Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship's Bible study in the Book of Revelation. Tonight is study #27 of Revelation, chapter 6, and we are continuing to look at Revelation 6:12-14 and, for now, I will just read Revelation 6:12:
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;
We have been discussing this for some time now, looking at all the Bible has to say concerning the “darkness” that will come upon the world in the time of judgment. The Bible has a lot to say about that; we have read several verses in the Old Testament and the New Testament and they consistently speak of the day of the Lord, the day of the wrath of God, as a day of “darkness.”
We know that Christ is typified by the “sun” and He is the Light of the world, the light of the Gospel. It was through that Light shining into the spiritual darkness of this world and into the spiritually dark heart of an unsaved individual that produced salvation. Yet, in the Day of Judgment, all of that is past; it is over with; there is no more salvation. God has stated in the Epistle of James that He will have “judgment without mercy.”
Therefore, the character of the Day of Judgment is complete and total “darkness” over the face of the earth – spiritual darkness – and not only in the churches. The church had been spiritually dark for 23 years by the time Judgment Day began and that “darkness” will continue until the very end, but now that “darkness” in the churches has expanded and taken over the whole earth. Just as no one could have become saved during the 23-year judgment upon the churches and congregations, now no one can become saved outside of the churches and congregations. God has taken the “cup of wrath” first given to the city called by His name and He has given the same “cup,” the identical judgment, to the nations of the world. It is a spiritual judgment in which He has shut the door of Heaven and put out the Gospel light. So we have seen this great emphasis the Bible has placed on Judgment Day being a time of intense spiritual “darkness.”
However, even though this is the situation for the unsaved inhabitants of the world, this is not the case for God’s people. You know, there is a very good historical picture that God gives us in the Book of Exodus that fits our time very well. It is in Exodus 10 and it is one of the plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians, as Pharaoh continued to harden his heart and God brought plague after plague in order to free His people. We read in Exodus 10:21-23:
And JEHOVAH said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Is that not interesting? The land of Egypt and the Egyptians were in “darkness,” but this was not the case for the children of Israel and it was the case for, not just most of the children of Israel, but, according to Exodus 10:23, “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” We know in the Bible that Egypt is a type of Satan’s kingdom and this kingdom was made full of “darkness,” except for God’s people; God’s people, typified by the Israelites, “had light in their dwellings.”
Now this contradicts the idea that some have put forth in response to Judgment Day occurring on May 21, 2011 in regard to God’s people still living on the earth in the Day of Judgment and they say, “Oh, that cannot be, because believers are still in the world, therefore, God cannot bring spiritual darkness on the world. God would not do that.” Well, here is an historical instance in which God brought judgment on Egypt, which typifies the world, and He did it even though His people were in Egypt; their presence in Egypt did not prevent Him from bringing about this period of “thick darkness.” God just provided, first, for His people and He made sure that they had light in their dwellings and this is exactly parallel, spiritually, to our present time. God has brought spiritual darkness upon the face of the earth, but before He did that, He made sure He saved all of the elect. He made sure that each and every one to become saved had spiritual light “in their dwelling,” that is, in their person. He made sure of that by saving them and by indwelling them with His Spirit, which is Light (as light typifies God Himself). So, with God guaranteeing that all of His people would have light within, there is no difficulty and there is no problem or concern now in bringing about a time of darkness upon the world and turning out the Gospel Light upon this world. The idea that God would not do this is contrary to the Bible. There is no other way to say it; it just cannot hold up under the Bible’s scrutiny. For instance, we read in Micah 7:8-9:
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, JEHOVAH shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of JEHOVAH, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
Now, let us think about what the LORD is telling us, especially in verse 8: “I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, JEHOVAH shall be a light unto me.” Is that true of someone who is not a child of God? Is that true of an unsaved person (if we are looking at this darkness as the spiritual darkness that every unsaved person is in)? Is it true that JEHOVAH is a light unto them while they sit in darkness? The answer is: No. They are in the dark dungeon of sin and despair. They are enslaved to Satan and they are taken captive by him at his will. The Light can deliver them during the period of the day of salvation, but while they are in the darkness, God is not a light unto them if they remain in the darkness; the light removes them and translates them out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s dear son. Therefore, God cannot be referring to the situation of a spiritually unsaved individual – He is referring to a true believer, a child of God.
Of course, this could also have reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, but this is looking at the true believers and when do true believers sit in darkness and yet have God as a light unto them? Well, one occasion we can quickly think of is when God ended the church age and began the judgment process when judgment began at the house of God, as 1st Peter 4:17 tells us. Judgment began at the city called by His name. What did God do at that time? He removed the Light of the candlestick. The Lord Jesus Christ, who was in the midst of the churches and congregations for the 1,955 years of the church age, came out of their midst and He took away their candlestick and the Light of the Gospel within the churches went out.
But this happened (back) in 1988; and were God’s people still present in the churches? Yes, they were present there for a period of years; it was not until 2001 that God began to open up additional information from His Word that revealed that the child of God must “depart out” of the churches. God was commanding His people to come out and to leave the churches and congregations; He was separating the wheat from the tares. But for several years, from 1988 to 2001 (and for some people, it was even longer than that, as some did not “come out” until 2002 or 2004, or 2008, and some as late as 2011), the true believers were sitting in darkness. But since they were true believers, the Lord was a light unto them and, eventually, God drew His people out, according to His timetable for each individual and He brought them forth safely out of the churches before the final bundling of the tares for their spiritual burning on the Day of Judgment, May 21, 2011.
