The Meaning of Revelation 6:17 Explained

Revelation 6:17

KJV: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

YLT: because come did the great day of His anger, and who is able to stand?

Darby: because the great day of his wrath is come, and who is able to stand?

ASV: for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?

Discover Revelation 6:17

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Revelation 6:17?

MEANING: What does Revelation 6:17 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Revelation 6:17 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Revelation 6:17?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For  the great  day  of his  wrath  is come;  and  who  shall be able  to stand? 

What does Revelation 6:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This "great day of their wrath" is the Tribulation, Daniel"s seventieth week (cf. Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1; Joel 2:2; Matthew 24:21). These people will not turn to God in repentance but from Him in terror (cf. Isaiah 2:19; Isaiah 2:21; Hosea 10:8; Luke 23:30). By the end of the sixth seal judgment, they will know that what they are experiencing is the outpouring of His wrath. This is the first part of the judgment phase of the day of the Lord (cf. Joel 2:11; Joel 2:30-31; Isaiah 2:10-11; Isaiah 2:19-21; Isaiah 13:8-13; Isaiah 26:17-19; Isaiah 34:4; Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 66:7-9; Jeremiah 30:6-8; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Hosea 10:8; Micah 4:9-10; Matthew 24:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:3). The day of the Lord includes Daniel"s seventieth week (seven years) of judgment, Christ"s return to the earth, and His1 ,000 year reign on the earth. Some have sought to limit the day of the Lord to Armageddon only. [1] But this view fails to take all the day of the Lord data in Scripture into account.
The Tribulation will be a distinct judgment of God unique from other times of distress that the earth has ever experienced ( Jeremiah 30:7). It will be worldwide and severe. Furthermore everyone will not only know that it is a divine judgment, but they will act like it by seeking death to hide from God, not just from these calamities. The judgments of the sixth seal appear to be a foreshadowing of the similar but even greater judgments that will come at the end of the Tribulation, just before Jesus Christ returns to the earth (cf. Revelation 16:17-21; Matthew 24:21).
"The cosmic disturbances immediately before the beginning of the Joel 3Day of the Lord and the Second Coming of Christ immediately after the Great Tribulation are not the same as those of the sixth seal. The cosmic disturbances immediately before the beginning of the Joel 3Day of the Lord and the Second Coming of Christ will occur at the end of the70th week, but those of the sixth seal will occur and end considerably before then." [2]
Other cosmic disturbances appear in the Great Tribulation before the one described in Joel 3occurs, namely, those associated with the fourth and fifth trumpets and the sixth bowl ( Revelation 8:12; Revelation 9:1-11; Revelation 16:12-16). Joel 3does not refer to a cosmic disturbance before the Tribulation begins.
Postmillennialists and amillennialists interpret the revelation of tribulation in chapters6-18 as a symbolic description of various troubles that have come and will come on believers before Jesus Christ"s second coming. [3] They do not believe the Tribulation will be a specific seven-year period of the unique outpouring of God"s wrath yet future.
Posttribulationists believe the church will be on earth during the Tribulation. Among premillennialists there are pretribulationists (those who believe that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation) and posttribulationists (those who believe that the Rapture will occur at the end of the Tribulation, immediately before or concurrent with the Second Coming). Gundry, a posttribulationist, held that sufferings Christians experience during the Tribulation will not come as a result of God"s penal judgments but will be persecutions that arise "from other quarters." [4] He viewed the martyrs of this period as Christians (believers living between the day of Pentecost and the Rapture) rather than as tribulation saints.
Marvin Rosenthal argued, correctly I believe, that the first four seals describe what Jesus called "the beginning of sorrows" ( Matthew 24:8). [5] He equated this period with the first half of Daniel"s seventieth week (i.e, three and one-half years, or42months). However, he wrote, incorrectly I believe, that the fifth and sixth seals picture "the Great Tribulation" ( Matthew 24:21), which he limited to the following21months, not the whole second half of Daniel"s seventieth week. He further argued, also incorrectly, that the seventh seal begins "the day of the Lord" ( Joel 2:1-2), which will only be the final quarter of Daniel"s seventieth week, namely, the remaining21months. He placed the Rapture at the beginning of the day of the Lord, which he believed would be the only period of wrath poured out. Thus since the Rapture will occur before it, according to his scheme, we can expect a "Pre-wrath Rapture." [6]

