Revelation 6:9-17 | The Wrath Of The Lamb

Revelation 6:9-17
The Wrath of the Lamb

I. Introduction

1. Review of the seven seals
   1. First seal brings a deceiver.
   2. Second seal brings war.
   3. Third seal brings famine.
   4. Fourth seal brings death.
   5. Fifth seal brings persecution.
   6. Sixth seal brings cosmic chaos.
   7. Seventh seal introduces seven trumpets announcing more judgment (Rev 8:1).
2. As we continue through the account of Revelation, we will see the Lord’s judgment upon the earth.
   1. This account is not a record of history, but rather a prophecy of future events.
   2. I believe these events are ready to begin with the rapture of the church.
   3. Man will be caught between the wickedness of Satan and the wrath of God.
3. How do the seals coincide with the timeline of the tribulation?
   1. Although there is no unanimous opinion on the timing of these seals, it is my view that the first 6 seals take place in the first 3 1/2 years of the 7-year tribulation.
   2. We will discuss this more.

II. vv. 9-11 The fifth seal – the seal of persecution.

1. v. 9a Martyred tribulation saints
   
   ⁹ When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.^[1]
   
   1. These martyred tribulation saints have experienced persecution from the onset of the tribulation.
      1. Those who come to faith in Christ will experience fierce persecution.
      2. This persecution will worsen during the tribulation.
      3. Matthew 24:15 is when the Antichrist is manifested (abomination of desolation) and begins his persecution against Israel.
   2. It appears these saints are awaiting their permanent glorified bodies at the Second Coming.
      1. That these believers are seen and given robes suggests that, after being martyred, they receive a temporary heavenly body.
      2. The Church has already received their glorified bodies at the rapture.
      3. In Revelation 7, we see a group of martyred saints who are now before the throne of God.
         1. Those who were under the throne are now before the throne (Rev 7).
         2. Pentecost, Patterson, and Fruchtenbaum all see this progression from martyrdom to beneath the throne, to before the throne, and eventually to resurrected bodies in Revelation 20:4.
            
            Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
            
2. v. 9b The reason for their death.
   
   ⁹ … I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
   
   1. They are slain for the Word of God.
      1. They will use the Bible to make sense of the chaos of the tribulation and will be an occasion for evil men to put them to death.
      2. Of course, the Word of God declares the demise of the Antichrist and the world and the ultimate victory of God in His saints.
      3. This will probably infuriate those on earth and be an occasion for such truth to be silenced.
   2. They are also slain for their steadfast testimony.
      1. Because of the testimony they had maintained, their loyalty to Jesus Christ is evident.
      2. These believers, as should all believers, live for the Lord in obedience so that they can proclaim the gospel.
      3. This will also be a reason an angry world wants to kill them.
   3. There will be a great multitude of people who are coming to faith during the tribulation.
      1. But for you, there is an easier way: put your faith in Jesus Christ today.
3. vv. 10-11 The saints pray for justice
   
   ¹⁰ And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
   
   1. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and the martyred call upon the Lord to exact vengeance on the ungodly.
      1. It has never been a question of whether the Lord would avenge but only a matter of when.
      2. These saints may have prayed during the time of their martyrdom as well, but now in heaven they are praying for the Lord to establish His kingdom.
   2. We will see that the Lord will act upon their request and bring great judgment upon the earth for their rebellion against God, persecution of the believers, and genocide against the nation of Israel.
   3. We must always allow the Lord to be the one to avenge and not take matters into our own hands and hearts.

III. vv. 12-17 The sixth seal – the seal of cosmic chaos.

1. There is a terrible day of judgment coming that is mentioned throughout Scripture, and here the sixth seal is realized by the inhabitants of earth.
   
   Acts 17:30–31 ³⁰ Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.
   
