Choose Your Wrath
Revelation 6:9-17
Message #16
There’s a time coming when every person still on earth will be forced to choose between one of two wraths. After the Rapture, when all Believers are “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air to be with him forever, that we believe will occur before or at the beginning of the Tribulation. After the Rapture, every person on earth will have to choose to face either the wrath of the Antichrist or the wrath of God.
Every person will have to choose to either face the wrath of the Antichrist and most likely die as a martyr OR face the wrath of God here on earth and face an eternity separated from God. If you are martyred, it is way better to face the wrath of the Antichrist because you face that wrath, and then you receive the glory of Heaven. So, it’s way better to be taken to Heaven as a martyr than it is to decide to face the wrath of God and choose the side of the Antichrist. Choose the Antichrist’s wrath, and you have an eternity of glory in the presence of the Lord. Choose to face the wrath of God, and you have eternal separation from the glory of the Lord.
I came across a story of the days when the true danger of smoking cigarettes was first discovered. And there were so many warnings in the newspapers about the danger of smoking that smokers everywhere were canceling their newspaper subscriptions so they wouldn’t have to hear the warnings. Please, do not cancel the warnings of Revelation – they are written to truly save your eternal life, to give you eternal life. Don’t ignore them because you don’t want to hear the warning.
The first four seals have been opened from the scroll that contains the entire Tribulation. So, Jesus took that scroll from the Father’s hand, and we said, in that scroll, the entire seven-year Tribulation is rolled up. And so, as Jesus starts to unbreak the seals on the scroll, that scroll begins to unroll. And as it unrolls, the Tribulation unfolds.
Last message, we saw four seals broken, and the four horsemen have descended on the earth to kick off the Tribulation, and those first four judgments came mostly from the actions of Mankind. They were really judgments as a result of the Holy Spirit being taken away from the earth (the Restrainer of Evil taken up with the Church). It was mostly the evilness of man toward one another. There was war, and slaughter, and there was famine and more slaughter because of the famine. And remember, it started with the Antichrist – with false peace.
But today, God takes things to the next level. The first four judgments were mostly man. Now, it’s the hand of God. God becomes directly involved in the judgment of sin on the earth, and his judgment gets exponentially worse from this point on.
But before it does, we are going to first see in Heaven, the souls of those who have been martyred for their stand on the Word of God and their faith in Christ during the Tribulation. These are the ones who have put their faith in Jesus for salvation – after the Rapture. And they have chosen to face the wrath of the Antichrist instead of the wrath of God. But they have chosen correctly – because now they arrive in Heaven as martyrs.
So, we jump back at the fifth seal, and the fifth seal is not so much a judgment. Instead, it’s a result of the judgment occurring on earth. Jesus is continuing to open the seals (from last week).
Revelation 6:9 (NLT)
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.
This is the first group in Revelation of those who will be martyred for their faith, and we’ll see more and more martyrs as we continue. This is just the beginning of those who stand up for Christ in the Tribulation and are brought to Heaven as martyrs. And because all Believers have been caught up in the Rapture already, we know these are new Believers in the first period of the Tribulation. We need to know how intense their commitment in Christ has to be. They have chosen to face death here on earth because of their newfound faith in Jesus Christ.
Strong’s Lexicon: martyred (sphazo) to slaughter, to butcher, to put to death by violence.
This is the brutal slaughtering of those who choose to stand for Jesus Christ in the Tribulation.
One of the points I truly want you to understand today is you don’t want to be one of these martyrs. It’s going to be so much better to get caught up in the Rapture with the rest of us and just be in Heaven because it’s going to be brutal slaughtering. And listen, it’s for those who stand up for Christ. And so, if you say, “Well, I don’t really want to stand up for Christ now, but I will in the Tribulation.” No – you won’t. If you can’t stand up for Christ now, how are you going to stand up for Christ in the Tribulation when the whole world is under the control of the Antichrist spirit and eventually The Antichrist?
