The Seventh Seal—Wow!

Revelation 8 - 11     George Badeaux

Revelation 8:1 “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

This is stunning!!!!  Until now we have read of grand spectacular events: an angel with a voice like a trumpet; and flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder coming from the throne; and four living creatures with six wings and full of eyes who do not cease day and night to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME”; and another angel who cried out with a loud voice; and a great multitude which no one could count who cried out with a loud voice.  And then silence. 

And not just for a minute or two.  If we experience silence for even a few minutes this is a long time for us.  This was silence for half an hour.  Just imagine that drastic change, and what this silence might mean.  This seventh seal is very, very important.        

Then seven angels are given seven trumpets.  Each angel in turn will blow his trumpet.  The trumpet blasts seem to say, “These next events are not random, coincidental events.  They are from the hand of God!”  Through the first six trumpet blasts God sends catastrophic event after catastrophic event to the earth.  Then at the end of chapter 9, John writes:

“The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;  and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.” 

This refusal to repent is also stunning.  And very sad.

Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet…

We hear a wonderful proclamation and

“the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."  And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened ; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

My response is…

Wow! Our God is a mighty God.

Sorrow!  Seeing such hardened hearts is extremely sad.

Thank you!  Thank you God for the promise of rewards and a heavenly home with you.

Justice!  Your justice is perfect Lord.  Thank you for Jesus!

Worship!  Thinking of these grand events of God, I stand in awe and worship.

Wow!