If I Were Told the Future	Lesson 36
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Let’s pray before beginning this lesson:

Our Father, As we study the seven seals contained in the prophetic book of Revelation, we discover wonderful messages filling us with confidence in Your Word, and hope in Your promises. Today we start on the sixth seal. Please guide us during this lesson, so that we may properly understand what You want to tell us. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

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Revelation 4:1	Comments
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, «Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter.»	The opening of the seven seals, which Jesus made possible, reveals to us «things which must be hereafter». Now, let’s study the sixth seal.
Revelation 5:5
Weep not. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

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Revelation 6:12-14

Comments

And I beheld when [the Lamb] had opened the sixth seal, and, see, 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 to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

The sixth seal opens with a spectacular scene marked by a great earthquake and amazing signs in heaven.

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Revelation 6:12,14	Comments
And I beheld when [the Lamb] had opened the sixth seal, and, see, there was a great earthquake. (...) And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.	We have seen that the letter to the sixth church, Philadelphia, covers the period of great spiritual awakening from 1755 to 1844. In 1755, the terrible Lisbon earthquake awoke Christians to the fact that the return of Jesus was really imminent. The sixth seal also describes those events, but also includes the period of the seventh church, Laodicea, that is, from 1844 to the return of Jesus.

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Revelation 6:12,13	Comments
And I beheld when [the Lamb] had opened the sixth seal, and, see, 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 to the earth.	After the great earthquake of 1755, the sixth seal presents an interesting astronomical calendar, identifying signs in heaven that will succeed one another until the return of Jesus: first, the darkening of the sun; then, the moon becoming like blood; and finally, the fall of the stars. These three heavenly phenomena are also listed elsewhere in the Bible...

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Signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, before the return of Jesus:

«Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.» (Matthew 24:29,30) «And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars. (...) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.» (Luke 21:25,27) «“In the last days,” said God, “(...) the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable Day of the Lord come.”» (Acts 2:17,20) «The sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that executes His word: for the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?» (Joel 2:10,11)

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Matthew 24:29	Comments
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.	Jesus confirms the seals’ chronology, specifying that the signs in heaven will take place «after the tribulation of those days», that is, after the persecutions of the Middle Ages. Now, let’s study these signs one by one.
Revelation 6:12,13
And I beheld when [the Lamb] had opened the sixth seal, and, see, 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 to the earth.

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Revelation 6:12

Comments

The sun became black as sackcloth of hair.

This phenomenon, recorded in books about the history of Astronomy, took place on May 19, 1780: it was not an eclipse, and this fact still remains unexplained. An eyewitness declared, «A sheet of white paper held within a few inches of the eyes was equally invisible with the blackest velvet.» (Samuel Tenney, Letter (1785) in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society). The darkening of the sun lasted many hours, leaving many places in America in total darkness.

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Revelation 6:12	Comments
The moon became as blood.	The night following the dark day of May 19, 1780, the clouds dispersed to unveil the moon which was, according to eyewitnesses, «as red as blood». This additional historical fact, also still unexplained, can be verified in any good Astronomy encyclopedia.
Joel 2:31
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible Day of the Lord come.

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Revelation 6:13	Comments
And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.	The great star shower took place during the early morning hours of November 13, 1833. This heavenly spectacle produced such a light that it was possible to read the newspaper in the street. Those who witnessed this fantastic phenomenon thought that the end of the world had come. This is another historical fact that can easily be verified in any Astronomy encyclopedia.

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Revelation 6:13,14	Comments
And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.	Both Jesus and the sixth seal announce that after the fall of the stars, the next sign in heaven will be the return of Jesus Himself. The remainder of the sixth seal thus describes what will happen on this glorious Day.
Matthew 24:29
The stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

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Revelation 6:14	Comments
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.	First, the Day of Jesus’ return will be marked by great natural upheavals. The lessons about the seven bowls will come back on this.
Revelation 16:17,18,20
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!» And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were on the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (...) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

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Revelation 6:15-17

Comments

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every slave, 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 sits 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?»

The sixth seal reveals that the Day of Jesus’ return will also bring about great social upheavals, plunging the nations into confusion and anguish.

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Revelation 6:14	Comments
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.	Furthermore, the sixth seal uses the image of the sky receding «as a scroll when it is rolled together», calling to mind a worldwide disaster, a divine punishment falling on all nations.
Isaiah 34:2-4
For the indignation of the Lord is on all nations, and His fury on all their armies: He has utterly destroyed them, He has delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down.

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The «Day of the Lord» will plunge the nations into confusion and anguish:

«Howl you; for the Day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: and they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.» (Isaiah 13:6-8) «The Day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.» (Amos 5:18,19) «And on the earth [there will be] distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 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. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.» (Luke 21:25-27)

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Revelation 6:15	Comments
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.	At the time of Jesus’ return, the people trying to hide themselves are those who have received the mark of the beast.
Revelation 13:16
And [the beast] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.

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Revelation 19:17,18

Comments

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the middle of heaven, «Come and gather yourselves together to the supper of the great God; that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.»

Furthermore, the same groups of people trying to hide themselves, in the sixth seal, finally end up on the menu of the birds of prey.