And verse 9 says their souls are “under the altar.” In the Old Testament, the blood of the sacrifice was poured out under the altar. And in the Old Testament, the blood was considered the life (in Leviticus, it says, “the life is in the blood,” and that’s actually a prophecy of Christ and him giving his life as he is crucified for us), and so the life of the sacrifice was poured out for the Glory of God, and that is how Heaven sees the martyrs of the Tribulation. They choose to have their life poured out for the glory of God. Romans 8:18 says “I consider the sufferings of this present time not to be worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us.” And so, we use that now to say, “It’s okay, you’ll get another car…” because we consider stuff like that “Tribulation” in this culture. Here, it’s going to be, “It’s all right; just ask them to sharpen the sword before they decapitate you, so it’s fast.”
And notice why these martyrs are slain in the Tribulation. The end of verse 9 says they had been slain
for the word of God
and for being faithful in their testimony. (faithful witness)
Revelation 1:9 says these are the same two reasons the Apostle John was banished to the Isle of Patmos “for the word of God and his faithful testimony of Jesus.”
And it’s interesting that these are the same two things that rile up so many in our country. I typed into Google a few weeks ago, “Are Evangelical Christians the enemy?” And you would be amazed at the mainstream media that actually say the words that the number one enemy of our culture is “radical extremist evangelical Christians. But if you have the courage, or if you think I am joking, carefully Google it for yourselves, and you will be amazed. I was in shock at how many times the media uses the words “extremist” and “Evangelical Christian” together. The “extremist Evangelical Christians” are the enemy of our culture.
Guys, if you will stand for the Word of God and be faithful in your testimony for Jesus, you may get ridiculed and mocked in our culture today. You’ll even get hate on social media. But in the Tribulation – you will be brutally slaughtered.
If you can’t stand up for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ because you’re afraid of some social media hate, you are never going to stand up for Christ when they are going to slaughter you for it. It concerns me when I hear people say, “Well, someday. Some day. I know, I’ve got to clean my life up…” I say, “No. No. You don’t have ‘some’ day. It’s not ‘some’ day.” I have a friend who says, “Your Armageddon is the moment you step off the curb at the wrong time.” So, don’t say, “I’m going to wait until Jesus at the Rapture, and then I’ll get saved after that.” You won’t.
And how is it that these martyrs will come to salvation? They’re saved – the Church is gone; it has been “caught up” into Heaven. The Restrainer of Evil (the Holy Spirit) has been caught up, but to some extent, we think the Holy Spirit is still on earth the way he was in the Old Testament. But the question is, how do they get saved? If they’re getting martyred for the Word of God and their testimony of Jesus, then they have to have gotten saved. We’re in the beginning of the Tribulation, and so they’ve got to be relatively new Believers. So, let’s explain it.
Remember, not everything in Revelation is perfectly chronological. It is generally chronological. You can’t say it’s never chronological, and you can’t say it’s always chronological. Much of what John sees and writes are happening at the same time.
Many scholars see:
The things we are looking at now – all happening (to some extent) at the same time – at the beginning of the Tribulation.
Then we’ll see a number of things happening (to some extent) at the same time – in the middle of the Tribulation.
Then we’ll see a number of things happening (to some extent) at the same time – during the end of the Tribulation.
And so, within those three sections, Revelation is not always perfectly chronological.
Why do I say it? All of the next chapter (Chapter 7) deals with how so many are being saved and then martyred during this time. In Revelation 7, verse 4, we’ll meet 144,000 Jews who are sealed by God (spirit-filled and protected) to be his witnesses, and their primary purpose is to turn the hearts of Israel to the Messiah. Twelve thousand from each of the Twelve Tribes, who are sealed and protected, become the evangelists in the Tribulation.
There will be people saved that have been in church that have heard the gospel, and then the Rapture convinces them that maybe they should have paid more attention. And they’ll start reading their Bible, or they’ll find one of the millions of Bibles not being used; they’ll read it, and they’ll get saved. But these 144,000 Jews, their purpose is to turn the heart of Israel to God.
In fact, in regard to salvation, God is primarily dealing with Israel during the Tribulation (we’ll see that more as we go).
And here, in the beginning of the Tribulation, these 144,000 Jewish Evangelists have a huge witnessing tool for both Jews and Gentiles. The fact that millions of Christians have suddenly disappeared, just as the New Testament says, THAT is quite a witnessing tool. And with the proof of the Rapture right in front of them, Israel is going to turn to Jesus in huge numbers, and many will be slaughtered for their faith.
