Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 6
John has just described some very terrible future events. At that time, people will believe that the end of the world will happen very soon. It will seem to them that the world and the sky are actually falling apart.
People will consider the towns and cities unsafe. So, they will try to find places to stay in the mountains and caves. Formerly, they forced God’s people to hide in such places (Hebrews 11:38). Now, they themselves will escape to the same places.
At that time, people will not even want to live. Instead, they will desire death. They will wish that the rocks would fall upon them to hide them from the anger of God and of Christ. That is a very foolish thought. The truth is that nobody can hide from God, whether by death or by any other means. God is the perfect judge. He sees everything; he knows everything. He even sees people in hell (Psalm 139:8). Whether people are alive or dead, God will be their judge (20:11-15).
John especially emphasises that rich, strong, powerful and important people will run away to hide. Wealth and power may protect people from some troubles, but such things cannot save anyone from the judgement of God. These events have caused these important people to see how weak they really are. All the money in the world has no value if God will destroy the world (Matthew 16:26). All the power in the world offers no safety when God is destroying the world. You might expect that, in such circumstances, people will turn to God. However, the fact is that, even in the most desperate situations, many people refuse to serve God. They might blame him for their troubles, but they do not want him to be their God.
People will call it ‘the day of God’s anger’. They will think that God has decided to destroy the world. However, these things will not happen yet. This is just one of the first of God’s judgements. Many more things must happen before Christ’s rule on earth will begin.
Next part: A delay in God’s judgements (Revelation 7:1-3)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.