WHEN HEAVEN IS ROLLED UP LIKE A SCROLL

by Craig Wm. Peters

12 And I saw when He opened the Sixth Seal and behold,

there was a great earthquake. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair,
and the moon became as blood. 13 And the stars of the heaven fell to the earth,
as a fig tree casts its untimely figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14 And heaven departed like a scroll being rolled up, and every
mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Revelation 6:12-14

a People tend to derive false deductions from
Scripture because they fail to understand the
ways in which the truth of the Word so often
confirms itself. Still others simply lack a fuller
knowledge of Scripture in their sojourn to the
Kingdom. But to enter into the Kingdom, the
Savior indicates we must all maintain that
childlike humility by the willingness to learn,
to change, and to grow.1 So we expect that all
those who truly seek hwhy will certainly
continue to grow in favor and knowledge.2
This article is written to impart peace of mind
and spiritual edification for all those who have
the desire to continue learning and growing in
their expressions of faith and love towards the
Almighty.
The subject of Bible prophecy is simply
riveting! One popular speaker and writer over
such matters has historically claimed the “sky
retreating like a scroll” (Revelation 6:14) was
John’s reference to a nuclear explosion.
Should this interpretation be correct, the
deduction is that we are being prophetically
warned of a pending nuclear carnage. While
we can certainly understand such a view in
light of man’s modern day devices of war, does
this interpretation honor the real truth of the
Scripture in question? Our study will show
why this view is simply not what hwhy would
have us to believe over the truth of this most
significant matter. Scripture indicates this
1
Matthew 18:1-4, Mark 10:15, Luke 9:48, 18:17,
1Peter 2:1-2
2
Matthew 7:7-8, 2Peter 3:17-18
monumental event is actually something which
will be far more powerful than a nuclear
explosion.
t s r q u p e o n m l k y j x z w h d g b a
The Sovereign Messiah Rules
in His Sovereignty
New Covenant believers should exult in the
fact that our Messiah has been given all
authority in heaven and on earth:
And eswhy came up and spoke to them,
saying, “All authority has been given to
Me in heaven and on earth.”
Matthew 28:18, ISRV
These words of eswhy show us that, after His
resurrection, the Messiah was made the
Sovereign of all.3 He is no longer a helpless
babe in a manger:
He is the Sovereign Ruler over
all the earth, and nothing can happen
apart from His will.
This Messiah eswhy is “the Lion of the Tribe
of Yahudah,”4 and His wrath will soon be
kindled5 to conquer/destroy the kingdoms of
this world and to burn up the lawless
inhabitants of the earth.6
3
Acts 2:36, 10:36
4
Revelation 5:5
5
Psalm 2:12
6
Psalm 2:2-3. The rulers of the earth conspire to cast
away the Torah – considering it to be as fetters and
cords of bondage – all the while they themselves are
held in bondage by the ensnaring cords of sin. Proverbs
5:22 Yet in rejecting the Torah, these world leaders

1
 Not “What” Rolls Up the
Heavens But “Who”
To more fully understand the prophecies of
Revelation given to Yochanan/John some 2000
years ago, we need to see this book reveals the
Savior acting in His sovereignty! He is the
One in complete charge of all that is about to
happen: He is the One seen opening the Seals
and bringing the prophesied judgment of hwhy
upon the earth. We continue by reading the
fuller context of our opening Scripture:
12 And I saw when He7 opened the Sixth Seal,
and there was a great earthquake; and the sun
became black as sackcloth of hair, and the
moon became as blood; 13 and the stars of the
heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts her
unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind.
14 And heaven departed as a scroll when it is
rolled up;8 and every mountain and island
were moved out of their places. 15 And the
kings of the earth, and the princes, and the
chief captains, and the rich, and the strong,
and every bondman and freeman, hid
themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the
mountains. 16 And they said to the mountains
and to the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from
the face of Him that sits on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 for the Great
Day of their wrath has come; and who is able
to stand? Revelation 6:12-17
First of all, we notice the One who initiates
these cataclysmic judgments is the Resurrected
and Sovereign Messiah:
Ruling from the heavens, the Messiah
King will open the Sixth Seal, thereby
causing these things to occur.