   1. These next verses represent events that will take place in the first half of the tribulation.
   2. It is during this seal that the world begins to realize that these are not merely natural troubles, but the wrath of God judging the world.
   3. Paige Patterson and Arnold Fruchtenbaum conclude that the seal judgments belong in the first half of the tribulation.
      1. “All events pictured with the opening of the sixth seal are perfectly consistent with conditions that may well exist early in the tribulation period and yet leave enormous devastation yet to come in the remaining three sets of judgments to be revealed. A better interpretation is to see the seven seal judgments as all belonging to the first half of the tribulation period.”^[2]
      2. “This passage shows that with the fifth seal, even unbelievers recognize that they are experiencing the wrath of God. They may have been able to explain away the previous judgments as natural catastrophes, but with the nature of the sixth seal, that will no longer be possible. It should be noted that the passage does not say that the wrath of God begins only with the sixth seal, but that only with the sixth seal do unbelievers recognize that it is the wrath of God.”^[3]
      3. Dwight Pentecost also believes this period, associated with these seals, is part of the first half of the tribulation. Read a lengthy endnote by Pentecost for a full explanation of the chronology of the seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments. Also find an outline by Fruchtenbaum.^[i]
   4. Here is a condensed outline of the book of Revelation according to Fruchtenbaum.
      
      
      
2. vv. 12-14 Destruction from earth and sky
   
   ¹² I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. ¹³ And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. ¹⁴ Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
   
   1. The Lord described the events associated with the sixth seal.
      1. Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse adds the following:
         
         Luke 21:11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
         
         Luke 21:25–26 ²⁵ And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶ men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
         
   2. Joel prophesied of similar events.
      
      Joel 2:1–2, 10 ¹ Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand: ² A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, . . .¹⁰ The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.
      
      
   3. Henry Morris comments that these earthquakes likely trigger volcanoes whose ash darkens the sun.
      
      “…the vast worldwide network of unstable earthquake belts around the world suddenly will begin to slip and fracture on a global basis and a gigantic earthquake will ensue. This is evidently, and naturally, accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast quantities of dust and steam and gases into the upper atmosphere. It is probably these that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear blood-red.”^[4]
      
      
   4. The world will have no peace.
      1. From deceiving world leaders to famine, disease, earthquakes, and volcanoes, to stars plummeting to the earth and the earth being dark, the earth will be a terrible place to be.
      2. This is only the beginning of the trouble that lies ahead.
3. vv. 15-17 No escape from the wrath of God.
   
   ¹⁵ And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
   
   1. Scripture is clear that no one will be able to avoid the wrath of God, nor endure it.
      1. No matter your class or economic station, men will be trying to hide from the terrible events that are coming upon the earth.
   2. Amos tells us that such hiding will be futile.
      
      Amos 9:2–3 ² Though they dig into hell, From there My hand shall take them; Though they climb up to heaven, From there I will bring them down; ³ And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, From there I will search and take them; Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them
      
      
   3. Nahum records that no one can stand before the wrath of God.
      
      Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger?
      
      
   4. The first five seals all have a natural explanation, but the events that transpire because of the opening of the 6^th seal bring all men to the conclusion that these events are inseparably linked to God’s wrath upon the world.
      
4. The events of these opened seals are known as the Day of the Lord.
   1. Some view this Day as the tribulation period only, while others include the millennium kingdom.
   2. According to Fruchtenbaum, “the term Day of the Lord is always a reference to the Tribulation period.”^[5]
   3. According to Wiersbe, “The phrase ‘the day of the Lord’ refers to that future time when God will pour out His wrath on the Gentile nations because of their sins against the Jews (see Joel 3:1–8). It will occur after the church has been taken to heaven (see 1 Thes. 1:10 and 5:9–10, and Rev. 3:10), during the seven-year period known as the Tribulation. It is described most fully in Rev. 6–19. This period will end with the Battle of Armageddon (Joel 3:9–17; Rev. 19:11–21) and Jesus Christ returning to the earth to establish His kingdom.”^[6]
   4. The phrase Day of the Lord or similar phrases appears in the Bible approximately 100 times.
   5. “The term Day of the Lord occurs in the following passages: Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18 (twice), 20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7, 14 (twice); Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10. In addition, the phrase that day or the day or the great day occurs more than seventy-five times in the Old Testament. The frequency with which it occurs will evidence its importance in the prophetic Scriptures.”^[7]
   6. This day is known as Daniel’s 70^th week (Dan 9).
   7. This day is also known as Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble.
      
      Jeremiah 30:7-9 ⁷ Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. ⁸ ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. ⁹ But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.
      
