I love the story of a man who stopped by his bank to cash a check. Just as he got into the lobby, another man
with a large bag came running past him, apparently heading for the exit. Then the bank security guard came dashing by,
followed by several bank employees. The
security guard tackled the man with the bag, handcuffed him and hauled him back
into the bank.
The man who had gone in to cash his check was shaking like a leaf. I've seen
my first robbery, he said to himself.
As he approached the teller's window, he couldn't resist finding out
more about what he had just witnessed. Was that really a robbery? he queried. Oh,
no, sir, the teller replied calmly. That was only our substantial penalty for
early withdrawal.[1]
We have seen thus far in our study of Revelation the beginning of the
Great Tribulation, God's substantial penalty.
There have been six seals of judgment. Suddenly the seventh
seal is broken, and it unleashes a strange silence in heaven.
The
Meaning of the Silence
The previous six seals were opened with immediate and powerful judgments
that came on the earth. Why is it that
now, at the opening of the seventh seal, there is a holy hush?
THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there
was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour. I
saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets. Revelation
8.1-2
In a church I served we used to sing
Habakkuk 2:20 out of an old hymnal[2]:
But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.” Habakkuk 2:20
In another church their updated hymnal[3] quoted Zechariah:
Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for
he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:13
When Moses stood before the burning bush and realized God was speaking,
he could do nothing but get on his face and listen. When John the Baptist's father heard of his
wife's conceiving, he became speechless for the whole pregnancy. There is just something about silence that
tells everyone God is holy. In the
middle of the night when you are alone, and if you get honest with yourself,
you know God is there – and
it's scary!
Silence expresses the sovereignty of God.
Today's generation needs noise and activity to blot out the possibility
of God. Producers of TV programs don't
allow scenes to drag on. They change the
picture every 2-3 seconds; they use snappy dialogue and bright contrasts in
color, brightness, mood – all so the viewer won't have time to think – just be
overwhelmed with emotions and infused with the desire to go buy the products
advertised. Silence isn't desired,
because if you had time to think, you might ask yourself if you even needed the
products they advertise. The sovereignty
of God thunders in silence.
THE SAINTS'
PRAYERS
Then another angel with a gold incense burner
came and stood at the altar. And a great
amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as
an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The
smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up
to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Revelation
8:3-4
Someone wrote the reason things got quiet in heaven was because God would
rather hear the prayer of one believer than the sweetest singing of all the
angels.
Notwithstanding, here God is entertaining the prayers of the tribulation
saints – those who have been martyred.
What kind of prayers are they?
They are the imprecatory prayers of God's people for the vengeance of
God on the wicked persecutors. They're
asking God to take revenge on the heathen unbelievers.
If you’re inclined to think God’s people never pray and beg for God to bring
the bad guys to justice, you don’t understand human nature, or you’re just
being dishonest. Read Psalm 109
sometime. David, the sweet, loving
shepherd boy asks God to make the children of his enemies all orphans who go
hungry continually, and have their entire family cut off from memory.
This kind of prayer hardly seems appropriate for the Christian church to
listen to let alone pray. But it does
speak of the kind of vindication we would like to see. A wise man once said, if there was any justice in this world, people would occasionally be
permitted to fly over pigeons.[5]
Have you ever prayed that way?
Never underestimate the silence of God on the matter.
Then the angel filled the incense burner with
fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed,
lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake. Revelation 8.5
This is the warning of God that judgment is about to be meted-out for
mistreating His own. This is not the
first shadow of hot coals of judgment.
Then the Lord spoke to the man in linen
clothing and said, “Go between the whirling wheels beneath the cherubim, and
take a handful of burning coals and scatter them over the city.” He did this as
I watched. Ezekiel 10:2
We ought never to wonder if God has the ability or stomach to judge
righteously. We aren't home yet! The game has a few more innings.
The Storm
Trumpets placed in the hands of angels begin to blow the storm of
judgment on the earth. Trumpets, in the
Bible, can stand for several things.
·
They may sound an alarm, a
wake-up call to the dangers of forsaking God.
·
They can be an alert to
worship.
·
They can also sound an
assembly, as when the enemy is coming.
What kind of storm do these trumpets invoke?
SEVERE
JUDGMENTS IN ANSWER TO THE SAINTS' PRAYERS
Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets
prepared to blow their mighty blasts. The first angel blew his trumpet, and
hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire,
one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned. Then the second angel blew his trumpet,
and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became
blood, one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of
all the ships on the sea were destroyed. Then the third angel blew his trumpet,
and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the
springs of water. The name of the star was
Bitterness. It made one-third of the water bitter, and many people died
from drinking the bitter water. Then
the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and
one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark, and also
one-third of the night. Revelation
8:6-12
Trumpets of judgment fill our songs.
Julia Ward Howe wrote our Battle
Hymn of the Republic,
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat.
He is sifting-out the hearts of men before his judgment seat.[6]
Another 17th century poet, John Dryden wrote:
The trumpet shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And music shall untune the sky![7]
The question is always asked: Are these literal or symbolic judgments? We want to know:
·
will blood really mix with
fire and hail?
·
Will a literal mountain be
picked up and thrown into San Francisco Bay?
I hope so! That would be quite a
site when I'm watching from the sky, sitting next to Jesus. But other interpretations are possible.
·
The literal judgment says
the land will be scorched; symbolism says it means the masses of people
(numerous as the grass) will die in a plague.
·
Literal judgment says the
seas will be polluted; symbolism takes the seas of people through a new Hitler-like holocaust.
·
Literal interpretation says
the rivers will be affected; symbolic thought measures the length and breadth of
Satan's influence.
·
Literalists see the heaven's
orbit tossed about; and the symbolic look talks of overthrown governments.
Either interpretation is scary!
Either interpretation needs to be remembered in the context as God's
response to the prayers of His people for vindication. We know God is love, and prefers to forgive,
rather than judge. However, He did say,
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I
will pay them back,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19
Anything God promises – good or bad – will happen!
There is also a warning for the inhabitants of the earth to prepare, or
brace themselves for the next three trumpets.
A WARNING
THAT THE WORST HASN'T BEEN SEEN
Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying
loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to
this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their
trumpets.” Revelation 8:13
Although some of the ancient texts says an "angel" is flying,
most translations say it is an "eagle." This is consistent with Jesus' warning in his
last sermon from Mount Olivet. An eagle is an omen of
danger. This is a bird with a terrible
word for the world. The foul-mouthed
eagle warns that the inhabitants of the earth had better look-out – they hadn't seen anything yet!
There is a silence even today, as God is patiently calling and allowing
the lost to come into the safety of His family in Christ. Friends do not mistake the stillness of
silence for the absence of a storm. God
may appear to be silent, but He is not absent-minded.
The mighty Niagara
River plummets some 180 feet at the American and Horseshoe Falls. Before the falls, there are violent, turbulent
rapids. Farther upstream, however, where
the river's current flows more gently, boats can navigate. Just before the Weiland
River empties into the Niagara, a pedestrian walkway spans the river. Posted on
this bridge's pylons is a warning sign for all boaters: There is a point on the Niagara River that is the point of no return.[9] There is a time when the anchor
will be necessary to keep you from going over the falls.
For now we are in life's quiet waters upstream. God is silent, and the turbulence is
minor. But the signs are on the
horizon. There will come a time when an
anchor will be needed. That anchor is
Jesus Christ.
Remember, there is always
a silence before the storm!
"To Illustrate", Leadership, Summer, 1992, vol. XIII
NO.3, 47.
