As J. Mark continues his study of Revelation, he examines the opening of the fifth and sixth seals in Revelation 6:9-17. In the previous episode, he explored the first four seals, each marked by a horseman who had a distinct impact on the earth. In this second part, we witness the Lamb opening the next two seals, revealing the evidence of divine judgment seen in the cry of the martyrs, the convulsion of the earth, and the consternation of the people.
Transcript
I mentioned in an earlier episode that many people say the book of Revelation is confusing and difficult to understand. As a result, they avoid reading it. However, I mentioned then that the letter John recorded at Jesus’s direction is not intended to confuse or obscure the truth. Instead, the goal is to unveil the truth; to give us insight into how God’s plans for the future affect us now as we await the end of human history as we know it.
In the previous episode, we began studying chapter six, where the Lamb opens the scroll with seven seals. This is an important milestone in the progressive revelation of end-time events. The proper interpretation of these events depends on understanding other prophetic passages of Scripture. If the events described for us are taken literally, they are still in the future. In the words of Jesus, they are “the things which shall take place after this,” Revelation 1:19.
Many expositors agree that there is a connection between Daniel’s seventieth week and the events at the end of the age. The late John Walvoord maintained that some understanding of Daniel’s prophecy is necessary for a proper interpretation of Revelation. He saw Daniel’s writings as providing the foundational structure and symbolic vocabulary necessary to make sense of the chronological and prophetic events described in Revelation.
As I stated before, my hermeneutic, my method for studying the Scriptures, is to take them as literally as possible. That has led me to embrace the view that the church is raptured and translated to heaven before the outpouring of God’s wrath. While the Book of Revelation doesn’t explicitly teach this, significant signs are pointing in that direction. For example, the church, which is so prominent in chapters 2 and 3, is not mentioned again until Revelation 22:16, except as the wife of the Lamb at the end of the Tribulation. Nowhere in chapters 6-19 is the church pictured as part of the earthly struggle.
While the hope of the rapture is mentioned to the churches at Thyatira and Philadelphia, its fulfillment is not expressly spelled out in the book of Revelation. Could that be because it has already taken place before the events recorded in chapter 4? Commentator Paul Benware points to the promises of 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9-10 that believers will be delivered from God’s wrath. He says these passages “point to the protection and removal of the church during these days of the wrath of God.”[1]
It is worth noting that a side-by-side comparison of Revelation 6 and 7 with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:4-31 yields remarkable parallels. We don’t have time to explore those parallels in this episode, but I encourage, even urge, you to do it on your own.
In the previous episode, we examined the opening of the first 4 seals, each accompanied by a horseman of a different color, each with a distinct impact. In this episode, we will consider the opening of the fifth and sixth seals from Revelation 6:9-17.
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been 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, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
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.
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.
14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
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,
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! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
In the opening of these seals, we find the unmistakable EVIDENCE of divine judgment.
The First Evidence is,
The Cry of the Martyrs
As the Lamb opens the 5th seal, John “saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.” Ever since the church began, the followers of Christ have suffered martyrdom for their loyalty to Christ, in opposition to the world and its powers. In this context, the martyrs of John’s day no doubt suffered for their refusal to worship idols, Greek and Roman gods. This message was a specific encouragement to them.
While continuing existence is not the primary focus of this text, it is evidence that humans do not cease to exist at death. These martyred ones are crying out to the Lamb. There is conscious existence in Hades or the grave, as Jesus clearly taught in Luke 16:19-31 and Mark 12:27.
There is disagreement about what this altar represents. Some see it as the altar of incense, since the martyrs are praying for vindication. Others claim it represents the altar of sacrifice, with the blood of the offerings poured out at its base, or “under” the altar, as Leviticus 4:7 states. To me, this view makes the most sense. This altar in heaven is symbolic, an antitype of the earthly one (Hebrews 8:5). These slain ones have followed the example of the Lamb, their Savior, by willingly laying down their lives.
The loud cry of these righteous ones is “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Interestingly, the word “Lord” is not the normal Greek word “kurios” but rather “despotes.” The first is a general term meaning “lord,” “master,” or “sir.” The second denotes absolute authority and ownership. That term is especially fitting in this context. Those dwelling on the earth at this time will be the ungodly, the ones who have refused to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Further, the Lord is acknowledged by the martyrs as “holy and true” (Revelation 3:7). To be both of these, God must judge evil. Just as the voice of Abel’s blood cried out to God from the ground (Genesis 4), righteousness demands payment (vengeance) for murder or wrongful death. In Luke 21, while teaching about the end of the age, Jesus said, “ For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” And Romans 12:19, “Beloved, do not take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Today, God’s wrath against sin is somewhat minimized, but make no mistake, He will eventually bring devastating judgment!
These martyrs do not doubt that God will avenge them; they only wonder how long it will take. In their view, God seemed slow to interpose and check the persecutors. I believe these souls under the altar are more interested in the honor of God’s name than personal retribution. Psalm 79:9-10 says, “Help us, God, our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’” Most of the imprecatory psalms express this same sentiment.
Each of the martyrs was given a white robe, a common symbol of purity, righteousness, and innocence. They are told they should rest for a little time until their fellow confessors and brethren should be killed as they were, literally, “until the number be filled.” Ominously, John saw more persecution that was coming. This is not merely resting from their crying for vengeance, but resting in peace.
