Revelation 6:12-17
“Will Catastrophe Lead To Salvation?”
Introduction
Matthew 24:5-14
Does catastrophes bring men to God?
In Revelation 6:12-17 the world is falling apart...how do men respond?
I. THE ACTION OF THE MASTER 6:12-14
II. THE ATTITUDE OF MEN 6:15-17
Does catastrophes bring men to God?
I. THE ACTION OF THE MASTER 6:12-14
A. Heavenly Providence
1. A great earthquake…
*The earth will suddenly begin to slip and fracture on a global basis. Faults shift.
*This will be accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions spewing vast quantities
of dust, steam and gasses into the upper atmosphere.
2. And the sun became black as (appearance) sackcloth of hair…
*It is probably the dust, steam and gases that will cause the sun to be darkened and
the moon to appear blood red.
3. Joel 2:9-11; 2:30,31
4. v. 13
Stars…not like our sun.
*Any pinpoint of light up in the sky.
*This could be a meteor shower (‘falling stars’).
They fell from heaven (our lower atmosphere)
*It might be a giant swarm of asteroids that pummel the earth and cause a
tremendous earthquake.
Heavens open as a scroll
*This is the language of appearance.
*The billowing smoke made the heavens appear to be rolled away like a scroll.
B. Human Perspective
1. Earthquakes are not unique to our age, as with wars the frequency and severity is
dramatically increasing, as with famines and pestilences.
2. The average rate of Big earthquakes…those larger than magnitude 7 has been
10 per year since 1979, the study reports. The rate rose to 12.5 per year starting
in 1992…then jumped to 16.7 per year starting in 2010 (this is an increase of 65%)
compared to the rate in 1979. This increase accelerated in the first three months
of 2014 to more than double the average of 1979. Tom Parson geophysicist (U.S.
Geological Society)
3. The shaking could be in conjunction with nuclear war heads hitting the earth.
*The A bomb was a firecracker compared to the bombs available today.
*After the A-bomb the sun became dark by a pillar of smoke that rose 20,000 ft.
*Several nights later the moon could not be seen through the particles but appeared
red in color or such fires on earth that they will reflect a red color on the moon.
*v. 13 how well stars depict our satellites.
*Have you ever seen a satellite at night? What does it appear to be? A Star!
*Is v. 14 a mushroom cloud?
*Perhaps at this time after the great Shake smaller war heads will fall on major
cities causing the scene of v. 15…Men running to fallout shelters, but wishing
they were dead!
Does catastrophes bring men to God?
II. THE ATTITUDE OF MEN 6:15-17
A. Protection 15
*Such a mighty display of cosmic power will finally gain the attention of the ungodly
world…
*If the leaders were awed and frightened by the terrifying convulsions even more so
were the ordinary people.
*All strata of society is erased…now it is survival!
*Hide in dens…fallout shelters, caves (some kind of hole in the ground).
*They run to rocks…human concept of escape and safety.
*So today, catastrophe strikes humans run to many ‘rocks’: alcohol, friends, pills,
psychiatrists, etc.
*Most catastrophes do not drive men to the Rock of Ages, but ‘rocks’ of their own
design.
B. Prayer 16
“Said to the rocks and mountains”
*They pray to gods who have no power…that which was to be their savior.
*They don’t want to live.
*They seek safety, but not repentance and forgiveness.
*They wish they could die, not fearing the judgment that is to follow.
“Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb”
*The inhabited world leaders are finally convinced of the foolishness of their atheism,
Humanism. God is on the throne!
*The One they have rejected is now their Executioner…They know it!
*Here their conscience is somewhat softened, but when the immediate danger is over
and the end does not come. They grow harder and harder with each judgment.
*9:21…why don’t they turn to God? Because judgment does not save men, and pain,
incarceration, deprivation does not turn men to God.
*It’s the goodness of God that draws men to repentance.
*When a man says “No” to God something happens to their soul. When that ‘no’ is
Continual the day comes when the heart is totally insensitive to God.
C. Poverty 17
Isaiah 2:10-19
They knew the facts, but they were lost!
In times of trouble to which Rock do you turn?