Context Summary

Revelation 6:9-17 - "the Wrath Of The Lamb"
This imagery is very majestic; but we cannot really think that the holy martyrs desire to be revenged, except in love and grace. That their persecutors should be forgiven in Pentecosts of revival must be the highest conception of vengeance that they permit themselves to have. The striking command that they should rest, each enclothed in a white robe of acceptance and purity, until the full roll of martyrs is complete, suggests that every age must yield its tale of those who love not their lives unto the death, because they love the Master so much more. We, too, have our daily martyrdoms, for it may be harder to live for Jesus always against continued opposition and scorn than to die once for Him.
Revelation 9:1-21; Revelation 10:1-11 answer to Matthew 24:6-7. Revelation 12:1-17; Revelation 17:1-18 to Matthew 24:29-30. Probably the words here refer, not to the final judgment, but to those revolutionary changes which always accompany the closing of one era and the opening of another; Hebrews 12:26-27. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 6

1  The First Seal: Rider on White Horse
3  The Second Seal: War
5  The Third Seal: Famine
7  The Fourth Seal: Death
9  The Fifth Seal: Martyrs
12  The Sixth Seal: Terror

Greek Commentary for Revelation 6:17

The great day [η ημερα η μεγαλη]
The phrase occurs in the O.T. prophets (Joel 2:11, Joel 2:31; Zephaniah 1:14. Cf. Judges 1:6) and is here combined with “of their wrath” (της οργης αυτων — tēs orgēs autōn) as in Zephaniah 1:15, Zephaniah 1:18; Zephaniah 2:3; Romans 2:5. “Their” (αυτων — autōn) means the wrath of God and of the Lamb put here on an equality as in Revelation 1:17., Revelation 22:3, Revelation 22:13; 1 Thessalonians 3:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:16. Beckwith holds that this language about the great day having come “is the mistaken cry of men in terror caused by the portents which are bursting upon them.” There is something, to be sure, to be said for this view which denies that John commits himself to the position that this is the end of the ages. [source]
And who is able to stand? [και τις δυναται στατηναι]
Very much like the words in Nahum 1:6; Malachi 3:2. First aorist passive infinitive of ιστημι — histēmi It is a rhetorical question, apparently by the frightened crowds of Revelation 6:15. Swete observes that the only possible answer to that cry is the command of Jesus in Luke 21:36: “Keep awake on every occasion, praying that ye may get strength to stand (στατηναι — stathēnai the very form) before the Son of Man.” [source]
The great day [ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη]
Lit., the day, the great (day ). For the construction, see on 1 John 4:9. [source]
Is come [ἦλθεν]
Lit., came. [source]
Shall be able to stand [δύναται σταθῆναι]
Rev., rightly, is able. Compare Nahum 1:6; Malachi 3:2. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 6:17

1 John 4:17 The day of judgment [τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως]
Lit., the day of judgment. The exact phrase occurs here only. Ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως dayof judgment, without the articles, is found Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:22, Matthew 11:24; Matthew 12:36; 2 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 3:7. The day is called the great day of their wrath (Revelation 6:17); the day of wrath and of revelation of the righteous judgement of God (Romans 2:5); the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:12); the last day (John 6:39, John 6:40, John 6:44, John 6:54); that day (Matthew 7:22; Luke 6:23; Luke 10:12). The judgment is found Matthew 12:41, Matthew 12:42; Luke 10:14; Luke 11:31, Luke 11:32. [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 6:17 mean?

because has come the day - great of the wrath of Them and who is able to stand
ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν καὶ τίς δύναται σταθῆναι

ὅτι  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἦλθεν  has  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
ἡμέρα  day 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἡμέρα  
Sense: the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night.
ἡ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μεγάλη  great 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ὀργῆς  wrath 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ὀργή  
Sense: anger, the natural disposition, temper, character.
αὐτῶν  of  Them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
δύναται  is  able 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: δύναμαι  
Sense: to be able, have power whether by virtue of one’s own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom.
σταθῆναι  to  stand 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Passive
Root: ἵστημι  
Sense: to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set.

What are the major concepts related to Revelation 6:17?

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Similar Scriptures for Revelation 6:17

Psalms 76:7 [6]
Malachi 3:2 [5]
Joel 2:11 [5]
Joel 2:31 [5]
Jeremiah 30:7 [4]
Revelation 16:14 [4]
Zephaniah 1:14-18 [3]
Romans 2:5 [3]
Isaiah 13:6-22 [3]
Jude 1:6 [2]
Psalms 130:3-4 [2]
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Revelation 11:18 [2]
Luke 21:36 [2]
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