December 29 Sermon: The Weight of Silence
In Revelation 8, heaven falls silent as the seventh seal is opened, followed by the prayers of the saints and the sounding of the first four trumpets. This profound moment reminds us of the weight of God’s judgment, the power of prayer, and the call to repentance. As we enter a new year, let’s reflect, renew, and focus on our faith in Christ.
Contemplate these questions as you listen to this message:
How does the silence in heaven challenge us to pause and reflect on the holiness of God in our own lives?
In what ways do the prayers of the saints inspire us to approach God with confidence and trust?
How does the vision of the trumpets remind us of the seriousness of sin and the urgency of repentance?
Transcript:
There's a strange and eerie phenomenon that you have most likely experienced at some point in your life. We call it the calm before the storm. It's that moment when you know a storm is coming.
You can see it on its way, and then before things get really bad, there's a moment where it seems like maybe this isn't going to be so bad. In fact, it might seem like stuff has stopped altogether, but it isn't a stop to what you see coming. It is a signal that something substantial is about to happen. Like I said, we know. We know this as the calm before the storm.
And when that happens, you see it, and while everything around you, maybe you see some birds chirping, everything is calm, you know deep down that this isn't peace. This is a warning. Something is about to happen. And this is what we see as we come back to the book of Revelation. As Revelation 8 begins, John describes a moment. Unlike any other, there's a silence in heaven that lasts for about a half an hour.
I want you to think about that for a moment. Heaven, a place with continuous praise and continuous worship, suddenly it falls silent. It's as if all of heaven pauses to acknowledge the weight of what's coming. And the opening of the seventh seal isn't just another moment in the series. It's a series of visions that we see in the book of Revelation. It's actually a pivotal point. A divine pause before the unleashing of God's judgment.
And as we reflect on that silence, we're forced to ask ourselves some questions. What does it mean? Why does heaven stop? What is God trying to show us here, with this profound silence? Before we dive in, we'll take a minute here togar Orlando, nie togar Orlando. out our three main points that will help us navigate today's text.
And so the first thing that we're going to do is we're just going to look at that first verse. We're going to consider the weight of that silence in heaven. And this silence is important to consider by itself, but it also gives us an excellent opportunity to stop for a minute and remember what we've seen so far in the book of Revelation. We took a break for Advent, and so we'll have a quick refresher, a very quick refresher on where we're at in the book.
Secondly, our point will be that we're going to look at the prayers of the saints, because in verses two through five, we see not only the prayers, but we see God's answer to those prayers, which shows his commitment to justice for his people. And then finally, in verses six through 13, we're going to hear the sound of judgment, because the first four trumpets are sounded, and there is judgment. And throughout the book of Revelation, we have seen this sense of an escalating judgment. And every time it happens, it's humbling for us, because this isn't just about what is happening in the book. It's a reminder of God's holiness, and it serves for us as a call to personal repentance.
So let's take a minute to consider this silence, and as we do so, let's take a second to re -establish ourselves in Revelation as we look at it. Let's look at verse one. So our goal in looking at the book of Revelation is to remember what is the primary audience of the book. We want to remember that if it doesn't mean anything for the people in the first century who are receiving this revelation from God, then it can't mean anything for us either. It needed to mean something to them.
And we do a great disservice to our first century brothers and sisters in Christ, many who were martyred when we forget the tribulation, when we forget the difficulty that they experienced during the time that this book was written. And so what we've seen as we've journeyed through the book so far is that the seven churches are addressed, and in doing so, they are being called to faithfulness and repentance. We have to remember that the book is continually calling us to remain faithful and to repent, to continually call us to repent. To continually turn to Christ in faith.
Well, from there, from those addresses to the seven churches, we got into the heart of the book, and we saw some important images of the throne room of heaven. We saw the one who was on the throne, and we heard that he was amazing and powerful and sovereign. And then we had an image of the Lamb. Remember, there was that scroll, and no one was worthy to open it. But then John is told, don't weep that no one can open this scroll. The Lamb has overcome.
And we learned that worthy is the Lamb who was slain, and that was the anthem of heaven. That is what they were praising, what they were singing about. Worthy is the Lamb. And so we get this idea of God's sovereignty and the worthiness of Christ. And then we continued to move in, and we saw this judgment and how it was all -encompassing. There were vivid and dramatic images of the judgment of God and of his wrath.
