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Revelation 6:12-14 A great shaking of cosmic powers - Day 349

Good afternoon fellow saints,

Our first look at the last book.  One of the things that I appreciated about Salem church is the We Believe statement in the bulletin.  And one of the items in particular. We believe in the Second Coming of Christ according to the Scriptures.  There is much wisdom here.  There are many ways of understanding "the end times" but we are not going to divide over these understandings.  Jesus will return bodily and everyone will see it.  We long for that day.  That is what keeps us together.

Blessings,

Jeff

The sixth of seven seals that only the Lamb is able to open. Ushers in the great day of the wrath of the Lamb.

Sun goes dark, moon becomes like blood, stars fall to earth and the sky vanishes like a scroll being rolled up.  But there are still people on earth trying to hide from the Lamb.

And there is one more seal and seven trumpets and bowls to go.

So what is going on here?

ESV study bible notes point out that the answer to the question "Who can stand?" is the 144,000 of chapter 7.  Also, There are three interludes (vv. 1–17; 10:1-11:14; 20:1–6) explaining the place of the saints in the events of Revelation. (As with the Egyptian plagues, the seals, trumpets, and bowls relate only to sinners.)  To me this means that the saints will be present during the seals, trumpets and bowls, but not directly affected by them.  

Recently listened to Sinclair Ferguson on "The Last Things"  Our interest in understanding these events is to focus on Christ and not the details of the events and their sequence.  The knowledge of the timing pertains to deity.  God the Father knows, but not the Son.  Since Jesus in his humanity does not know when he will return, anyone who claims to know the time is wrong.

So the opening of the seals points  me to the fact that whatever happens during this time leading up to the return are under the control of the Lamb who is worthy.

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