And not only the Jews but multitudes of people who think they’re “okay with God” today will feel very different when they get left behind in the Rapture, and they will suddenly be very motivated to find a Bible. They will finally read it and finally understand their need for a real personal faith in Jesus Christ, and many will get saved, and they will be slaughtered for their faith. And although it will be a horrible end to their earthly life, it will usher them into an indescribable eternal life with the Lord in Heaven.
David Jeremiah makes it very simple. He says during the Tribulation, people will either suffer the wrath of God or suffer the wrath of the Antichrist.
If you side with the Antichrist, you will suffer God’s wrath and be separated from God for eternity.
If you side with Jesus, you will suffer the wrath of the Antichrist, but you will gain eternal life with the Lord in Heaven.
But don’t fool yourself into thinking you can reject God until AFTER the Rapture and then take a stand for Jesus Christ because if you continually reject God today with the grace of God all around you, your heart may become so hardened that you cannot repent and turn to God in the Tribulation.
That is exactly what happened to the Pharaoh of Egypt in the Ten Plagues of Egypt in Exodus Chapters 7-11. After every plague of judgment, God gave the Pharaoh the opportunity to repent. But every time the Pharaoh rejected God’s offer to repent, Pharaoh’s heart got harder until the Pharaoh was finally BEYOND the ability to repent.
So, why wait until the wrath of the Tribulation begins when you can receive Jesus Christ today and come with us in the Rapture before it gets ugly down here? I promise, going in the Rapture is a much better plan.
Revelation 6:10 (NLT)
10 They (the martyrs) shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”
Now, that may not sound like a very “Christian” prayer for these martyrs to pray. But notice, they are not asking the Lord to judge these people. That judgment is already going on, and their lives have been poured out as a sacrifice for the Glory of God in that judgment. They are asking how long until this is over. How long until this reign of sin and the judgment of God on the earth is over?
And (of course) God hears their prayer.
Revelation 6:11 (NLT)
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
So, the Lord says, listen. You are safe and secure under the covering of the altar in Heaven (that’s where they are; their souls are under the altar). I’m going to give you white robes (which represent the righteousness of Jesus Christ), and I want to give you rest. Rest. Because there are more that need to be martyred. There are still more to come.
The Lord lets them know their number is not complete yet, and his final judgment cannot fall until all who will be saved – are saved.
God gives these martyrs
His covering
His righteousness
His rest
and he assures them he is in total control of this situation.
Guys, one of the greatest things we see here is that God still has a plan for salvation even after the Rapture. The Tribulation will be a terrible and difficult time to get saved. But what a testimony of God’s love that still makes a way for people to be saved even in the terribleness and judgment of the Tribulation.
But now, if you choose to reject God’s free gift of salvation, side with the Antichrist, and face God’s wrath on earth, you are going to find yourself in the middle of the absolute earth-shaking wrath of God, and here’s what that wrath begins to look like.
Revelation 6:12 (NLT)
12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.
Here it comes – THIS is the wrath direct from the hand of God. A great earthquake like nothing we’ve ever experienced affecting the entire earth. And probably because of this worldwide earthquake, volcanoes around the world open up and spew ash into the sky, turning the sun black and the moon red like blood.
We’re not trying to tell you what this means; we’re just saying, “This could be this.” Here’s how we interpret Revelation verse 12. There was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth. And the moon became as red as blood. That’s our interpretation. So, we’re not interpreting; we’re just saying, yeah. This is going to happen and could easily be massive volcanoes from massive earthquakes. But the truth is the world will know this is trouble on a different scale. The world has been in war, they’ve been in famine, they’ve been killing each other for food, and now it’s coming from Heaven.
Look at verse 13.
Revelation 6:13 (NLT)
13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.
This is likely a reference to a great meteor shower hitting the earth coming on the heels of a great earthquake and (probably) massive volcano eruptions.
Revelation 6:14 (NLT)
14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
The sky vanishes like a scroll being rolled up, possibly because of the massive volcano eruptions and the meteor shower pummeling the earth. AND because of the earthquake, volcanoes, and meteor showers, every mountain and island is moved from its place. Not “removed” as in “gone forever,” but moved, meaning shaken loose from its foundation.
This is the first time in the Tribulation that God has directly brought his judgment upon the earth, and every person on earth knows this is different – this is from God! And all levels of people on earth respond the same way.
