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. Revelation 6:12
The year 1816 is noted in many history books as the year without a summer. The previous year, Mount Tambora, a volcano on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, erupted, spewing vast amounts of dust and ash into the atmosphere. Much of that volcanic debris remained in the atmosphere in 1816, resulting in bizarre weather throughout much of the world. Because the sky appeared to be permanently overcast, very little sun reached the earth’s surface, and the weather was very cold. In North America, snow was reported in many areas in every month of the year. Crops failed everywhere, resulting in widespread starvation among people and animals. If the eruption of a volcano can cause so much destruction and misery, can you imagine the upheaval when God steps in to affect conditions on this earth?
Our text is describing one of the great calamities of the great tribulation, a future time of judgment on the earth. The sun is to be darkened, and it will be much worse than in 1816. Without most of the light from the sun, the earth will be a dismal and difficult place to try to do anything. Without the heat from the sun, the earth will encounter severe frosts, preventing the growing of crops that are necessary for survival. Snowfall will be a huge problem not only for agriculture but also for transportation and most human activities. The darkening of the sun will be a severe judgment that will exact a high cost in terms of lives lost, comforts destroyed, and misery inflicted. This is all because people in our world depend so much on the sun for so much of what we have. In a practical way, Christians also need the sun, but our dependence is not so much on it but on the One Who placed the sun in our sky.
The tragedy of the darkening of the sun reminds us of the folly of depending on the natural forces of this world for everything. The unsaved people of this world has no choice, because this world is all that they have. They can prepare for, but not eliminate, the natural disasters that occur, such as severe storms, earthquakes, and floods. But when the destruction of those disasters exceeds their ability to cope, they fall victim to the loss of safety, property, and life. They can lose everything. In contrast, the Christian cannot lose everything to life’s disasters. In fact, we cannot lose anything that is truly important. If our possessions are damaged or destroyed, they are only temporary possessions that will be replaced with the reality of eternal treasures. If we lose our health, or even our life, we lose only that which pertains to this earth for a short time. Our eternal life is secure.
As we consider the terrible tragedies that will sweep our planet, we take comfort in knowing that we have an Ark of refuge in the One Who has saved us and Who will keep us safe forever. -Jim MacIntosh