And then in the chapter prior to this one that we read from this morning, there was a pause in the judgments between the sixth and the seventh seal. And in that chapter, chapter seven, we were assured that God sovereignly seals his people for salvation. They have seen all this judgment, but we are assured that God's people are secure. He protects them through tribulation. He protects them through the judgment of God.
And then in the chapter of 13, we saw Jesus seeking the Lord for salvation, and he has secured their place in his eternal kingdom. And we were shown a vision of a global multitude, and they were worshiping the Lamb. And we were reminded of the unity, the joy, and the comfort that are found in God's redeeming grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we left off with the gravity of God's judgment, but we also were reminded of the depth of the grace of God, of the amazingness of his his mercy, because he has called not just a particular tribe and language group of people, but he has called people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, and that's us.
That's where we left off, this idea that God is bringing all people groups to himself through the blood of Christ. And now, if you were reading through Revelation for the first time, and you were anticipating how the story would progress, you've seen all these seals opened, and all this judgment where no one can stand, and you have this confidence that there's this people of God who are protected, what would you expect to come next? You know, there was this great wrath previously that shook the earth, and then you have this pause for the persecuted of God to be rescued, and now we're seeing a final seal open.
I know what I would expect. If I was reading this, I would think that now, it's been on before, but now it's really on. It will be indescribable wrath. Those who have been persecuted have been protected, and so now it is going to be unleashed upon the earth. That final seal is going to be broken, and boom, it's over, it's on, all of those things. That's what I would expect. That's how I would write the story.
But what do we see in verse 1? There's silence. We've had the noise of wrath. We've had voices raised in praise to the one who's on the throne and to the Lamb, and now we have silence. Well, there's a cliche that silence is golden, particularly if you have young children. In many cases, silence is extremely unsettling.
It would be my guess that most, if not all of us, have been in the bleachers at a high school sporting event where a young athlete is injured. Spectators are watching the game. They're making all kinds of noise. When spectators at an event like this aren't cheering or applauding or informing the officials that they need new glasses, they are engaging in conversation with people around them. It's just a noisy area, right?
But when an athlete goes down with a significant injury, things are suddenly very quiet. There's a gravity. A weight to the moment as you wait to see, are they going to be all right? That's the best way I can describe from my personal experience what John is describing for us here in Revelation. A moment of profound gravity. The sudden stillness in heaven reflects the weight of what is about to happen.
This is not a silence of peace, but one of preparation, a silence of awe, and anticipation. Heaven, the ceaseless, the place where there is ceaseless praise, it stops for 30 minutes as if all of creation is bracing for the next move in God's redemptive and judgmental plan. And you can imagine how long this 30 minutes would feel because sitting in silence and waiting, that seems to extend time indefinitely, doesn't it? Most of the time in our lives, we feel like time is racing past at a breakneck speed. But think how slow it feels like time is going when you're just sitting in silence.
It's like the clock comes to a halt. Having taught youth for a significant portion, if not the majority of my life, when I think about time slowing down, my mind immediately goes to leading small group discussions with high school students. You ask a question, and no one in the group answers you. And you sit there, and you wait to let them answer, and it feels like you've waited for five minutes when you maybe let it be silent for 10 seconds.
Time can feel like it's moving so slow when nothing is happening and when you're expecting something. Now, imagine expecting the wrath of God to be unleashed, and instead it's completely silent. How long do you think it's going to take for you to be silent? It's going to take you to think that silence of 30 minutes would have felt like, anticipating the wrath of God. 30 hours, 30 days, it must have felt like an eternity.
And this silence is not just to build up anticipation for the next part of the vision that the Apostle John is seeing, it also reminds us that God's judgment is not hasty, and it's not impulsive. God's judgment is deliberate, it's calculated, it is righteous. This pause, emphasizes that what follows after this silence is not random chaos, but the fulfillment of God's sovereign will. The silence also serves as a space for reflection for us, for the heavenly host, yes, but for us as the readers now, to take in the weight of God's justice, His judgment, and His holiness.
This unsettling stillness in Revelation is a challenge for us, how often do we, in our noisy, busy lives, pause to reflect on the gravity of who God is? When is the last time I took the time to take in just how holy God was, is, and sit with it in silence? How often do we allow ourselves to feel the weight of His justice and His mercy? This silence is a divine call here to stop, to listen, and to consider the holiness of God. And just as the crowded sporting event grows quiet out of respect for the injured athlete, the silence in heaven calls you and I to reverence. It's a moment to recognize that what is unfolding here in the book of Revelation isn't merely a story of judgment, it also shows us God's glory, and that He keeps His promises to His people.
