Revelation 6:17 kjv

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

Revelation 6:17 nkjv

For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

Revelation 6:17 niv

For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?"

Revelation 6:17 esv

for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Revelation 6:17 nlt

For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?"

Revelation 6 verses

Revelation 6 17 Meaning

Revelation 6:17 signifies the climax of the terrors of divine judgment beginning with the opening of the sixth seal. The inhabitants of the earth, facing catastrophic signs, cry out, preferring to be crushed by mountains than to face the unveiled presence and consuming wrath of God, who sits on the throne, and of the Lamb. This verse is their despairing rhetorical question, recognizing that in the face of such overwhelming, divine fury, no one who has opposed God and His Christ can survive or stand justified. It declares that the long-prophesied day of reckoning, a time of inescapable divine anger against wickedness, has decisively arrived.

Revelation 6 17 Context

Revelation chapter 6 describes the Lamb, Christ, opening the first six of seven seals, initiating a series of judgments upon the earth. The first four seals release the four horsemen, symbolizing conquest, civil strife, famine, and death. The fifth seal reveals the souls of martyrs crying out for justice. The sixth seal then unleashes cataclysmic signs: a great earthquake, the sun turning black, the moon like blood, stars falling, and the sky vanishing. These phenomena, reminiscent of Old Testament Day of the Lord prophecies, strike immense terror into the hearts of all people—kings, officials, rich, powerful, slave, and free. Revelation 6:17 immediately follows their desperate plea for mountains to fall on them to hide them "from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev 6:16). The verse therefore encapsulates their profound realization: the promised day of divine judgment, which they vehemently tried to avoid, has arrived, and there is no escape or refuge for the wicked from the infinite, holy wrath of God and His Christ. Historically, this scene offered comfort and vindication to John's audience, who were experiencing persecution, assuring them that their oppressors would ultimately face God's just retribution. It also polemicized against the Roman imperial cult's claims of invincibility, showing that even emperors and the powerful would tremble before the true King of Kings.

Revelation 6 17 Word analysis

• For (γάρ - gar): A conjunction that introduces a reason or explanation. It clarifies why the terrified people are crying out and hiding—because of the stated impending judgment.
• the great day (ἡμέρα μεγάλη - hēmera megalē): This is a powerful eschatological idiom. "Day" (hēmera) refers to a period or event of decisive significance, specifically one of divine judgment. "Great" (megalē) emphasizes its overwhelming importance, terror, and finality. It directly links to the Old Testament concept of "the Day of the Lord" (e.g., Isa 2:12; Joel 2:1, 11; Amos 5:18; Zeph 1:14-15), which always denotes a time of divine intervention, judgment on the wicked, and vindication of the righteous.
• of their wrath (τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν - tēs orgēs autōn):
  • Wrath (ὀργῆς - orgēs): This word (orgē) in the New Testament, especially when applied to God, refers to a righteous, fixed, and settled indignation against sin, not an uncontrollable passion. It is the holy outpouring of divine justice against all ungodliness and unrighteousness (Rom 1:18). It is an inherent aspect of God's character when confronted with rebellion.
  • Their (autōn): This plural pronoun unequivocally refers back to "Him who is seated on the throne" (God the Father) and "the Lamb" (Jesus Christ) mentioned in the preceding verse (Rev 6:16). This highlights a key theological point in Revelation: Christ, the sacrificed Lamb, participates fully in the divine judgment and executes the Father's wrath. This challenges any perception of a benign Lamb without righteous indignation against sin.
• is come (ἦλθεν - ēlthen): This verb is in the aorist tense, signifying an accomplished fact. It's not "is coming" or "will come," but "has come," emphasizing that the moment they dreaded has undeniably arrived. The time of grace or postponement is past for them.
• and who (καὶ τίς - kai tis): A rhetorical question characteristic of biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature. It expects no positive answer, emphatically stating that no one can endure or survive this event by their own strength or righteousness.
• shall be able to stand? (δύναται σταθῆναι - dynatai stathenai):
  • Shall be able (δύναται - dynatai): Signifies capacity or possibility.
  • To stand (σταθῆναι - stathenai): This word has profound biblical resonance. In a judicial context, to "stand" means to be acquitted, justified, or to successfully face a judge without condemnation (Psa 1:5; Mal 3:2; Luke 21:36). Here, it means to withstand, endure, or survive the onset of divine judgment. The rhetorical question implies utter failure and condemnation for those not found in Christ.

• "the great day of their wrath": This phrase synthesizes multiple prophetic themes. It marks the commencement of severe, eschatological judgment. It is the consummation of deferred wrath against human rebellion and underscores the unified action of the Father and the Lamb in divine retribution.
• "and who shall be able to stand?": This concluding rhetorical question effectively conveys the extreme and overwhelming nature of the divine wrath. It signals the complete helplessness, hopelessness, and inescapable doom of those caught in its fury who are not on God's side. Their only desire is annihilation rather than facing the holy presence they have rejected.

Revelation 6 17 Bonus section

The "wrath of the Lamb" is a paradox intentionally crafted by John to highlight the unique nature of Jesus's divinity. He is the sacrifice, the means of salvation, yet also the judge. His patience and love are not an absence of power or a disregard for sin but an invitation to repentance before the "great day" arrives. The terror described for the unrepentant emphasizes the sanctity and righteous nature of God. Their desire for rocks to fall upon them, echoed from Old Testament prophecies, underscores their preference for annihilation rather than exposure to the divine presence they consciously defied. This scene, while terrifying, serves also as a profound comfort and assurance to believers undergoing tribulation, reminding them that God sees the injustices committed against them and will ultimately execute perfect justice. It underscores the urgency of accepting God's grace while there is time, lest one face His judgment without a Mediator to "stand" for them.

Revelation 6 17 Commentary

Revelation 6:17 serves as a climactic exclamation marking a profound shift from the subtle beginnings of judgment to its overt and terrifying manifestation. The ungodly, faced with a world literally crumbling around them, finally articulate the horrific truth they have been resisting: the day of divine wrath, promised through the prophets for generations, is no longer a distant threat but a present, overwhelming reality. The identity of "their" wrath as belonging to both God on the throne and the Lamb is a potent theological statement. It shatters any simplistic notion of the Lamb being merely a gentle figure, revealing Him as fully God, partaker in divine power and executor of divine justice. His sacrifice did not negate justice but satisfied it, enabling righteous judgment. The desperate rhetorical question, "who shall be able to stand?", encapsulates the utter despair and impotence of humanity's rebellion against an infinitely powerful, holy God. There is no fortress, no hiding place, no sufficient strength, and no defense against the final revelation of His just indignation. This verse paints a stark picture of judgment as an inescapable and terrifying encounter, forcing those who rejected God's mercy to confront the terrifying holiness of His unappeased wrath.