In terms of the first cycle of history, found in Revelation 4-7, the Day of Judgment appears with the opening of the sixth seal. The first four seals unleashed the horsemen of conquest, violence, famine, and death, depicting the woes that will characterize the entire church age, from Christ’s ascension until His return. The fifth seal showed the souls of the martyrs in heaven who died in the midst of the woes of the first four seals. The sixth seal answers the prayer of the martyrs for justice and vengeance on the dwellers of earth. God told them to wait “until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete” (6:11), and the sixth seal shows that this waiting will be fulfilled in God’s timing. Just as seven is the number of completion and salvation in Revelation, six is the number of man. Thus, when Christ “opened the sixth seal” (v. 12), the day of God’s wrath appeared.

As we consider the disruption of creation depicted in verses 12-14, two important questions need to be answered that must be taken together. First, are these descriptions to be taken symbolically or more or less literally, and second, what is the event they describe? There are arguments for both symbolically and literal interpretations of these verses. The arguments in favor of a symbolic interpretation are impressive. Primarily, they show that these images of physical calamity are drawn from Old Testament passages in which these same images are used of historical events describing God’s interventions and especially depicting the fall of cities and empires.

There are reasons, however, to take the differing view that the sixth seal foretells the literal dissolution of creation in the final judgment of God. While we agree that symbolism is often used in the Old Testament for falling empires and the conquest of cities, there are other passages showing that these temporal judgments anticipate the great and final Day of Judgment when the earth itself will be destroyed. Additionally, the sixth seal answers the prayers of the fifth seal, which call for judgment on the entire world (v. 10). Moreover, the language used here occurs elsewhere in Revelation to describe the final judgment of all mankind (11:13; 16:18-20; 20:11). Finally, a literal reading of the sixth seal fits Jesus’ depiction in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:29-32). Even in depicting the literal disruption of creation, there is probably symbolism in these verses also. Still, a mainly literal reading is possible.

Not only does the sixth seal destroy the corrupted cosmos, but the upheavals picture the terror and dread that the condemned human race will not escape. Thus, in addition to the dissolution of creation, John sees the dismay of sinful mankind (vv. 15-17). Here, John sees six categories of condemned mankind who experience the great day of wrath. They describe all classes of society, showing that God judges all on an equal basis regardless of their social, political, or economic standing. The prominence, however, is given to judgment of the rulers and the great of the world. The martyrs prayed for God to judge and avenge “those who dwell on the earth” (v. 10), and it starts at the top.

The dismayed human race responds to the final judgment in two ways. First is a vain attempt to flee. The people called “to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us’” (v. 16). In this way, they state that nothing is worse than facing the judgment that has come. Yet none will be able to escape. Coupled with their attempt to flee is their terror in God’s judgment. This is why they find death preferable to “the face of him who is seated on the throne” (v. 16). God is revealed to condemned humanity as the enthroned Creator and as the Lamb whose offered salvation was spurned and despised. How total will their alarm be when “the great day of their wrath has come” (v. 17).

In reflecting on the dire events depicted under the sixth seal, we should consider four applications. The first notes that since the earth is to be destroyed in God’s judgment, we should live with an aim to the world to come and not to this present, passing world. The New Testament is filled with this argument. This world will not last, and even its best achievements, monuments, and glories are destined to perish apart from Christ. If we believe that this world will make way for the eternal kingdom of Christ, then we should seek the treasures of His realm. We should honor Christ through obedience to His Word, serve the growth and well-being of His church, and share the gospel so that more people can inhabit eternity with us. This application urges each of us to take stock of our lives to see whether our priorities are on earth or in heaven.

A second application was likely on John’s as he penned Revelation to churches facing persecution. Knowing that God saves His people, Christians facing opposition and hardship should not give up or give in to the world but persevere in faith, prayer, and a loving gospel witness, knowing that redemption is near. The pattern of God’s judgment on enemies of His gospel and deliverance of His people is repeated throughout history. Whether the French Revolution, Nazi Germany, or Communist Eastern Europe and China, God has judged the rulers and powers that opposed His gospel and persecuted the church. Today, godless humanism and government hostility to Christianity can only bring divine judgment on America. Just as God answered the prayers of Revelation 6:10 with the judgment of verses 12-17, He hears and will answer the prayers of suffering believers today.

