God Speaks
When the Lamb had broken the seventh seal, there was silence throughout all heaven for what seemed like half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels that stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.
3 Then another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; and a great quantity of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people, to offer upon the golden altar before the throne. 4 And the perfume of the incense mixed with prayers ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.
5 Then the angel filled the censer with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed and rumbled, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.
6 Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down upon the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire so that one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass.
8-9 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and what appeared to be a huge burning mountain was thrown into the sea, destroying a third of all the ships; and a third of the sea turned red as blood; and a third of the fish were killed.
10 The third angel blew, and a great flaming star fell from heaven upon a third of the rivers and springs. 11 The star was called “Bitterness” because it poisoned a third of all the water on the earth and many people died.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and immediately a third of the sun was blighted and darkened, and a third of the moon and the stars so that the daylight was dimmed by a third, and the nighttime darkness deepened. 13 As I watched, I saw a solitary eagle flying through the heavens crying loudly, “Woe, woe, woe to the people of the earth because of the terrible things that will soon happen when the three remaining angels blow their trumpets.”
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: [The author of this blog thinks of Revelation chapters 8 and 9 as a unit. Some of the same comments may appear in both PrayThrutheBible.com entries. This author must also note that The Wiersbe Bible Commentary also had a major influence on the reflections on the book of Revelation.]
After the opening of the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. This is hard to imagine after all the loud praise from the great crowds of beings mentioned in the previous chapters (4, 5, and 6). It may be that they were so overwhelmed by the majesty of the Lord God that they were speechless. Then an angel mixed incense with the prayers of the saints in a golden censer before the golden altar which was before the Throne of God. When the angel threw the censer, now containing fire along with the incense, to the earth it exploded with thunder and lightning and the earth shook. This may represent the powerful presence of the Lord on the earth similar to at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16) and at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:51). The blowing of the first four trumpets resulted in environmental catastrophes involving trees and vegetation, the oceans or bodies of saltwater, rivers or bodies of fresh water, and the darkening of the celestial bodies. The people most devastated will be “those who live for the earth and the things of the earth.” (Emphasis by Wiersbe) *
* The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, by Warren W. Wiersbe, Colorado Springs, CO David C. Cook p. 1058.
Prayer: Dear God who answers the earnest cries of His people in their prayers, thank You that You use even silence to accomplish Your purposes. It may be that I (and the rest of Your people) am so overwhelmed by Your majesty, O Lord, that I am speechless, in total awe of You, all that You are and have done on behalf of human beings and all creation. Silence also gives You the opportunity to speak to us, instead of our prayers just being monologues. May my prayers (and those of all the people You have made saints) rise as a pleasing aroma before You. Although (if I am still on the earth when these judgments occur) I will be affected by these events, please don’t let me be devastated by them. Help me to keep my trust centered in You. May my internal reasoning be, “What can I do to bring You happiness?” not “What do I want You to do to bring me happiness?” May my life bring You glory, Lord. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will gradually work up to sitting quietly for at least half an hour listening to God.
- I will pray fifteen minutes daily for the next sixty days regarding an issue that is important to me.
- I will ask the Lord how he wants me to be involved in environmental issues while keeping my focus on Him.
- I will ponder “What can I do to bring God and/or other people happiness?” rather than “What do I want God and/or other people to do to bring me happiness?”
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.