The Signs of the Times (48): Dreadful

‘Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”’
Revelation 6:15-17

The safe home called ‘earth’ seems to be collapsing. The sun with its light and warmth, and the moon with its glow are hidden. Summer and winter, heat and cold, every season in its time, sowing and harvesting, mountain tops with snow, islands which majestically face violent storms and hurricanes, stars in fixed patterns over the earth; all those things that are set and fixed and certain seem to disappear. The Day of the Lord has arrived. It is good to see that the natural phenomena under the sixth seal are strongly related to Israel.

When the prophet Joel prophesies that the sun will be turned to darkness (Rev. 6:12 describes this as a sackcloth made of goat hair, like the black goat hair used to weave tents) and the moon to blood, he speaks about the Day of the Lord as He does about the final judgment of the enemies of Israel.

When Isaiah prophesies that the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll and the stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, it’s in relation to the judgment of the gentiles, the non-Jewish nations, and specifically Edom (Esau), the archenemy of Israel.

When Isaiah prophesies that the earth will shake from its place, it’s in the context of the judgment on Babel, which is the sum of all satanic and human iniquity in the book of Revelation, the archenemy of the believers in Jesus Christ and Israel, the capital of the antichristian power during the end times.

When Haggai prophesies about the final judgments, about the shaking of the heavens and the earth, he also sees notions of the great role that Israel will play, for he also prophesies about nations that will come to the new Temple.

Similarly, Isaiah combines the shaking of the mountains and the removal of the hills with the glory of the restored Israel. When Gog attacks Israel, the mountains will be overturned and there will be a great earthquake, Ezekiel 38 and 39. So it will be because of the judgment of Samaria, Isaiah 17:1-2. Judgement upon Ammon, upon Moab, upon Edom, upon Philistia, upon Tyre, upon Sidon, upon Egypt…Ezekiel 25-26, 29. And so forth. Great catastrophes in the past, present and future.

These catastrophes are in such stark contrast with evolutionary thinking which teaches an extremely gradual development of the universe and the earth over the course of billions of years. There’s a flood here and a volcanic eruption there, and an earthquake somewhere else, but there’s no global catastrophe. This is combined with a firm confidence that this will continue for millions of years.

On the island of Patmos, the Apostle John was in the Spirit on the day of the Lord. This is the great day of their wrath. The wrath of Him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb. The gentle Lamb, who let Himself be slain for the sins of the world, now burns with anger against the enemies of Israel and of His church.

There was a time when theology taught that the God of the Old Testament is a holy, angry, vengeful God. And that the God of the New Testament is a loving, merciful, forgiving God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because the God of the Old Testament is no other than the God of the New Testament. Compassionate, gracious, forgiving and abounding in love, but also holy, angry, vengeful. And the loving Jesus is also the Judge to whom the Father has given all authority, judgment as well. The wrath of the Lamb that was slain is near. Who knows how near already.

That’s why there’s an old hymn that says: ‘Come to your Saviour, do not delay. Come now to Him who offers salvation. To Him who left heaven for you as well. Hear His call and come.’ Before it is too late.