This article is relatively complex because it requires understanding several parts of the Book of Revelation. The green blocks provide summaries of sections. To reduce complexity further, more detailed explanations are hidden in ‘read more’ blocks.
Overview
Revelation 5 describes what happens in heaven when Jesus arrives after His ascension (Read Article). He received a book that was sealed with seven seals. He breaks the seals in Revelation 6. Each time that He breaks a seal, things happen on Earth. This article discusses the sixth seal.
The first part of the seal consists of natural catastrophes. There was a great earthquake. The sun became black, and the moon became like blood. The stars of the sky fell to the earth, and the sky split apart. These natural catastrophes are the signs of Christ’s return, as Jesus described in Matthew 24.
In response, in the second part of the seal, the people who had refused to repent hide in the mountains from the presence of God and the Lamb. They ask the question that explains the sixth seal:
“The great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
The sixth seal continues in Revelation 7 with an innumerable multitude standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They are the answer to the question of the hiding multitude. This is the Day of Judgment. The sixth seal divides the people of the world between two great multitudes: one hiding in the mountains and one standing before His throne.
Since the current article explains how the sixth seal fits into the end-time events, it gives an overview of such end-time events, as described in Revelation 13 to 20. These events can be divided into the following three phases:
The end-time War – Revelation 13 describes the end-time war in which people are forced to receive the Mark of the Beast. Revelation 14 shows the response of God’s people. They will refuse the Beast’s Mark and receive “the Seal of the Living God.”
Seven Last Plagues – As soon as every person is marked, either with the mark of the beast or the seal of God, the seven last plagues (Rev 15-16) are poured out.
Christ’s Return – The seventh and final plague is Babylon’s destruction (16:19). It is interrupted by Revelation 17 and 18 but continues in Revelation 19 with a great multitude praising God for judging Babylon. Revelation 19 ends with Christ’s return. Therefore, the seven plagues are followed by Christ’s return.
This article confirms in several ways that the Sixth Seal is Christ’s Return.
1) Despite the huge earthquake, the people hide in the mountains, more scared of Christ than of death.
2) Since people hide from God in the sixth seal, it must be later than the plagues where people refuse to repent.
3) The sixth seal separates the Living from the Dead, which is what Jesus said He would do when He returns.
4) The Sixth Seal is similar to Matthew 24:29-30, describing Christ’s Return.
5) The sixth seal is similar to the Old Testament Day of the Lord, which becomes Christ’s return in the New Testament.
6) This article shows that the Sixth Seal and the Sixth Plague are linked because both refer to “the great day” and that the Sixth Plague and Christ’s return in Revelation 19 are linked because both describe the kings and their armies assembled for war. This again links the Sixth Seal to Christ’s return.
However, this article argues that both the natural catastrophes in the first part of the sixth seal and the seven last plagues are the revenge promised to the souls in the fifth seal (Rev 6:10-11). Therefore, these natural catastrophes must be the Seven Last Plagues.
Lastly, the seventh seal is only a single verse. Since it is so brief, the context must explain it. Since the second part of the sixth seal describes a time when the people realize that they are doomed, the silence of the seventh seal is the destruction of God’s enemies.
Overview of the Sixth Seal
Part 1: Natural Catastrophes
The first part of the seal consists of a great earthquake and signs in the sun, moon, and stars. |
The sixth seal is the longest of all the seals. It has two parts. The first part is natural catastrophes (Rev 6:12-14). There was a great earthquake. The sun became black, and the moon became like blood. The stars of the sky fell to the earth, and the sky split apart. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place. [Show More]
6:12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal,
and there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair,
and the whole moon became like blood;
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth,
as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
These disasters begin with a great earthquake and end with every mountain and island moved out of their places. Some see two distinct earthquakes in the text. However, perhaps the more natural reading is that the mountains move out of their places due to the preceding events, meaning verses 12-14 describe a single event. |
These natural catastrophes are the signs of Christ’s return. |
Jesus gave the following sequence of events immediately preceding His return:
There will be a great tribulation as never before (Matt 24:21, 29). Then:
The sun will be darkened,
The moon will not give its light,
The stars will fall from the sky, and
The heavens will be shaken. (Matt 24:29)
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky (Matt 24:30).
