The scriptures tell us that immediately after the tribulation, the sun and the moon shall not give their light, and the stars shall fall from heaven. Then the powers of heaven shall be shaken, and the heavens shall depart as a scroll rolled together. At that time, all the world shall see Jesus sitting on the throne, arising, and coming in the clouds to gather his children. Also, at this time, the brightness of His coming shall destroy the son of perdition. (The Anti-Christ.) (II Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Verse 8.)
| Sixth Seal..............TRIBULATION |
| Seventh Seal ........Seven Angels sound |
| Seventh Angel........It is Done...Great Earthquake |
Does the Book of Revelation support the preceding illustration of the timing? Let's look and see.
Revelations, Chapter 6, verses 12 through 17.
We can easily see that the opening of the sixth seal contains, almost exactly, the information in Matthew 24:29. It is a perfect match. So we now have several important and relevant facts to aid us in forming a final picture. Read verses 12, 13 and 14 again from the 6th chapter of
Revelation. Notice the great earthquake. What happens during this great earthquake?
1. The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;
12.And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.
13. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15. 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;
16 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:
17. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
2. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
The Bible doesn't come right out and say exactly how long the earthquake will last, but let's recall a scripture that we have already
covered: Revelation 16:17-20.
17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done.
18. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Question. Are the islands and the mountains going to be removed during seal six, and then return again to be removed a second time? It is not likely. Remember, all of this is going to take place after the tribulation. Here's another scripture, Luke 21, verses 25 through 27...
25. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; The sea and the waves roaring;
26. Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Now let's go back to the Old Testament and review some of the scriptures we have already covered. The picture will become even clearer.
The Book of Isaiah, Chapter 2, verse 19...
19. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isaiah 13, verses 9 through 11, including verse 13.
9. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11. And I will punish the world for thieir evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
13. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Isaiah 24, verse 20...
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
There are several other scriptures relating to the big shaking, or the great earthquake spoken of in Revelation and in Luke. We can understand why it will be so fearful, and why men's hearts will fail them when they see these things happening. Remember, however, the scripture says that God is taking out the sinners, the wicked, all that offends. Matthew 13: 24-30 and 37-43 states that the wheat and the tares shall grow together until the harvest, and then the wicked shall be taken out first. Can you see how these scriptures match each other?
Our intention in this chapter was to show that the signs of the sun, the moon, and the stars spoken of in Matthew 24, Luke, Mark and Revelation's Sixth Seal all take place immediately after the tribulation. We know that the tribulation is still to come, so these signs are all still to come. They have not already happened.
If you believe that the tribulation has already passed then don't worry about the Anti-Christ which is still to come, or the mark of the beast which is still tocome, or the greatest earthquakewhich is still to come. What we really need to worry about is accepting the written Word for what it really says, and above all, our salvation.
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