The Sixth Seal - Wrath

The Day of the Lord arrives when the Sixth Seal is opened, the time of wrath upon the enemies of the Lamb – Revelation 6:12-17.

The opening of the Sixth Seal causes celestial and terrestrial upheaval as the day of wrath and judgment dawns. It is “the great day of the wrath of God and of the Lamb.” Men of every rank cower in terror, but their attempts to hide from judgment and punishment prove fruitless. There is no escape, for no one can “stand” before the Lamb and the Throne.

[Mt Bromo - Photo by Marc Szeglat (Germany) on Unsplash]

Destruction is unleashed on the Inhabitants of the Earth, and the entire creation is thrown into chaos. The tumult and reaction of men to the arrival of the Day of the Lord prepare us to hear and contemplate the question: Who is able to stand before the Lamb and his wrath?

• “And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, that a great earthquake took place; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the full moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig-tree sheds her winter figs, when by a great wind it is shaken, and the heaven was withdrawn like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island out of their places were shaken. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rulers of thousands, and the rich, and the mighty, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and  in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; because the great day of their wrath is come, and who is able to stand?” - (Revelation 6:12-17).

The Fifth Seal left events unfinished and without a satisfactory conclusion. The martyrs underneath the altar pleaded for vindication but did not receive it, or at least, not at that moment. Instead, they were told to wait until the full number of their fellow witnesses destined for martyrdom had been assembled.

As the opening of the Sixth Seal unfolds, the plea of the martyrs is about to be answered. However, if their request is granted at this point, utter destruction will overwhelm the entire creation because no one can withstand the impending wrath of the Lamb, and nations of the Earth will not have the opportunity to hear “the everlasting gospel” of Jesus.

As the Sixth Seal is broken, “a great earthquake” occurs, and this causes chaos throughout the Cosmos. This is no ordinary earthquake. The chaotic image echoes passages from the Old Testament about the Day of Yahweh. For example:

• “The earthquakes before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining <…> for great is the day of Yahweh and awful exceedingly.  Who then will endure it?” - (Joel 2:10).

• “And I will set forth wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awful Day of Yahweh” - (Joel 2:30-32).

• “Enter into the rock, and hide you in the dust, from before the terror of Yahweh, and from the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man will be brought low, and the haughtiness of men will be bowed down, and Yahweh alone will be exalted in that day.” - (Isaiah 2:10-11).

• “Then all the host of the heavens will be dissolved, and the heavens will roll up as a scroll, Yea, all their host will fade like the fading and falling of a leaf from a vine, and like what fades and falls from a fig-tree” – (Isaiah 34:3-5. See also Isaiah 2:17-21).

And so, the opening of the Sixth Seal produces the Day of Yahweh and the time of wrath and punishment, and the disruption unleashed is universal. This day is not another in a series of plagues. It is the end of the age, the hour of judgment.

The cosmic chaos unleashed by the Sixth Seal causes terror at all levels of human society. Neither political rank nor economic standing can save anyone from the coming wrath. All hope is gone. No one will be spared.

It is “the hour of trial” that was predicted to come on “the whole habitable earth,” an event from which Jesus promised to spare the Church of Philadelphia. Yet at this moment, no one is prepared for it, hence the question: “Who is able to stand?”

• “Because you kept the word of my endurance, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which is going to come upon the whole habitable earth, to try the Inhabitants of the Earth” – (Revelation 3:10).

• “And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having everlasting good news to proclaim to the Inhabitants of the Earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. And he says with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment is come” – (Revelation 14:6-7).

In the Book of Revelation, “wrath” or ‘orgé’ (οργη) refers to the final judgment at the end of the age. It will be the moment when the wicked partake of “the Second death.” It does not refer to punishments and plagues that precede or prepare for the final day. Divine wrath is rendered on the Day of Judgment when men are judged for their deeds - (Revelation 14:10, 16:19, 19:15).

• “But after your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his works” – (Romans 2:5).

• “And the nations were enraged, and your wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to those who fear your name, the small and the great; and to destroy those who are destroying the earth” - (Revelation 11:18).

The Sixth Seal ends without anyone answering the question. “Who can stand before the wrath of the Lamb and of Him who sits on the throne?” This will be addressed in the next vision as John sees an Innumerable Multitude of the redeemed standing before the “Lamb and the One on the Throne.

[PDF Copy]

SEE ALSO:

• Silence in Heaven - (When the Seventh Seal is opened, seven angels prepare to sound their trumpets to unleash judgments on the Inhabitants of the Earth – Revelation 8:1-6)

• The Fourth Seal - (Revelation 6:7-8 - The fourth seal releases a rider named “Death” who is followed by “Hades” gathering up the dead in his wake)

• First Four Seals - Aftermath - {PDF Copy} - (The first four seal openings occur under the watchful eyes of the Lamb and the four living creatures)

• Martyrs under the Altar - (The Fifth Seal opening reveals the souls of martyrs kept underneath the altar as they plead with God for vindication and justice – Revelation 6:9-11)