Rev 6:12-17 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; (13) And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (14) And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (15) And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; (16) And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17) For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Good morning, Reader! Has the sun risen in your part of the world yet? Mine has and with it comes the promise of Christ’s return for us at Rapture! I often wonder if Tribulation believers will be able to experience some of these beautiful days or will they be constantly watching their backs. Will they be able to sit and enjoy each other’s fellowship over a meal as we experience today? Will they be able to worship together and share the Scriptures with one another in order to encourage each other? Or will they be in hiding, constantly afraid, at this point of this series? You and I have no idea what it would be like without these blessings. But the Tribulation believers will have challenges you and I can’t even imagine!
Today’s devotional covers the sixth seal. This seal unleashes universal natural catastrophes and disasters that will cause havoc to the entire earth. There will be occurrences which the like has never been seen. A good example is a volcanic eruption. In 1883, the volcano in the Krakatoa Islands erupted and was heard 3,000 miles away!! Tidal waves went as far as 1,500 miles away and it changed the tides 7,000 miles away! Just this eruption alone changed the weather for two years; and this is only one volcano! 😮
According to history.com:
But in 536 A.D., much of the world went dark for a full 18 months, as a mysterious fog rolled over Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. The fog blocked the sun during the day, causing temperatures to drop, crops to fail and people to die. It was, you might say, the literal Dark Age.
Now, researchers have discovered one of the main sources of that fog. The team reported in Antiquity that a volcanic eruption in Iceland in early 536 helped spread ash across the Northern Hemisphere, creating the fog. Like the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption—the deadliest volcanic eruption on record—this eruption was big enough to alter global climate patterns, causing years of famine.
What exactly did the first 18 months of darkness look like? The Byzantine historian Procopius wrote that “the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during this whole year.” He also wrote that it seemed like the sun was constantly in eclipse; and that during this time, “men were free neither from war nor pestilence nor any other thing leading to death.”
Accounts like these weren’t taken very seriously until the 1990s, says Michael McCormick, a history professor at Harvard University and co-author of the Antiquity paper. That decade, researchers examined tree rings in Ireland and found that something weird did happen around 536. Summers in Europe and Asia became 35°F to 37°F colder, with China even reporting summer snow. This Late Antique Little Ice Age, as it’s known, came about when volcanic ash blocked out the sun.
https://www.history.com/news/536-volcanic-eruption-fog-eclipse-worst-year
Imagine this event during the Tribulation, but on a much greater scale! The above will be miniscule compared to these end times. Why would a loving God allow this to happen if He supposedly loves the world? It is because of the world’s love of sin and unwillingness to repent! Each year, their sinful hearts get harder and harder; it takes more judgments in order to turn their hearts. God could easily just destroy the entire earth and be done with it. But because He loves each soul so very much, He gives them repeated opportunities to be saved. This is true love!
Moving on, we see at this point during the Tribulation, as if this isn’t enough, stars will be falling from the sky! These could possibly be meteorites or comets. Earthquakes will be so strong that the Bible says all the mountains and islands will shift positions! Just think of Hawaii changing locations and no longer located at 18°55′ N to 28°27′ N Longitude – 154°48′ W to 178°22′ W Latitude! Think about it! This will horrify people so badly that they will seek shelter in rocks and mountains and will want the mountains to fall on them so they can escape this judgment through death! Wow!
If these are only the first six judgments – can you imagine what’s to come? Each one gets worse and worse because it’s taking stronger punishments to wake up the sinful world! Hearts have hardened so much, they no longer are tender to the Scriptures.
Friend, don’t delay if you are not born again! Do not trade eternal life in Heaven for a few years of pleasure on earth. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
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