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In our last study we looked at the first four of the seven seals we have in Revelation. We saw that these seven seals cover a period of 7 years upon the earth. These 7 years are divided into two periods of 3 ½ years. The first 4 cover the first 3 ½ years that are known as the Tribulation period. The 5th seal reaches from the first 3 ½ into the second 3 ½ years. The second 3 ½ years is known as the Great Tribulation. This time is called the Great Tribulation because the intensity of the things that happen during this time increases with great magnitude.
In this study we want to look at the opening of the 5th and 6th seal. In one we have a heavenly scene and the other an earthly scene. I find it very interesting that in both we see people praying. That is why I have entitled this study Tribulation Praying. In one we see we a request to be heard and in the other a request to be hid. In one we see those who are comforted and in the other those who are condemned. With the opening of the 5th seal we see the faithful ones and in the 6th we see the fearful ones.
Now, if you want to know what it will be like on earth the days following the return of Jesus Christ, chapter 6 of Revelation gives you an idea. As we saw in our last study, the prophet Jeremiah said of this period of time: “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it” (Jer. 30:7). There have been many terrible happenings on the earth in the course of its history, but nothing like the days and the time that will follow the return of Jesus Christ.
As we saw in our last study, the four horsemen will bring upon the earth a time of war and strife among the nations of the world, a time of world-wide famine, both which lead to the death of a fourth part of the earth’s population. Horrible days indeed, but this is just in the first 3 ½ years. Great Tribulation is yet to come, the second 3 ½ years when things will be even worse.
In the 5th seal and 6th seal we move into the second 3 ½ years and we get a glimpse of how much more horrible will this time be. Let’s look at the opening of these 2 seals and learn more about these days that are to come upon the earth.
First:
1. THE FAITHFUL ONES PRAYING IN HEAVEN
In the first 4 seals we have been on earth. In the opening of the 5th seal we are taken back into heaven and there we hear the saints of God lifting their voice to God in prayer. We read in verse 9-10:
[9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Those that we hear praying are those “that were slain.” The word “slain” means “to butcher” or “slaughter.” These are those who will become martyrs for the Lord Jesus during this time on the earth. The history of Christianity has been stained with the blood of its martyrs. When we began our study of Revelation we learned of those who were enduring great persecution for their faith in Christ. John, the author of Revelation, was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos for his association and dedication to Christ.
The Maranatha Christian Journal stated that since the crucifixion of Jesus, there have been 43 million Christians that have been martyred for their faith. We often think of martyrdom as a first century experience. Yet, the Maranatha Christian Journal stated that in the year 2000, more than 165,000 believers around the world were martyred.
According to Mark Sigmon of the Mission Network News in an address delivered at the International Coalition for Religious Freedom Conference on “Religious Freedom and the New Millennium” in Berlin, Germany, 1998, of the 2.1 billion people worldwide who claim the Christian faith, 200 million of them live in countries where persecution of Christians is a present reality. On an average, 150,000 Christian are martyred each year for their faith and that is a conservative estimate. That is more than the previous 19 centuries combined, and more than all the deaths from all wars in this century.
As American’s who enjoy religious freedom, we are often sheltered from what it is cost many in the world to name the name of Christ. The persecution and martyrdom of Christian is not just limited to the first century. It is alive and well even in our day. Even more so!
But during the days following the return of Jesus Christ it will escalate to a level never known in history. As we will learn in chapter 7, there will be many that will be saved after Jesus comes. Many, if not the majority, will pay the ultimate price for their faith in Jesus Christ.
In the 5th seal we are get a glimpse of those who will give their lives for their faith and we hear them crying out to God in prayers. Let’s notice these tribulation martyrs.
A) What Is Seen In These Martyrs
In verse 9 John saw these martyrs “under the altar.” In the Old Testament, when the priest presented an animal sacrifice, the blood of the sacrifice was poured out on the base of the brazen altar. Their position is reminder that they have given their life as a sacrifice. Like a sacrificial lamb, they had been slain.
Verse 9 gives two reasons why they had been slain.
First, they had been fearless in their witness for God: “that were slain for the word of God.” After their conversion they had become fearless proclaimer’s of God’s Word. Even in the face of death, they had been faithful.