So that is a case, or example, we can look to where the presence of true believers within the churches and congregations did not at all prevent God from bringing judgment upon the corporate church and bringing spiritual darkness upon them. Their presence did not stop God from bringing His wrath. Their presence meant nothing insofar as the wrath of God was concerned and the carrying out of His timetable for judgment on the churches. Afterwards, God directed and drew His people out of the churches and congregations and, likewise, God let it be known that May 21, 2011 would be the Day of Judgment, the day when the light of the “sun” is darkened and the “moon” will not give her light and the light of the “stars of heaven” is taken away, as the stars “fall.” These are the Gospel lights of this world.
Yet, God did not take His people out of the world. He did not rapture them at the very beginning of the judgment and this actually matches the judgment He did on the churches – He did not first take His people out of the churches and then judge the churches. Likewise, He did not take His people out of the world and then judge the world, but He brought judgment upon the world while the people of God were within it and God’s people are still living on the earth in the Day of Judgment and there is “darkness” now that has overcome the entire world. All the unsaved inhabitants of the earth are experiencing the wrath of God, while God’s people have “light in their dwellings.” God’s people sit in darkness and, yet, JEHOVAH is a light unto them. There is still the presence of God with His people.
Of course, this is a wonderful thing for the true believer. It is the only thing that comforts us and helps us through these dark days after that tribulation and helps us to live day by day in such a terrible time. It is such a grievous period and we feel such sorrow for friends and family and others of the world and, yet, God is with us. He has not left us or forsaken us. He has promised us He will never leave or forsake us – it is not possible. So, although we dwell in the darkness that has come upon this world, spiritually, we are not in darkness because God has saved His people.
What happened when God saved His people? He brought us, spiritually, into the city of God (into Zion, the body of believers) and there we have God, who is the Light, that enlightens that city, New Jerusalem. We do not have the new Heaven and new Earth as of yet, but God first saved all His people in order to bring about the judgment of the world and also to “try” all those that claim to be His people with one final, severe time of testing (which appears to be 1,600 days from May 21, 2011, from what we can learn in the Bible). Then He will bring His people forth to the Light of a new creation, a new Heaven and a new Earth.
We read in Revelation 22:10-11:
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Here, the Lord is indicating that all have found their eternal state; He has saved His whole company of elect and they will be righteous and they will be holy for evermore; and since He has saved all of the elect, that leaves the rest in an unrighteous or filthy spiritual condition and they are “unjust” and they will remain in that condition. God goes on to say in Revelation 22:14:
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
All of God’s elect did enter in through the open “gate” of the Lord Jesus Christ, as that entrance was ministered unto a “great multitude” during the little season of the Great Tribulation. So all of the children of God have found their way, through Christ, into the city that God was building and this city is comprised of all the elect. It says in Revelation 22:15:
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
These are sinners that are still in their sins. Of course, the elect were these things, too. We have transgressed God’s Laws also and we were guilty of the same sins, but our sins were paid for by the Lord. These poor souls bear their sins; they have no Saviour, so they are “without the city.”
Many have thought this was referring to God’s people in Heaven. Then how can these other individuals be “without?” Remember, we have learned that there is no place called “hell,” and there will never be a place called “hell.” Hell is the grave. Hell is a condition and it is death. There is no eternal suffering in a place called “Hell,” so, then, who are these people that are “without” and are identified as “dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”? They are all of the unsaved people of the world that are outside of God’s salvation. They never became saved so they are outside the city of God and outside of Christ right now. And what is “without” that city? We read in Matthew 8:11-12:
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Now this is repeated in Matthew 22:11-14:
And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
It also says in Matthew 25:28-30:
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Cast them into outer darkness. You see, God’s people have “light in their dwellings” and God’s people dwell as a body within the Kingdom of God – we dwell in Christ; we dwell in the city that God has built for His people. That city is made up of the elect and we all have the Spirit of God within, so there is light in our dwellings, but “without” is in Philadelphia, in New York City, in Tokyo, in Lagos, Nigeria, or in Kenya, China or India. “Without” is any place in this world where unsaved people dwell. They are outside the Kingdom of Heaven. God has brought “darkness” upon the earth, spiritually, and He will never lighten the earth again. He will never shine the Light of the Gospel – the sun, moon and stars – into the dark reaches of this earth, spiritually speaking, in order that sinners ensnared in this blackness of sin might be delivered.
Therefore, every unsaved individual, inside or outside of the churches today, has been “cast out” (since May 21, 2011) into “outer darkness.” This is the place where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is the place of judgment upon the earth for the duration of Judgment Day, which there is a good probability will continue for 1,600 days, when God is treading the “winepress of His wrath.” And, finally, on the 1600th day, which is the 10,000th day of overall judgment, He will have completed the judgment upon mankind for their sinfulness and He will, ultimately and completely, destroy them on that last day. So these days are “dark” and they can be very dreary. Yet God has not left His people. He has not forsaken us. God’s people have light.
Let me just read one last beautiful passage that God gives us to encourage us at this time. It is in Isaiah, where it says in Isaiah 60:1-7:
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of JEHOVAH is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but JEHOVAH shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of JEHOVAH. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.
All of God’s elect that He saved – that “great multitude” from amongst the nations of the world – will come to the light that rises, the light of Christ within His people (not a light that shines in the world). God is making a distinction here. As God’s people minister and are obedient to the command to feed God’s sheep, they will come. There will be a gathering together unto Christ in the Day of Judgment which we are presently in. We can only thank God that although there is “darkness,” we still (by His grace and mercy toward us as individuals) have light at this time.