Part 2: People hiding from God
In response, in the second part of the seal, the people who had refused to repent hide in the mountains. |
The people who live in rebellion against God will attempt to hide in the caves and in the mountains “from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev 6:16): [Show More]
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men
and the commanders and the rich and the strong
and every slave and free man
hid themselves in the caves and
among the rocks of the mountains;
16 and 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;
17 for the great day of their wrath has come,
and who is able to stand?”
|
“Him who sits on the throne” is the Father. The Lamb is Jesus Christ (e.g., Rev 5:13).
The “wrath of the Lamb” (Rev 6:16) is paradoxical. The third angel later similarly warns that people who accept the mark of the beast “will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence … of the Lamb” (Rev 14:10). Jesus will not become cruel. He will always love every creature (Rev 4:10-11). But He will execute God’s judgments. (See the discussion of Eternal Torment.) [Show More]
The Scriptures do not elsewhere say that the Father will accompany Christ when He returns. Perhaps we must understand this as that “the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father” (Matt 16:27), for the Father cannot be seen (e.g., Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:16). |
This is the Day of Judgment. |
The hiding multitude then asks the question that explains the sixth seal:
“The great day of their wrath has come,
and who is able to stand?” (Rev 6:15-17) [Show More]
“To stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36) refers to His return. Those who “keep on the alert at all times” will be able to stand (Luke 21:36). They will “have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming” (1 John 2:28). |
Continues in Revelation 7.
The sealing of the 144,000 in the first part of Revelation 7 jumps back in time. |
Revelation 7 begins by describing the sealing of God’s end-time people (the 144000 – Rev 7:1-8). This must precede the worldwide turmoil of the sixth seal.
The innumerable multitude in the second part of Revelation 7 continues the sixth seal. |
The sixth seal continues in Rev 7:9 by answering the question in 6:17 by describing an innumerable multitude who are “able to stand.” They are “standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev 7:9). In other words:
1) The multitude hiding in the mountains and the innumerable multitude standing before the throne describe the same point in time.
2) This confirms that this is the Day of Judgment, for the sixth seal divides the people of the world between two great multitudes: one hiding in the mountains and one standing before His throne. [Show More]
The sixth seal is not literal. |
Literally interpreted, everything in heaven and on earth disintegrates in the sixth seal. [Show More]
A “great earthquake” moves every island and mountain out of their places. The word “every” appears 3 times in this seal, indicating the worldwide nature of this cataclysm. |
But we should not interpret it literally because, even after the stars have fallen on the earth and all mountains have been moved out of their places, the unrepentant are still alive and hiding in the mountains. These are symbols of great upheaval on earth, which may, of course, include natural catastrophes.
Overview of End-Time Events
The purpose of the current article is to explain what the sixth seal is and how it fits into the end-time events. For that purpose, this section provides a very high-level overview of the end-time events as described in Revelation 13 to 20. [Show More]
Although the first half of Revelation refers to the end-time events at the end of the seals and the trumpets (e.g., Rev 11:15, 17), the emphasis is on the entire church age. In contrast, the last 11 chapters of Revelation focus on the end-time events. |
Revelation 13 and 14 describe the end-time war in which people receive the Mark of the Beast. |
Revelation 13 describes the end-time persecution of God’s people. The false prophet will convince the world to make an Image of the Beast (Rev 13:14). In other words, an end-time replica will be created of the situation in the Middle Ages when the Church dominated the European nations. (Read Article). With threats of violence, the Image of the Beast attempts to force all people to receive the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:15-17). [Show More]
The harlot woman sitting on a beast (Rev 17:3-5) symbolizes that false religion always reigns over civil authorities. |
Revelation 14 shows the response of God’s people (the 144,000 at this time). They will refuse the Mark of the Beast and receive “the Seal of the Living God” (Rev 7:2). [Show More]
Both the Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God are received on foreheads (Rev 7:3; 13:16; 14:1), meaning in the minds. The Mark of the Beast can also be received only on the hand (Rev 13:16), meaning that such people will do what is required of them out of fear, even though they are not convinced in their minds. The Seal of God cannot be only on the hand because God never forces people.
