THE
FIFTH AND SIXTH SEALS
REVELATION 6:9-17
King James Version (KJV)
Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs
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?
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 fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be
killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth
seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 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.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when
it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their
places.
15 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;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall
on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from
the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come;
and who shall be able to stand?
Why were these people slain? For the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. These are the saints awaiting the resurrection. Does this mean the rapture has taken place?
6:9
Those in heaven see the release of the four horsemen, and know this event
signals the start of the end-times. The martyrs ask, “How long … until you judge those who murdered us?” The
martyrs are told to wait patiently until the number of their fellow servants
and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. In other
words, there are still more believers to be martyred. Just as Israel poured the
blood of sacrificed animal at the base of the altar (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7), in
a similar manner, the souls of sacrificed martyrs were under the altar in
heaven.
6:12-17 The Sixth Seal -The
Visible Seal: When the
martyrs cried for justice at the fifth seal, God judges the inhabitants of
earth as guilty. The spilling of innocent blood has stained the earth blood
red. God shows the people on earth another planet that appears covered with
blood, the moon. When the sun is blotted out (turned black) during a lunar eclipse, the moon really does turn a
blood red color. The moon turns a metallic red resembling the color of iron in
blood. (1) At that time, the entire world, to include every mountain and
island, shakes. (Revelation
6:14) God punctuates this event with a
worldwide earthquake, likely caused by meteorites slamming into earth, one
after another, like how figs drop to the ground from a fig tree when shaken by
a strong wind.
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od is attempting
to shake the world to its senses. He wants people to see themselves as guilty
of the blood of innocent people, even infants. God wants the world to confess
sin—repent—and turn to him. At this point, even unbelievers will know that
scripture foretold this event; people will also know that this event precedes
the outpouring of God’s wrath. People will say the great day of wrath has come.
Accordingly, people will seek religious leaders and prophets to plot a course
that might deter such wrath. However, people do not say,
“I repent of my sins.” Instead, they believe the best option is to hide.
This wrong attitude creates an opportunity for dishonest teachers and false
prophets to say “follow me and find safety.” Using this type of approach, the Antichrist and
false prophet will lead most of the world astray.
Antichrist
may proclaim that if people repent, then God will withhold disaster. For
example, God showed mercy to ancient Nineveh. When God saw what they did and
how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon
them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:10)
If at any time,
I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,
and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not
inflict on it the disaster I had planned. (Jeremiah 18:7) Yet it will be
impossible to follow false prophets—and simultaneously repent.….to be cont’d.
In Christ,
Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre o
Fine & Performing Arts
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