The sixth seal is a crucial part of the end time. Understanding its significance helps unlock all the questions concerning the return of Christ. Answer ‘who is Israel’ and ‘who is Babylon’ with an understanding of the sixth seal and the whole end time puzzle is unlocked.
Also covered in this article; The tribulation of Those Days
The sixth seal:
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; 13 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. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 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; 16 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: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev 6:12
The features in this passage are:
A great earthquake.
The sun turns black.
The moon appears as blood.
The stars fall towards earth.
The heavens depart as a scroll.
Islands and mountains are moved out of place.
Every one on earth is terrified.
Everyone sees the Lamb on His throne and realised something unpleasant was about to unfold.
Here are eight very specific items allowing us to be very particular in recognising the sixth seal.
Now check Matt 24 starting at verse twenty-nine:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matt 24:29
Mark is much the same, but Luke adds a detail:
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:25.
The extra point in Luke was the sea and waves roaring. (In the Greek the word for roaring is more accurately translated ‘billows’ meaning swelling).
Comparing the details with Revelation 6, we have identical events.
The sun is effected.
The moon is effected.
The stars are falling.
The powers of heaven are shaken.
The whole earth sees the Son of Man, the Lamb coming in great glory.
Everyone on earth was so terrified their hearts were failing.
From Luke’s wording we can tell natural disasters are occurring. ‘Waves roaring’ could indicate tsunamis created as the result of earthquakes and large scale physical disturbance, so we could easily account for the great earthquake. All eight items are answered for.
Without reservation this is also the sixth seal. The same event covered from a slightly different perspective. It is covered in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Revelation. This is obviously an important piece of scripture; it must have great significance. However this is not all, the same event is mentioned many times in the Old Testament.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Comment: The context is the ‘day of the Lord’: v 6 and v 9
Isa 34:4 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Comment: The context is the ‘day of the Lord’s vengeance’: v 8. In v 1 it starts by saying this is for the entire world to hear because ‘the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations’. The previous verses in Chapter 33:17- 24 are all millennial.
Ezek 32:7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the brightlights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
Comment: The context of chapter 30 is the day of the Lord v 2-3.This chapter, 32 is about the fall of the whole Middle East, including Egypt at the time of the sixth seal.(See Joel 3:19 clearly end time). See the list of nations; v16, v26, v29, v30. The end result is v 15 ‘then shall they know that I am the Lord’. This is the whole purpose of the end time.
Joel 3:15 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Comment: Very clearly the day of the Lord v15 and many mentions in the previous chapter.
All of these occurrences and many others all relate to the same event; the sixth seal.
What is the 6th seal so important?
It is an issue of timing. The vast majority automatically presume when it says ‘immediately after the tribulation of those days’ it is referring to the great tribulation. That presumption puts their timing out by a few years, which leaves them in a hopeless jumble of contradictions.
The Tribulation of Those Days
By knowing that the event after the tribulation of those days is the sixth seal, what is being referred to must be seals one to five. The ‘tribulation of those days’ was immediately prior to the sixth seal. Since the other major event occurring here is the resurrection (See: When is the Resurrection) and we know the Church is ‘gone’ for three and a half years Rev 12:14 we now know that the sixth seal is three and a half years before the ‘end’, the return of Christ with the saints.
Now we can add the Matt 24:15 verse in to the picture which states that when the ‘abomination of desolation’ occurs according to Dan 12:11 there is three and a half years until the end (a month is added, one explanation would be an intercalated year). The great tribulation occurs during this period. Coming ‘immediately’ after what came before the sixth seal makes (defines) the great tribulation as the seventh seal.
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place… 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. Matt 24:15
And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Dan 12:11
The ‘great tribulation’ and the ‘tribulation of those days’ are two different things. With this information we can construct an accurate and workable timeline for the entire end time.
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