Morning Bible Study: Revelation 6:9-17

9  When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 

10  They shouted to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?" 

11  Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters -their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred-had joined them. 

12  I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 

13  Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 

14  The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. 

15  Then everyone-the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person-all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 

16  And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 

17  For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?"   NLT

(the following is from www.easyenglish.bible)

"Verses 9-11: The fifth (5th) seal.

The seven seals divide into two groups of four and three. The first four were about the horses and riders. They were about what happened on the earth. With the fifth seal, the events moved from earth to heaven.

The Lord Jesus opened the fifth seal. John saw an altar in heaven. Under the altar there were the souls of those who had died. These people died because they believed in the Lord. They believed the word of God. They had been good servants of God.

John speaks about these souls being under the altar. When a priest made a sacrifice, he poured out the blood below the altar. The idea here is that these people were like a sacrifice. They were as a sacrifice made to God. In fact, they died on earth. But by their death, they offered their souls on the altar in heaven.

They spoke to the Lord because he has all authority. The Lord is holy. And he will do what is right. In the end, he must punish all evil actions. The Lord will punish the people who had caused their deaths. They knew this. These souls asked the Lord a question. They were asking, ‘How long must we wait? When will you punish those who caused our deaths?’

The clear answer was that the situation will become worse first. But, at the time when God chooses, he will answer their prayer. He will show his anger against the people who do not believe in him. That day of God’s anger will come upon the earth.

To each of these souls, the Lord gave white clothes. These clothes showed that they were clean from all sin. In other words, God accepted them as innocent. And he gave them honor. These souls under the altar were at rest.

God told them to be patient. They must wait a little time. People on the earth would kill more of God’s people. Then the time will come and God will act.

Verses 12-17: The sixth (6th) seal.

John watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal. The heavens and the earth shook. God had said ‘Once more, I will shake the heavens and the earth’ (Haggai 2:6).

At the same time, the sun became dark. It was as if a black cloth covered the sun. The light could not shine through it. The day became as the night. The moon glowed a deep red color. It was the color of blood.

Peter spoke about this event (Acts 2:20). He used the words of Joel the prophet (Joel 2:30). He said, ‘the sun will become darkness. The moon will become blood.’ This would happen before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

It seemed as if the stars fell down to the earth. They were like unripe figs that fall from the tree in a winter storm. Figs are a kind of sweet fruit that grow on a fig tree.

The ancient people had a tradition. They believed that the stars would fall from the sky. When this happened, the end of the world would come.

The sky disappeared as if God had rolled it up. The mountains and islands moved.

Stars cannot fall to the earth. The sky cannot disappear like a scroll. This is the language of poetry. It shows how awful these events will be. They will come before the Lord returns to the earth. But it is not just poetry. It tells about real events that will happen in the skies.

At these terrible events, all the people on earth were afraid. They cried out in terror. They tried to hide from God and from the Lord Jesus. They tried to escape from the anger of God and of the Lamb. They would rather die than meet with God.

In the end, there will be no place to hide. All will have to meet with God. And, in that day, God will be their judge. This will be the day of God’s anger. And the Lamb will be angry with all those who are on the earth. Nobody will be able to escape from the fierce anger of God and of the Lamb."