Both the Mark and the Seal are also names. The Seal of God is “His name (Jesus’ name) and the name of His Father” (Rev 14:1). |
Revelation 14 ends with Christ’s return (Rev 14:14-20).
As soon as every person is marked, the seven last plagues (Rev 15-16) are poured out. |
The Seven Last Plagues in Revelation 15-16 jump back to before Christ’s return, for they describe the people with the Mark of the Beast as still refusing to repent (Rev 16:2, 9, 11, 21). Since the plagues begin by describing “those who had been victorious over the beast and his image” (Rev 15:2), and since they only fall on “the people who had the mark of the beast” (Rev 16:2), the plagues begin to fall when all people have been marked either with the mark of the beast or the seal of God.
In the sixth plague, demon spirits gather the kings of the world together at Armageddon for “the war of the great day of God” (Rev 16:14, 16). The sixth plague is not Armageddon itself. It is only the preparation for it. This is explained further below.
The seven last plagues conclude with Christ’s return. |
The seventh and final plague is Babylon’s destruction (Rev 16:19). This plague is interrupted by Revelation 17 and 18, which jump back in time to explain the origin, nature, and the end of Babylon. [Show More]
She is:
“The Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth” (Rev 17:5),
“The great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18), and
The one who kills God’s people (Rev 18:24).
|
The seventh plague continues in Revelation 19 with “a great multitude in heaven” praising God because “He has judged the great harlot” (Rev 19:1-2; cf. Rev 16:19).
Revelation 19 ends with Christ’s return (Rev 19:11-20:6). The seventh plague, therefore, is followed by or continues into Christ’s return. [Show More]
This means that Christ’s return is described at the end of:
-
- The seven seals,
- The seven trumpets (e.g., Rev 11:15-17), and
- Both chapters 14 and 19.
|
In summary, the end-time can be divided into three main phases. |
The analysis above shows that Revelation 13 to 19 represents the end-time events as consisting of three broad phases:
-
-
- The end-time persecution (Rev 13-14),
- The seven last plagues (Rev 15-16), and
- Christ’s return (19:11-20:6).
The Sixth Seal is Christ’s Return.
This conclusion is based on the following:
1) Despite the massive earthquake, the people hide in the mountains. |
When He broke the sixth seal, there was a huge earthquake, and all mountains were moved out of their places (Rev 6:12-14). However, apparently, Christ has already returned because the people of the world were more scared of Him than of this earthquake, for they attempted to hide from Him in the rocks and caves of the mountains
2) Since people hide from God, the sixth seal must be later than the plagues where people refuse to repent. |
Both the sixth seal and the sixth plague refer to “the great day.” However, while the sixth plague is the preparation for “the war of the great day” (Rev 16:14), in the sixth seal, that “great day … has (already) come” (Rev 6:17).
The sixth seal is also later than the seventh plague. In the seventh plague, the people still refuse to repent (Rev 16:21; cf. Rev 16:9, 11), but in the sixth seal, they hide in the mountains from “the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev 6:15-17). [Show More]
It is the cry of those who realize that there is no escape from a dreadful fate (cf. Matt 24:29-30; Rev 1:7, Luke 23:30). |
3) The sixth seal separates the Living from the Dead, which is what Jesus will do when He returns. |
As discussed above, the sixth seal divides the people of the world between two great multitudes:
-
-
- Those who had refused to repent hide from Him (Rev 6:17) and
- The innumerable multitude stands before Him (Rev 7:9).
This is what Jesus said He will do when He returns, “as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt 25:31-32).
4) The Sixth Seal is similar to Matthew 24:29-30, describing Christ’s Return. |
Matthew 24:29-30 bears a striking resemblance to the two parts of the sixth seal. While verse 29 is parallel to the first part of the sixth seal, describing the signs in the sun, moon, stars, and heavens, verse 30 is parallel to the second part, describing the response of “all the tribes of the earth” as mourning. Verse 30 explicitly states that they will mourn when they “see the Son of man coming” (cf. Luke 21:25-28; Mark 13).
