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and as a falling fig from the fig tree. . . . for it is the day of the Lord's vengeance. . . .
Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come
and save you" (Isa. 34: 1-8; 35: 4).
A terrible shaking awaits the nations of the earth. Even in the present day, as we see
thrones and crowns on the brink of collapse, what word so expresses the state of the
nations and kingdoms as the words of Haggai, "I will shake all nations"?
"For thus saith the Lord of Hosts: Yet first, it is a little while, and I will shake the
heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, and the
desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of
Hosts" (Hag. 2: 6, 7).
Here is the blessing of Israel. The closely-related "vengeance" on the nations is found in
Hag. 2: 21, 22, "I will shake the heavens and the earth: And I will overthrow the throne
of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations". In the
epistle to the Hebrews we see that the shaking of the earth looks back to Sinai, while the
shaking of the heavens "once for all" looks forward to a far more violent and far-reaching
visitation the inspired comment being, "Yet once for all denotes the removal of the things
that may be shaken, as of things that have been made, so that the things which cannot be
shaken may remain" (Heb. 12: 25-29).
Coming now, with all these prophecies, to Matt. 24: the key prophecy, we shall be
able to locate the sixth seal in the Divine plan.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven"
(Matt. 24: 29, 30).
No mention is made in this passage of the shaking of the nations, but this is supplied by
Luke.
"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the
desolation thereof is nigh. . . . for these be the days of vengeance, that all things which
are written may be fulfilled. . . . until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there
shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of
heaven shall be shaken; and then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory" (Luke 21: 20-27).
It will be observed that in Matt. 24: 29 we have a distinct point of time indicated.
The tribulation is immediately following the shaking and the signs in heaven. Therefore
we can with certainty say that the great tribulation takes place either at the breaking of the
fifth seal, or before the opening of the sixth. If this be so, then, still following the order
of Matt. 24: 15, the Abomination of desolation must find its place somewhere between
the fourth and the sixth seals, and consequently Rev. 13: must be assigned a place here.
It appears, therefore, that although there are seven seals upon the scroll, six of them
exhaust the period of its prophecy. The sixth seal takes us to a period of time when
kings, great men, and bond and free shall flee to hide from the wrath of the Lamb. The