THE 6th SEAL - NATURAL DISTURBANCES

The 6th Seal and the Judgment of Natural Disturbances

"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?"

 

 

The Origin of the Opening of the Seal

""And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal,...." (Same as other five)

The Outset of the Opening of the 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;" "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." 

The Disturbances in the Heavens

"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..."

1.         The sun became black as sackcloth of hair.
2.         The moon became as blood.
3.         The stars of heaven fell unto the earth.
4.         The heaven departed as a scroll.

The Disturbances in the Earth

"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake..." "and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." 

1.   There was a great earthquake.
2.   Every mountain was moved out of place.
3.   Every island was moved out of place.

Notes:
1.     These are literal things that are taking place. cf. Isa. 13:9-13; 34:1-4; 51:6; 2:12-21; 24:1, 18-20; Amos 8:8-9, Haggai 2:6-7; Jer. 4:23-28; Ezek. 38:19-20; Joel 2:31.
2.     These are set forth in the language of appear­ance. This is a favorite way for men of all races and climes to speak. Imagery always carries to the mind a greater emphasis than pure abstract language.
3.     These do not designate mere social and political shake-ups. To interpret as such is to ignore Old Testament information.

The Outcome of the Opening of the Seal

"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?"

This marks the effect of the cosmological distur­bances upon men.

 The Universality of the Effect

• Kings
• Great men
• Rich men
• Chief (captains)
• Mighty men
• Freemen
• Bondmen

Note: Here is a little insight into the future. Caste and class will persist in spite of the foolish dreams of men. This due to the fact that sin persists.

The Unusualness of the Effect
"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......" "And said to the mountains and rocks..."
Their physical reaction is fear and flight.

They hid themselves in rocks and dens of the earth. They are utterly demoralized. Earthquakes are terrible things. Darkness in broad day is also terrible.

There Emotional Reaction is One of Prayer

They pray to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them. Their prayer is to nature, or else this is the language of appearance. But it is possible that this is the only god they know.

The Unworldliness of the Effect

"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?"
Divine intervention is recognized.

They want to be hidden from the face of One Who sits on the throne. Bolshevists will know them. Godless scientists will recog­nize miracles then. The testimony of the martyrs, or a vision, or perhaps just the conscience of men will be enough to enable them to discern.

The Very Director of Wrath is Recognized

It is the wrath of the Lamb. They have scoffed at Him. But not now. The wrath of the Lamb is fearful. His demeanor is changed.

Delay in Execution of Wrath is Over

The question of "how long" and "when" has been answered.Psa. 3:6; 35:17; 74:9, 10: 79:5; 80:4; 82:2; 89:46; 90:13; 94:3-4; Matt. 24:3.
"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

The day of wrath is come. It is now impossible to escape.

Deficiency in the Presence of His Wrath

Both moral and physical. Who is able to stand? (cf. Isa. 2:10-22)
"Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty." "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." "For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:" "And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan," "And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up," "And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall," "And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures." "And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." "And the idols he shall utterly abolish." "And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." "In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;" "To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"