23, 1556 in Shaanxi, China was estimated to have killed between 820,000 to 830,000 individuals. An earthquake on July 28, 1976 in Tangshan, China was estimated to have killed between 240,000 to 779,000 individuals. Just recently, the world has seen the devastating consequences of what an earthquake can do when one hit Haiti. Thousands of individuals died in the quake and thousands more in the aftermath that brought disease and famine. Earthquakes have destroyed buildings, cities, land, and thousands of lives over the course of history. The earthquake at the opening of the sixth seal will be a worldwide earthquake that will affect every corner of the globe. Its power will have devastating consequences to the world. Great cities will be toppled. Buildings will come crashing down. The landscape will be changed when the islands and mountains will be moved from their present location. There will be destruction on an epic portion. Joel 2:10 KJV The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: Amos 8:8 KJV Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. Ezekiel 38:19 KJV For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; Haggai 2:6 KJV 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; Nahum 1:5 KJV The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Jeremiah 4:24 KJV I beheld the 2
mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. Matthew 24:7 KJV For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Earthquakes have often been used to show the judgment of God. This great earthquake will cause the entire world to fear. 2. Atmosphere Joel 2:30 31 KJV And I will shew 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 great and the terrible day of the Lord come. Acts 2:20 KJV The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: During and after the earthquake, volcanic activity, fires, pollution, and other particulate matter will be released into the atmosphere surrounding the earth. This polluting material will darken the sun so its light does not shine upon the earth. The appearance of the moon will become a blood red color. Throughout the Bible, there are times that the Lord darkens the skies as a sign of judgment. When the Lord was pouring the plagues on Egypt, the days were darkened. Sunshine is therapeutic. It helps with the mood. It helps with depression. It helps one feel better. But, when this light is shut out, the world will fall into great fear and despair. Can one imagine a world without the warm and brightness of the sun to light the way? Can one imagine Florida shrouded in darkness throughout the day? Can one imagine the mood of the world that has been so shaken by a massive earthquake followed by darkness twenty-four hours a day? The world will be filled with depression, despair, and fear! Not only will the world be in depression but also it will increase in violence because of the lack of light. Crime and violence increases with darkness. With so much destruction from the earthquake, men will be stealing from others just trying to survive. The weak and helpless will suffer from the cruelty of the stronger. Violence will grip the land. 3. Space Revelation 6:13 KJV 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. This verse is probably referring to asteroids or shooting stars that are falling on the earth. This would not be referring to the actual stars that one sees in the night sky but the fragments of material that one would see shooting across the sky. Scientists have long warned that an asteroid could impact life on the earth. As with the other events, there will be a tremendous increase in this type of activity over what has been seen in the previous history. It will be out of the ordinary. Revelation 6:14 KJV And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Isaiah 34:4 KJV And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. Literally, the heaven will roll back just like a scroll rolls together. There are so much that man does not understand about this world and the space around it. John was describing what he saw. He saw the heaven above the earth roll back and depart. The sight must have been horrendous to see the effect of opening of the sixth seal on the earth, atmosphere, and space. Because of what is happening, the world will be in a state that it has never seen before, a state of tremendous fear and despair. Even the darkest hours of its history are nothing to be 3
compared to what it is going through. And, this event is but the beginning of these dark hours; it will get worse to the point that Christ said if the days were not shortened no one would survive. Matthew 24:22 KJV And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect s sake those days shall be shortened. B. Effects upon un-repentant man Revelation 6:15 17 KJV 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 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: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 1. The extent In the third seal, the rich and powerful men escaped the judgment. They were insulated from the food shortage and famine because the oil and wine were not hurt. The rich and powerful still had the ability to continue to pay the inflated prices for food. They were able to eat while the rest of the world starved. However, when the sixth seal is opened, there is no escape for anyone. Every person is affected. From the kings, great men, rich men, chief captains, mighty men, bondmen, and every free man will feel the effects of what is happening on the earth. They could not escape the effects. They could not escape the impact of the earthquake and following consequences. Probably every home, every building, and every dwelling place in the world suffered some type of damage. The world was in distress on all sides. No one was immune from the aftermath of the great