What happens when the created order begins to undo itself? In this powerful study of the sixth seal in Revelation, we witness a dramatic, cosmic “de-creation.” From shattering earthquakes and a darkened sky to falling stars and mountains moved from their foundations, the universe itself trembles at the holiness of God.
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Sermon Notes:
Revelation 6:12 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.
Revelation 6:13 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.
Revelation 6:14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every
mountain and island was moved out of its place.
Revelation 6:15 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,
Revelation 6:16 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!
Revelation 6:17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
This is section is like a de-creation or the undoing, reversing, of the created order
1. Earth
2. Sun
3. Moon
4. Stars
5. Firmament
6. Land
7. Man
I. THE SHAKING OF THE EARTH.
Revelation 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was
a great earthquake; …”
Haggai 2:6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake
heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;
Haggai 2:7 and I will shake all nations,
II. THE DARKENING OF THE SKY.
Revelation 6:12 “… and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon
became like blood.
Exodus 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven,
that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.”
Exodus 10: 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick
darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.
Exodus 10:23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for
three days.
Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over
all the land.
Joel 2:10 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon
grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness.
III. THE FALLING OF THE STARS.
Revelation 6:13 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.
IV. THE ROLLING BACK OF THE HEAVENS.
Revelation 6:14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, …”
The sky rolling up like a scroll
https://gospeldoctrine.com/sites/default/files/bookImages/OT/rolled%20up%20like%20a%20scroll.jpg
Isaiah 34:4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be
rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine,
and as fruit falling from a fig tree.
Amazing Grace lost verse
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be for ever mine.
V. THE MOVING OF THE MOUNTAINS AND ISLANDS.
Revelation 6:14 “… and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the
powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Matthew 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved;
VI. THE HIDING OF THE WICKED.
Revelation 6:15 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,
Revelation 6:16 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!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is … longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
VII. THE COMING OF HIS WRATH.
Revelation 6:17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Joel 2:11 “… For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not
believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
About This Sermon: The Great Day of His Wrath Has Come
In this expository sermon from Victory Baptist Church in Carthage, we study the sixth seal of Revelation 6:12-17 – the moment when the great day of His wrath has come. The passage describes a dramatic, cosmic “de-creation” in which the created order begins to unravel before the holiness of God. As the sixth seal is opened, a great earthquake shakes the earth, the sun turns black as sackcloth, the moon becomes like blood, the stars fall from heaven, the sky rolls back like a scroll, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place.
The message walks through seven movements of judgment, showing how the great day of His wrath touches the earth, sun, moon, stars, firmament, land, and ultimately mankind. Each point is grounded in Scripture, connecting Revelation 6 to parallel passages in Haggai, Exodus, Joel, Isaiah, Matthew, and 2 Peter. The sermon closes with the searching question of Revelation 6:17 – “who is able to stand?” – and the hope of John 3:36 for all who believe in the Son.
Sermon Outline: The Sixth Seal of Revelation 6
- I. The Shaking of the Earth – Revelation 6:12; Haggai 2:6-7
- II. The Darkening of the Sky – Revelation 6:12; Exodus 10:21-23; Matthew 27:45; Joel 2:10
- III. The Falling of the Stars – Revelation 6:13
- IV. The Rolling Back of the Heavens – Revelation 6:14; Isaiah 34:4
- V. The Moving of the Mountains and Islands – Revelation 6:14; Matthew 24:29, 24:22
- VI. The Hiding of the Wicked – Revelation 6:15-16; 2 Peter 3:9
- VII. The Coming of His Wrath – Revelation 6:17; Joel 2:11; John 3:36
Key Scriptures Referenced
Revelation 6:12-17, Haggai 2:6-7, Exodus 10:21-23, Matthew 27:45, Joel 2:10-11, Isaiah 34:4, Matthew 24:22-29, 2 Peter 3:9, and John 3:36.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “the great day of His wrath has come” mean in Revelation 6:17?
It marks the climax of the sixth seal, when the cosmic signs of judgment make plain that the day of God’s wrath has arrived, prompting the question, “who is able to stand?”
What is the sixth seal in Revelation?
The sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-17) unleashes a series of cosmic upheavals – a great earthquake, a darkened sun and moon, falling stars, a receding sky, and mountains moved from their place – portraying the undoing of the created order before God’s holiness.
Listen to the sermon audio or watch the video above, and follow along with the full sermon notes from Victory Baptist Church, Carthage, Missouri.