In Silence & Supplication Revelation 8:1-6

Call to Hear

If you’ve been paying attention to the progression taking place in our study of Revelation then you may have noticed that the level of intensity, drama and suffering has steadily increased with each new chapter. At the same time the message of hope, joy and salvation for the people of God has been a parallel theme. If you are a child of God, if you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise for the day of your redemption, then the story taking place throughout the pages of Revelation is a story of hope for you and me! However, I believe that what we discover in these pages should snap us out of our spiritual slumber and inspire us to tend to the fields of lost souls ready to be harvested. One of the keys to the success of this task is prayer.Joe Carter, with the Gospel Coalition, has listed a catalogue how many prayers are mentioned in the Bible and how many of those prayers were actually answered. According to the list he provided, there are 650 different prayers in God’s Word and 450 of those were answered.[1]The reason that I bring this up is because we are going to read about an important role that prayer plays in the eschatological narrative.

Revelation 8:1-6

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

There it is! We have finally come to the seventh seal!

Silence (Rev. 8:1)

Revelation 8:1 (NKJV)

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

This chapter opens by describing what many in Oklahoma have actually experienced, a sort of calm before a storm. That’s what I like to call those few quiet moments early in the morning before my kids wake up. I get to enjoy my coffee and read before my children break the silence. Sometimes, right before a tornado hits, everything gets still and quiet. No birds chirping. No wind whistling. No leaves rustling. Just silence and then disaster strikes leaving devastating and destruction in its path.When the Lamb opens the seventh seal a hush comes over all of heaven for about half an hour. In chapter four, the four living creatures sing the eternal praises of the One who sat on the throne and they are joined by the twenty-four elders who throw their crowns at the feet of the Majestic One.In chapter five, it is the Lamb who is exalted in worship as they sing a new song to the One who was slain in order to redeem us to God with His own blood, the One who has made us kings and priests to our God. All of heaven and earth sing together “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain...”.Again, in chapter seven, all the angels, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures declare the majesty of our God and King, but in chapter eight it all comes to a screeching halt!Silence often accompanies the judgment of God on the inhabitants of earth and comfort for those few He has claimed for Himself.Isaiah 41:1 (NKJV)

1 “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, And let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment.

Habakkuk 2:20 (NKJV)

20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

Zephaniah 1:7 (NKJV)

7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; For the day of the Lord is at hand, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests.

Zechariah 2:13 (NKJV)

13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

Why is heaven silent? What is it about the seventh seal that quiets the praises of all creation? Some commentators think that this is a kind of jaw-dropping silence which leaves everyone and everything in shock and awe! Another thought is that the silence allows space for the Lord to hear the prayers of the saints in verses 3-4. Whatever the reason, there is something for us to learn here.Sometimes we need to enter the presence of God with a closed mouth instead of rattling off our list of demands. God has no trouble hearing what we need and want. There isn’t anything interfering with Him hearing our prayers. Before a word is formed on our tongues He knows (Psalm 139:4). Silence allows us to hear what the desires of God’s heart are, it allows us to hear the things that He wants to accomplish for us, through us and in us. Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)

10 Be still, and know that I am [He is] God!

Now watch this, the silence of verse 1 gives way to supplication in verses 2-4.

Supplication (Rev. 8:2-4)

2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

After witnessing the silence of the celestial and terrestrial beings, John sees the seven angels who stand before God and they are given seven trumpets. Apparently, these trumpet judgments mirror the plagues that came upon the Egyptians in the book of Exodus (Exod 9:22–25; Exod 7:20–25; Exod 10:21–23) and John F. Walvoord points out that the trumpets given to the angels are different than what is called the trumpet of God.[2]1 Corinthians 15:52 (NKJV)

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (NKJV)

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

When the angels sound the trumpets they are handed judgement comes upon heaven and earth. But when God sounds His trumpet, there is life!But John doesn’t focus on the seven angels with the trumpets because an eighth angel shows up holding a golden censer and to this angel “...was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne” (Rev. 8:3). The offering of the incense with the prayers of the saints on the altar highlights the sacrificial nature of prayer.[2] The Word of God is not at all bashful about pointing out the necessity of prayer in the life of the Believers. Jesus taught that “men are to pray at all times and not lose heart” Lk. 18:1).Paul taught that we should pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).Eliphaz the Temanite told his friend Job that when he prays God would listen to him (Job 22:27). To Solomon, God said,2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Of all the spiritual disciplines mentioned in the Bible, I believe that true prayer is one of the most underemployed.Leonard Ravenhill, one of the 20th century’s greatest revivalist and evangelists, once said that our attitude to prayer tells whether we are trusting in God or trusting in ourselves, “that what was begun in the Spirit we [have determined] can [be] finish[ed] in the flesh.”[3]But hey, did you notice what happened Monday night when Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills collapsed on the field live during a nationally televised game? With the entire football world watching in stunned disbelief CPR was administered to this young man after he went into cardiac arrest. Almost immediately after being loaded into the back of an ambulance, players and coaches from both teams kneeled in silence and intercessory prayer for Damar. Fans watching from the stands bowed their heads in prayer as well. Before the night had come to a close social media was flooded with prayer requests asking God to heal Damar; asking God to let him survive that incident. On national television, sports annalists, commentators, news anchors and countless others were calling for the nation to remember Damar in their prayers, but Dan Orlovsky with ESPN took it farther than asking others to pray (play video).[embed]https://youtu.be/J1Vs59RDITc[/embed]Praise God for the answers to so many prayers for him to get better. We should continue to pray for Damar, but we must also understand, as hard as it is to accept, that whether Damar’s situation gets better or not the purpose of prayer in moments like this is not about changing our situations, it’s about changing our hearts!Robert Mulholland Jr. helps us to better understand prayer’s purpose by stating that,

prayer is not a means of getting God to do what we desire, but a relinquishment of our lives to what God desires for us and our world. …prayer...is much more a mode of being in relationship with God than a means of manipulating God to fulfill our, or even his, purposes.[4]

