The Sixth Seal (Rev. 6:12–17)
The Sixth Seal (Rev. 6:12–17)
With the
opening of the first five seals, God has revealed His plan thus far. First, he
sent His Eternal Word, incarnated, and became man without sin (the first seal).
Then God made the Lord Jesus Christ sin by carrying our sins (the second seal)
and becoming a curse (the third seal). Finally, through the eternal Spirit of God,
Christ tasted death (the fourth seal) and went to Hades (the fifth seal).
In
sequence, it makes much sense to view breaking the sixth seal as revealing the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and leading to the glories that follow (Rev.
6:12–17).
6:12 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.
The
opening of the sixth seal revealed what looks like worldwide catastrophes,
including the first of three great earthquakes, mentioned in (Rev. 6:12; 11:13; 16:18–19).
If we
take these events literally, they will describe a scene that frightens even the
most courageous person. All of nature has been affected: the sun, the
moon, and the stars, as well as the heavens, the mountains, and the islands.
However,
such a literal view does not go well with the message of the Gospel and
Revelation. The One who opened the sixth seal is the meek and gentle Lamb of
God (Matt. 11:28–30), who also said, “I did not come to judge the world but to
save the world” (John 12:47). The Lamb of God would not open the sixth seal to
destroy God’s creation but renew it.
A Great Earthquake
In
general, the Bible uses earthquakes as symbols of God’s power (2 Sam. 22:8),
presence (Ps.68:8), revelation (Ex. 19:18), and judgments (Ezek. 38:19–23).
When God raised His Son from the dead, He manifested the exceeding greatness of
His power (Eph. 1:18–20).
According
to the gospel of Matthew, an earthquake occurred at Christ’s crucifixion,
leading to the resurrection of many saints. Coming out of the graves after His
resurrection, they went to the holy city and appeared to many (Matt.
27:51–53).
After the
Sabbath, St. Mary Magdalene and the other St. Mary came to see the tomb. And
behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from
heaven, came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it (Matt.
28:1–2).
If a
massive earthquake hits any place, it will destroy everything. However, through
the destruction, something goos may come out. The old things would go away,
leaving space for rebuilding new things. Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “No one puts a piece of
unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment,
and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins,
or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.
But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matt. 9:16–17). Old things have
to go away to have a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).
With the
resurrection of Christ, God's divine power spiritually hit all the universe
like a massive earthquake. It shook the foundations of heaven and earth to
usher at the beginning of a new creation.
In (Rev.
6), the rest of the vision tells us about God’s plan of getting rid of the old
things. Then, finally, (Rev. 7) tells us about God building up new
things.
Striking the Sun and the Moon
On the
heels of the earthquake came what looked like a second disaster, as “the sun
became black as sackcloth made of hair” (Rev. 6:12). Sackcloth was a rough
cloth, usually made from the hair of black goats and worn by mourners. Thus,
following the violent earthquake that devastates the earth, the sun will turn
black as a mourner’s robe. The third disaster is closely connected with the
darkening of the sun, as “the whole moon became like blood” (Rev. 6:12).
Isaiah
also described this strange and terrifying phenomenon. The sun would be dark
when it rises, and the moon would not shed its light (Isa. 13:10). According to
Joel, the sun and the moon would grow dark (Joel 2:10,31; Acts 2:20).
The Lord God
created the sun and the moon. He set them in the firmament of the heavens to
give light to the earth, rule over the day and over the night, and divide the
light from the darkness. And “God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:17–18). So,
would the Lamb of God offer His life on the cross and open the sixth seal to
strike what God saw was good? Certainly not! These disasters are not describing
the sun and moon literally but figuratively.
In
Genesis 37, Israel, formerly known as Jacob, mentioned the sun and the moon
figuratively. Joseph had a dream. He saw the sun, the moon, and the eleven
stars bowed down to him in his dream. So, he told his father and brothers what
he saw. Israel understood that the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars are
himself, his wife, and his children, who, together with Joseph, became the
twelve tribes (Gen. 37:10). After Joseph’s father heard the dream, he rebuked
Joseph, saying, “Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow
down to the earth before you?” (Gen. 37:9–11).
Thus, the
sun and the moon figuratively are Isreal and his wife. They refer to of light
of Israel, according to the flesh, the nation of Israel. With the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the light of Israel has faded. Blindness, in part,
has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Rom.
11:25–26).
Now, in Christ,
circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping God’s
commandments is what matters (1 Cor. 7:19). Therefore, St. Paul said, “For you
are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you
have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose
heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter
of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a
person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people” (Rom.
2:28–29, NLT).
With the
death and resurrection of Christ, the light of the old covenant faded, making
way for the new covenant. The Old Testament’s ministry system has gone, making
way for the better ministry of the New Testament, through the blood of Christ.
The
Father gave Christ a more excellent ministry. He has also become the Mediator
of a better covenant, established on better promises. For if that first
covenant had been faultless, then there would not be a new one. Therefore, God’s
promised, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Heb. 8:8–10).
Fall of the Stars
6:13 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.
