Warnings to Repent Before Judgement Falls

Revelation 6:12-17 

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The scroll is unrolled by the Lamb of God until the sixth seal is exposed; then He who is alone worthy to open it breaks the seal to reveal the next revelation of what is to come.  Immediately, there is an earthquake off the scale and the sun goes dark while the moon reddens in the dim light.  The stars in the heavens fall like ripened figs falling from the branches when the time for harvest arrives and they are blown off in a storm.  This storm of judgement by God on the world begins in the heavens, then comes to the earth and those on it.  The mountains and islands are moved and the sky appears to be rolled up and taken away as the stars fall and the celestial light grows dim.  All that we rely on in the physical universe will be taken away as judgement comes before all things are made new.  At this time John observed every person from the high to low run and hide from God’s wrath.  People without Christ will be in absolute terror, even wishing everything to bury them in order to hide from God and the impending judgement they finally know all too well is coming.  They know His wrath is due, and they cry out to hide from His face and gaze, knowing nobody can stand in the day of God’s wrath poured out on their sin.  Though many deny their sin and accountability to God in this life, in the end there is no place to hide from Him and from the wages due to them (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  The solution is to repent, to turn from sin and toward the Lamb of God who takes away sin by His righteousness with justifying reconciliation before there is no more choice to be had.  That is what these warnings are for.