earthquake. But, beyond the devastating effects of the earthquake, every one who has rejected the Lord will be hiding in fear. 2. The fear Zephaniah 1:14 KJV The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Joel 2:1 KJV Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; Fear is devastating to a person s health and well being. Fear destroys the body. Fear destroys the mind. Fear destroys the heart. Fear destroys the joy and peace that a person might have. Fear is really the mind killer. When all this begins to transpire, the men, great and small, seek to hide themselves from the Lord. They are in so much fear of standing in the presence of God that they go to the rocks and hide from Him. But, they do not realize that regardless of where they are, they cannot hide from God. He is there. They fear the coming judgment of God. Fear has destroyed the heart of the mighty men where they tremble and cry. 3. The prayer These men hide in the rocks of the mountains and cry out for the rocks to fall on them so they do not have to stand in the presence of a holy Lord. They are trying to separate themselves from the holiness of God. They do not realize that if the rocks fall on them, then the judgment they are trying to avoid is right around the corner. One might try to hide from God but he cannot because God is omnipresent. They were afraid of the wrath of the Lamb. This phrase does not seem to make sense because a lamb is a meek animal. However, even though Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God who took away the sins on the cross of Calvary, He also made a cord and drove out from the temple the moneychangers. Christ came the first time riding on a donkey, as a servant, humble. Christ is coming 4
the second time riding on a white horse as the conqueror and ruler. The Day of the Lord is a period of time in which God will deal with wicked men directly and dramatically in fearful judgment. Today a man may be a blasphemer of God, an atheist, can denounce God and teach bad doctrine. Seemingly God does nothing about it. But the day designated in Scripture as the day of the Lord is coming when God will punish human sin, and He will deal in wrath and in judgment with a Christ-rejecting world. One thing we are sure of, that God in His own way will bring every soul into judgment. (John Walford, The Thessalonian Epistles, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1967, p. 67) II. Lessons Why is there such fear over all the earth during this time? Why is there fear in the hearts of the men and women who are on the earth? One simple word explains why they are afraid of the Lamb of God; the word is judgment. They are afraid of the judgment because they have sinned against a holy God. Sin has devastating consequences. Sin destroys lives. Sin destroys families. Sin destroys nations. The world does not understand the extent of the consequences of their sins. The world today does not understand that there is a day coming when their sin s judgment is coming due. However, the world when the fifth seal is opened begins to understand that the judgment of God is coming because of their sin. Because of their sin, not only are they afraid, but also they go and hide from the Lord. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hide from the Lord. They knew that they were naked so they hide. Genesis 3:6 10 KJV And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Sin brings fear. Sin causes a person to hide from the Lord. Sin separates a person from the Lord. Sin causes the heart to grow cold and hard like stone. Sin causes the person to be calloused. Sin causes the heart to grow hard. One would think that when all of this happened in the world that the men and women of the world would fall on their knees and cry out to the Lord for forgiveness. One would think that when this great judgment happened that there would be a great revival. One would think that when the world suffered such a great tragedy that there would be great repentance. But, the people did not cry for forgiveness or repent of their sins. They hide from the Lord. They refused to repent. They refused to ask for forgiveness. Even when the judgments of the Lord became more severe, they continued to refuse to repent and turn to the Lord. How hard to imagine that a person can be so hard and calloused that when tragedy struck, he would still refuse to acknowledge the Lord and repent of his sins? But, this shows the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is nothing to play with. Sin is nothing to trifle with. Unfortunately today, many are playing with sin. They have categorized sin by ranging it from horrendous to little white sin. They think that the little white sins do not matter. They have forgotten that Christ died on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the entire world. They 5
forgot that one sin sends a person to an eternity separated from the Lord. Sin is the greatest destruction force in the life of a person. It destroys all it touches. Christians are playing with sin today. They think that just a little sin is all right. They think that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to live holy. They think that they can live in sin and at the end of the day just ask for forgiveness and go out the next day and do it all over again. They have forgotten that sin hardens the heart and destroys the person. Sin is nothing to play with; it destroys lives. The lesson from this passage is to keep a tender heart before the Lord. This tender heart will recognize sin in one s life and quickly ask for forgiveness and repent of the sin. Walk close to the Lord; do not let sin destroy the fellowship. Hebrews 3:7 19 KJV Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhortone another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 6