subsequently legislate various forms of lawlessness. In
response to this lawless outrage, hwhy will justly arise in
flaming anger, and he will destroy the earth’s
inhabitants for nullifying His immutable and age-
abiding Torah. Psalm 119:126, Isaiah 24:3-6
7
(“He” being eswhy the Messiah)
8 10
Isaiah 34:4
2
And one of the things that will clearly
transpire at this time is heaven departing like a
scroll when it is rolled up:
And heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled up …
Revelation 6:14
Yet this is not the only place in the New
Covenant writings which indicates the Messiah
will be the One who rolls up the heavens like a
scroll! The writer of Hebrews tells us the very
same thing:
10 And, “You, hwhy, in the beginning, did lay
the foundation of the earth, and the heavens
are the works of Your hands. 11 They will
perish; but You continue: and they will all
grow old as does a garment, 12 and as a
mantle You shall roll them up, and they will
be changed. But You are the same, and your
years will not fail.9 Hebrews 1:10-12
The context here shows hwhy, the Father, is
speaking to the Son,10 and the prophecy
declares it is the Sovereign Messiah who will
roll up the heavens like garment! This is in
complete agreement with the prophetic
teachings which were given in the Spirit to
John concerning the Day of hwhy.
And I saw when He opened the Sixth Seal …
and heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled up …
Revelation 6:12,14
Yet when the powers of heaven are thus
shaken, the result will be overwhelming
cataclysms upon the earth. And so, the
Messiah eswhy warns us:
And there will be signs in the sun,
and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon
the earth distress of nations, in bewilderment
at the roaring of the sea and the waves; men’s
9
A quote from Psalm 102:12, 25-27. For a cross-
reference on the last part of this text, see Hebrews 13:8.
Hebrews 1:8
 hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on
the earth: for the powers of heaven
will be shaken. Luke 21:25-26
In speaking this Word, we believe our Messiah
eswhy was elaborating on, and further
explaining, a prophecy given by Chaggai
(Haggai):
6 For thus says hwhy of hosts: Yet once, it is a
little while, and I will shake the heavens, and
the earth, and the sea, and the dry land. 7 And
I will shake all nations, and the desire of all
nations will come; and I will fill this House
with splendor, says hwhy of hosts.
Haggai 2:6-7
A shaking sea most certainly connotes
fearsome and devastating tsunamis, and thus,
eswhy spoke of “the roaring of the sea and the
waves.”11 This Haggai prophecy tells us it is
at the time of this great shaking that hwhy will,
once more, exalt Yerushalayim12 above all the
nations,13 and His chasidim14 will “possess the
Kingdom,”15 as the Spirit of hwhy fills the
earth with 1000 years of peace and joy.16 But
before that time of unprecedented peace, hwhy
will arise to “shake mightily the earth:”17 He
will destroy all those nations that devour His
people Yisrael;18 He will destroy all the sinful
kingdoms of this age:
Behold, the eyes of the Sovereign hwhy
are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will
11
In doing this, eswhy also connected Psalm 46:2-3
with Haggai 2:6. Other psalms, too, talk of how the sea
will roar before the Presence of hwhy at His coming!
(See Psalm 96:11-13, 98:7-9 along with the study, “Why
do the Seas Roar, the Earth Quakes, the Mountains
Smoke, and the Heavens Shake?”)
12
(i.e., Jerusalem)
13
Haggai 2:7, Isaiah 2:2-4
14
(i.e. those who are recipients of and ambassadors of
His lovingkindess/chesed, 1John 4:10-11)
15
Daniel 7:21-22, 27
16
Romans 14:17
17
Isaiah 2:19-21
18
Psalm 79:6-7, Jeremiah 10:25
3
destroy it from off the face of the earth: only
that I will not utterly destroy the house
of Ya’acob, says hwhy.
