Who can stand? – The sixth seal.
“Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red;” Revelation 6:12.
The opening of the sixth seal illustrates, in a dramatic way, the nature of the great troubles that are to come. These unprecedented difficulties will be so immense that both the rich and the poor, along with the kings of the world, will call on the mountains to hide them “from him who sits on the throne.” This time of great trouble, which includes the punishment of the prostitute, the global coordinating authority, will be so severe that people will question whether anyone can survive. The reason these troubles are so terrifying is that the One who sits on the throne is about to return to earth.
Jesus told us that he would return when the sun and the moon are darkened at the end of great troubles. “Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29 – 30). (The emphasis is mine.) Jesus has given us a specific period during which He will return. However, the day and the hour within that time period are not known. The return of the Lamb is depicted in Revelation chapter 19. It will be addressed in ensuing blogs. Those who live on the earth will wonder “because the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” Revelation 6:17.
The Majority New Testament Text in Greek states, “His wrath” in the verse mentioned above. However, the Comparative Text in Greek suggests that translators changed the pronoun “His” to “their,” which is a plural pronoun. Some modern translations have also adopted the plural form instead of the singular.
This author considers the phrase “the great day of His wrath” to be a more appropriate translation. That said, everyone should consider the question, “Who can stand?” rather than focusing solely on whether the pronoun is singular or plural. No one should assume, “When I see it, I will take action.” The time to act is now! The anticipated global troubles, combined with the outpouring of the last seven plagues, will be so severe that even John, who was imprisoned, wondered, “Who can withstand it?” In response, the angel who spoke to John provided an encouraging answer: those who are sealed for God will withstand anything, regardless of the circumstances. But who are the sealed ones?
Read the next blog.