Standing on Shaky Ground

 

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17 ESV).

 

On March 27, 1980, a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows began at Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, United States. A series of phreatic blasts occurred from the summit and escalated until a major explosive eruption took place on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 AM. The earthquake that followed on that Sunday, caused the entire weakened north face to slide away, creating the largest landslide ever recorded. This suddenly exposed the partly molten, gas and steam-rich rock in the volcano to lower pressures. The rock responded by exploding a hot mix of lava and pulverized older rock toward Spirit Lake so fast that it overtook the avalanching north face. An eruption column rose 15 miles into the atmosphere and deposited ash in 11 states. At the same time, snow, ice and several entire glaciers on the volcano melted, forming a series of large volcanic mudslides that reached as far as the Columbia River, nearly 50 miles to the southwest. Less severe outbursts continued into the next day, only to be followed by other large, but not as destructive, eruptions later that year.

 

Multiply that across the globe and you have the picture of the opening of the sixth seal as John records it in our reading today. It’s like ground zero in an event of mass destruction. Everyone, of course, is affected. The powerful, the rich, and the poor all share in this common ground of chaos. All the supports that people are used to counting on are removed. However, we must see that God is not removed. We hear the cry of desperation. When people are brought face to face with God, they do what humankind has attempted since the fall into sin (cf. Genesis 3:1-11): they try to hide from God. Fear deepens their desperation—and they call to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us!” Hiding from God keeps God unknown. Thankfully, hills do not respond to people’s cries. But God does. God knows what to do with our fear over coming close to him. He welcomes us with all of our fears and surprises us with an embrace like a parent welcoming a long-lost child back home (cf. Luke 15:11-24). Don’t wait until the world is coming apart. Come to Him today!