In order to gain insight into Revelation 6:12, it is necessary to start from the beginning, at Revelation 6:1 and grasp what occurs in a
chronological order. After Jesus gives corrective counsel "to the seven congregations" (Rev 1:11; chps 2 and 3), the time frame now shifts from the 1st century to "the Lord's day".(Rev 1:10)
At Revelation 6:1, 2, the opening of the 1st seal is seen, in which the "four living creatures" (cherubs, Eze 1:5; 10:15, 16) calls forth for a rider on "a white horse" who has "a bow" and "a crown was given him", whereby he goes "forth conquering and to complete his conquest." Who is this rider on "a white horse" ? Jesus Christ, who was crowned as king of God's kingdom in 1914, riding a "white horse" that stands for righteous warfare.(see Prov 21:31; Rev 19:11, 13)
Having " a bow" (symbol of warfare, 2 Chron 26:14, 15), he now uses it to conquer and "complete his conquest." This conquest of his enemies began in 1914 with the ouster of Satan and his demons from heaven down to the earth (Rev 12:7-9), causing great "woe" for the earth (Rev 12:12), with the second seal immediately being opened next, in which a rider upon "a fiery-colored horse" comes forth. This rider is "granted to take peace away from the earth so that they should slaughter one another; and a great sword was given him."(Rev 6:3, 4)
This is the first time in human history for "peace to be taken away from the earth", with the outbreak of World War I, that began on July 28, 1914. They indeed slaughtered one another with "a great sword", for almost 9 million died and 21 million wounded, eventually involving some 93 percent of the world's population.
This resulted in famine, for with the opening of the third seal, the rider on a "black horse" comes forth, carrying "a pair of scales". Hence, from the time of Jesus being enthroned as king, food shortages would be a common occurrence, with food prices taking much of a person's wages in many lands.(Rev 6:3, 4)
Of course, war brings casualties or death, for with the opening of the fourth seal, the next rider upon "a pale horse", Death (with Hades or the grave closely following), was given authority "over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with a long sword and with food shortage and deadly plague and by the wild beast of the earth."(Rev 6:7, 8)
The slaughter was on, and there was no limits on how many were to be taken in death or by what means, for mankind was in the throes of savage warfare, with new technological means being developed to massacre people down till right now, as well other means of death.
During the 20th century, it has been estimated that over 100 million people died from warfare and another 50 to perhaps 100 million died as a result of the Spanish Influenza of 1918-20.(Note: In the "
State of the World 1999", the Worldwatch Institute (April 29, 1999) said that :"Three times as many people--110 million--fell victim to war in [the 20th] century as in all the wars from the first century AD to 1899 ” )
With the opening of the 5th seal, because of nationalism rearing it head with the outbreak of WWI and onward, those who remained neutral with regard to the political governments, those who strictly adhered to Jesus words to be "no part of the world" (John 15:19), were at times put to death.
As a result, underneath "the altar" were the "souls of those slaughtered because of (obedience to ) the word of God and because of the witness work (Rev 6:9-11, of teaching people about Jehovah God and his kingdom government from "house to house", Matt 10:11-13) These righteous ones were each given "a white robe", standing for their righteous acts of being "no part of the world", standing separate and their obedience to Jesus command at Matthew 28:19, 20.
Now, the 6th seal is opened, so that "a great earthquake occurred; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the entire moon became as blood."(Rev 6:12) The grand work of making disciples has now come to an end, for Jesus said that "this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and
then the end will come."(Matt 24:14)
With a symbolic "great earthquake" happening and in which the ' sun becomes black as black hair and moon becoming as blood ', this forebodes death for all not on Jehovah's side and the beginning of "the war of the great day of God Almighty", called Armageddon.(Rev 16:14, 16) John further sees that "the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as when a fig tree shaken by a high wind casts its unripe fruits."(Rev 6:13)
This symbolically happened to ancient Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. when Babylon conquered the land. Jeremiah 4:28 says that "on this account the land will mourn, and the heavens above will certainly become dark." The land became a "desolate waste" in which Jehovah carried "out a sheer extermination".(Jer 4:27)
Almost 70 years later, Babylon was now the one that would become "dark", "for the very stars of the heavens and their constellations of Kesil will not flash forth their light; the sun will actually grow dark at its going forth, and the moon itself will not cause its light to shine" (Isa 13:10) when Medo-Persia took her down on October 5/6, 539 B.C.E. All that she looked to for security failed.
