Segment VIII

Seal #6 – A Campaign of Victory – The Glory of Jesus Exposed

“I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks o the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:12-17)

The sixth seal closes the campaigns of the first five seals in a show of power, brilliance and glory that would dwarf the simultaneous detonation of all the world’s atomic bombs. When Jesus appears, He will rescue the righteous and destroy the wicked. The false prophet (Lucifer) and his Crisis Government (the beast of Revelation 13:1) will be captured alive and thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. “The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 19:20) The special body that Lucifer will “assume” when he comes out of the spirit world will be burned up in this lake of burning sulfur, along with the bodies of the wicked that participated in his government. God will give Lucifer a body at the beginning of the fifth trumpet so that he might physically appear before the human race. This body will be destroyed at the Second Coming, which will effectively return Lucifer to his previous location – the abyss, or spirit world. (Revelation 9:1-3; 20:1-3) Meanwhile, the rest of the wicked will be destroyed at the Second Coming with a single command that comes out of the mouth of Jesus. They will not be burned up. “The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” (Revelation 19:21)

Two distinct groups of people will see the appearing of Jesus. The population of Earth at that time will be quite small. The saints, barely alive and clothed with tattered rags, will tremble at the majesty and grandeur of Jesus. They will cry out, “…Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9) The wicked will tremble at the majesty and grandeur of Jesus, and an overwhelming fear of justice will engulf their hate filled souls. “Then the kings of the Earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15)

In the coming study about the seven trumpets, you will learn that the appearing of Jesus occurs over a period of ten days. The sign of His appearing will be in a cloud in the eastern sky. (Revelation 16:12) As He draws nearer to Earth, the cloud will grow larger, the sky will become more violent until the rider on the white horse, and His army fills the whole sky, from horizon to horizon. “For as lightening that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:27) The lightening and thunder within the approaching cloud of glory will grow in intensity until the armies of Earth are paralyzed in fear. “Every heart will melt and every hand go limp: every spirit will become faint and every knee become as weak as water.” (Ezekiel 21:7) Unlike the local sightings of Lucifer during the fifth trumpet, the appearing of Jesus will not be a local event. “Look, he is coming with the clouds of heaven, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all of the peoples of Earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)

Because Earth rotates on its axis in a counterclockwise direction, any object approaching Earth from space appears first in the eastern sky. As Earth rotates beneath His swelling cloud of glory, the people of earth will have several days to look up and see Jesus approaching. “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the Earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30, italics mine) “Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.” (Daniel 12:12)

The Day of the Lord

King David wrote about the great day of the Lord’s appearing saying, “The Earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came out of his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and cam e down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him – the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightening.” (Psalms 18:7-12) Joel wrote about the great day of the Lord’s vengeance saying, “The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11)

When the sixth seal is broken, Revelation 6:12 indicates there will be a great earthquake. This global earthquake will cause our planet to begin quivering with violent tremors. This earthquake will grow in intensity and disaster – ultimately making the islands disappear and leveling the mountains! “No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on Earth, so tremendous was the quake… Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.” (Revelation 16:18, 20) As this earthquake shatters the crust of Earth, there will be a special resurrection of selected people. Jesus will fulfill the promise He made two thousand years ago to resurrect the people who participated in His crucifixion. When the chief priests and religious rulers are awakened, words will not be able to describe the terror and anxiety of the leaders who demanded Jesus’ death. When they see the Righteous One they condemned as a blasphemer now sitting beside the Father, their shame and self-loathing will be indescribable. Remember the conversation between Jesus and the high priest on that Friday morning, April 7, A.D. 30?

“The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming with the clouds of Heaven.’” (Matthew 26:63,64) Even the Roman soldiers who pierced the body of Jesus and divided his garments will be resurrected to see the majesty of “The Lamb of God.” (Revelation 1:7) 

The Father Comes with Jesus

Many people overlook the fact that when the Second Coming occurs, the Father comes to earth with Jesus! What could keep the Father away? Who has given more for our redemption than the Father and the Son? Look again at the words of Jesus to the high priest, “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of Heaven.” (Matthew 26:64) Compare this verse with the cry of the wicked, “They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from [a] the face of him who sits on the throne and [b] from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their [plural] wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:16,17, insertions mine) Also, consider this verse: “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings [plural] from the East.” (Revelation 16:12) When we examine the seven bowls, we will discover why the Father and Son are called “the Kings from the East.” For now, consider these two points: Jesus told His accusers that He would be sitting at the right hand of the Father and coming with the clouds of Heaven. Furthermore, we know that any object approaching Earth from space appears in the east, so it is not hard to conclude that the Father and the Son are Kings from the east. The Father and the Son will appear in a light that will be brighter than a welder’s arc. The righteous will tremble with awe and respect, but the wicked will run for cover faster than cockroaches hiding form the light. The display of Jesus’ glory at the Second Coming will eclipse the powerful display of authority that He demonstrated on Mount Sinai. “When the people saw the thunder and lightening and heard the trumpet [voice] and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’” (Exodus 20:18,19, insertion mine)