Amos 9:8
It is also quite edifying when we realize the
writer of Hebrews knew what would result
when eswhy rolls up the heavens like a
scroll.19 This first century believer knew that
the monumental event under consideration
would result in everything on earth being
greatly shaken. We know this is the case
because, later in his letter, the prophet wrote
about these immense cataclysms, and he
quoted nothing less than the very same
prophecy given to Haggai (2:6) during Sukkot,
the Feast of Tabernacles:20
25 See that you refuse not Him that speaks.
For if they escaped not who refused Him that
spoke on earth, much more shall we not
escape, if we turn away from Him that is from
heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth:
but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once
more, I shake not the earth only, but also
heaven.”21 27 And this word, “Yet once
more,” signifies the removing of those things
that are shaken, as of things that are made,
that those things which cannot be shaken may
remain. 28 Therefore, we, receiving a
Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
favor, by which we may serve hwhy acceptably,
with reverence and awe. 29 For our Elohim is
a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:25-29
In quoting the prophet Haggai, this Messianic
writer indicated hwhy will shake everything
that can be shaken. Such widespread shaking
can be considered nothing less than
19
Hebrews 1:10-12
20
Haggai 2:1, Leviticus 23:33-43. Sukkot, or the Feast
of Tabernacles extends from the 15th to the 22nd day of
the Seventh month. The prophecy being studied came
in the Spirit to Chaggai (whose name means, “My
Festival”) on the 21st day of the Seventh month. Haggai
2:1 The 21st day of the Seventh month is the seventh
day of the Feast.
21
A quote from the first part of Haggai 2:6.
overwhelmingly cataclysmic. And in the same
breath, this first century believer also wrote of
the consuming, fiery judgment which will
characterize these days of Heavenly
Vengeance (vs. 29). From all that we can see,
presently, this immense, apocalyptic shaking
appears to begin in its fullest when the
Sovereign Messiah rolls up the heavens like a
scroll.
Yet Yochanan and the writer of Hebrews
were not the only ones to speak of eswhy
rolling up the heavens like a scroll! The
apostle Kepha/Peter also wrote of this very
same instance in time, and he indicated when
this great event occurs, the heavens will pass
away with a great noise:
10 But the Day of hwhy will come as a thief; in
the which the heavens will pass away with a
great noise, and the elements will be dissolved
with fervent heat. And the earth and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing
that these things are, thus, all to be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought you to be in set
apart living and reverence, 12 looking for and
earnestly desiring the coming of the Day of
Elohim, by reason of which the heavens, being
on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat? 2Peter 3:10-12
So Kepha speaks of the great, burning
judgment of hwhy El Shaddai beginning when
the heavens pass away with a great noise.
Consequently, when the Messiah rolls up the
heavens like a scroll, from the words of the
apostle Peter, we see this colossal event will be
accompanied by a great noise. And we see the
power to be exhibited here will be far more
extensive than what would occur in an atomic
explosion. As water came from above and
below in the days of Noah, so fire will come
from above and below in the Day of hwhy.
hwhy will come forth with burning judgments
just as it is written in the prophecies of Isaiah:
Behold, the Name of hwhy comes from afar:
Burning is His anger, and in thick rising
4
smoke. His lips are full of indignation, and
His tongue is as a devouring fire.
Isaiah 30:27
So all evidence indicates the three Scriptures
we have pondered are speaking of the very
same instance in time:
When our Messiah opens the Sixth Seal,22
there will be many convulsions in the heavens.
Subsequently, the heavens will pass away
with a great noise.23 By a direct, sovereign
act, the Messiah King will roll up heaven like
a scroll,24 and in the process of these things
transpiring, His burning cataclysmic judg-
ments will begin descending upon this earth to
awaken its inhabitants to righteousness.25
Additionally, the earth’s crust will break forth
with great volcanoes and lava flows as fire
comes forth from beneath to burn up the
earth and the works that are within it.
Why Will Such Great Wrath Bring Such
Widespread Death and Destruction?
Just as hwhy destroyed the earth with water
from above and below during the Great
Flood,26 so He will destroy the earth with fire
from above and below in the Day of hwhy.27
And just as hwhy used the overwhelming
waters of the Flood to punish the lawlessness
of the unrepentant world in the days of Noah,
so He will use widespread burning judgments
to punish the abject lawlessness of the
unrepentant world in our days. The judgments
of the Apocalypse, which are coming forth in
22
As John wrote in the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:12-
17).
23
As the apostle Kepha/Peter testified in his second
letter (2Peter 3:10-12).
24
And as the writer of Hebrews stated in his opening
lines (Hebrews 1:10-12).