5) The sixth seal is similar to the OT Day of the Lord, which becomes Christ’s return in the NT. |

Many Old Testament prophets referred to “the Day of the Lord.” [Show More]
(E.g., Isa 13:6; Ezek 13:5; Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18; Obad 1:15) There are also variations of this phrase, such as:
-
-
-
- “Great day of the Lord” (Zeph 1:14),
- “Day of the LORD’s wrath” (Zeph 1:18),
- “Great and terrible day of the LORD” (Mal 4:5) or simply the
- “Great day” (Jude 1:6).
|
The many similarities identify the sixth seal as that Day of the Lord. For example, both include the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars, a huge earthquake, and people hiding “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.” [Show More]
For example, in Isaiah 13:9-13, similar to the sixth seal, we find:
-
-
- Signs in the sun, moon, and stars,
- A huge earthquake, and
- “The fury of the LORD of hosts in the day of His burning anger” (Isa 13:13) becomes the “wrath of the Lamb” in the sixth seal (Rev 6:17).
The following are further similarities between the sixth seal and the Old Testament Day of the Lord:
Similar to “the great day of their wrath” in the sixth seal (Rev 6:17), Zephaniah refers to “the day of the LORD” as “the great day … of the LORD’S wrath” (Zeph 1:14, 15, 18; 2:2).
Similar to the darkening of the sun and moon in the sixth seal:
Zephaniah describes it as “a day of … thick darkness” (Zeph 1:15).
Joel describes it as “a day of darkness and gloom” (Joel 2:1-2). “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes” (Joel 2:31). “The day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness” (Joel 3:14-15).
See also Ezekiel 32:7-8; 38:19-20; Jeremiah 4:23-27; Amos 8:9-10; Nahum 3:12 and Micah 3:6.
In both the sixth seal (Rev 6:14) and Isaiah 34:4, “the sky will be rolled up like a scroll.”
Similar to the people who ask, “Who can stand” (Rev 6:17), Joel asks: “The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure it” (Joel 2:11)?
Similar to the people hiding in the mountains in the sixth seal (Rev 6:15-16), “men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD” (Isa 2:19).
|
An important similarity is that both the Day of the Lord and the Sixth Seal are the Day of Judgment:
As stated, the Sixth Seal divides the people of the world between a multitude hiding in the mountains and another standing before God’s throne.
Similarly, the Day of the Lord will punish sinners. God will exterminate sinners from this Earth. [Show More]
“The day of the LORD … will bring distress on men … because they have sinned against the LORD” (Zeph 1:14, 17).
“The day of the LORD draws near … As you have done, it will be done to you” (Obad 1:15).
“The day of the LORD is near … I will punish on that day all who … fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit” (Zeph 1:7-9).
“The day of the LORD is coming … with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it” (Isa 1:9).
“I will bring distress on men … because they have sinned against the LORD.” “He will make a complete end … of all the inhabitants of the earth.” (Zephaniah 1:17-18)
Since the sixth seal is the Old Testament Day of the Lord, we can conclude that the people hiding in the mountains are sinners and will soon be exterminated. |
Since the sixth seal is the Day of the Lord, and since, in the New Testament, the Day of the Lord becomes Christ’s return, the Sixth Seal is Christ’s Return. [Show More]
The following shows that the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament becomes Christ’s return in the New Testament:
(a) Paul described “the coming of the Lord” but then added that “the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 4:15-17; 5:2).
(b) He also equates “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” with “the day of the Lord” in 2 Thess 2:1-2.
(c) Furthermore, he referred to:
-
-
-
- “The day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:7-8),
- “The day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor 5:5), and
- “The day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6, 10).
(d) John wrote that “we may have confidence” “in the day of judgment” and “when He appears” (1 John 4:17; 2:28), implying that these describe the same event.
|
6) The Sixth Seal is equivalent to 19:19, which describes Christ’s return. |
Revelation 19 describes Christ’s return, beginning in verse 11. In that description, John saw, “The kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse” (Rev 19:19). This verse and the multitude hiding in the mountains in the sixth seal (Rev 6:15-17) describe the same event and the same people because:
Both describe all the people of the world as gathered. Revelation 19:18 describes them as “all men.”
Both are “the great day.” [Show More]
In the sixth seal, the people hide because “the great day of their wrath has come” (Rev 6:17).