The reason for the “delay” in avenging the righteous is likely found in Luke 11:49-51. Similarly, Genesis 15:16 explains why Abraham couldn’t possess the land God promised him, because the iniquity of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure. Once that occurred, God’s command was to destroy them completely. God will withhold judgment on the wicked until the peoples of the earth reach the depth of sin in Noah’s day, when the thoughts of men’s hearts were only evil continually (Luke 17:26-27).
Yes, the cry of the martyrs is heard and will eventually be answered, even as Jesus promised in Luke 18:7-8, “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” That promise is a great comfort to those who suffer for the sake of Christ today.
The Next Evidence is,
The Convulsion of the Earth
The effects of the opening of the sixth seal are cataclysmic! The language echoes the words and themes of the prophets of Israel: Isaiah, Joel, Ezekiel, and Habakkuk. Joel 2:30-31 states, “And I will show 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 coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Jesus authenticated these prophecies in Matthew 24:29 with almost the same language.
A great earthquake accompanies the opening of the sixth seal. The area around the seven churches was earthquake-prone, but this quake will shake the earth and the heavens. Furthermore, as you read biblical and extrabiblical apocalyptic literature, you will find that celestial phenomena always follow earthquakes. This scene fits that pattern.
Some say these signs cannot be taken literally. They are just a figure of speech. I don’t see any indication of that in the text, so my faith is simple enough to believe that the same God who created these things has the power to change or destroy them at His will.
Creation scientist, Dr. Henry M. Morris, tells us that “seismologists and geophysicists in recent years have learned a great deal about the structure of the earth and about the cause and nature of earthquakes. The Earth’s solid crust is traversed with a complex network of faults, all of which rest upon an elastic mantle whose structure is still largely unknown. Whether the crust consists of great moving plates is a current matter of controversy among geophysicists, so the ultimate cause of earthquakes is still not known.
In all likelihood, the entire complex of instabilities in the Earth’s crust is a remnant of the phenomena of the great Flood, especially the breakup of the fountains of the great deep. In any case, the vast worldwide network of earthquake belts will suddenly begin to slip and fracture, and a gigantic earthquake will ensue. This is evidently, and naturally, accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast quantities of dust, steam, and gases into the upper atmosphere. It is probably these that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear blood-red.”[2]
The sun became black like sackcloth of hair, that is, sackcloth made from the skin of a black goat. Isaiah 50:3 records God as saying, “I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.” Furthermore, the moon turned red, like blood. We aren’t told how long the effects lasted, but we cannot doubt their authenticity; they came from the lips of Christ Himself.
The stars of heaven (meteors and asteroids) will shower the earth like unripe figs fall when a mighty wind shakes the tree. The kind of figs referenced are those that grow in winter and fall off in the spring before ripening. In Mark 13:28, Jesus used the fig tree as a sign of the “end of the world’s long winter,” and the restoration of the nation of Israel.
The sky separated – some translations say, vanished – and rolled up and away in the same way a papyrus scroll is rolled up. John likens the sky to an unrolled scroll that splits in the middle and rolls up on either side. This vivid picture finds a parallel in Isaiah 34:4: “All the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; all their hosts will also wither away as a leaf withers from the vine, or as one withers from the fig tree.”
Every island and mountain was moved out of its place. The devastating natural disasters accompanying the sixth seal will be the most terrifying events ever to affect the earth. Their cumulative impact will be far more destructive than any of the current doomsday scenarios about asteroids hitting the Earth. And the even more intense trumpet and bowl judgments are still to come! The total flattening of all mountains will come later at the seventh bowl judgment (16:20).
As I said earlier, some say these phenomena cannot be taken literally; however, I believe the final evidence of divine justice clearly indicates that they are literal.
The Final Evidence is,
The Consternation of the People
The final verses of the text indicate that the debilitating fear caused by the disasters associated with the sixth seal will affect all unbelievers. The seven classifications of people span the entirety of humanity.
Some people erroneously teach that the God of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament is very different. In their minds, the Old Testament emphasizes God’s justice, law, and wrath. The New Testament highlights His mercy, grace, and forgiveness. This conclusion is inaccurate on many levels.
The entire book of Revelation illustrates this. In it, we see God’s grace and mercy extended to the righteous and even unbelievers who are receptive to His message. Conversely, we see His unadulterated wrath poured out on the skeptical, the scoffers, and the blasphemers. This ultimate judgment, this cosmic collapse, and the disintegration of all things are part of the disciplinary action of God the Father and the Lamb.
The reaction of the unbelieving world to the terrors unleashed by the sixth seal will not be one of repentance but of mindless panic. As they flee from the terrors all around them, they fulfil the prophecy of Hosea 10:8 and Luke 23:30, crying out to the mountains, “Fall on us immediately and hide us from the deep-seated wrath of the One sitting on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Imagine the futility of crying out to the rocks and mountains for protection when the whole Earth is shaking!
The Lamb that was slain has become the Lion again in the terribleness of His wrath. These unbelievers acknowledge that the great day of His wrath has come, and they are all powerless to prevent it. Joel 2:11 states, “The Lord gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?” Similar word pictures are recorded in Nahum 1:6 and Zephaniah 1:14.
Those of the world who glory in their power will realize that it was all an illusion. Even weak people who manipulate and try to gain power in small ways will be revealed for what they are. Everything will be laid bare in the sight of Him who has eyes like a flame of fire!
The evidence outlined in this text clearly demonstrates divine justice against the wicked. But if you’re a child of God, like me, you don’t need to fear. “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him,” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). Do you know Him?
[1] Paul Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecy, p. 224
[2] Henry M. Morris, The Revelation Record, p. 121