Revelation 6:15 (NLT)
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
They all try to hide themselves from the judgment of God in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. But the question is, why are they not calling out to God? Certainly, they know by now judgment at this level is coming from God. And if they’re not calling out to God, who (or what) are they calling out to?
Why aren’t they calling out to God? Why aren’t they repenting and humbling themselves? Haven’t you wondered that about people whose hearts are so hard towards God?
Revelation 6:16-17 (NLT)
16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one 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 survive?”
Instead of crying out to God in repentance and humility? The people cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall on them in order to hide them from the face of God and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Why won’t they cry out to God to save them? Because what we see in Revelation is AS the judgment of God continues to increase, the hearts of the people on earth get harder and harder toward him until finally, they join the Antichrist in war against God (Chapters 18 and 19). You would think as God’s judgment begins to fall, people would recognize their sin and rebellion and turn to God for salvation. But just the opposite is true, and all who have hardened their hearts toward God will choose instead to subject themselves to his wrath.
We’ve got to deal with our sin now while we are still able to repent and be saved. Don’t think that if you end up in that situation that you’ll be able to repent and receive Christ and be saved. Maybe you can – but chances are your heart will be too hardened. Don’t risk it.
We have to deal with our sin now. We have to make sure that we’re right with God now just in case the Rapture’s tonight or that bus is tonight – the one that is your Armageddon.
We have to soften our hearts toward God now. We have to stop wagging our finger at God now, and questioning God, and being angry at God. And we’ve got to repent and be saved now! Because the majority of those who harden their hearts toward God BEFORE the Rapture will continue to harden their hearts toward God in the Tribulation.
The only real answer is repent now and turn to Jesus Christ now. The only real answer is surrender now, knowing that this is the God who must judge sin and that judgment is coming, and he’s made a way for us to escape it all. It is the free gift of salvation in his Son, in Jesus Christ. But the more you reject him, the harder your heart will become toward him.
Hebrews 3, verse 15 says:
Hebrews 3:15 (NLT)
15 . . . “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”
Don’t allow your sin, or your pride, or anything else to harden your heart towards God. The only answer is to receive his free gift of salvation now while you can. And then be confidently assured that you’ll be there in Heaven with him when the judgment is poured out and you’ll be saved from the wrath that is to come.
Every person will have to choose to either face the wrath of the Antichrist and most likely die as a martyr OR face the wrath of God here on earth and face an eternity separated from God. If you are martyred, it is way better to face the wrath of the Antichrist because you face that wrath, and then you receive the glory of Heaven. So, it’s way better to be taken to Heaven as a martyr than it is to decide to face the wrath of God and choose the side of the Antichrist. Choose the Antichrist’s wrath, and you have an eternity of glory in the presence of the Lord. Choose to face the wrath of God, and you have eternal separation from the glory of the Lord.
I came across a story of the days when the true danger of smoking cigarettes was first discovered. And there were so many warnings in the newspapers about the danger of smoking that smokers everywhere were canceling their newspaper subscriptions so they wouldn’t have to hear the warnings. Please, do not cancel the warnings of Revelation – they are written to truly save your eternal life, to give you eternal life. Don’t ignore them because you don’t want to hear the warning.
The first four seals have been opened from the scroll that contains the entire Tribulation. So, Jesus took that scroll from the Father’s hand, and we said, in that scroll, the entire seven-year Tribulation is rolled up. And so, as Jesus starts to unbreak the seals on the scroll, that scroll begins to unroll. And as it unrolls, the Tribulation unfolds.
Last message, we saw four seals broken, and the four horsemen have descended on the earth to kick off the Tribulation, and those first four judgments came mostly from the actions of Mankind. They were really judgments as a result of the Holy Spirit being taken away from the earth (the Restrainer of Evil taken up with the Church). It was mostly the evilness of man toward one another. There was war, and slaughter, and there was famine and more slaughter because of the famine. And remember, it started with the Antichrist – with false peace.
But today, God takes things to the next level. The first four judgments were mostly man. Now, it’s the hand of God. God becomes directly involved in the judgment of sin on the earth, and his judgment gets exponentially worse from this point on.
