"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;

"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."
 

"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."

"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;

"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:

"For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Revelation 6:12-17

 

"I"	The John Class.
"He"	The Lamb.
"Sixth seal"	The "angel" of this period is Martin Luther.
"Earthquake"	Probably the French Revolution.
"Sun"	"Black as sackcloth of hair." The Gospel light seen as through hair sackcloth, which is light suppressing.
"Moon"	Mosaic Law appeared bloody or barbaric.
"Stars"	Ecclesiastic leaders falling to the worldly level of philosophy, Christian citizenship and political level.
"Fig Tree"	Even as the Jewish nation threw off its immature show of character.
"Mighty Wind"	When surrounded by Titus (CE 70) or as it will do when surrounded by "Gog."
"Heaven Departed as a Scroll"	The ecclesiastical powers separated into two parts as when a scroll is rolled together.
"Mountain"	Kingdom being moved or disrupted.
"Island"	Republic being moved or disrupted.
"Kings of Earth"	Political and financial rulers.
"Great Men"	Men of considerable influence.
"Rich Men"	Financially powerful.
"Chief Captains"	Military leaders.
"Mighty Men"	Leaders of labor.
"Bond Man"	Laboring classes.
"Free Man"	Small business and professional people.
"Hid themselves"	Sought refuge.
"Dens"	Secret societies, such as, Free Masonry, Odd Fellows, guilds, etc.
"Rocks"-	Fortresses of society in the form of stocks, bonds, banks.
"Mountains"	Of the kingdoms of earth.
"Hide us"	Shelter and protect us.
"Face of Him"	Out from the face of Jehovah.
"Sitteth on the Throne"	Jehovah’s throne which Jesus also shares.
"Wrath of the Lamb"	Normally a lamb is not a very wrathful creature, but Christ is pictured as a terrifying opponent.
"Great Day of His Wrath"	The great time of trouble.

    The sixth seal covers the Reformation period of Martin Luther, from CE 1518 to 1874-1878. This was a period of momentous change. The Reformation set in motion forces of change leading the people to freedom of thought. They began to rise up against the pompous clergy and corrupt governments.
 

Luther Denounced at the Diet of Worms

 

    The Reformation, which had given new freedoms in Germany and England and other countries of Europe, had been suppressed in France. This turned out to be a terrible mistake.
    Even Charles the Fifth, who ruled in Germany during Luther’s time, was careful not to antagonize powerful leaders who had endorsed Luther’s religious reforms. This gave the nation a breath of fresh air. Other nations imbibed some of the spirit of reform. No longer would priestcraft and Papacy abuse the people.
 

National Revolutions

 

    A new light emerged in the world. America had been born and declared its independence from Great Britain. America became the land of the free. Religious liberty was absolute. For the first time in centuries, a republic was born. There were no kings and no royalty.
    Throughout Europe, the light shining from America awakened people to their oppression and exploitation by church and state. As the Reformation began an awakening throughout Europe, the papal church, together with royalty and aristocrats, kept a strangle hold on France.
    This became intolerable to the people of France. The nation exploded with a terrible revolution. The French people formed the "Third Estate."
 

French Revolution—Bread Riots

 

    Led by men of letters with brilliant writing and preaching skills, the masses were inflamed. They exalted the Goddess of Reason and threw off all the religious restraints they had so long endured. The revolution singled out royalty and Catholic Church priests for the guillotine. The streets of France ran with blood.
    In 1789 the enraged masses stormed the Bastille. This was one of many prisons that were notorious for the torture and cruelty inflicted upon those incarcerated. When the people saw first hand the inside of this monstrous prison, their passions were inflamed. They raged against the leaders, both religious and royal, with a vengeance and hatred.
 

French Mob Looting

 

    The Reformation had already dealt a lethal blow to papacy. However, the French Revolution was an additional deadly wound that should have caused the papacy to die.
    However, in Revelation 13:3 we read: "I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast [papacy]."
    Napoleon came along and betrayed the French Revolution by declaring the Catholic Church the religion of France. While he disliked the Catholic Church and humiliated it on every occasion, yet he needed to ameliorate his stance toward it to weaken the vice grip of surrounding nations that were seeking to destroy him.
   Napoleon ended the hopes of France for a republic similar to America. He made himself and his family into a new line of French royalty. He also infused life into the moribund papacy. Neither of these were consistent with the French Revolution.
 

Napoleon and the Pope

 

Under the sixth seal both the great Reformation and the French Revolution occurred. Of the two, it was the French Revolution that was the "great earthquake."
   The Gospel sun was darkened by an atheistic leadership that ridiculed not only the Catholic Church, but also all Christian religion and the Bible.
    The "moon" of the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament was denounced as foolish and bloody. All those animal sacrifices were deemed barbaric.
   The religious stars fell to the earth, many of them to be dragged toward the guillotine. As the Jewish nation "cast off" her untimely figs in CE 70 when shaken by Titus’ cruel attack on Jerusalem, so the French Revolution became a miniature portrayal of the final "earthquake" or revolution with which Christendom shall fall (Revelation 16:18).
 