So as the story of this vision progresses, we see, the stage set for the breaking of that silence as we read about the prayers of the saints in verses 2 through 5 for our second point here. Now, I've drawn out how that silence is unsettling, but here it has a purpose in the plan of God. Because in this pause, as heaven is holding its breath, a stage is set for this profound statement about the prayers of the people of God. Because what breaks this stillness? It's not chaos. It's not a chaotic moment. Instead, it's the prayers of the saints rising like incense before the throne, and God's response, which then shakes both heaven and earth.
So John describes the scene for us, and our attention is drawn to seven angels before God, and they are given seven trumpets. And then another angel comes with a golden censer, and he is given incense to offer with the prayers of the saints. So, this is really rich imagery here. The angel approaches with this golden censer, and we find out that this incense is the prayers of the saints, and it rises before God. So this is a symbolic act that reminds us of the power and significance of prayer here.
Because these prayers that we see from the saints, they're not forgotten words. They're not just people somewhere closing their eyes. They're not just people closing their eyes. They're not just people closing their eyes. Bowing their heads and speaking into the void, into the blackness of the earth. Those prayers are coming into the presence of Almighty God. And we see that they're mingled with the fragrance of incense. And what this shows us is just how precious the prayers of God's people are to Him. That's the idea being expressed for us here. The prayers are not only heard, but they are precious to God.
So we need to stop and think about this for a minute. What kind of prayers are these that are being heard? What's the context here? Well, what has been leading us up to this scene is these saints who have endured persecution and tribulation. What kind of prayers would these saints have been offering as they're facing these hardships? Think about that. How would they have been praying? These are not frivolous prayers for earthly prosperity. These are prayers that would be cries for justice. They would be prayers asking for God's kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
These are the prayers of those who have endured persecution and suffering. The faithful who have pleaded for God to act against the evil that they have been experiencing. These are prayers saying, God, come and fulfill your promises. Protect your people. And notice that these prayers are not just prayers. They're not just prayers. They're not just prayers. They're not just heard. They're answered. Notice the censer isn't just being waved around to spread the appealing scent of the incense. Hey, let's spread around the good smell. That censer is flung to the earth.
The censer is thrown and then the silence is broken. The silence is broken after we acknowledge the prayers of God's people. And there are peals of thunder. There's rumbling. There's flashes of lightning. There's an earthquake. Earthquake. This response by God to the prayers of his people is not subtle. It's not quiet. God is moving in power. He is demonstrating that the prayers of his people are not only heard, but they are a part of the unfolding plan of God to enact divine justice.
So let's stop for a minute and think about what this means for you and I as we read this. It means that your prayers and my prayers and the prayers of every believer, they are a part of God's plan. When we are in silence, when we are struggling, they rise before him and he hears them. They are not forgotten. They are not ignored. And they're not trivialized. Your prayers matter. They are heard by the sovereign Lord of all of creation, the one who holds the universe in his hand. And he answers those prayers in accordance with his purposes.
And this is a profound reminder that we are to be a praying people. We should be confident that when we cry out to God, we are heard and we can know that our prayers are meaningful, that they are powerful, and that God uses them. As we move forward, this scene of prayers and God's response sets the stage for angels to sound the trumpets that they've been given. But before we move on to our third point, I think it's important that we take a moment to think about the power of God. Take this to heart, and we ask ourselves some important questions. Do we pray with the confidence that this passage gives us? Do we pray confidently, believing that our prayers are incense before God, that he delights in them, and that they play a role in the purposes of his kingdom? Do we believe that or not?
So as we move on to our third point, we look at a big chunk of verses here in 6 through 13. We see that the trumpets are raised, and there is now the sound of judgment. So we've progressed from this 30 minutes of silence to talking about the prayers, and now there's this noise that we would have expected in the first place, right? The blasts of these horns reveal the devastating consequences of sin and remind us of God's call for us to repent. So in these verses, we see a lot of stuff happening. As you read them, you might be surprised at how little detail is given to what is happening and how quickly the next trumpet blast happens. There's a lot happening, but there's not much in the way of description there. You'd think wrath to this degree would have much more expression of what is happening, but really these trumpets are happening one right after another. Another.