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Revelation 6:15	Comments
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.	Ironically, at the end of the world, men in high places will lie low in caves, just as they had previously forced the persecuted people of God to do.
Hebrews 11:37,38
They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

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Men in anguish will hide away in the rocks at the return of Jesus:

«In that Day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He rises to shake terribly the earth.» (Isaiah 2:20,21) «Weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts which never gave suck.” Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us;” and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?» (Luke 23:28-31)

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Revelation 6:16	Comments
[They] said to the mountains and rocks, «Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.»	By comparing these verses, we can see that «Him that sits on the throne» is Jesus Himself, the Judge of the nations.
Matthew 25:31,32
When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

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Revelation 6:16,17	Comments
[They] said to the mountains and rocks, «Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits 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?»	Having stubbornly rejected God’s loving call to salvation, the nations will soon have to face His wrath.
Romans 2:5,6
After your hardness and impenitent heart treasure up to yourself wrath against the Day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds.

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The unrepentant nations will soon face the wrath of God:

«The mountains quake at [the Lord], and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yes, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire.» (Nahum 1:5,6) «The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting King. At His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation.» (Jeremiah 10:10) «And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. (...) And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.» (Revelation 19:11,15) «The nations were angry, and Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.» (Revelation 11:18)

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Revelation 6:17	Comments
For the great Day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?	Before the awesome demonstration of God’s wrath, all the inhabitants of the earth having rejected the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ will utter this cry of despair, «Who shall be able to stand?»
Nahum 1:5,6
The mountains quake at [the Lord], and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yes, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of His anger?

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Before the wrath of God, the unrepentant men cry, «Who shall be able to stand?»:

«But who may abide the Day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire.» (Malachi 3:2) «The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that executes His word: for the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?» (Joel 2:10,11) «You, even You, are to be feared: and who may stand in Your sight when once You are angry? You did cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still.» (Psalm 76:7,8) «If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?» (Psalm 130:3)

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Psalm 130:3,4	Comments
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.	The Bible very clearly answers the question «Who shall be able to stand?». Whoever follows God with perseverance, after having accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins, will be able to stand at the Day of God’s wrath.
Hebrews 2:3
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard Him?

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For God’s people, the Day of His wrath will be a day of deliverance:

«The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.» (Joel 3:15,16) «“In the last days,” said God, “(...) the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable Day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”» (Acts 2:17,20,21) «And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. (...) And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near.» (Luke 21:25,28)

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Isaiah 25:9	Comments
And it shall be said in that Day, «See, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.»	At Jesus’ return, the cry of deliverance of God’s people will contrast with the cry of despair uttered by those who have rejected His salvation.
Psalm 95:1
O come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

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Psalm 2:10-12	Comments
Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.	God is calling each one of us, both old and young, small and great, to respond here and now to His invitation, to follow His Son, Jesus Christ, and to trust Him, before the great wrath of the Lamb bursts upon the earth, as announced in the sixth seal. The choice is ours to make.

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We invite you to pray with us:

Father, It is written, «It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.» (Hebrews 10:31). The sixth seal draws a picture which illustrates this statement. Please help us to follow Jesus’ advice, «Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.» (Luke 21:36). In His precious name we pray. Amen.

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Source of the Pictures of this Lesson

Screen 1: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16, SSGP0843.JPG. Screen 2: MEMLING, Hans. «Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos» (1474-79), Memling Museum, Belgium. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.9. Screen 3: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM239.BMP. Screen 4: STEEL, John. In: «The Triumph of God’s Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.260. Screen 5: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #9 («Les Quatre Cavaliers de l’Apocalypse»), p.4. Screen 6: BISHOP, Tom. «Sixth seal of Revelation 6». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #17. Screen 7: HUTCHINSON, William. In: «The Bible Story, volume 8» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.161. Used by permission. Copyright ©1956, 1984 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 8: CONVERSE, James. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.197. Screen 9: Photo by SANFORD, John, Science Source. «Landmarks of the Moon». In: «Microsoft Encarta 98 Deluxe». Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 10: CONVERSE, James. In: «The Triumph of God’s Love, volume 1» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.284. Screen 11: In: «The Bible Pageant, Volume 5: Warriors of the Cross» (NEFF, Merlin L.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1950, p.221. Screen 12: MARTIN, John. «The Great Day of His Wrath» (1851-53), Tate Gallery, London. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.96. Screen 13: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (May 1, 1993), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.23. Screen 14: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.233. Screen 15: «The Opening of the Sixth Seal» (c.1255-60), Trinity College Library, Cambridge, England. In: «Revelation - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.49. Screen 16: In: «Vivez éternellement heureux sur la terre!», Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1982, image numéro 28. Screen 17: CONVERSE, James. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.496. Screen 18: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.111. Screen 19: RUDEEN, Herbert. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.186. Used by permission. Copyright ©1957, 1985 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 20: EASTMAN, Bryant. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (October 1994), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.13. Screen 21: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (July 15, 1994), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.7. Screen 22: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (May 15, 1990), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.7. Screen 23: CONVERSE, James. In: «The Triumph of God’s Love, volume 2» (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.556. Screen 24: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM228.BMP. Screen 25: RUIZ, Eduardo. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (April 1995), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.8. Screen 26: In: «Prophecy Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1989, Daniel lesson #22 («Daniel’s People Delivered»), p.1. Screen 27: JUSTINEN, Lars. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (March 1999), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.16,17. Screen 28: ZINGARO, Charles. In: «Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories, volume 1» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.188. Used by permission. Copyright ©1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1976 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 29: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #18, 29230019.JPG.

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 The test of Lesson 36 is waiting for you!