Third, believers in Christ should not fear being caught in this dreadful wrath. Verse 16 says that the final judgment reveals “the face of Him who is seated on the throne.” This is therefore not an overthrow of the plan of history described in the Bible but its fulfillment. The promises of God are established by this throne. Chapter 4 showed God’s throne encircled by the rainbow that reminds Him of His covenant grace. Romans 8:30 proclaims that “those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” This is the will of the sovereign God enthroned in heaven for His people in Christ. Reading this woeful passage we might ask, “Will I survive the end of the world in judgment?” There is only one sure way to answer that question. We must believe the message of the gospel that says that faith in Jesus Christ delivers us from the wrath which is to come.

Finally, those who have heard the gospel but have not yet believed should realize that the present age of grace, and the opportunity for salvation, will suddenly end and be followed by final judgment and divine wrath. If you have not embraced Jesus for salvation, then you will be in this picture, desperately unable to escape the wrath of the Savior whom you have personally spurned. The judgment to come is the great day not only of God’s justice but also of “the wrath of the Lamb” (v. 16). Mankind had rejected the Lamb who was slain for the forgiveness of sin and will now suffer God’s wrath at His hands. When the world’s only Savior has become its wrathful judge, there will then be no salvation for any who did not previously come to Jesus in humble, repentant faith.

Psalm 2 notes the rebellion of the kings and rulers of earth and their destruction under the iron rod of Christ. The psalm ends with an appeal, a warning, and a promise for us: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:12).

Revelation 6:12-17 Study Questions:

What series of events does the sixth seal reveal?

Why are the kings of the earth, the rich and the powerful, singled out among all the people who hide in caves (vv. 15-16)?

How does our view of “wrath” change when we realize that it belongs to the One who has embodied (in His own death) God’s own self-giving, sacrificial love?

The only people who should be afraid of the Lamb’s wrath are those who are determined to resist the call of love. In what ways might we respond to the call to love in the way of the Lamb in our lives?

Beginning with the fifth seal, the nature of the judgment changes; the last three seals contain neither horse, nor rider, nor the natural forces of judgment. With the fifth seal comes a different kind of activity – a supernatural activity. Here we see God working, bringing about both favorable and ominous results for the world’s people amid the judgments of the four horsemen.

There is a difficult concept embedded in these verses. How is it that the saints who lived and died over a period of centuries and millennia appear in this passage to be together in heaven at one time? The answer to this question is that this passage gives us a glimpse into the difference between time and eternity. We live in time; the events described in this passage take place in eternity. In this world, we are born, live, and die in time. But after we die, we enter a great eternal present called eternity. In the realm of eternity, time doesn’t pass moment by moment. Everything simply is. Everyone who died in the past, who will die in the future, or who is dying at this very moment in time emerges together in the same undivided moment called eternity. There is no past or future there. Those concepts belong to time.

When Jesus broke the first four seals on the scroll given to Him in heaven, they revealed woes that occur on the earth during the church age. Opening the fifth scroll brings our attention back to heaven. Here we see the souls of the believers who died for Christ in these tribulations. This emphasis should not surprise us, since Revelation has all along been preparing its readers for persecution. In the letter to Smyrna, Jesus said, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Antipas of Pergamum was a faithful witness who had already died (2:13). In the Gospels, Jesus warned that “they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (Matt. 24:9).

With the fifth seal, John saw “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain (v. 9). Everyone dies sometime, but these souls are special for the cause of their death: they “had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne” (v. 9). The martyrs died because they would not renounce the biblical revelation about Christ’s divine person and saving work. The “witness” probably emphasizes the gospel testimony they received and then shared boldly with others. This reminds us that the basic meaning of the Greek word martyr is “witness.” They died because of their testimony to Jesus.

If verse 9 highlights the cause of the martyrs, the next verse notes the cry of the martyrs in heaven (v. 10). The martyrs cry out over the continued slaughter of the saints on earth. The martyrs cry to God is not over their own deaths, but over the injustice taking place on earth. The fact that glorified saints are praying this way near God’s presence in heaven should alert us that this must be a biblical prayer.

