December 11, 2019

Bible Reading:Revelation 8

Revelation 8:1
[1] And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

I’m sure you have heard the saying “the calm before the storm.” That phrase is defined as “a period of unusual peace, tranquility, and stability that seems likely to precede difficult times.” Chapter 7 of Revelation, especially verses 10-12, is full of loud praise, and worship to God. Chapter 8 brings the end of the “seal judgments”, and the beginning of what is described as the “trumpet judgments” and that will be followed by the “bowl judgments.” The trumpet judgments will cover the first half of the tribulation, and the bowl judgments will cover the second half, and those judgments will continue to intensify until the return of Christ to earth.
After the seventh seal judgment is opened John tells us there was silence (calm, quiet, to hold ones peace) in heaven for about thirty minutes. We’re not given exactly why, but one commentator put it this way, “Certainly , this was the lull before the storm, for God’s intensified judgments were to be hurled to the earth.” How wonderful it is to be a Christian, how exciting to know we won’t be a part of this judgment, but how heartbreaking to know that maybe we will have family, and friends who are unsaved that will be a part of this. I know we hear it so much that “Jesus is coming again” that it almost seems like a fairytale sometimes. Jesus is coming again, God will judge this world, and sin. There is coming a time when there will be nothing heard but silence in heaven, but maybe we could make as much noise about the gospel, and the return of Jesus as we can while we still have time.

Frank Newsome