Today’s message summary of November 8, 2015 from Pastor Gus Brown:
When we looked at the fifth seal last week, we saw the people under the altar who had died for Jesus Christ, and that they were prepared to do so. People were persecuted and gave their lives. Those people asked how much longer would it be before God would “judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10b)
When the sixth seal was opened, God will show Himself.
The sixth seal takes John from what he sees in heaven back to the physical world.
Revelation 6:12-16
Then I saw Him open the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair; the entire moon became like blood; the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fid tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; the sky separated like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of Their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?”
When God reveals Himself to some of us, we don’t see His majesty or His glory. There will come a time when they will acknowledge it.
The first five seals were directed toward specific areas. The sixth seal was a universal revelation. All people will be affected. Everyone will fear it. It will touch every life, regardless of stature or wealth.
- There will be a great earthquake (there is no mention of death–previous seals do mention death).
- The sun will turn black (when the sun does not shine, it will be very cold).
- The moon will turn blood red.
- The stars will fall to the earth (stars dying out like shooting stars).
- The sky will recede (separate) like a scroll (Acts 7:55-56).
- Every mountain and island will be removed.
These things take place not by the power of man; instead, they take place in order that everyone can see and be affected by them. It is to cause man to think and to choose.
Colossians 1:16-17
For everything was created by Him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things,
and by Him all things hold together.
Joel 2:10-11, 30-32
The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining. The Lord raises His voice in the presence of His army. His camp is very large; Those who carry out His command are powerful. Indeed, the Day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful–who can endure it?
I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls.
It is God’s desire that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9); therefore, He continues to reveal Himself today.
He will certainly do this on the day of wrath, but even then, while he carries out his wrath, His mercy will still be present, for people who acknowledge He is Lord even at that moment will be saved (2 Peter 3:9).
Jeremiah 4:23
I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty. I looked to the heavens, and their light was gone.
Matthew 24:29-30
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Even though God desires everyone to come to Christ, some will simply refuse.
Romans 1:18-20
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
Every person has to make that decision: “Is He God?”
Whenever death is at the door, God’s grace and forgiveness is also there. A person only has to chose to repent and believe.
During the revealing of the sixth seal, man’s free will to choose is still present (Revelation 6:15-17). Look at the hearts of the kings, nobles, military commanders, the rich, powerful and everyone else. All of humanity is included. God revealed Himself, and they surely had seen Him. They didn’t understand, though, that they could not hide from God in their rejection of Him. Death for them was not the end at all–it was merely the beginning.
Luke 23:28-30
But turning to them, Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children. Look, the days are coming when they will say, ‘The women without children, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed, are fortunate!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’
Matthew 10:28
Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.
Isaiah 2:8-12, 19-21
Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.
So humanity is brought low,
and man is humbled.
Do not forgive them!
Go into the rocks
and hide in the dust
from the terror of the Lord
and from His majestic splendor.
Human pride will be humbled,
and the loftiness of men will be brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.
For a day belonging to the Lord of Hosts is coming
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—it will be humbled—
People will go into caves in the rocks
and holes in the ground,
away from the terror of the Lord
and from His majestic splendor,
when He rises to terrify the earth.
On that day people will throw
their silver and gold idols,
which they made to worship,
to the moles and the bats.
They will go into the caves of the rocks
and the crevices in the cliffs,
away from the terror of the Lord
and from His majestic splendor,
when He rises to terrify the earth.
You may escape God’s judgment for a moment, but it will catch up to you. God may give you a head start, but you will not outrun Him!
Unbelief is among all people. The gospel, however, speaks to all people. No one dies without God, in some way or some form, manifesting Himself before him.
There is one thing that man cannot stop, and that is the will and work of God. His truth will prevail, for in Jesus Christ, there is already victory.
May we be such a people that is caught up in His glory and His presence in order to live as a testimony of Jesus Christ.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 