The Apostate Church Militant

 

    Revelation 6:14 does not limit itself to the French Revolution, but only uses it to show how events will lead up to the final "great day of his wrath" (Revelation 6:17). The nominal spiritual "heavens" will depart as a "scroll when it is rolled together." Scrolls are rolled at two ends.
    Scrolls are rolled apart to be read, but rolled together to be secured. The "heavens" here represent the heavens of earth, not the "heaven of heaven" where God dwells.
    The powers of spiritual control would try to secure themselves ultimately by rolling together. This would be when the "mountains" or kingdoms of this world will "depart," as well as when the "island" republics will be moved "out of their places."
    As men see the great social struggle unfolding they seek shelter. "The kings of the earth" (actual rulers), the "great men" (of influence), the "rich men" (of the financial world), the "chief captains" (of military might), the "mighty men" (or leaders of labor), the "bondmen" (or laboring classes), the "free man" (of small business or professional people)—all seek refuge.
    They all seek to hide or secure themselves in the "dens" (secret societies, such as, freemasonry, Odd Fellows, guilds, unions, etc). Others will seek refuge in the "rocks of the mountains" (or the fortresses of the kingdoms of this world, such as, League of Nations, military alliances, and ecclesiastical alliances). (See THE TIME IS AT HAND, p. 139, par. 1 and footnote.)
    Will it save them from the wrath of the "Lamb"? No.
    When men seek the "mountains and rocks" to fall on them, they are not wishing to be crushed by them. Rather, the thought is that they want to be sheltered from the impending doom that the "Lamb" threatens during his presence, when he will systematically begin to destroy the kingdoms of this world. The nations sense the "great day of wrath."
    Armageddon is a word that everyone knows about. They all hope to delay it past their own day, hoping another generation will inherit it. While a lamb is not normally a wrathful creature, yet this "Lamb of God" referenced some twenty-seven times in Revelation, is a fearsome creature—the world can not stand before it!
 

 

    Notice, the French Revolution is only a prelude to the final "great revolution." The story of the French Revolution is introductory here to the final collapse of the world in "the great day of his [the Lamb’s] wrath." While we are told these things under the sixth seal, we need to understand that the French Revolution opens a window for the Revelator to tell us impending events that pertain to the end times.
    Revelation 7 is not what occurs under the sixth seal, even as the "great day of his wrath" does not occur at that time. It is clear that it occurs in Revelation 16:16-21. The alert student cannot be misled here.
    Revelation 7 is a parentheses which begins to unfold intimate details which in fact would occur during the closing days of the seventh seal. However, because the story unfolds so naturally in this context, it carries the reader along without his being able to look at his watch of prophetic events.
    Chapter seven explains how the "four winds of the earth" will be held back to allow the completion of the "sealing" of the saints. The "great company" is shown and identified for us in chapter seven. Their happy ending is even described as when "they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat" (Revelation 7:16).
    Our last look at them is when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17). This neither happens under the sixth seal or even in the early days of the seventh seal. Rather part of chapter 6 and all of chapter 7 is lifted out of the context and the reader is transported to some terrible as well as glorious scenes projecting into the future.

Click to go to the following:

         TOPICAL STUDY ON THE SEVEN SEALS:
Seven Seals Part I - Part 2
1st Seal - 2nd Seal - 3rd Seal - 4th Seal - 5th Seal - 6th Seal - 7th Seal

CHAPTER/VERSE BY VERSE STUDY ON THE SEVEN SEALS:
1st to 6th Seal [Revelation 6] - 7th Seal [Revelation 8:1]

 

TOPICAL STUDY ON THE SEVEN TRUMPETS:
Prelude to the Trumpets - 1st Trumpet - 2nd Trumpet - 3rd Trumpet
4th Trumpet - 5th Trumpet - 6th Trumpet - 7th Trumpet

CHAPTER/VERSE BY VERSE STUDY ON THE SEVEN TRUMPETS:
1st through 6th Trumpet [Revelation 8,9] - 7th Trumpet [ Revelation 11:15-19]

 

TOPICAL STUDY ON THE SEVEN CHURCHES:
7 Churches Topical Study Home Page
Ephesus - Smyrna - Pergamos - Thyatira - Sardis - Philadelphia - Laodicea

CHAPTER/VERSE BY VERSE STUDY ON THE SEVEN CHURCHES:
7 Churches Verse by Verse Home Page
Ephesus - Smyrna - Pergamos - Thyatira - Sardis - Philadelphia - Laodicea

 

Topical Study Home Page - Chapter Study Home Page  
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