As the seventh seal is opened, the result is not what would have been expected. This devotional reading looks at what transpired when the seal was opened and where we go from here.
Nuggets
- The seventh seal brought silence and suspense.
- We must learn to stand before God and await His bidding.
- The prayers of saints that call for the Day of the Lord will be answered even though they are now delayed.
It is logical to think that the Church has been raptured by this point. Noah got on the ark when it started to sprinkle. Lot was heading out of town before the sulfur began to fall.
All is calm. But that isn’t going to last long.
Beginning in Revelation 8, the judgments really start to ramp up on the horrible scale.
God allows us to suffer so that we may grow and endure. He does not have His children suffer from His wrath.
Let’s see what the last seal has in store for us.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Opening the Seals series
The Seventh Seal
“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Rev. 8: 1 ESV)
The seventh seal brought silence and suspense.
The seventh seal accomplishes something that will probably never be done again – it brings silence to Heaven. All worship stops. (Other than ordering the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to go, the only sound heard was that associated with worshiping God and the Lamb.)
Bradford told us about the significance of the reference to time. He wrote, “An hour in the Bible usually means the time is near or it has come time for something to occur. So half of that means that what is about to happen is super-imminent and it is going to be filled with surprise.”
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I love Collier’s definition of silence. He wrote, “What is silence? Not the absence, the negation of speech, but the pause, the suspension of speech.”
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It isn’t that we can’t speak. We choose not to speak.
The ability to speak is a great responsibility. We need to submit our speech to God’s control.
I like what Talmage had to say. So much is happening in Heaven that they could only afford to take a half-hour break. That ties in with Collier’s pause of speech.
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If the judgments are kicking into high gear, wouldn’t we rather Heaven take a little pause before the judgment to end all judgments starts their steam roll? Wouldn’t that be the caring thing to do?
But this is ushering in the Day of the Lord. They have had chance after chance to get things right with God. Not more than half an hour is needed for a pause.
Anything more would just drag out the inevitable.
We can’t imagine that this silence in Heaven means that God has cut earth adrift. It doesn’t mean He has turned His back on mankind and His plan for us has ended.
God has many uses for silence.
Sometimes, God just wants us to use silence to stop and focus on Him. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps. 46: 10 ESV).
When we seek God for Who He is — not what we want Him to be for us — we find true worship of Him.
One thing that keeps running through my mind is this: are we going to see this time frame the same way the Jews did God’s silence between the Old and New Testaments? Will we even recognize His silence?
The Seven Trumpets
“Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them” (Rev. 8: 2 ESV)
We must learn to stand before God and await His bidding.
The seventh seal contains the seven trumpets. When we get done with the trumpets, we will see that the seventh trumpet unleashes the seven bowls of God’s wrath.
Isn’t that so like things? One thing leads to another, usually more — either good or bad.
The angels aren’t described or identified. The focus is on that they are standing before God, which ancient Jewish literature identified their normal place of residence.
In other words, they are waiting until they get their marching orders.
Ooo, baby! Don’t we hate to wait.
Guild brought up a good point. We don’t want to go somewhere before we are sent by God. We neither want to go where we aren’t being sent, nor do we want to go before the way has been prepared for us.
We may have a tendency to think that God is preparing the circumstances. “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name” (Isa. 45: 2-3 ESV).
Yes, God does work things out to pave the way for us.
God also prepares us. “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (II Cor. 5: 5: ESV).
The writer of Hebrews said it another way. “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13: 20-21 ESV).
Given to each angel is either a metal trumpet used for worship or a ram’s horn used for battle.
What was the purpose of the trumpets? Guild told us. He wrote, “By trumpets the Lord forewarns the world of the judgments to come upon them, before they come, that they might repent: wherein the great mercy of God is seen to the very wicked, forewarning them to flee from His wrath to come.”
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At this point, the Plan of Salvation is still being offered to worldview people. That puts a different slant on the sixth seal, doesn’t it?
A Gold Censer
“And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Rev. 8: 3-5 ESV)
The prayers of saints that call for the Day of the Lord will be answered even though they are now delayed.
Another Angel
At the end of the half hour silence, another angel shows up with incense. If the seven angels are carrying battle instruments, to me it seems appropriate an angel shows up with an instrument used for worship.
We talked in a previous devotion about the belief of some that the angel discussed in Revelation 8: 3 is really Jesus. I get what they were saying. Only He has the job of placing our prayers on the altar before God.
I didn’t get John using another code by calling Him an angel instead of by His name. He has been referring to Him as the Lamb Who was slain.
We also just talked about Jesus being believed to be the fifth angel. “Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun …” (Rev. 7: 2 ESV).
How many code names is John going to have for Jesus?