The word “stars”
in the Bible is a generic term for all the heavenly bodies, including the
stars, planets, comets, and meteors, excluding the sun and the moon. In this
general sense, the phrase “the host of heaven” sometimes refers to all the
astronomical phenomena visible in the night sky (2 Kings 17:16; 21:3–5; 23:4–5).
Some
commentators believe the falling of the stars is most likely a reference to
asteroids or meteor showers bombarding the earth. Modern experts believe the
effects of such phenomena would cause much-unprecedented destruction. John portrayed
the scene as “a fig tree that casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind”
(Rev. 6:13).
The word “star”
is also used figuratively to describe angels. Job 38:7 speaks of “the morning
stars” (angels) singing together and all “the sons of God” shouting for joy.
This symbolic usage is most evident in (Rev. 8:10–11 and 9:1–2). Not only are
the holy angels called “stars,” but Satan himself is called a “morning star” (Isa.
14:12).
In (Rev.
6:13), the fall of the heavenly bodies refers to the fall of Satan and his
angels. This vivid picture finds a parallel in Isaiah 34, where all the stars
will dissolve, the heaven rolls up like a scroll. All the starry hosts will
fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree
(Isa. 34:4).
Isaiah
14:12–15 and Ezekiel 28:11–19 furnish a picture of Satan’s original condition
and the reasons for his loss of that position. Isaiah initially addressed these
passages to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. But many scholars believe they refer
to Satan himself. They tell of an exalted angelic being, one of God’s
creatures, who became proud and ambitious and determined to take over the
throne of God for himself. But God removed him from his position of great
dignity and honor.
Satan
persuaded one-third of the angels to join him in his rebellion (Rev. 12:3–4).
Throughout the Old Testament, Satan sought to destroy the messianic line. (Rev.
12:4–5) says Satan tried to eliminate the Messiah Himself when He became a man.
God threw Satan and his angels out of the celestial sphere (Rev.
12:7–12).
The Lord
Jesus Christ told His disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”
(Luke 10:18), and he also “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of
this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). (Rev. 20) notes that Satan is bound
for a “thousand years” and then finally cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:2,
10).
Affecting the Sky, Mountains, and Islands
6:14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up,
and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
John
described the sky as an unrolled scroll that splits in the middle and rolls up
on either side. Nothing stays in its place. Every mountain and island moved
from their space (Rev. 6:14).
After the
death and resurrection of Christ, heaven and earth moved from their old state
toward their renewal. According to God’s promises, “For behold, I create new
heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind”
(Isa. 65:17). John also saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away (Rev. 21:1).
Christ is
“the Beginning [and the head of] of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14), the “new
creation.” Until the restoration of all things, the anticipated time of the
renewal of heaven and earth, Christ shall be in heaven with His Father (Acts
3:21). Until this happens, heaven and earth are in continuous movement (Rev.
6:14). This movement refers to the groaning and the birth pangs of the creation
looking for its redemption (Rom. 8:22–23).
The Disappearance of People’s Classification
6:15 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,
John saw
a hopeless massive human escape before God and the Lamb. (Revelation 6:15) uses
seven categories to embrace the concept of discrimination and the law of
segregation: “the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave, and every free man.” Such segregation
is of the old sinful nature, not the act of new creation in Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek in Christ, there is neither slave nor free, and there is
neither male nor female; all are one (Gal. 3:28). Therefore, we may view the
massive hopeless people on the run (Rev. 6:15) as the disappearance of old
sinful nature living in people that makes them segregate people.
Hopeless Refuge in Nature
6:16 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!
While God
loved the world to the extent that He offered His only begotten Son (John 3:16,
16:27), some tried to hide from His face. So they hid in the rocks and the
mountains. So likewise, those living with the old sinful nature try to hide
from God and His Son (Rev. 6:16).
The
phrases “wrath of the Lamb” and “the great day of His wrath” are two
expressions taken from the lips of the panicked crowd. But “God did not appoint
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord the Lord Jesus Christ” (1
Thess. 5:9). Moreover, the phrase “wrath of the Lamb” is not consistent with
the nature of “the Lamb,” who is meek and lowly in heart (Matt. 11:28–30). The “wrath
of the lion” would be more consistent. But people with old sinful nature have a
misconception about the Father and His Son.
The Day of the Lord
6:17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able
to stand?”
The day
of God’s wrath is not against people. It is against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of people (Rom. 1:18). God has judged Babylon, the city of evil
(Rev. 16:18–19).
The good
news of the sixth seal is that, by the power of Christ’s resurrection, God took
away the sinful nature of man, the corrupted by its deceitful desires. He gave
us the heart of the “new man.” God buried our old sinful nature with Christ in
baptism and raised us to a new life with Christ. Therefore, we should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk (Col. 2:12; Eph. 4:22).
In
conclusion, the sixth seal is not about ecological destruction, devastation, or
cosmic disturbances. It is about God’s plan of His “great and awesome day,” the
day of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2:20), the day David and many others
anticipated, and a day that many witnessed. Peter preached an entire sermon
about it on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
It is the
day to be glad and rejoice, not to be frightened. It is the day of joy for
those who are new creations in Christ. “This is the day the Lord has made; We
will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps.118:24). The rest of the good news revealed
in the opening of the sixth seal will follow in (Rev. 7).
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