Following on the heels of the vision of the Christian martyrs, John now receives a vision of the destruction of the heavens and the earth, the terror of the wicked at the Second Coming of Christ. Men will cry to the Mountains and Rocks to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb!
The Wrath Of The Lamb
Revelation 6:12-17
This week I tried to survey the different interpretations of this passage. What I discovered, is that there were so many, that if I were to try to describe them to you, I would take all of my time in doing so, and there would be no time to expound the text. So, we’re not going to do that. In this message, I’m simply going to tell you what I believe this text is describing.
Notice first of all the context of the passage. In Revelation 6:1-8 the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are called forth by the four Living Creatures. These four horsemen represent Conquest – War – Famine – Death. This fourfold pattern has repeated itself over and over since Christ’s first coming. These are partial and restrained judgments that God has ordained to come upon this evil and sinful world. Notice that in verse 8, that the horsemen called Death and Hades was given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. One fourth is a significant but partial amount of the human race.
Then we are given a vision in Revelation 6:9-11 of the martyrs who died for Christ throughout history. Their cry is “how long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” God’s answer is that He gives each of them a white robe, and tells them to rest a little while until all the rest of those ordained to die as martyrs are killed.
But then we are given a vision of the sixth seal. The martyrs cried out asking how long it would be before God’s final judgment would fall upon His enemies. God does not answer that question specifically, but He does give a description of that Great Day. This vision carries us beyond this present day of limited judgment to the final day in which God’s unrestrained wrath is poured out on the wicked.
I believe Revelation 6:12-17 is a vision that God gave to John of the Final Judgment and destruction of the present heavens and earth.
Now, one objection you may have is that this can’t be describing the Final Judgment, because it is found in chapter 6, and we still have 16 more chapters left in the book. How can this be the Final Judgment when we have so much more revealed in the rest of this book? That question assumes that the book of Revelation must have been written chronologically so that the visions of the book of Revelation match the chronology of human history. I submit to you that the book of Revelation was not written chronologically, but thematically. In other words, there is much recapitulation in this book. It tells the same story over and over from different perspectives.
We are going to see many different visions of the Final Judgment through this book. We have one here, another at the end of chapter 11, another at the end of chapter 16, and another at the end of chapter 19, and another at the end of chapter 20.
Now, in this vision we two things take place:
1) The destruction of the heavens and the earth
2) The terror of the wicked
1) The Destruction of the Heavens and the Earth
Notice that there are seven ways the universe is referred to: sun, moon, stars, sky, mountain, island, earth. Seven is the number that denotes completion or fulness. God’s judgment is going to come on all the universe.
The Destruction of the Heavens. What is taking place in the heavens?
- The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair. Sackcloth was coarse hair made from goats. The idea is that the light of the sun was put out.
- The whole moon became like blood.
- The stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The stars are no longer being held in their proper orbits but are falling from the sky.
- The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up.
Interestingly, this same imagery is found often in the Old Testament, in instances when God is said to bring judgment on a nation.
When God pronounces judgment on Baylon, He says in Isaiah 13:10,13 “For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light… Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will not be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger.”
When God pronounces judgment on Pharoah, king of Egypt he says in Ezekiel 32:7-8, “And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon will not give its light. All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you and will set darkness on your land” declares the Lord God.
There are many more Old Testament texts like those. Revelation 6:12-17 was clearly drawn from texts like those. The vision God gave to John assumes a familiarity with these texts.
The Destruction of the Earth. What do we find taking place on the earth?
- A great earthquake. We find the same thing in Revelation 16:18 in which the Final Judgment is portrayed from a different vantage point.
- Every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Surely, this is talking about an upheaval on the earth we have never witnessed ever!
Agan we find seven different categories of people given to us. That tells us that God’s judgment is going to come on all people.
- Kings of the earth – here we have the emperors, kings, dictators, and supreme political leaders of the world
- The Great men – those next in authority underneath the kings
- The commanders – these are the military generals and men of power and rank
- The Rich – here we find the very wealthy, the money magnates, large business owners
- The strong – those who exert a powerful influence in any realm
- Every slave and free man – the lower classes of the world, consisting of those who were slaves, or those who were released from bondage.
Interestingly, most of these people listed are powerful. Why? Isn’t everyone judged? Yes, but remember the context. The martyrs were asking how long it would be before the Lord would bring forth justice. Well, what kind of people persecute and kill Christians? It is the powerful and evil men of this world.
Are we supposed to interpret this vision literally? I don’t think so. For one, if the sun has been turned dark like sackcloth, it would be impossible for the people on earth to hide in the caves and rocks, for there would be no light to guide them. Also, if the sun became black, the moon would not be like blood, because the moon only reflects the light of the sun. If there is no light of the sun, there is no red color coming from the moon. Further, if the stars of the sky fell to the earth, there would be no more earth for Jesus to return to. If even one star fell to the earth, the earth would be consumed in its heat. I know Futurists interpret this not as stars, but of meteors, but the text tells us that this refers to stars.
So, I believe this is a symbolic vision. But what does this vision tell us. What does it symbolize?
I think the answer is found in 2 Peter 3:10,12-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up… looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”
When Christ returns, He is going to destroy the present heavens and earth, and create new heavens and a new earth.
2) The Terror of the Wicked
Seven Categories of People. Notice again, that there are seven categories of people who are terrified of the coming of Christ: kings, great men, commanders, rich, strong, slave, free. Again, seven is the number for completeness, showing us that the complete human race will be judged on that day.
What the Wicked Did. Hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
What the Wicked Said. “They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”
What a strange description of Jesus – the wrath of the Lamb! A Lamb is anything but wrathful. It is one of the gentlest of creatures. But this Lamb has horns – seven of them. This Lamb is a Lion. This Lamb is the King of kings.
First, the wicked try to hide themselves in the caves and rocks, common hideouts in the Middle East. But despairing of this, they eventually ask the mountains and rocks to fall on them, in order that they might escape from God and the Lamb. The wicked are more afraid of God and Christ than they are of death.
These people are orthodox in their theology. They recognize the significance of that day – they call it the great day of their wrath. They recognize their own sin – they hide from God, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. They recognize the wrath and power of God – they dread Him even more than death itself. The only remaining thing is to repent, the very thing they refuse to do. These are not people who want God and Jesus. These are people who only want the eternal annihilation of their existence, but of course will never have it.
Conclusion
What good purpose should this vision have?
1) Awaken the lost. As John the Baptist said, “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” When Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 he said, “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” You know, that is a very good description of salvation – to be rescued from the wrath to come.
Have you been rescued from wrath, or are you still in your sins? Will you surrender and embrace Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord and Treasure?
My friends, every person you see in this world who dies outside of Christ, will stand before God and the Lamb to face His eternal wrath! That should awaken us to get the gospel out to as many people as we can, while we can.
2) Encourage the Saints. Notice the last question of the chapter, “Who is able to stand?” What is the answer to that question? The very next chapter describes a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sites on the throne, and to the Lamb.” These people are standing! Why are they able to stand before God? 7:14 tells us that they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is the only way we will ever be able to stand. We must have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us through faith. He must take your sin, and you must receive His righteousness through faith.
Though this Final Judgment is real, and certain, and terrifying beyond words, it is not something the children of God need fear. They will be rescued from the wrath to come through Jesus Christ. If that is you, my friends, then rejoice in Jesus and do all you can to spread the knowledge of Him in every place.
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