THE SIXTH SEAL (Concluded):
The opening of the sixth seal began with an “earthquake”, the result of which caused the sun to be darkened with sackcloth; the moon to become as blood; and the stars to fall from heaven.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev 6:15-17)
Like bats and moles fleeing to their caves and holes in the ground, the world, in fear of the things to come upon the earth during the second world war (“earthquake”), fled into the church (“hid themselves”) in greater numbers than had ever been seen before or since. They were not entering the Kingdom, just the church (dens and rocks), which no longer offered a King to them, but just a quick way to avoid the judgment of God. The “repeat after me” gospel was born, and thousands upon thousands recited their way into church membership, rather than Kingdom citizenship.
This was the cause for the sun (Holy Spirit) to be in sackcloth (grieving); for the moon (church) to become as blood (corrupted with the world’s shadow); and for the stars of heaven (believers) to fall from the tree (turn from the Kingdom).
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Rev 7:2-3)
With the church now teeming with worldliness, the Lord commissioned the faithful of the age to “seal the servants of our God” hidden among the tares of the church.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Eph 4:30)
This launched a great evangelical movement that would sweep the nations with a powerful message about He who is both Savior and LORD. This is the message Jesus called the “gospel of the Kingdom”.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Mat 24:14)
The 144,000 that are sealed in verse 4 of Revelation 7 speak of all of the last age believers walking in the Holy Spirit. The Lord uses the tribes of Israel as a symbol for the Kingdom of Heaven. Each of the tribes named is significant because of what their names mean: Judah speaks of “praising God”; Reuben means “son of witness”; Gad means “overcomer”; Asher means “blessing”; Simeon means “hearing”; Levi means “intimacy” etc.
Each of these represent characteristics of the Kingdom. God “seals” them with His Holy Spirit to protect them from what is to come. It’s important to note that two tribes of Israel have intentionally been omitted from this list. Ephraim and Dan. Ephraim’s name means “to multiply”. Dan’s name means “judge”. God is signifying by this that there is no place in His Kingdom for those who care only about church growth in numbers (to multiply) or those who judge others by their own standards. Another point about this is that both Ephraim and Dan were guilty, in the old testament, of bringing idolatry into Israel.
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all tribes, and nations, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Rev 7:9)
The fruit of the sixth church age is the sealing of all God’s Kingdom faithful, from every walk of life, both Jew and Gentile alike. This great multitude is seen holding “palm branches” which speaks of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem and reminds us He is coming again to complete the victory, but first…
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Mat 24:14)
When that great work is finished the seventh church age will begin. And John tells us it will begin with…
…a silence in heaven... (Rev 8:1)
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