Tag: Revelation 8

The 7th Seal

Isaiah 15-16

Ps 111

Revelation 8                   

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)                                    

            “The time has come,” the walrus said, “to talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax— Of cabbages—and kings” – Lewis Carroll, The Walrus and the Carpenter, (Through the Looking Glass, Chapter 4, 1871)

            Forget all that other stuff, today we’ll be be speaking of kings.  There is a famous line from a Mel Brooks movie where Mel repeats numerous times throughout the show, “It’s good to be the king!”  Being the king isn’t always a fun job though, sometimes being the king means doing the hard things that need to be done, sometimes doing the hard things that no one else can do.

            There is a nice little supplemental to the many prophecies of the coming Messiah, when it says in Isaiah 16:5:  “And a throne will be established in lovingkindness, And a judge will sit on it in truth in the tent of David; Moreover, he will seek justice And be prompt in righteousness.” (LSB).  This seems to be a nice foreshadowing of our king Yeshua, the Messiah, the Christ.  These little bits are all throughout the Old Testament, just a little nod that one day our king will be coming, and a reminder that he will be from the house of David, and that he will also seek justice and be righteous.

            Here’s the thing though: most of us don’t want justice, we want mercy (and with good reason, if we’re being honest).  In our Revelation reading today we see an ominous revelation (thus, the name of the book) of things to come, and we begin to see some of the harder things that the king must do to fulfill his function. 

            Earlier on in the book (Rev 5) we see that God has in His hand a scroll with 7 seals and that initially no one was found in heaven or on earth or under the earth that was able to open the scroll, and then we see that our king, the lamb of God, the Christ (or Messiah) from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome so as to open the scroll and it’s 7 seals. 

            Revelation 5 is a very clear picture of the hierarchy of heaven.  There is God, all powerful and holy, surrounded by “myriads upon myriads” of angels and the elders, sitting on the throne and holding a scroll of great power that is sealed.  Then coming before the throne is the Lamb who was slain and by his obedience granted authority by the God who rules over all, the man chosen from the house of David to be given authority, by God.  This is a very clear and unambiguous picture of the relationship of the Most High God, and of His chosen king whom He has granted authority: the Lamb of God.

            In Rev 6 we see that the Lamb (whom we understand to be Yeshua/Jesus) takes the scroll from the right hand of God and begins to open the seals.  It’s important to understand that only the ruler whom God granted authority and dominion would be able to do such a thing.  There was no one else found worthy in heaven, earth, or under the earth to do this job.  We see back in Rev 5:9-10 that he is worthy specifically because: “…you were slain and purchased for God with your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom…”. Observe that God is still seated on his throne, the ultimate power, when the Lamb (Yeshua/Jesus) begins to open the seals, to perform one of his first functions as the chosen king.

            We see clearly that the Lamb is the one who is opening the seals in Rev 6:1, under the authority of God.  This is what I referred to earlier as having to do the hard things as king.  It should be noted that all of these seals as they are broken have a calamitious effect upon the earth, getting progressively more horrific.  The first 6 seals that are opened (in Rev 6) sound pretty scary.  When we get to our reading today of Rev 8, it sounds downright terrifying.  When the 7th seal is opened, there is complete silence in heaven for about half an hour (Rev 8:1).  That sounds ominous.  I have a couple points to make here. 

            Point 1 is, we aren’t 100% sure of the timeline of these events.  Like all prophecy, it is somewhat obscured.  Different folks have different beliefs on how much of this we’re going to have to endure.  There are Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation, and Post-tribulation theories on when the faithful will be taken, each theory having their own supporting scriptures or interpretations.  I have my own opinions, but I also believe that stating them dogmatically is foolish since I’m just a man.  Here is my suggestion though: hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.  I would also suggest that it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.

            Point 2 is: all of the earth, and everything (and everybody) in it belongs to God (See Ps 24:1).  Before we get all “ach, waily waily waily, how could a merciful God…”: stop it.  It’s all God’s, including us, and He can do whatever He wants with His stuff.  Yes, this might be a terrible time, but consider that anytime you are building a new and magnificent structure, the first thing that needs to be done is a demolition of the old rickety structures that were there already.  This is that.  Do you remember that guy who lived in the bamboo hut underneath where the Taj Mahal is located now?  Me neither, because that hut had to go to make room for the new building.  That’s what’s going on here.  All of these things need to happen so that the kingdom of God can be established here on the earth.

            After the 7th seal is broken, the trumpets begin to sound.  The 1st trumpet brings hail and fire mixed with blood and a third of the earth and trees and all of the grass is burned up.  Trumpet 2 brings a great burning thing thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea turns to blood and a third of the living creatures in the sea die and a third of the ships are destroyed.  The 3rd trumpet brings a star falling that causes a third of the waters to become poisoned, or “wormwood”.  The 4th trumpet causes a third of the sun, moon, and stars to be struck so that a third of them would be darkened.  This is literally some apocalyptic stuff going down.

            As if that wasn’t enough, the last verse in chapter 8 is the most worrying: “13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!””  (LSB).  This is going  to be a dark and scary time for any of those left on the earth.  Knowing this, we as Christians should be taking extreme steps to make sure that we’re living a holy life that is pleasing to God, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Are you living in a bamboo hut right now? Well, act right and you might be relocated once the new facility is in place.

            The best advice I can offer is from Zeph 2:3 –

“Seek Yahweh, All you humble of the earth

Who have worked His justice; Seek righteousness, seek humility.  Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of Yahweh’s anger.” (LSB)

REFLECTION QUESTIONS -based on the above verse

  1. Are you humbly seeking Yahweh?
  2. Are you working His Justice here upon the earth?
  3. Are you seeking righteousness and humility?