25
Isaiah 26:9
26
Genesis 7:11-12
27
Psalm 21:8-9, 46:6-9, 97:3-5, Isaiah 24:3-6, 30:27-
33, 33:14-16, 66:14-16, Nahum 1:5-6, Malachi 4:1-3,
Matthew 3:11-12, 2Thessalonians 1:7-8, 2:8, Hebrews
10:26-27, 12:25-29, 2Peter 3:10-12, Revelation 1:14,
2:18, 8:5,7,8, 9:13-19, 11:5, 14:10, 16:8-9, 18:8-9,
19:12,20, 20:9-10,14
the Day of His Wrath, may be summarized in a
single verse from the 119th Psalm:
It is time for hwhy to work;
they have broken Your Torah/Law.
Psalm 119:126
This work of hwhy will soon be seen in the
immense, burning judgments which are now
set to come forth in response to the world’s
increasingly flagrant, anti-Torah lawlessness:
8 Your hand will find out all Your enemies:
Your right hand will find out those that hate
You. 9 You will make them as a fiery oven in
the time of Your anger: hwhy will swallow
them up in His wrath, and the fire will
devour them. Psalm 21:8-9
3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly
spoiled: for hwhy has spoken this word. 4 The
earth mourns, fading away; the world
languishes, fading away; the haughty people
of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is
defiled under its inhabitants; because they
have transgressed the laws, changed the
ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore has the curse devoured the earth,
and they that dwell in it are found guilty:
therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are
burned, and few men left. Isaiah 24:3-6
There are many fiery judgments which will be
associated with the shaking of the heavens and
the earth: We speak here of massive
earthquakes, of heretofore unheard of
volcanoes and lava flows, of tidal waves
created by enormous earthquakes/magma
convulsions under the sea, of fire and
brimstone from heaven, of the scorching heat
of the Sun, and of the most fearsome Fire of all
– that which will come forth from hwhy
Himself.28 When all is said and done, none of
the cities of the nations will be left standing,29
28
Job 38:12-13, Psalm 11:6, 97:3-5, Isaiah 24:3-6,
30:27-28, 33:14-16, 66:15-16 > 2Thessalonians 1:7-8,
2:8; Joel 1:15-20, Haggai 2:6, Zechariah 14:12,
Hebrews 12:25-29, 2Peter 3:10-12, Revelation 16:8-9
29
Revelation 16:17-21, Isaiah 2:10-21
5
but Elohim will be in the midst of
Yerushalayim and she will not be moved.30
Mount Tziyon will not only remain, but
evidence indicates it may well be the highest
mountain on earth when all of the
unspeakable, indescribable convulsions have
finally ended.31 hwhy will restore the
Kingdom to Yisrael,32 and the earth will be
filled with 1000 years of peace, joy, and
abundance.33
In view of the coming wrath and the great
burning judgments, we see there is only one
answer: putting your trust in the Son of the
Most High, even as it is written in the Second
Psalm:
“Blessed are all those that put
their trust in Him!”
Psalm 2:12
The days ahead are serious: We live in a
country which has turned its back on the
Almighty and which is now sinking into the
irreparable depths of apostasy. Our concern is
that many believers will associate the fall of
America with the return of the Messiah. So
what occurs if this country is judged for its
sins and falls at the hands of its enemies many
years before the Savior appears to rule out of
Tziyon? As they go into captivity,34 will
scores of believers lose their faith when they
realize they were not “raptured” out of it all?
We fear these events may lead to an even
greater falling away on the part of those who
will feel they have been abandoned by the
Most High. We must keep our faith and we
must remember He will never forsake us, even
in death.35
30
Psalm 46:5. The great city, Yerushalayim
(Jerusalem), will be divided into three parts (Revelation
16:19), but unlike the other cities of the nations, it will
most certainly remain!
31
Isaiah 2:1-3, Micah 4:1-2
32
Acts 1:6-7
33
Amos 9:13-15
34
Revelation 13:10 > Jeremiah 21:5-9
35
Iyob 13:15, Hebrews 13:15
Now are the days to seek hwhy and to build our
faith in a Kingdom that can never be shaken.36
May all of our readers seek hwhy while He
may be found.37 t
C.P.