But before it does, we are going to first see in Heaven, the souls of those who have been martyred for their stand on the Word of God and their faith in Christ during the Tribulation. These are the ones who have put their faith in Jesus for salvation – after the Rapture. And they have chosen to face the wrath of the Antichrist instead of the wrath of God. But they have chosen correctly – because now they arrive in Heaven as martyrs.
So, we jump back at the fifth seal, and the fifth seal is not so much a judgment. Instead, it’s a result of the judgment occurring on earth. Jesus is continuing to open the seals (from last week).
Revelation 6:9 (NLT)
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.
This is the first group in Revelation of those who will be martyred for their faith, and we’ll see more and more martyrs as we continue. This is just the beginning of those who stand up for Christ in the Tribulation and are brought to Heaven as martyrs. And because all Believers have been caught up in the Rapture already, we know these are new Believers in the first period of the Tribulation. We need to know how intense their commitment in Christ has to be. They have chosen to face death here on earth because of their newfound faith in Jesus Christ.
Strong’s Lexicon: martyred (sphazo) to slaughter, to butcher, to put to death by violence.
This is the brutal slaughtering of those who choose to stand for Jesus Christ in the Tribulation.
One of the points I truly want you to understand today is you don’t want to be one of these martyrs. It’s going to be so much better to get caught up in the Rapture with the rest of us and just be in Heaven because it’s going to be brutal slaughtering. And listen, it’s for those who stand up for Christ. And so, if you say, “Well, I don’t really want to stand up for Christ now, but I will in the Tribulation.” No – you won’t. If you can’t stand up for Christ now, how are you going to stand up for Christ in the Tribulation when the whole world is under the control of the Antichrist spirit and eventually The Antichrist?
And verse 9 says their souls are “under the altar.” In the Old Testament, the blood of the sacrifice was poured out under the altar. And in the Old Testament, the blood was considered the life (in Leviticus, it says, “the life is in the blood,” and that’s actually a prophecy of Christ and him giving his life as he is crucified for us), and so the life of the sacrifice was poured out for the Glory of God, and that is how Heaven sees the martyrs of the Tribulation. They choose to have their life poured out for the glory of God. Romans 8:18 says “I consider the sufferings of this present time not to be worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us.” And so, we use that now to say, “It’s okay, you’ll get another car…” because we consider stuff like that “Tribulation” in this culture. Here, it’s going to be, “It’s all right; just ask them to sharpen the sword before they decapitate you, so it’s fast.”
And notice why these martyrs are slain in the Tribulation. The end of verse 9 says they had been slain
for the word of God
and for being faithful in their testimony. (faithful witness)
Revelation 1:9 says these are the same two reasons the Apostle John was banished to the Isle of Patmos “for the word of God and his faithful testimony of Jesus.”
And it’s interesting that these are the same two things that rile up so many in our country. I typed into Google a few weeks ago, “Are Evangelical Christians the enemy?” And you would be amazed at the mainstream media that actually say the words that the number one enemy of our culture is “radical extremist evangelical Christians. But if you have the courage, or if you think I am joking, carefully Google it for yourselves, and you will be amazed. I was in shock at how many times the media uses the words “extremist” and “Evangelical Christian” together. The “extremist Evangelical Christians” are the enemy of our culture.
Guys, if you will stand for the Word of God and be faithful in your testimony for Jesus, you may get ridiculed and mocked in our culture today. You’ll even get hate on social media. But in the Tribulation – you will be brutally slaughtered.
If you can’t stand up for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ because you’re afraid of some social media hate, you are never going to stand up for Christ when they are going to slaughter you for it. It concerns me when I hear people say, “Well, someday. Some day. I know, I’ve got to clean my life up…” I say, “No. No. You don’t have ‘some’ day. It’s not ‘some’ day.” I have a friend who says, “Your Armageddon is the moment you step off the curb at the wrong time.” So, don’t say, “I’m going to wait until Jesus at the Rapture, and then I’ll get saved after that.” You won’t.
And how is it that these martyrs will come to salvation? They’re saved – the Church is gone; it has been “caught up” into Heaven. The Restrainer of Evil (the Holy Spirit) has been caught up, but to some extent, we think the Holy Spirit is still on earth the way he was in the Old Testament. But the question is, how do they get saved? If they’re getting martyred for the Word of God and their testimony of Jesus, then they have to have gotten saved. We’re in the beginning of the Tribulation, and so they’ve got to be relatively new Believers. So, let’s explain it.