Likewise at Armageddon, chaos will now reign, with the economic and political systems collapsing.(The false religious "harlot", called Babylon the Great [Rev 17:1, 2, 5], will already have been destroyed, Matt 24:15; Rev 18:8) It will as if the "sun" became black, with no light emanating from it and the "moon became as blood". What people of the nations looked to for "salvation", from governmental to scientific to economic organizations, will fail on them.
Both the economic and political governments and organizations that are thought of as "mountains" or as a "rock-masses" will be looked to for protection, with even "the kings of the earth and the top-ranking ones and the military commanders" as well all others crying out to the "mountains and...the rock-masses" to "Fall over us."(see Luke 23:28-31)
But it is to late, for Jesus has judged "the nations" and separated the "sheep" from the "goats" (Matt 25:31-33), those who failed to assist Jesus "brothers" (Matt 25:41-46, who are joint-heirs as rulers with Jesus in heaven, Rom 8:17) in their God-given assignment of making known "the good news of the kingdom".(Matt 24:14)
In giving what his invisible "presence" (Matt 24:3) would entail at the end, Jesus said that "immediately after the tribulation of those days (after the total annihilation of false religion, Babylon the Great, at the hands of the United Nations ["scarlet-colored wild beast", Rev 17:3] directing the "ten horns" or all the political governments on the earth to "burn it completely with fire" [starting with Christendom], Rev 17:12, 16, 17) the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."(Matt 24:29, 30)
The "world" or Satan's entire system of things will come crashing down (1 John 2:17) in a 2 part series (Babylon the Great 1st at the beginning of the "great tribulation" at the hands of the "disgusting thing" [United Nations], Matt 24:15, 21) Then, the remaining greedy commerce ("traveling merchants", Rev 18:11, 15) and political system ("the wild beast", Rev 13: 1, 2), as well anything else left over in opposition to Jehovah God (see Matt 12:30), with "the Son of man", Jesus Christ, leading his angelic armies against them (Rev 19:11-15) and completely wiping them off the face of the earth.(Rev 19:19-21) Only a "great crowd" of loyal servants of Jehovah will then remain.(Rev 7:9, 14)
dragonfly said:
Hi Guestman,
In response to your closing comment about the law of Moses, what was Paul referring to here, in your understanding?
1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
Which law to God, and which law to Christ?
At 1 Corinthians 9:21, you actually answered your own question, for the account speaks of "the law to Christ". Paul, in writing to the Galatians, said to "go on carrying the burdens of one another, and thus fulfill
the law of the Christ."(Gal 6:2) This is
not the Mosaic Law that the nation of Israel was to carefully follow. Paul established that we are "not without law to God, but under the law to Christ".
Back a few chapters in Galatians, Paul says the Mosaic Law "was added to make transgressions manifest
until the seed should arrive to whom the promise had been made".(Gal 3:19) He adds that the "law", by means of Scripture, "delivered up all things to the custody of sin, that the promise resulting from faith toward Jesus Christ might be given to those exercising faith."(Gal 3:21, 22) The Mosaic Law pointed toward and led up to Jesus Christ.
Now Paul says that "before the faith arrived, we (the Jews) were being guarded under (the Mosaic) law.....looking for the faith that was destined to be revealed. Consequently the (Mosaic) Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith (and not by the Mosaic Law, which just showed everyone as a sinner, in need of a redeemer)."(Gal 3:23, 24)
Paul completes this, saying that "now that the faith (through Jesus Christ) has arrived, we are no longer under a tutor (the Mosaic Law)."(Gal 3:25; see also Col 2:14) In writing to the Hebrews, Paul told them: "In his saying "a new covenant" (see Jer 31:31), he has made the former one (the Mosaic Law) obsolete. Now that which is made obsolete and growing old is near to vanishing away."(Heb 8:13; see also Heb 8:7)
A "new covenant" replaced the old "Law" covenant that was never intended to remain forever, for "by (the Mosaic) law
no one is declared righteous with God."(Gal 3:11) Remaining under the Mosaic Law only showed us as sinners and led to death, for no provision was available to permanently remove sin.(see Heb 9:13)
And, the "law of the Christ" is the principles and guidelines through Jesus Christ for us to follow when he walked the earth. He established that we are to "love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment."(Matt 22:37, 38)
He further says: "The second, like it, is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”(Matt 22:39, 40) Obeying these two commandments to the best of our ability means we are adhering to "the law of the Christ", and that we are "not without law to God."
