Back to the Future (Part 11)

Revelation chapters 8 & 9 deal with the second round of judgments that come from God's throne upon the kingdom of Satan and his Antichrist. The intensity of the judgment has increased, and yet, no matter the suffering, the response of those still left on earth is complete defiance against Almighty God (9:20-21). Let me take a moment to focus on chapter 8 verses 1-5. When the seventh seal is broken (which leads to the seven trumpets) we read that there was silence in heaven for about 30 minutes. This is the only time we read in Scripture of heaven being absent of praise, worship, and rejoicing. Even though Scripture does not speak of this, I tend to believe that when Christ died on the cross for our sins, it was a time in which all of heaven stood silent, as they witnessed the King of kings, the Son of God suffering a brutal death under the hands of man; but oh the day that He rose from the dead - the celebration and praise around the throne has not ceased....until this particular time in history, the opening of the seventh seal.

We also read that after the last seal is open, and angel is given a golden censer filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And it is this censer that is thrown to the earth as a sign of up coming judgment upon the world. This censer represents all the prayers of the saints, especially verbalized in Revelation 6:10 - "O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Well, they are given their answer with the opening of the seventh seal. God will answer the prayers of His children and will fulfill His promise, "Vengeance belongs to Him alone!" So for the true child of God, the judgment of the earth should motivate us to warn those among us who are lost, of this upcoming day of God's wrath. Also, it should encourage us to remember that no matter what the world does to God's children, God will always have the last word, and He will always defend His children at the right time. So wait on Him until the end, and be faithful to serve the Lord Almighty. It is when we hold tightly to His promises that we are ensured of a less stressed life. Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.