Remember, not everything in Revelation is perfectly chronological. It is generally chronological. You can’t say it’s never chronological, and you can’t say it’s always chronological. Much of what John sees and writes are happening at the same time.
Many scholars see:
The things we are looking at now – all happening (to some extent) at the same time – at the beginning of the Tribulation.
Then we’ll see a number of things happening (to some extent) at the same time – in the middle of the Tribulation.
Then we’ll see a number of things happening (to some extent) at the same time – during the end of the Tribulation.
And so, within those three sections, Revelation is not always perfectly chronological.
Why do I say it? All of the next chapter (Chapter 7) deals with how so many are being saved and then martyred during this time. In Revelation 7, verse 4, we’ll meet 144,000 Jews who are sealed by God (spirit-filled and protected) to be his witnesses, and their primary purpose is to turn the hearts of Israel to the Messiah. Twelve thousand from each of the Twelve Tribes, who are sealed and protected, become the evangelists in the Tribulation.
There will be people saved that have been in church that have heard the gospel, and then the Rapture convinces them that maybe they should have paid more attention. And they’ll start reading their Bible, or they’ll find one of the millions of Bibles not being used; they’ll read it, and they’ll get saved. But these 144,000 Jews, their purpose is to turn the heart of Israel to God.
In fact, in regard to salvation, God is primarily dealing with Israel during the Tribulation (we’ll see that more as we go).
And here, in the beginning of the Tribulation, these 144,000 Jewish Evangelists have a huge witnessing tool for both Jews and Gentiles. The fact that millions of Christians have suddenly disappeared, just as the New Testament says, THAT is quite a witnessing tool. And with the proof of the Rapture right in front of them, Israel is going to turn to Jesus in huge numbers, and many will be slaughtered for their faith.
And not only the Jews but multitudes of people who think they’re “okay with God” today will feel very different when they get left behind in the Rapture, and they will suddenly be very motivated to find a Bible. They will finally read it and finally understand their need for a real personal faith in Jesus Christ, and many will get saved, and they will be slaughtered for their faith. And although it will be a horrible end to their earthly life, it will usher them into an indescribable eternal life with the Lord in Heaven.
David Jeremiah makes it very simple. He says during the Tribulation, people will either suffer the wrath of God or suffer the wrath of the Antichrist.
If you side with the Antichrist, you will suffer God’s wrath and be separated from God for eternity.
If you side with Jesus, you will suffer the wrath of the Antichrist, but you will gain eternal life with the Lord in Heaven.
But don’t fool yourself into thinking you can reject God until AFTER the Rapture and then take a stand for Jesus Christ because if you continually reject God today with the grace of God all around you, your heart may become so hardened that you cannot repent and turn to God in the Tribulation.
That is exactly what happened to the Pharaoh of Egypt in the Ten Plagues of Egypt in Exodus Chapters 7-11. After every plague of judgment, God gave the Pharaoh the opportunity to repent. But every time the Pharaoh rejected God’s offer to repent, Pharaoh’s heart got harder until the Pharaoh was finally BEYOND the ability to repent.
So, why wait until the wrath of the Tribulation begins when you can receive Jesus Christ today and come with us in the Rapture before it gets ugly down here? I promise, going in the Rapture is a much better plan.
Revelation 6:10 (NLT)
10 They (the martyrs) shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”
Now, that may not sound like a very “Christian” prayer for these martyrs to pray. But notice, they are not asking the Lord to judge these people. That judgment is already going on, and their lives have been poured out as a sacrifice for the Glory of God in that judgment. They are asking how long until this is over. How long until this reign of sin and the judgment of God on the earth is over?
And (of course) God hears their prayer.
Revelation 6:11 (NLT)
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
So, the Lord says, listen. You are safe and secure under the covering of the altar in Heaven (that’s where they are; their souls are under the altar). I’m going to give you white robes (which represent the righteousness of Jesus Christ), and I want to give you rest. Rest. Because there are more that need to be martyred. There are still more to come.
The Lord lets them know their number is not complete yet, and his final judgment cannot fall until all who will be saved – are saved.
