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]
| 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]
“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]
| 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]
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]
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]
| 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]
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]
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]
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]
| 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]
| 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]
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]
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]
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]
| 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 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]
Furthermore, the third plague is also part of that revenge. [Show More]
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.
The first four seals (6:1-8) describe the timeless realities of the Church Age:
In this chapter, an angel brings something else out of heaven at a specific time, namely a Little Open Book (Rev 10:1-2), meaning that the church receives a special message from heaven. He gives it to John to eat and tells John to “prophesy again” (Rev 10:9-11).