Everything that humans have experienced for the 42 months of Revelation 6:1-11, has been mostly self-induced. These first five seals chronicle the natural consequences of sinful humanity’s evil ways, magnified by the removal of the restraining Hand of God, through Christ's Church and the Spirit of God.
Great Quake v. 12a “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake”: John first notes that this is far more than another of the many quakes that will be increasing as the Tribulation grinds on (Mt. 24:7), this is the first ‘cosmic quake’ (6:13-14) that signals not only all of the six disasters of v. 12-17 as a mega seimos (great shaking in Greek). This also is the biggest, strongest, most powerful quake ever to be felt by humans on Earth. That is how God jolts humanity awake to His Presence they so long have ignored and denied. Sun Blackened v. 12b “and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair”:
What John sees reminds him of sackcloth, a material made from the hair of black goats, and portrays the suppression of sunlight by thick and dark clouds during the day. Creationist and hydraulic engineer, Dr. Henry Morris writes this in his commentary on Revelation:
The great earthquake described here … for the first time in history is worldwide in scope. Seismologists and geophysicists in recent years have learned a great deal about the structure of the earth and about the cause and nature of earthquakes. The earth’s solid crust is traversed with a complex network of faults, with all resting upon a plastic mantle whose structure is still largely unknown. In any case, the vast worldwide network of unstable earthquake belts around the world suddenly will begin to slip and fracture on a global basis and a gigantic earthquake will ensue.
This is evidently, and naturally, accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast quantities of dust and steam, and gases into the upper atmosphere. It is probably these that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear blood-red.
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