PRAYER

Father God, blessed be Your name.  You have created the earth, and all that is in it.  You have told us in advance of the things to come.  Please help us to humble ourselves and to be servants who please You.  Help us to work Your justice.  Help us to be a righteous and holy people who do Your will.  Protect us in the coming troubles.  In Jesus name, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Silence in Heaven…Then the Trumpets Begin

Revelation 8

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

            At the start of chapter 8 the Lamb opens the final, seventh, seal of God’s book, and there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. John may have experienced this, felt it, but it is difficult as a reader to appreciate a dramatic pause. And it was not just a pause but a silence – praise has been the backdrop of John’s vision for some time, from beasts and elders and angels and creatures, and more recently they were joined by a vast throng. Suddenly all is silent. This was reverence. The book was fully open. We humans still aren’t told what that means precisely, but what it means is very big.

We then transition into a new series of seven with the blowing of trumpets. It isn’t quite clear whether this resulted from opening the seventh seal, or not. People question whether the trumpet blasts proceed chronologically after the seals or if the trumpets describe some of the same time as the seals, perhaps focusing in tighter and narrowing our attention. 

After the trumpets were distributed, and before they were to be blown, we are reminded that the tabernacle on earth was a shadow of the one in heaven. An angel works with the prayers of the saints that are on the golden altar before the throne, mixing them with incense in a censer and letting the mix go up to God on His throne. Maybe these are the prayers of believers on earth, or this may be yet another reference to the souls of the saints that are beneath the altar, calling God to render judgment soon. Then the angel puts fire from the altar into the censer and casts it down onto the earth – the sounds that accompany its fall suggest this may symbolize judgement commencing (or resuming).

            As the trumpets begin to blast (sounding after the quiet, like a new fall of Jericho) there are disasters that bring to mind the plagues against Egypt, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. As with the first four seals the first four trumpets seem to go together in a set, but the big number this time is one-third rather than one-fourth. We don’t know whether a single huge portion of the planet (land, sea, and rivers) is rendered uninhabitable or if scattered sections across it are devastated. Each of the first three trumpets involves things falling from the sky, and the fourth involves the sky growing darker as the lights start to go out. The impression is of creation being undone – but not fully undone, because God still has use for it. It is tempting to say that the falling objects are of increasing size and violence, but we struggle to understand John’s reporting of his vision. For one thing, sometimes we are unsure whether to treat John’s words more as descriptive of what he saw in the vision or as coming from the vision. For example, verse 8 says that something like a mountain fell into the sea, and verse 10 says a great star fell in the waters – from our perspective of what a star really is we may suppose that these two objects were not very different in size but that the “star” probably glowed as it fell. Both would be terrifying.

            One more pause comes with the final verse of the chapter, as an eagle warns that the remaining three trumpet blasts will mark terrible woes. It is unclear if anyone living on the earth can hear the warning. Of course the warning has long been available in the book of Revelation. It remains remarkable for God to offer a warning to people He is on the verge of bringing these punishments to for their sins. But God doesn’t stop caring about His creation even when faced with tearing it apart. We’re talking about the God who is aware of the death of every bird. Creation groans, but God lays out plans so that one day it will be freed from the curse.

             Lord, thank you for your openness to the prayers of your saints. And thank you for not always saying yes to prayers. I, for one, would not have been wise enough to choose all of your plans. You are kind enough to guide us into things we do not understand. Thank you for the opportunity to worship you and rejoice in your presence. Please also help me take opportunities to be silent before you. You are awesome and deserving of both my loudest praise and my silent reverence. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection and Application Questions

  1. What do you think the significance or purpose of the silence might be when the 7th seal is opened? Have you sat before God in silence? What might the benefit be?
  2. What are your thoughts on God’s justice and judgment? Have you ever prayed for it (for someone else more sinful than yourself of course)? How can we better appreciate God’s timing and wisdom in this matter?
  3. Have you thanked God for his creation today? Thank Him for His plans to free us from the curse.
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

God Hears

Revelation 8

Revelation 8 4 NIV (1)

 

The book of Revelation is a dramatic masterpiece that I would love to see in a comic book one day. The author, John, uses tremendous action, suspense, plot twists, and so much more! When we finally come to chapter eight, there is a great tension that is set up by the author. We have seen that the Lamb at God’s right side has finally broken all seven of the seals that bind this important Scroll from chapter five, and we are anxiously awaiting to see what it contains.

 

Unfortunately for the reader, we will have to wait a little while longer before we learn what this Scroll says, as John builds our anticipation even more with the introduction of the seven trumpets that bring about God’s judgment. John is looking to whet our appetite even more for the contents of the Scroll, as we see what God is going to do to those who have persecuted and killed His people.

 

Back in chapter six, when the fifth seal of the Scroll was broken (6:9-11), we were introduced to these Christian martyrs who had been killed for their faithful preaching of the gospel. They cried out to God, begging Him to vindicate them and enact judgment on those who had killed them. It is these prayers for vindication that God is responding to with the seven trumpets that are introduced in this chapter. In 8:3-5, an angel is going to take these prayers that are rising up to God and throw them down on those who were responsible for these Christian martyrs’ deaths. What happens after, through these trumpets, are poetic images of God’s judgment raining down on those who have tormented and persecuted God’s people, similar to what happened in the Exodus story with Pharaoh.

 

While this letter wasn’t written directly to us in 21st century America, we can learn much from John’s address to the seven churches in Asia Minor. The key point that I have learned from this chapter is that no prayer goes unheard by God. He is going to respond to His people’s cries to Him, even if it may take some time. God is not unjust and will vindicate His people when they are being persecuted for being faithful to Him. So be encouraged today! God hears your prayers! He will vindicate you from the persecution that you face for being faithful.

 

Talon Paul