The Calm Before The Storm Series

The Book of Revelation

“The Calm Before the Storm”

Revelation 8

In July of 1976, Israeli commandos made a daring raid at an airport in Entebbe, Uganda, freeing 103 Jewish hostages. Yet even as successful as the rescue was, three of the hostages were killed.

As the commandos entered the terminal they shouted in Hebrew, “Get Down!” Only the Jewish hostages understood and hit the floor, while the kidnappers were left standing. Two of the hostages, however, hesitated and the third actually stood up, and they were killed with the rest of the guerrillas. Had the captives obeyed the soldiers’ command, they would have been freed with the rest.

Salvation is open to all, but we must heed the command of Jesus and repent, making Him our Savior and Lord. Otherwise, we’ll perish with the judgments meant for His enemies.

Read Revelation 8:1-5

A Shattering Silence Invades Heaven

At the opening of this last seal, the 7th seal, everything in heaven becomes absolutely still and heaven become deathly silent. What could possible silence heaven? It’s nothing less than the seriousness and certainty of God’s judgment and wrath that are about to be poured out.

It would seem as if the harshness and horror of the impending judgment has silenced all voices. The once joyous sounds of praise that filled the heavens and God’s throne room are now silent in complete suspense and anticipation.

A hushed expectancy hangs over heaven making the judgments that are to come that much more ominous.

We see the same description given by the prophet Zephaniah.

“Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; for the day of the Lord is at hand.” (Zephaniah 1:7a NKJV)

To be silent is to show the proper respect and honor due the Lord who is righteous and holy.

At this time the children of Israel were in the same condition as those who are alive during this time of the Great Tribulation.

• They have no interest in following the Lord

• They abandoned His will, law, and way refusing to seek or inquire of Him

• They reverted back to ancient religious superstitions, and

• They brought into their homes false gods.

Today people are following this same pattern, outlawing God from all venues of life, and instead they’re making the Antichrist their god and following his dictates and religion.

Today we’re seeing the groundwork being laid for this very thing as God is being outlawed in the very land where religious freedom is lauded and proclaimed. Where our children are prohibited from talking about God in our classrooms, all the while false gods and religions are promoted.

Also, in the name of tolerance sharing one’s faith in Jesus Christ will bring discipline or even dismissal. Christianity is no longer tolerated in today’s anti-Christian society.

Old religions and religious practices are making a huge comeback under the name of New Age or what some call “being spiritual.” The sad thing is that such practices are making their way into the church.

In our desire to see God move we use man’s technology and psychological techniques to get people worked up in to a religious fever. Positive confession, visualizations, and Eastern meditation techniques are now being taught.

So the question becomes, “Who’s moving, God or man?”

When God does move it’ll be in His time, not ours, and it’ll be for the sake of His holy name, a name we have defiled. The Lord said, “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.” (Ezekiel 36:22 NKJV)

And so there’s a call to utter and complete silence before a holy and righteous God.

“Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time.” (Amos 5:13 NKJV)

And we need to stop our rationalizations and excuses because,

“The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” (Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV)

John now sees before God’s throne seven angels holding seven trumpets.

The sound of the trumpet played a major role in Israel’s national life and within God’s economy.

• They were used in religious ceremonies to assemble the people on the Sabbath and special feast days. In fact, one of the seven feasts of Israel is called the Feast of Trumpets.

• It was also the sound of the trumpet that gathered the people to war and at the battle of Jericho it was the weapon God used to bring down its walls.

• The trumpet was also used to direct the Israelites movements throughout their journey through the wilderness.

Therefore to know and understand the trumpet’s sound was important.

In speaking about the inappropriate use of the gift of tongues in the church and the need for correct interpretation, the Apostle Paul uses the trumpet call to illustrate his point.