Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Friday, September 18, 2015
Today’s Scripture:
“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; 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.” (Revelation 6:12–13).
Today’s Observation:
From the beginning of the Revelation until now, the Lord has given us a small peek into His mind on last days events. Through discernable symbols, He has manifested startling realities related to the lives of His people and that of those who do not love Him. He gives the Revelation in language we can understand, and in a logical order, if we are willing to submit to His Spirit and see what He is communicating.
As we have said multiple times before, these seals are representative of mysteries concerning our lives on earth, as they unfold in successive eras in time. Thus, the events revealed under the sixth seal must naturally occur following those of the fifth. This is a critical reality for us if we intend to understand what we are reading.
This seal is intriguing to me (I know I have said this before)! Not only does it point to very specific events in verifiable history, but they also occurred in the same era, minimizing the risk of misinterpretation, and following the events of the preceding seals. This is key. To discern this Revelation, we must observe these two important details.
What did John see? He saw an earthquake, the sun being darkened, the moon appearing red as blood, and stars falling. On their own merits, these would not seem too amazing, considering a couple of them are fairly frequent occurrences. But, what if these all occurred on an epic scale? What if they were at a level that we had not seen before? What if they all occurred in the same era?
Do note that following the era of major prophetic events under the sixth seal, our Lord will come. We are so blessed that He is merciful enough to hold the doors of probation open for as many people as possible to enter into a relationship with Him.
Since this is a basic devotional thought, and not a full Bible study, I invite you to read the website www.finalevents.com for deeper insights into these and other events. For now, do an objective online search for the following events and dates.
See what you can dig up:
- There was a historic earthquake in Lisbon in 1755
- The sun went dark on May 19, 1780
- The moon appeared blood red on May 19, 1780
- There was an incredible star shower on November 13, 1833
Notice that these events even occurred sequentially just like the Bible describes! We will talk about this more in tomorrow’s devotional thought, but more impressive than those events, is what John saw next. I don’t want to steal his shine for tomorrow’s devotional, so I will borrow a verse from the Old Testament for now. The Bible says: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the LORD hath said, And in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:31–32).
The Bible teaches that the next big event following these is the Second Coming. There are many smaller events that draw our attention to His appearing, which we will discuss in our devotional thoughts in the future. Do note that following the era of major prophetic events under the sixth seal, our Lord will come. We are so blessed that He is merciful enough to hold the doors of probation open for as many people as possible to enter into a relationship with Him.
Conclusion
The same God who predicted the succession of multiple world empires in Nebuchadnezzar’s day, also said that He would never leave or forsake His people.
The Lord went to great trouble to show us things that would happen in the last days. Unfortunately, many people get stuck on the events and miss the purpose of God’s Revelation. We will not do that here. All the mysteries, events, and counsel, etc., in the Revelation are there to demonstrate God’s love for us and to prepare us for eternal life. That’s brass tacks. If He can show Himself reliable and give adequate warning of impending crises, we can trust His promise that He is actually preparing a place for us to live with Him forever.
Many times people have tried to dethrone the Scriptures through doubtful arguments. Besides the personal experiences that we can have though close encounters with God there, prophecy is the biggest body of evidence supporting its validity. As we will see as we unpack the Revelation further, since God’s predictive words on events we can clearly see in documented history were so strikingly accurate, we can trust that the entire Bible is also true. The same God who predicted the succession of multiple world empires in Nebuchadnezzar’s day, also said that He would never leave or forsake His people. The same God who said that there would be a time of religious persecution that would last exactly 1,260 years (more on this another time) also said that if we confess and forsake our sins, He would forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can trust God! Trust Him with your fears. Trust God with your joy. Trust God with your deepest, darkest secrets. Trust Him with your very life. He’s worthy. He has earned it.
A Prayer for Your Hearts:
Lord, please help us to trust you today. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