I can see this angel being a real angel, not Jesus. This could be given to one of the worker bee angels in Heaven.
But then again, isn’t this, too, a part of Jesus’ whole message? He stands in the gap between God and us. We can only gain access to God through belief in and cleansing from Him.
Henderson reminded us that no prayer gets to God that hasn’t gone through Jesus. It is His duty as the High Priest to intercede for our prayers.
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God designed the Plan of Salvation with Jesus as the focal point. That is why the Lamb Who was slain and the “… angel ascending from the rising of the sun …” (Rev. 7: 2 ESV) can be the same Person. This is just describing a job duty of the Lamb.
A Savior by any other name is still the Savior.
Stood at the Altar
Bonar explained which one the altar was in the temple. He wrote, “It is the altar that stood in the holy place that is here referred to in the third verse, not the brazen altar; it is the golden altar, the altar of incense; the altar of prayer and praise; the altar at which the priests ministered, and where also blood was sprinkled. In what respects it differed from the mercy-seat (at the place of prayer) does not quite appear. At this altar all who are God’s priests, all His royal priesthood, officiate.”
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As with everything worship, God had specific instruction as to how to build the earthly altar of incense.
While I don’t think earthly things will be in Heaven, I think they reflect heavenly things. I do think the heavenly things will be more – more beautiful, more ornate, more priceless.
Do you see what Bonar said? We come to the altar, acting like priests. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Pet. 2: 9 ESV).
Prayers of All the Saints
We talked before that the prayers of saints are incense (Rev. 5: 8). They should be a sweet aroma to God. “O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Ps. 141: 1-2 ESV).
Does it seem strange to you that the prayers of the saints are used as a tool of judgment? Think about it.
Saints are to pray for the redemption of sinners. It is up to them to receive the gift of salvation. Really, what we are praying for is a decision on their part.
When the time of judgment comes, they will have made their decision. Unfortunately, a decision against God is going to lead to pain and suffering.
But really, that is what we have been praying for — the time when the decision is made.
No, God doesn’t want anyone to be cast in the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 15). “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (II Pet. 3: 9 ESV). Where we spend eternity is totally our decision.
When we pray, we will sometimes say, “Thy Will be done” (Mt. 6: 10). He will take our prayers and use them to enact His Will.
Even in the destruction, God will — and should be — praised.
But that brings up a good point. From where do these prayers/incense come?
If the Church has been raptured by now, are they stored incense — the delayed answers to our prayers — or fresh incense?
If there is worship in Heaven, is there still prayer in Heaven? I would have always said no because we are in God’s presence.
We are still going to be communicating with God – and all of us at the same time, still. Is it prayer by another name?
Is whatever way we communicate with God still considered incense to Him? I would think He is looking forward in a God-like way to seeing us face to face as much as we are Him.
Would the incense diminish once we change residence? I wouldn’t think so. The delivery system might change, but the purpose and outcome should remain the same.
The prayers of the saints are used as a specific tool. They really don’t inflict destruction on the earth. They herald the destruction as a warning system.
Orton brought up a good point. The saints were offering up sincere prayers, but they still needed to have the incense added to them. While the prayers were genuine, more was needed — the more only what Jesus could add.
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What does that tell us? We are to be sincere in our prayers — and humble.
Threw the Censor on the Earth
God has used some of the “… peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Rev. 8: 5 ESV) before to announce His arrival. “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled” (Ex. 19: 16 ESV).
Now, the angel takes the censor, fills it with fire, and hurls it at the earth. Fire is associated with wrath. “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch” (Mal. 4: 1 ESV).
Making the Connections
Orton reminded us that prayer is an essential part of the character of a saint. We must daily be in prayer with God.
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Early in God’s Word, mankind began to call on the name of the Lord. “To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord” (Gen. 4: 26 ESV).
It is important that we do this. “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls” (Joel 2: 32 ESV).
We will only escape the Day of the Lord when we call on the name of the Lord.
How Do We Apply This?
- Grasp Heaven in half-hour increments.
- Listen close enough to hear God whisper.
- Utilize times of silence before prayer and worship.
- Use times of silence as periods of self-examination.
- Use times of silence to prepare for the work God has for you.
- Utilize silence in the endurance of trials and tribulations.
- Expect times of silence in our lives, not total action and communication.
- Pay attention to God’s Word rather than what is happening.
- Be prepared for the test of faith that silence brings.
- Develop a deep sense of the evil of sin.
- Come to God only through the intercession of Jesus.
- Perform the work we are called to do in Jesus’ name.
- Commit to Jesus the keeping of our souls.
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Father God. So many of us crave action. We do not realize the value of waiting in silence. Help us to put our focus on You and Your work. Amen.
What do you think?
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