The only other place in Revelation that mentions the “great day” is the sixth plague, where demons gather together “the kings of the whole world” at Armageddon in preparation for “the war of the great day.” (Rev 16:14, 16) The sixth plague is not the “great day” itself; it is only the preparation for that day. Since 19:19 describes the kings of the earth and their armies as gathered together “to make war,” that is the “great day” (Armageddon) for which the demons gathered the kings (Rev 16:14).
Therefore, Armageddon is Christ’s return, the “great day of God, the Almighty” (Rev 16:14). (Read Article) |
In summary, the sixth seal is Christ’s return, when He separates the Living from the Dead. |
The section has argued for this conclusion by showing that the sixth seal:
-
-
- Is later than the plagues,
- Separates the Living from the Dead,
- Is equivalent to Matthew 24:29-30, when they see the Son of man coming,
- Is the Old Testament Day of the Lord, and
- Is equivalent to 19:19, which describes Christ’s return.
The First Part is the Seven Plagues.
The natural catastrophes in the first part of the sixth seal are the Seven Last Plagues. |
So, the sixth seal describes a moment during Christ’s return when the people who refused to repent realize that there is no escape from a dreadful fate (Rev 19:17-19). However, as discussed, the sixth seal consists of two parts. For the following reasons, the first part (the great earthquake and the signs in the sun, moon, and stars) is the seven last plagues that precede Christ’s return:
1) Since the second part of the seal is the response of unrepentant humanity to the massive natural catastrophes in the first part, the two parts possibly describe different events.
2) Both the natural catastrophes and the seven last plagues are the revenge promised to the souls in the fifth seal (Rev 6:10-11). To explain:
We can assume that the natural catastrophes in the first part of the sixth seal (Rev 6:12-14) are that promised revenge because they follow immediately after the fifth seal, in which the souls who had been slain for their faith ask God, “How long … will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood?” They are told to wait “for a little while longer” (Rev 6:9-11).
However, according to Revelation 19:2, God will fulfill that promise of revenge through the judgment on Babylon, and that judgment is the seventh plague (Rev 16:19). [Show More]
In Revelation 19:2, a great multitude praises God because He has “avenged the blood of his bond-servants.” All main concepts from the fifth seal, such as judge, avenge, and the slain fellow-servants, are found in 19:2. This verse, therefore, praises God that He has executed the judgment promised in the fifth seal.
But 19:2 indicates that God has fulfilled that promise by judging “the great harlot,” also known as Babylon (Rev 17:5). She is identified as the one who is guilty of the deaths of all of God’s people who have ever been killed (Rev 18:24).
Babylon was judged in the seventh plague. That plague reads: “Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath” (Rev 16:19). |
Furthermore, the third plague is also part of that revenge. [Show More]
Revelation 16:5-6, where water is turned to blood, reads:
“Righteous are You, who are and who were … because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints …”
|
Therefore, all seven plagues are the revenge promised in the fifth seal. Therefore, since the natural catastrophes of the first part of the sixth seal are that revenge, that first part is equivalent to the seven last plagues.
3) Both the seventh plague and the natural catastrophes in the sixth seal begin with “a great earthquake” (Rev 6:12; 16:18) and conclude with the destruction of “every mountain and island” (Rev 6:12; 16:20).
Therefore, since the first part of the sixth seal is the seven last plagues, the second part is the return of Christ. A series of articles on the seven last plagues is available.
The Seventh Seal
Since the sixth seal shows the people realizing they are doomed, the seventh is their destruction. |
The seventh seal is very brief. It is only a single verse and says, “There was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Rev 8:1). Since it is so brief, the context must explain it. Since the second part of the sixth seal describes a point in time during Christ’s return, when the people realize that they are doomed (Rev 19:17-19), another article interprets the silence of the seventh seal as the extreme sorrow in God’s heart and the hearts of His people when God’s enemies are put to death (Rev 19:20-21). (Read Article)
Other Articles
The Seven Seals
Other
- I recommend Jon Paulien’s commentary on Revelation for further reading. For general theological discussions, I recommend Graham Maxwell, who you will find on the Pineknoll website.