      1. Notice that this Day will lead to Israel’s salvation, deliverance, and their eventual servitude to the Lord.
      2. It is a Day that is the raising up of their king.
      3. This Day is all about waking up a nation and judging the nations.

IV. Conclusion

1. Six seals have now been opened, bringing war, famine, disease, and catastrophes orchestrated by God to judge the world.
2. Peter exhorts us in light of these coming judgments.
   
   2 Peter 3:11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness

V. Endnotes on the Chronology of Revelation

^[1] All Scripture quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

^[2] Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 189.

^[3] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 218.

[4] Henry Morris, The Revelation Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1983), 121.

^[5] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, 67.

^[6] Warren Wiersbe, Be Concerned (Minor Prophets): Finding a Place to Stand When Things Are Shaking (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2009), 19.

^[7] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1958), 230.

^[i] The chronology of the book of Revelation. A seventh argument depends on their interpretation of the chronology of the book of Revelation. According to this view, as has already been observed, the seven seals and the seven trumpets bring us through the events of the first three and one-half years of the seventieth week, which period terminates in the rapture taking place in chapter eleven. The seven bowls describe the outpouring of the wrath of God in the last three and one-half years of the tribulation, developed in chapters twelve through nineteen. Thus chapters four through eleven describe the first half of the week and chapters twelve through nineteen the last half of the week. This chronology we believe to be faulty. John has outlined the events of the first half of the tribulation period under the seals (4:1–7:17), the last half of the tribulation under the trumpets (8:1–11:14), and closes the period with the return of the Lord to reign (11:15–18). Between the sixth and seventh trumpets John is told (10:11) that “It is necessary for you to prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings [lit.].” Concerning the word “again” (palin) Thayer says that “it denotes renewal or repetition of the action.” This would seem to be a divine notice that, since John has taken us through the entire period once, it is God’s intention to have him retrace his way through the period again. Therefore, beginning in chapter twelve, John surveys the period a second time, placing emphasis on the individuals who play so important a part in the events of the seventieth week. The bowls (Rev. 16:1–17) evidently come at the close of the period and occupy only a brief span of time and can not be spread over the last three and one-half years of the period. This second survey, like the first, terminates the period by the return of Christ and the consequent judgment of His enemies (Rev. 19).^[i]

Below is Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s chronology outline.

1. The Great Tribulation—6:1–18:24
   1. The First Half—6:1–9:21
      1. The Seal Judgments—6:1–17
      2. The 144,000 Jews and the Worldwide Revival—7:1–17
      3. The Trumpet Judgments—8:1–9:21
   2. Events of the Middle of the Tribulation—10:1–14:20
      1. The Little Book—10:1–11
      2. The Tribulation Temple—11:1–2
      3. The Two Witnesses—11:3–14
      4. The Seventh Trumpet—11:15–19
      5. Israel in the Tribulation—12:1–17
      6. The Beast from the Sea—13:1–10
      7. The Beast from the Earth—13:11–18
      8. Midtribulation Announcements—14:1–20
   3. The Second Half—15:1–16:21
      1. The Prelude—15:1–8
      2. The Bowl Judgments—16:1–21
   4. Recurrence: The Two Babylons—17:1–18:24
      1. Ecclesiastical Babylon (First Half)—17:1–18
      2. Political Babylon (Second Half)—18:1–24
2. The Second Coming and the Aftermath—19:1–20:3
   1. Prelude to the Second Coming—19:1–10
   2. The Second Coming—19:11–18
   3. The Campaign of Armageddon—19:19
   4. Antichrist and the False Prophet—19:20
   5. The Gentiles—19:21
   6. The Binding of Satan—20:1–3
3. The Messianic Kingdom—20:4–6
   1. The Reign of Messiah—20:4
   2. The First Resurrection—20:5–6
4. The Aftermath—20:7–14
   1. The Last Revolt—20:7–10
   2. The Great White Throne Judgment—20:11–14
5. The Eternal Order—21:1–22:5
   1. The Passing of the Old Order and the Creation of the New—21:1–8
   2. The Eternal New Jerusalem—21:9–22:5
      1. The Establishment of the City—21:9–10
      2. The Description of the City—21:11–22:5^[i]