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1. Preparations in Heaven (Revelation 8:1-6)
The enthronization of Jesus Christ and His authorization from the Father to reign over the world took place with the handing over of the scroll sealed with seven seals. The scroll was written on both inside and out (Revelation chapters 4 and 5).
As the Lamb of God carefully opened each seal, distressing, radical changes began to enter in to world history. These changes were necessary before the seventh and last seal could be opened. All the events that had previously transpired, the prayers, testimonies and visions, were a preparation for the events that would begin with the opening of the seventh seal.
The four guardians of the throne, the twenty-four elders, all angels, the innumerable crowd of saints and all creation waited excitedly for this decisive moment. With great expectation they looked to their Lord, for they knew: Now comes the most important, the essential, namely, the revealing of how judgment would come upon the world, and how the new creation was to follow. The basic features of these developments had already been revealed in the Old and New Testament, and were, therefore, written on the outside of the scroll. The Revelation of Jesus Christ brought concrete and detailed instructions for implementing the final age, as well as for the new age to come.
The Great Silence in Heaven
REVELATION 8:1
1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
A great silence began in heaven with the opening of the seventh seal. Was this silence a speechless shudder due to the content of the seventh seal? Or did it reflect a concentrated reflection over the coming developments?
Christ leads His followers again and again into quiet reflection, in order to contemplate and grasp what God and His Lamb have done in the past, and recognize what the Lord will do in the future.
God's inexhaustible grace and His unfolding salvation long to lead us into worship and thanksgiving. The sealing of the 144,000 Jewish Christians, as well as a vast number of saints out of all nations before the throne of the Almighty, along with the continuous praise of the angels and creation, encouraged all residents of heaven to sing the praises of the Lamb of God. At the same time, in view of the vastness of God's never-ending grace, as well as the profound depravity of hard-hearted unrighteous, they understood the absolute necessity for these judgments to begin.
The Lord enabled His angels, the saints and the elders, amidst quiet reflection and prayer, to understand that His anger was the just answer to the rejection of His reconciliation. At the same time, He showed them the actual goal of His grace in history – the new creation of the spiritual kingdom of God. The destruction of the old was absolutely necessary. The coming of the new was becoming visible.
During the great silence in heaven, God also remained silent. He had spoken clearly in the past: ”You are my Son, today I have begotten You” (Psalm 2:7). He had repeated His testimony in the gospel: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). Jesus is the Word of God. No other Word of God exists. Through Jesus, His Word, God created the world and redeemed it to Himself (John 1:1-4). He will also judge mankind through Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46). If the world does not want to hear Jesus, the Word become flesh, God stays silent! We all live from the Word of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). If God chooses to remain silent, the world fades away. If He no longer speaks, existence disintegrates. The silence of God and His Lamb, of His angels and His saints, means He has abandoned the rebels, and given them over to destroy each other (Romans 1:18-32). There will follow the horror in those who are removed far from God's presence, when they can no longer hear Him, because He remains silent.
Seven Angels Receive Seven Trumpets
REVELATION 8:2
2 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
John suddenly saw seven archangels standing before the throne of God. Three of the archangels are called by name in the Bible: Michael (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7), Gabriel (Daniel 8:16-17; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26) and Raphael, (Tobias 5:4; 11:19 in the Apocrypha). The names of the other archangels come from Jewish tradition, where they are called Sariel, Oriel, Raguel, Remiel, Maziel and Metatron. They share responsibility for the worldly and spiritual well-being of Israel. Gabriel conveyed the great revelations of God, and Michael is His fighter and hero in the battle with forces arraigned against God.
From discussions with the Jews in Medina Mohammed had learned the names of various archangels. He named the spirit who had visited and inspired him over the period of twelve years in Mecca, Gabriel, although this spirit had never revealed his name to him. Without doubt, Gabriel in Islam is not the Gabriel of the Bible, since he denied the deity of Christ over 50 times, and claimed that Jesus had not been crucified (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157) It is clear, therefore, that an anti-Christian spirit from Mohammed was addressed by the name “Gabriel” and spoke as Gabriel, but was not Gabriel. Therein is seen the bitter fruit of Satanic inspiration in the Koran and Islam, with all of its dogmatic, ethical, spiritual and political consequences.
The true archangels stand before God, their Lord, ready for special service at all times. Their standing before the Almighty makes them representatives of His power, authority and glory. They do not possess these qualities in themselves, but possess them in the sense of a mirror, reflecting their humble dependence upon God.
In the vision of John it is apparent that the Lamb of God entrusted to the archangels the seven trumpets of judgment, along with the authority to carry them through. The carrying out of the first stage of judgment occurs through the power of angels alone. The Lamb Himself is no longer mentioned during the course of the shattering trumpet judgments (Revelation 8:2 - 11:19). He only appears again later, following the sounding of the seventh trumpet (12:11), in which its thunderous sound proclaims the victory of Jesus Christ in heaven (11:15).
PRAYER: Holy Father, Your Lamb opened the last of the seven seals and there was complete silence in heaven because of what they had seen of distresses and woes on Your enemies who became hardened against Your Anointed One and against the Holy Spirit. We magnify You because Your judgments are just and right. Keep us from these judgments in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
QUESTION
- Why was there complete silence in heaven before the judgments of trumpets?