At the opening of the sixth seal, John saw a “great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood” (v. 12, cf. Joel 2:31). Not only are the heavens and earth shaken but they are removed out of their place (cf. Isa. 13:13). The context of Joel’s description was before the great and terrible day of the Lord. This day would be a judgment on the Jews first, and also to the Gentiles (Rom. 2:1-16). It lasted until the binding of Satan. The description of the stars of heaven falling unto the earth as a fig tree casts her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind” is descriptive of earth changes. Jehovah’s voice shook the earth at Mt. Sinai and the Hebrew writer speaks of God shaking the earth and heaven to signify the removing of things that are shaken that those things which are may remain. Immediately, he adds, “Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:18-29).
According to Isaiah and Peter, Jehovah would create new heavens and new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:1-13). It would take place in conjunction with God’s selection of new servants called by another name (Isa. 65:1-16). But, it would come after the travail of Jerusalem (Isa. 66:7-9). The shaking of earth and heavens would occur so He might create a kingdom that is not shaken (eternal and spiritual in nature). The physical shaking of the earth and heavens are signs that serve as a precursor to God’s changing order from the physical shadows of the old order to the spiritual order of Christ’s reign.
When God’s wrath is poured out to shake the earth, it affects all nations of all kinds, and people would hide. Josephus comments that those who had hidden in the caverns under the city could not hide from God or the Romans (cf. Psa. 139:7-12). When God’s wrath was executed, the carnage included “kings, captains, mighty men, and all kinds of men; both free and bond, small and great” (Rev. 15:1; 19:17-18). In their fear, they say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Just before his death, Jesus told the daughters of Jerusalem, “But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are those who cannot bear, and the wombs that have not given birth, and the breasts that have not nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ (NASV) Yet, there is no escaping His wrath for “it comes and who is able to stand” (cf. Mal. 3:1-6)?
It is common to dismiss this application to Jerusalem because it doesn’t fit the universal language of God’s wrath. We respond to this in two ways. First, Hebrews 9:8-9 reads, “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly, both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience …”
(1) That “present time” would end when the temple was destroyed. It marked the end of that age because it was a symbol of that age.
(2) Not only Jews in Palestine but Jews from the whole world would be impacted by this destruction. It was considered the city of God, but God has abandoned the temple as their house is left unto them desolate.
(3) There are three waves that find their origin in Jerusalem. The preaching of the gospel “begins at Jerusalem” as does the persecution of saints. Yet, both extend beyond Jerusalem. Judgment is the third wave. Judgment would begin at the house of God, but God’s judgment does not end in Jerusalem. Toward the end of that generation, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the whole Roman fleet that had anchored in the harbor of Pompeii. Over settlements were destroyed such as Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae. 79 AD is still within that generation and Rome was hit hard by this volcano. There are far-fetching results of God’s wrath even after 70 AD.