Speaking of intercessory prayer, that is, praying on behalf of someone else, Robert shifts our focus entirely.

we tend to think of intercessory prayer as getting God to do something for another person. Rarely do we realize that genuine intercession is the offering of ourselves to God that we may become God’s presence for the other person.[5]

True story, before Alicia and I started dating she and a group of her girlfriends met on Sunday nights to pray. They would pray for all sorts of things and one prayer they prayed was for God to bless me with a wife. Well, at the same time, I was praying for her husband. The day that we stood before God and exchanged our vows I reminded us of how God answered our prayers. I looked her in her beautiful face, deep into her gorgeous blue eyes and said, “Alicia,  when we were just friends I prayed that you would see this day. Who knew that God would choose me to be your husband?”Our God has promised that when we call out to Him, He will indeed hear us. We can see that clearly in the book of Revelation.

Sound (Rev. 8:5-6)

Until this point, the seven angels have been standing at a parade rest. In verse six they raise their trumpets to their lips and prepare to blow. The prayers of God’s people breaks the silence in heaven and a wall cloud of God’s judgement begins to take its form. Listen to verses 5 & 6.Revelation 8:5–6 (NKJV)

5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The first time that we heard about lightnings and thunderings in the book of Revelation was in Rev. 4:5 where they proceeded from the throne of God. Each time after it intensifies. In Rev. 8:5 the thunderings and lightnings are accompanied by noises and an earthquake. In Rev. 11:19 great hail is added. And finally, in Rev. 16:18, the earthquake is described as incomparable to any other. You’ve probably heard the saying that when prayers go up, blessings come down. But have we ever considered that the blessing may actually come in the form of judgement on sinful humanity. In revelation 8, God has taken the prayers of His people, repurposed them in the form of judgement and labeled them “RETURN TO SENDER”. Kendell H. Easley points out that

“the prayers that had ascended before God are transformed and hurled back to earth”.[6]

I want to give you something to think about for a moment. Because when we look at what’s happening in Revelation 8:3-4 where all the saints are praying and we consider the hardship that the seven churches are experiencing at the hands of the Roman government and false Jews. Is it possible that the prayer of the martyrs in Rev. 6:10, where they cry out to God for vindication, is it possible that their prayers are the inspiration for the events of Rev. 8:5?To the saints in Thessalonica Paul wrote this,2 Thessalonians 1:4–7 (NKJV)

4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,

Our God delights in coming to our rescue church. Every time God’s people were being mistreated in scripture, whenever they suffered persecution and they turned to the Lord for help, God came down! God came down in judgement on the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20-21).God came down to judge the Egyptians for their harsh mistreatment of the Hebrews (Ex. 3:7-8).God came down on Mt. Sinai  in the sight of all the people (Ex. 19:11).David sang of how God bowed the heavens and came down to rescue His people (2 Sam. 22:10).We see and know the fullness of His coming in the God-Man Jesus Christ. Jesus, “...being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7). The Word who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The One who has gone to prepare a place for those He has redeemed (Jn. 14:3); those who long to see His return (2 Tim. 4:8; Titus 2:13).That’s why the word of God says that “whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord WILL be saved (Rom. 10:13)! You need to know that you can call on Him this morning and He will answer.Call on Him for strength! Call on Him for rest! Call on Him just to say thank you! To tell Him how much you love Him! Call on Him for your children, for your marriage, for your family. Call Him early in the morning before the sun greets the day. Call on Him in the wee hours of the night. Call on Him when you’re weary and surrounded by trouble! Call on Him when you don’t know which way to turn! Call on Him for wisdom! Call on Him just worship Him for Who He is. Call on Him to save you from the wrath of God that is coming up all the earth! Call on Him to be your sacrificial Lamb Who takes away the sins of the world! Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved!Leon Morris reminds us that

“Prayer is not the lonely venture it so often feels. There is heavenly assistance and our prayers do reach God”.[7]

James 5:16 (NKJV)

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Call to Respond

I want to take these final few moments that we have to get still and silent before the Lord this morning. Let the Holy Spirit minister to you right now. Take these last few minutes to seek the Lord in total silence and pray quietly to yourselves. Ask the Lord to reveal His heart for you, your family, our church, our nation, our world.If, during this quiet time, you sense that the Holy Spirit is leading you to surrender to Jesus, leading you to ask Him to forgive you and save you from your sin, then please, quietly come forward and we will pray for you. I’ll close us in prayer, but until then, please remain in a meditative state and pray. Tre Clark January 8, 2023.Revelation / Prayer; Seven Angels Blowing Trumpets; The seven trumpets; Silence; Vengeance / Revelation 8:1–6Cited Works[1] 9 Things You Should Know About Prayer in the Bible (thegospelcoalition.org)[2] John F. Walvoord, “Revelation,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 951.[3] Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries, p21[4] M. Robert Mulholland Jr., “Revelation,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: James, 1–2 Peter, Jude, Revelation, ed. Philip W. Comfort, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011), 484.[5] M. Robert Mulholland Jr., “Revelation,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: James, 1–2 Peter, Jude, Revelation, ed. Philip W. Comfort, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011), 484.[6] (Kendell H. Easley, Revelation, vol. 12, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 143).[7]  (Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 120.)