Saints Rescued First

The Second Coming of Jesus will be marked with glory, redemption and destruction. Jesus will reveal His wrath against sin and sinners in a way never to be forgotten display of sovereign glory. Jesus will reveal His unfailing love for the people who put their faith in Him by calling the righteous dead to life and gathering up all the saints to meet Him in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17) In our coming study about the seven bowls, we learn that the righteous will be gathered from Earth to meet the Lord in the air before the Lord destroys the wicked with the sharp sword that comes out of His mouth. The wicked will witness the redemption of the saints, and the righteous of all ages will see the destruction of the wicked with their own eyes. “Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.” (Psalm 91:8, KJV) The rescue of the righteous and the destruction of the wicked will cause a new wave of glory and praise for Jesus. Perhaps the saints will repeat this song many times. “They held harps given them by god and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: ‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.’” (Revelation 15:2-4)

Look at the dimensions surrounding the life of Jesus. He experienced false arrest, accusations of blasphemy, torture, humiliation and death at the hands of men. He experienced subjection and the second death (the penalty for sin) at the hands of the Father. Because He went through these experiences without sinning, He alone is worthy to exonerate God and redeem man! At the Second Coming, He will show His true identity: Almighty God. Is there anyone else like Him? The Second Coming will be the greatest epiphany ever seen. The glory of Jesus, His Eternal Majesty, as King of kings and Lord of lords, the King of Everlasting Glory will be revealed. When we see His love, the life and experience of Jesus, we will realize there is no one in the universe like Him. It is only right that a full revelation of Jesus take place. The Father wants the universe to know Jesus is not a lesser God than Himself. What a gracious Father! There is no jealousy for the highest honor among the members of the Godhead. Jesus has the same attributes as the Father and the Father will be delighted beyond words to have this glorious information disclosed.

Set Your Clock

I like to think of the Second Coming as an inaugural process that takes 1,335 days to complete. The inaugural calendar is divided into two segments. The first segment consists of “seven first plagues” and the last segment consists of “seven last plagues.” Take a detailed look at the chart below:

The Great Tribulation

-----------------------------1,335 Days --------------------------------

X -------- 1,260 Days ---------- X –4 --------- 70 Days ------ X

Seven First Plagues  ------------Seven Last Plagues

Many people argue that no one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36) Jesus did say that no ones the day or the hour of His return (and this includes me). However, once the Great Tribulation begins, the date of Christ’s return will no longer be a secret because Jesus has given us a comprehensive timetable of end time events in the books of Daniel and Revelation. This is why Jesus put eighteen prophetic time periods in these two books. You will be able to start your countdown clock for the appearing of Jesus with the first display of His sovereign authority. This display will consist of the following five physical events:

1.      Flashes of lightening

2.      Mysterious voices saying things

3.      Peals of thunder

4.      Global earthquake

5.      Fiery hail

This display of sovereign power will occur three times. Look at the chart above and notice three instances of the letter “X.” (Revelation 8:5, 11:19, 16:18)

The first “X” marks the breaking of the fourth seal. The sovereignty of Jesus will be declared throughout Earth by a series of five physical phenomena. The first “X” marks (a) the beginning of the judgment of the living, (b) the beginning of the Great Tribulation, and (c) the beginning of the seven trumpets (seven first plagues). These phenomena will arrest the attention of mankind. Christ’s second display of sovereign power occurs 1,260 days later. Once again, the same five physical phenomena will declare the sovereignty of Jesus.

The second “X” marks (a) the close of His judgment bar, and (b) the beginning of the seven bowls (seven last plagues). This display of power will indicate that Jesus has terminated His intercession for sinners. He has judged mankind and determined who will inherit Earth and who will be destroyed. (The four days shown on the chart represent the 3.5 days that the Two Witnesses lie in the street of the great city that will be covered in our study on the Two Witnesses.)  The third display of sovereign power marks the close of 6,000 years of sin.

The last “X” marks the Second coming of Jesus. The same five physical phenomena also attend the Second Coming and these phenomena contribute to the termination of life on planet earth. The wicked will be slain by fire or sword and the righteous will be taken to Heaven.  Lucifer and his angels will be returned to the abyss. Earth will be desolate for one thousand years of sabbatical rest – the seventh millennium.

Now that you have some idea of when Jesus declares His sovereignty, take a few moments to read the following texts. After you have examined each passage, make sure that you can associate each passage with its “X” in the chart, and while you are reading, look for the five physical phenomena just mentioned.

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