Secondly, they had been faithful in their walk with God: “and for the testimony which they held.” The word “testimony” is a judicial term that speaks of evidence. They had lived lives that revealed that their faith in Christ was real. They had been faithful for God and faithful to God.
The kind of Christians they were resulted in their martyrdom.
B) What Is Sought By These Martyrs
In verse 10 we hear them praying. John heard them praying and describes how “cried with a loud voice.” The word “cried” is a strong word that emphasizes the urgency and passion of their praying. Their prayers rang out in heaven as they cried with a “loud voice.”
Their prayer is unlike many prayers in the Bible. They are praying that their martyrdom be avenged: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, doest thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth.” The Bible does not encourage such petitions on our part. Instead, we are strongly encouraged to forgive those who do us wrong and pray for their forgiveness.
An example is seen in the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts chapter seven. They carried him outside the city and stoned him to death. Yet, we read in Acts 7:60 that “he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
Why do these martyrs pray such a prayer? The difference is, when they live verses when we live. We live in the age of grace. They live in a time of judgment. We live in a time when God mercy and grace is the magnified attribute of God. These martyrs will live in a time when God’s wrath and judgment is His magnified attributes.
Their prayer is not a prayer rising out of vengeful heart or some personal vendetta to get even. They appeal to God on the basis that He is “holy and true.” Their prayer is a desire for God’s name that was despised and hated, as revealed in their death, to be vindicated. They were martyred, not because they were despicable or terrible people. They were slain because of Who they knew and were associated with – the Lord! This is the time when God wrath is being poured out on those who have rejected, mocked, blasphemed Him on earth, and their prayer is the expression of their heart to see His name glorified and vindicated on the earth.
C) What Is Said To These Martyrs
We read in verse 11:
Rev. 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
White robes are given to these martyrs. The word “robe” speaks of a long flowing robe that reaches to the feet. These white robes were a gift or reward for their sacrifice representing the righteousness and glory of their One they had given their life for.
“And it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little while.” The phrase “yet for a little while” was a promise that it would not be much longer and their prayer would be answered.
There were others who would follow in their footsteps: “until their fellowservants and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” There were others who were appointed to share the same fate as they, but the time was drawing near when the Lord would vindicate His name on the earth.
The soil of this earth on practically every continent has been stained with the blood of those who would not renounce their faith. Their blood cries out to be avenged. There will come a day when the One they loved and served will be silent no more. He will avenge their blood and His name as well.
The days following the return of Jesus will be that time when He will vindicate His name and His followers. As the scroll in Revelation 5 declares, He is the rightful Lord and master of this world. Through the centuries men have denied Him His rightful place and sought to keep Him from His rightful place as Lord and King. But there will come a day when He will claim what is His and vindicate Himself as Lord of Lords and Kings of kings.
2. THE FEARFUL ONES PRAYING ON EARTH
When the 6th seal is opened we come back to the earth. Once again we hear people praying. But, instead of praying to the Redeemer, we see them praying to the rocks. Instead of turning to God, we see them running from God.
What happens when the 6th seal is opened is summarized in verse 17, “For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” For a world that destined for God’s judgment, that hour has now arrived. It is the “great day” of His wrath. There is no longer mercy, but wrath and judgment. We have now moved into the second 3 ½ years where what happens reaches a fever pitch. Like a rushing river of fiery judgment, the wrath of God is being poured out without a sliver of restraint or mercy.
What happens with the opening of the 6th seal?
A) The Horrible Events God’s Wrath Brings
We read in verse 12-14 of catastrophic events that will occur on the earth. Verse 12 speaks of “a great earthquake.” This is the first of 3 earthquakes mentioned in Revelation.
This earth has not been a stranger to earthquakes. I think of the Great New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811 – 1812 along the St. Francis River in Arkansas. There were a series of three or four major quakes and dozens of lesser ones that began on December 16, 1811.
Later shocks in the following January and February centered father north along the fault line and destroyed the town of New Madrid, Missouri, the largest settlement in the region, hence the name by which the quakes are known. The quakes re-created great chunks of landscapes, created lakes and caused tremors that were felt throughout the Ohio Valley and beyond. Eyewitness accounts describe great clouds of smoke, burning trees, collapsing embankments along riverways, and rivers changing their course.
