Fear of the Wrath to Come
Sermon Title: Fear of the Wrath to Come
Sermon Text: Revelation 6:12-17
Sermon Purpose: To call the hearer to warn the sinner of the terrible wrath to come.
Sermon Proposition: There are 3 aspects of the fear of the wrath to come.
I. The rationale for the fear of God’s wrath. V.12-14
Six Great National Disasters associated with the wrath to come.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
A. The great earthquake reveals God’s wrath. V.12a
Matthew 24:21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. . . . 37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
B. The great blackening of the sun reveals God’s wrath. V.12b
Luke 21:25 " And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
C. The great bloody moon reveals God’s wrath. V.12c
Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
D. The great fall of the stars reveal God’s wrath. V.13a (Rev. 8:12)
E. The great split of the sky reveals God’s wrath. V.13b
F. The great shifting of the earth reveals God’s wrath. V.13c
II. The radius of the fear of God’s wrath. V.15a
A. The radius includes the influential classes of people.
B. The radius includes the lower classes of people.
Proverbs 11:4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.
III. The response to the fear of God’s wrath. V.15b-17
A. The response is to hide from the wrath of God. V.15b
2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -- and tremble!
B. The response is to hide from the face of God. V.16
Isaiah 2:17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day, 18 But the idols He shall utterly abolish. 19 They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily. 20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles and bats, 21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
C. The response is to hide from the Day of God. V.17
Psalm 139:7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Amos 9:2 "Though they dig into hell, From there my hand shall take them; Though they climb up to heaven, From there I will bring them down; 3 And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, From there I will search and take them; Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them;
Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.