The Sixth Church is the Church of Philadelphia, meaning “brotherly love”.

Since we have already covered this church and its history in detail, we will move on to the Sixth Seal here, however if you have not seen this study on the Sixth Church or if you simply feel you need a review, you can view it here: The Sixth Church, Revelation Chapter 3: 7-13.

This is an important part to our study and understanding of the history of the Gospel age church as a whole, and should not be neglected as what takes place during the sixth stage of the church has a direct barring on the seventh.

THE SIXTH SEAL

Revelation Chapter 6

VERSE 12 “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.”

I LOOKED WHEN HE OPENED THE SIXTH SEAL, AND BEHOLD, THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE:

This is the French Revolution, an event which had much to do with ending the wilderness experiences of the Church. (Compare Rev. 12)

“It may seem strange that this seal begins by describing events which occur late in the Philadelphia period, near its end. One reason may be that the French Revolution and the Time of the End are the focal point of the Sixth stage of the church. Perhaps, however, more important is that the seals appear all to focus on events late in their period. It is as if the Lord allows the period to unfold on events in their period (UN-sealed) until after much of the period is history. This seems only natural.

We rarely understand an experience while we are going through it. Our understanding and appreciation generally come later.”

This prophecy is the same as our Lord indicated in Matthew 24:29 viz.,

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

…where the “tribulation of those days” applies to the tribulation (“sorrows”) of Matt. 24:8 — the troubles of the Gospel Age PRIOR to the Time of the End, the time DURING the 1260 years of Daniel 12’s prophecy.

Some apply Sun, Moon, and Stars to the NOMINAL heavens where the Sun would be the Papal Authority, the Moon – the Roman Catholic Church Law, and the Stars – the clergy. While this does fit and is a possible answer, the interpretation which follows seems superior.

AND THE SUN BECAME BLACK:

The SUN, the Gospel Light was blacked. The Gospel (light, the truth) was challenged by Voltaire and the Enlightenment. The denominations at that time had too little truth to give the needed answers to the challengers. Thus, the Sun was unable to enlighten the masses.

AS SACKCLOTH OF HAIR: — mourning. (See Rev 11:3, Luke 18:8, and Psalm 91:7)

During the Philadelphia period which had begun with such doctrinal excitement, the eventual challenges of the Enlightenment, Higher Criticism, Evolution, Marxism, etc., destroyed the faith of many. The failure of the predictions of Adventists destroyed faith in even more. Though the Scriptures had been freed from Papal suppression at the end of the 1260 days, other factors made them mourn. Thus, Luke says that when Jesus returns, “shall He find (the) faith in the earth?”

AND THE MOON BECAME LIKE BLOOD: — the Moon, the Jewish Law; the O.T., as a reflection of the Gospel.

If the New Testament realities were not understood, how much less the TYPES of the Old Testament? They were viewed by the Enlightenment as barbaric and bloody.

VERSE 13 “And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.”

AND THE STARS OF HEAVEN FELL TO THE EARTH: — The stars, the Apostles (Rev. 12:1) The teachings of the Apostles were reduced to a code of morals and ethics used for social and political applications. Their spiritual applications were ignored; thus, they fell to earthly uses.

NOTE: We have seen that things BEGUN in the sixth stage of the church CULMINATE in the seventh stage. Hence, texts like Joel 2, which have remarkable similarity to Rev. 6, apply to Laodicea and NOT to Philadelphia EXCEPT that they have their BEGINNINGS in Philadelphia. The French Revolution is 1/10th of the city’s falling (Rev 11:13).

“In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city (Great Babylon) fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

Nine-tenths are yet to fall after Philadelphia.

AS: – The events in Sun, Moon, Stars happen AS a fig tree casts its untimely figs.

If we use “as” to mean WHILE, we can compare the heavenly symbols to CONTEMPORANEOUS events in the Holy Land.

If we use “as” to mean LIKE, we can compare the heavenly symbols to THE WAY they relate to Time of the End troubles:

A FIG TREE:  This is Israel. There was something happening to affect the Jewish people in an important way.

DROPS ITS LATE (UNRIPE) FIGS:

Napoleon, while in the Holy Land after his Egyptian Campaign in A.D.1799, wanted to proclaim the region as a new homeland for the Jews. The IDEA was a good one which God intended to accomplish. But the TIMING was off — untimely, unripe. God had prophesied by the Jewish Double prophecies that A.D. 1878 would be the time for the re-establishment of Israel.

WHEN IT IS SHAKEN BY A MIGHTY WIND: A great wind is a great strife or war. Lord Nelson’s fleet had put an end to Napoleon’s Middle-East empire designs and, thus, the Jewish hope was aborted – cast off by a great wind.

AN INTERESTING SIDELIGHT: The fig tree has a three-fold season. It first produces winter figs — a small undesirable crop. Then it has a crop on the old wood. These are good, but not best. It takes 70 days from blossom to ripe fruit for this crop — just as it took Israel 70 years to statehood (from A.D.1878 to A.D.1948). But the best crop is the crop on new branches, which is the final crop of the year. Prophetically, this crop is yet to come when Israel receives the New Covenant. Napoleon’s crop was winter figs.

SUMMARY OF “AS” —

If “as” means WHILE, the 13th verse means something like:

While the religious challenges were occurring, the first stirrings of Zionism were born in Napoleon’s Middle- Eastern escapades.

If “as” means LIKE, the 13th verse means something like:

Just as the idea for a Jewish homeland was premature, so is the darkening of Sun, Moon, and Stars and the accompanying troubles. This (the French Revolution) is only the preliminary 1/10th. Nine-tenths must wait.

Brother Shallieu suggests an interesting picture of this in 1 Kings 18:44.

At the end of 3 1/2 years of drought (corresponding to the 1260 days of Daniel), the SIGN of impending rain, storm, and trouble is NOT a whole cloudy sky, but merely a cloud the size of a man’s hand. This cloud comes up from the sea (the restless masses – as did the French Revolution). It is the size of a man’s hand — a fist: the power of the people forming trouble (clouds). But this is ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE TROUBLE. Jesus, for instance, would come WITH CLOUDS.

Continued with next post.