The Lord opens the sixth seal and the worst earthquake in the history of man's time on earth takes place. This earthquake is so bad that it causes other natural disasters to occur. The people of the earth will recognize these things as the judgment of God, yet many of them will still refuse to repent.
"I watched as He opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." (Revelation 6:12-14) I did some research to look for scientific explanations for why the sun would turn black and why the moon would turn red. I learned that what probably happens is that this earthquake is of such magnitude that it causes an upsurge in volcanic activity all over the world. These eruptions would fling dust and hot vapors up into the atmosphere, creating a sort of "black out curtain" between the earth and the sun. These materials would hang in the air for however long the volcanoes continue to erupt and for days or even weeks afterwards. At night when it's dark, the only place people will be able to see these materials hanging in the air is by looking at the moon, and this weak reflective light will cause the dust and vapors to take on a reddish hue. Such things have happened before following volcanic eruptions, but these conditions were localized to the region where the eruption occurred. John is seeing these conditions occurring all over the world for a period of time.
The falling stars John sees could be heavy meteor showers. Or they could be burning rocks and lava that were flung up into the sky by the volcanoes. I'm not sure why he says the heavens roll up like a scroll, but at night the only heavenly body that will be visible is the red moon. The stars and planets that can normally be seen in the night sky will be blocked out by the debris in the atmosphere, causing it to appear as though the heavens have disappeared. The earthquake will be so strong, and the tectonic plates will shift so violently, that the topography of the earth will be changed, so John says "every mountain and island was removed from its place".
The prophets of the Old Testament foresaw the things John describes for us. The Lord said to Isaiah, "Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of His burning anger." (Isaiah 13:13) Joel said, "Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty." (Joel 1:15). "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Joel 2:31) Zephaniah said, "The great day of the Lord is near---near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts His battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath---a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness." (Zephaniah 1:14-15)
In New Testament times, the Apostle Peter spoke about the end times like this: "The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." (2 Peter 3:10) The Lord Jesus gave warnings about the end times and the judgment that would take place on the wicked of the earth. "Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken." (Matthew 24:29) "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and the tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken." (Luke 21:25-26)
The expression "the day of the Lord" has always been understood to mean the end times, the last days, the Great Tribulation. John, in his vision, is witnessing "the day of the Lord", and he is writing down what he sees because the Lord told him to write everything down. The world needs to know these things so that as many people as possible can turn to the Lord and escape the wrath of those days. But if they read or hear the message of the Lord in Revelation and still refuse to repent and turn to Him, they will never be able to say they weren't warned.
What do the people of earth do when these disasters begin to happen? "Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?'" (Revelation 6:15-17) What type of people want to hide from God? Those who love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil. (John 3:19) I think this group who hides from the Lord when the natural disasters begin are those who are still living in rebellion.
Remember, the church was taken to heaven before the Great Tribulation began. These people John sees hiding from the Lord were left behind because they didn't belong to the Lamb. No one who belongs to the Lord Jesus has to fear His wrath: "Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!...Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 5:9, Romans 8:1) The people we see in our text today who are hiding in the caves and among the rocks are those who have not yet, or are not going to, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Some of the people of the earth repented after the church was removed, and some will continue to repent all throughout the years of the Great Tribulation. Many scholars like to refer to these believers as "Tribulation saints". But those who want the mountains and rocks to fall on them to hide them from the Lord are not "Tribulation saints". If they had given their hearts to Christ, then they would be justified by His blood, and they would be saved from the wrath of God. Those who come to Christ during the Great Tribulation may have to endure the wrath of the Antichrist and the wrath of wicked people on earth, but they will never have to fear the wrath of Almighty God.
The wickedness in the hearts of those John talks about in verses 15-17 is revealed to us by what they do (hiding from the Lord) and by what they don't do (repent). John makes it clear that these people are aware that the natural disasters are occurring because of God's wrath. But instead of coming clean with God and getting their sins out in the open before Him and obtaining forgiveness from Him, they draw even further away from Him. They are fulfilling Old Testament prophecies spoken against the wicked people of the last days, for the prophet Hosea foresaw them hiding in the caves and rocks and said of them, "Then they will say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us!'" (Hosea 10:8) Instead of repenting and making things right with a holy God, these people are wondering how they will endure those dark days, asking each other, "Who can withstand it?" The prophet Nahum knew they would ask such a thing, because he foresaw this: "Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before Him." (Nahum 1:6)
Many people will not repent even during the worst times the world has ever known. But quite a few will. The Lord is so merciful to allow mankind a second chance even while His wrath is being poured out. His ear will be tuned to hear even the weakest cry of those who call upon the name of Jesus. To a world in troubled times, to a world falling apart, to a world filled with people who have---up til now---rejected the laws and commandments of a holy God, the Lord still issues the invitation to come to Him and be made holy. The Lord still offers to save the people of the world from their sins and from the wrath that falls upon sinners. Remember what Jesus said to the people of the seventh and final church age, the era of the Great Tribulation? He said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me." (Revelation 3:20)
If you've never opened the door of your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, there's no better day than today. We don't know when He will call His church out of the world. We don't know when the Great Tribulation---the day of wrath---will begin. This is why the Scriptures say to all who will listen: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." (Psalm 95:7b-8a, Hebrews 3:7-8a,13,15, Hebrews 4:7)
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