God gives these martyrs
His covering
His righteousness
His rest
and he assures them he is in total control of this situation.
Guys, one of the greatest things we see here is that God still has a plan for salvation even after the Rapture. The Tribulation will be a terrible and difficult time to get saved. But what a testimony of God’s love that still makes a way for people to be saved even in the terribleness and judgment of the Tribulation.
But now, if you choose to reject God’s free gift of salvation, side with the Antichrist, and face God’s wrath on earth, you are going to find yourself in the middle of the absolute earth-shaking wrath of God, and here’s what that wrath begins to look like.
Revelation 6:12 (NLT)
12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.
Here it comes – THIS is the wrath direct from the hand of God. A great earthquake like nothing we’ve ever experienced affecting the entire earth. And probably because of this worldwide earthquake, volcanoes around the world open up and spew ash into the sky, turning the sun black and the moon red like blood.
We’re not trying to tell you what this means; we’re just saying, “This could be this.” Here’s how we interpret Revelation verse 12. There was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth. And the moon became as red as blood. That’s our interpretation. So, we’re not interpreting; we’re just saying, yeah. This is going to happen and could easily be massive volcanoes from massive earthquakes. But the truth is the world will know this is trouble on a different scale. The world has been in war, they’ve been in famine, they’ve been killing each other for food, and now it’s coming from Heaven.
Look at verse 13.
Revelation 6:13 (NLT)
13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.
This is likely a reference to a great meteor shower hitting the earth coming on the heels of a great earthquake and (probably) massive volcano eruptions.
Revelation 6:14 (NLT)
14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
The sky vanishes like a scroll being rolled up, possibly because of the massive volcano eruptions and the meteor shower pummeling the earth. AND because of the earthquake, volcanoes, and meteor showers, every mountain and island is moved from its place. Not “removed” as in “gone forever,” but moved, meaning shaken loose from its foundation.
This is the first time in the Tribulation that God has directly brought his judgment upon the earth, and every person on earth knows this is different – this is from God! And all levels of people on earth respond the same way.
Revelation 6:15 (NLT)
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
They all try to hide themselves from the judgment of God in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. But the question is, why are they not calling out to God? Certainly, they know by now judgment at this level is coming from God. And if they’re not calling out to God, who (or what) are they calling out to?
Why aren’t they calling out to God? Why aren’t they repenting and humbling themselves? Haven’t you wondered that about people whose hearts are so hard towards God?
Revelation 6:16-17 (NLT)
16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one 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 survive?”
Instead of crying out to God in repentance and humility? The people cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall on them in order to hide them from the face of God and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Why won’t they cry out to God to save them? Because what we see in Revelation is AS the judgment of God continues to increase, the hearts of the people on earth get harder and harder toward him until finally, they join the Antichrist in war against God (Chapters 18 and 19). You would think as God’s judgment begins to fall, people would recognize their sin and rebellion and turn to God for salvation. But just the opposite is true, and all who have hardened their hearts toward God will choose instead to subject themselves to his wrath.
We’ve got to deal with our sin now while we are still able to repent and be saved. Don’t think that if you end up in that situation that you’ll be able to repent and receive Christ and be saved. Maybe you can – but chances are your heart will be too hardened. Don’t risk it.
We have to deal with our sin now. We have to make sure that we’re right with God now just in case the Rapture’s tonight or that bus is tonight – the one that is your Armageddon.
We have to soften our hearts toward God now. We have to stop wagging our finger at God now, and questioning God, and being angry at God. And we’ve got to repent and be saved now! Because the majority of those who harden their hearts toward God BEFORE the Rapture will continue to harden their hearts toward God in the Tribulation.
The only real answer is repent now and turn to Jesus Christ now. The only real answer is surrender now, knowing that this is the God who must judge sin and that judgment is coming, and he’s made a way for us to escape it all. It is the free gift of salvation in his Son, in Jesus Christ. But the more you reject him, the harder your heart will become toward him.
Hebrews 3, verse 15 says:
Hebrews 3:15 (NLT)
15 . . . “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”
Don’t allow your sin, or your pride, or anything else to harden your heart towards God. The only answer is to receive his free gift of salvation now while you can. And then be confidently assured that you’ll be there in Heaven with him when the judgment is poured out and you’ll be saved from the wrath that is to come.