7/19/2009
Northridge, CA
t s r q u p e o n m l k y j x z w h d g b a
Recommended for Further Reading
• The Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy’s Merger
With the Milky Way Galaxy:
http://www.viewzone.com/milkyway.html
[We believe the above study shows why the
heavens and the earth are about to shake as
never before!]
• The Real Doomsday? December 21, 2012:
Part 1:
http://www.viewzone.com/endtime.html
Part 2:
http://www.viewzone.com/endtime2x.html
• Strange Rumblings at the Center of our
Galaxy
http://www.aztlan.net/rumblings_center_galax
y.htm
Postscript
What This Study is Not Saying
The author makes no claim we will avoid a
nuclear holocaust at some level, and we pray
such terrible things will never come to pass.
As far as the coming judgments to be poured
out from on High, numerous Scriptures
indicate all people of the Earth will know this
wrath is from Above. For more thoughts on
why we believe it is the wrath of hwhy which
will make mankind cower before Him (and not
nuclear war), see the study:
“Unless Those Days Were Shortened.”
t s r q u p e o n m l k y j x z w h d g b a
36
37
Hebrews 12:rr-rr
Isaiah 55:6-9, Zephaniah 1:1-6
6
Copyright 2008 - 2009, by Craig Wm. Peters
Copyright Stipulations
This document may be freely copied and
distributed (in hardcopy or electronic pdf
format) if it is left unaltered and in its entirety.
It must also be given away without cost to
recipients, and it may not be included in any
publication without the author’s written
permission.
hwhy El Shaddai will rebuke anyone
who copies these truths for republication
and/or who subsequently attempts to
reproduce and sell them.
Isaiah 55:1-2, Micah 3:11, 1Peter 5:2
We believe most copyrights have been
abused worldwide in religious circles as false
shepherds and other merchants feed
themselves instead of feeding the sheep.
Ezekiel 34:1-3 These many abuses have filled
the worship house of hwhy with money
changers who hinder True Worship by robbing
and oppressing the poor. Zechariah 7:10
Many have turned reverence and the worship
of hwhy into a means of great, personal gain.
Micah 3:11, 1Timothy 6:5-10, 1Peter 5:2 We
assert such things were never meant to be.
Isaiah 55:1,2, Mark 11:15-17 Hence, our
copyright is intended to allow for free
distribution of the Word of hwhy with the
following minimal limitations:
• This document may be copied and
distributed (or freely printed in its pdf format
after being downloaded from the Internet):
– If it is left unaltered.
– If it is left in its entirety.
– And if it is given away at absolutely no cost.
(Matthew 11:5, Luke 4:19, Galatians 2:10)
• Neither this article, nor any portion of this
article, may be included in any publication
which is sold. This stipulation applies
regardless of the nature of the organization or
the nature of its sales, meaning: profit or
nonprofit. Further, whether an organization’s
publication is of a religious nature, or
otherwise, this restriction still applies.
• With the exception of the first stipulation
(specified under the first bullet point),
publishing any portion of this work without the
author’s written permission is strictly
prohibited.
All peaceable correspondence is invited:
Craig Peters
P.O. Box 280114
Northridge, CA 91328-0114
For other free documents which are offered to
provide encouragement and edification from
the Word of hwhy, please refer to the following
website:
http://www.yahuyahweh.org/iah
t s r q u p e o n m l k y j x z w h d g b a

An Excellent Translation of the Scriptures

“ISRV” is an abbreviation which readers will
have seen at one or more locations in the
present study. “ISRV” is an acronym which
means: “INSTITUTE FOR SCRIPTURE RESEARCH
VERSION.” Thus, ISRV is our abbreviation for
the Institute’s translation of the Scriptures.
The INSTITUTE FOR SCRIPTURE RESEARCH is an
organization of Messianic believers based in
South Africa. They have published an
excellent version of the Word of hwhy which
they have called, “The Scriptures.”
The ISRV is an outstanding translation which
fulfills the Word of hwhy to Mosheh by
restoring His Qadosh Name – the Name which
hwhy declared to be His unchanging Memorial
across an immense time span of 1000
generations! Exodus 3:14-15, Deuteronomy
7:9. For those wishing to make further inquiry
and to possibly order this translation, the
website address for the ISR is:
http://www.isr-messianic.org