The vision that John receives here has these first four trumpets strike plagues, and they're on four different elements of creation. It's important that we understand that. The first one, we see the land affected, and then the next one, sea is the object of focus. Well, then the third trumpet sounds, and we observe that fresh water is affected, and then the fourth trumpet reveals judgments that are manifested in the sky. So we have all the elements of creation being affected, here. Now, these four blasts of the trumpet, they open up for us speculation on what all this looks like or will look like. There are so many different ways that this has been interpreted.
Not only do we not have the time to
speculate on all of this, but to do so actually misses the point. When we try to add detail to God's Word that isn't there in the text, it actually harms our interpretation and our understanding, what it's meant to do with us. And so what we want to do here is really think about the big picture. So go back to what I just said about the four areas that are affected. Land, salt water, fresh water, and sky. All areas of creation. So the big idea here is that these judgments are coming, and there is no area that's not affected. It is all -encompassing. There is nothing that is escaping the wrath of God. The natural world and all of humanity feels the effects of what's happening. And so for me, what this does is it calls me back to what the Apostle Paul says in the book of Romans. Remember that passage where he says, all of creation groans. And we know, and we know, and we know, and we know, and we know, this to be the case. We see it in the sin of the world, right? That creation is groaning, calling for redemption. But here we get this idea of all of creation in these four areas that are affected. And we see here that there's this great longing for the consummation of all things. And we see this expressed with the words of the eagle here. Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on earth. Anytime that something is repeated in the Bible, it is for emphasis. And there is very little that ever receives a third repetition to elevate to that point. Usually it's, verily, verily, I say unto you. It's two. When something goes to the third repetition, you know it is unbelievably serious.
They let us know just how awful these things are. In fact, with these four, parts of creation affected, and the way things are described, you might actually forget that we've only gone through four trumpets. This is huge. This seems like it might be the complete scope of God's wrath. But then the eagle finishes his sentence, letting us know that while this judgment is all -encompassing, there is more to come. And these trumpet blasts remind us of the complete nature of God's of God's judgment. That nothing is untouched. That everything groans under the weight of sin and the righteous wrath of God. But this vision isn't just about destruction. It's about the devastating consequences of human rebellion against their creator. Sin has not only broken humanity, but it's fractured the world that God declared good. This is why he comes in judgment. But yet, even in this sweeping judgment, what do we have? There's a call to repentance. This eagle's cry is a warning. It's a divine plea for humanity to wake up, to turn back to God before it's too late. It's a reminder that while judgment is inevitable, and there is more coming, it is for those who persist in sin. God's mercy is there for those who repent, who turn to Jesus in repentance and faith. So, as we stand at the close of another day, let's pray. Every year, the message of these trumpets echoes in our lives. We live in a world that groans under the weight of sin. We all feel the effects of a broken world, and we see the signs of God's judgment around us. But these signs are not meant to lead us to despair. They are meant to drive us to repentance, to build up our faith in God's mercy, and to have renewed obedience, a renewed desire to follow God. God's mercy is there for us. God's mercy is there for us. God's mercy is there for us. Jesus is the judbness who puts God in faithfulness. So, as we think about this passage, let the weight of it remind us of the seriousness of sin, but as we do so, we must not forget the greatness of God's mercy. Let the prayers of the saints that we read about inspire us to be a praying people, trusting that our cries are heard by the sovereign Lord of the universe. As we think about this passage this week, let the trumpets of judgment us to examine our lives, to repent where we need to repent, and to renew our commitment to walk in faithfulness. So as we enter this new year, let us resolve to live with clarity, the clarity that Revelation brings for us, because we live in the midst of a groaning creation, but we also live in the hope of our returning Savior and King. May the coming year be one where we turn our eyes upon Jesus, deepen our trust in his promises, and we commit ourselves to being his faithful witnesses that more might hear of his truth and his grace. Amen. Let us pray. Great and merciful God, we thank you for the gift of your word, that we are reminded that you are a God who hears his people, that you are deliberate in folding together your plan for us, your people. And And so, we pray, Lord, that we would remember the noise of these trumpets and remember the seriousness of sin, that we might be called by your Holy Spirit to repentance, that we might turn from our sin and trust in the forgiveness that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in his name that we pray. Amen.