Such earthquakes are nothing compared to those that will come upon the earth. Coinciding with the earthquake John saw, “the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood” (Vs. 9). The “sackcloth of hair” was the rough cloth worn by mourners that was made from the black hair of goats. John saw the sky turn as black as a mourner’s robe.
There will be vast clouds of ash and smoke spewed out by the volcanic activity associated with this earthquake, ash and smoke that will eclipse the moon coloring it blood red as it attempts to pierce the smoke-darkened sky.
The eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State on May 18, 1980, is certain to be remembered as one of the most significant geologic events in the United States of the 20th century. The explosion, on May 18, was initiated by an earthquake and rockslide involving one-half cubic mile of rock. As the summit and north slope slid off the volcano that morning, pressure was released inside the volcano - where super hot liquid water immediately flashed to steam. The northward-directed steam explosion released energy equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT, which toppled 150 square miles of forest in six minutes. In Spirit lake, north of the volcano, an enormous water wave, initiated by one-eighth cubic mile of rockslide debris, stripped trees from slopes as high as 850 feet above the pre-eruption water level. The total energy output, on May 18, was equivalent to 400 million tons of TNT - approximately 20,000 Hiroshima-size atomic bombs. The explosion showered town as far away s 250 miles with volcanic ash. But it will nothing compared to the big one – the earthquake of God’s wrath.
In verse 13 we read, “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.” John saw a asteroid and meteor shower bombarding the earth. John liken the scene to a fig tree so violently shaken by the wind that its fruit is shaken from the tree.
Several years ago when I was out west we toured the Meteor Crater between Flagstaff and Winslow, Arizona. It is an amazing sight. The crater is about 4,000 feet in diameter, 2.4 miles in circumference, and about 550 feet deep (equivalent to a 60 story building). Scientists say it was caused by a small meteorite. I can only imagine what it will be like when a shower of meteorites plummet this earth.
Verse 14 says, “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” It will appear as the sky is splitting into a book being torn apart. The crust of the earth will move and shift with devastating natural disasters. You can understand why Jeremiah said there was no day like it.
B) The Horrifying Effects God’s Wrath Brings
You know how unnerving a little tremor can be. Imagine how terrifying all these things happening will be to those who live on the earth. In verse 15 we read, “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.” The day of God’s wrath will make all men equal and respecter of none.
“Kings of the earth” refer to heads of state throughout the world. “Great men” refers to high ranking officials in government. “Chief captains” refer to military leaders. The “rich men” refer to those who control commerce and business. “Mighty men” refer to the influential. “Every bondman and every free man” refers to both slaves and free men. The richest will be as terrified as the poorest. The mightiest will be a horrified as the lowest. Panic and horrifying fear will fill the heart of every man.
They will be so afraid that they will seek shelter and try to hide in the dens and rocks (caves) of the mountains. It will be such painful and terrifying fear they feel, they will pray to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”
They will know what is happening. They will understand and recognize that this is more than a natural event. They will know that it is the day of God’s wrath.
On May 19, 1780, an unexplained midday darkness fell over New England. The darkness lasted for several hours. When an early descending darkness took hold around the noon hour, all life reacted. Birds began singing their evening songs, then went silent and disappeared from view; frogs began to peep. Chickens returned to their roosts, and cattle walked slowly back to their barns, thinking evening had descended. Human outdoor travel became difficult. Professor Daggett of New Haven, Connecticut reported: "The greatest darkness at least equal to what was commonly called candle-lighting in the evening. The appearance was indeed uncommon, and the cause unknown." It was not an eclipse, and it were a volcanic ash cloud, the source has never been found. To this day, the event has never been explained. Many people thought the day of God’s wrath had come.
When the 6th seal is opened, there will be no speculation. The inhabitants of the earth will know what is happening. It will be so terrifying that they will pray to the rocks that they fall on them and crush them, delivering them from the wrath of the Lamb. To be crushed to death by rocks will be easier than experiencing His wrath.
Fairy-tale or some hyped-up description? Absolutely not! This is a description of what will happen on the earth one day. The good news – I’ll not be here! |