The first reason that this prayer is worthy of Christians is that the martyrs were not complaining only about their own sufferings but were crying for the injustice inflicted on fellow believers. The saints in heaven want to know how long the church on earth will suffer. Second, there is nothing inherently unchristian about praying against evil and asking God to judge the wicked. Such prayers are found throughout the Psalms. Third, the primary focus of this prayer is the honor of God. The martyrs pray to the Sovereign of history, knowing that His glory requires righteousness to prevail. We too, should pray for God to glorify Himself in the judgment of the wicked, knowing that He certainly will. As chapter 6 goes on, John is shown that the Day of Judgment is God’s answer to this prayer of the martyrs for vengeance (6:12-17).

Verse 11 concludes this brief but remarkable passage by revealing the condition of the martyrs above. First, the martyrs are each dressed in a “white robe.” The white robe signifies righteousness. Together with the righteous standing of the saints above, the white robes also speak of their purity. Whenever a Christian thinks of justification through faith in Christ, he or she should also be reminded of the calling to live in the holiness of sanctification. Moreover, white is “the color of victory. The martyrs appeared to have been defeated by their enemies. Actually they were given the victory by God.” The reality from heaven shows that it is the saints, though weak in the world and despised for their faith, who attains the victory through union with the crucified Christ.

Second, the white-robed martyrs enjoy the satisfaction of rest with God in heaven: they are “told to rest a little longer” (v. 11). The word for rest in Greek also has the idea of being refreshed. They rest in the finished work of Christ, and their joy is enriched by the treasures they stored up in heaven during a life focused not on the world below but on the world above (Matt. 6:19-20).

Although the martyrs are clothed in white and have entered their bliss, they have not yet arrived at the full extent of their desire. For while they rest, they are told to wait “until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been (v. 11). The martyrs long to see redemptive history come to completion and all the elect gathered in, as well as God’s answer to their cry for justice.

These three verses provide a great wealth of lessons for us, in large part because of the rare glimpse they offer of believers in heaven after their death and before the final resurrection. Here are four important lessons: First, this passage teaches that the souls of Christians who die go immediately to heaven. This is true not only for those who suffer violent deaths for Jesus but for all those who die having trusted Him for salvation. Christians do not pass into death but pass through death so as to immediately enjoy the blessing of the presence of the Lord.

Second, the condition of the martyrs in heaven shows that the injustice of the world is overturned by God’s righteous judgment. Although the Bible has told us that this life involves tribulation, the experience can fill us with dismay. Yet the world’s persecutors achieved for these Christians exactly the opposite of what they desired. They sought to put an end to their lives, but instead they ushered the believers into glory. They condemned the Christians, but the white robes in heaven overturned their verdict.

Third, verse 11 shows that the number of those saved through Christ has been predetermined by God and all of them are certain to come to faith. God knows “the number of their fellow servants and their brothers” and has appointed a time for their gathering to be complete, just as God has ordained the manner of their lives and of their deaths. This should encourage us in our witness to the gospel, since the elect are sure to be saved and many may come to Christ through our testimony.

Fourth, these verses show the importance of the testimony of the martyrs to God’s redemptive plan for history. You don’t have to die violently for Jesus in order to play a decisive role in God’s redeeming plan. But you do have to be true enough to God’s Word that the world notices your faith. What was the message of all the martyrs, who by faith entered into death with joy in their hearts? Their message told of life eternal in the blissful rest of heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. Each of them knew the truth of Jesus’ words, which now speak to us today: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24).

Revelation 6:9-11 Study Questions:

Who does John see under the altar and what is their cry (vv. 9-10)?

Why are they given white robes and told that they must wait a while longer (v. 11)?

There is a long tradition, going back through the Psalms and the prophets to the children of Israel in Egypt, crying out to their God to do something at last (Exodus 2:23). This cry (“How long, O Lord, how long?”) echoes down through the centuries, and is heard again as the fifth seal is opened. How is this cry echoed in our own day – in our families, churches and the world around us?

If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?