Heaven . . . Hushed

This may very well represent the prayers of all the saints of all time. Every cry you made to God. Every frustration uttered to his throne. Every praise given to his glory.

Every surrender you gave in his name. Every impatient request for his will. Every longing uttered for relief. Every anguished cry for his direction. Every plea for justice and equity. Every hope breathed to God in prayer.

All of it. God heard all of it. Revelation 8 reveals a moment of profound stillness, a hush that marks the unfolding of God's final judgments during the tribulation. Why would heaven, normally filled with praise and worship, come to a complete stop? In today's lesson, Stephen Davey takes us to this dramatic pause where prayers ascend to God, angels prepare their trumpets, and all creation holds its breath. You'll discover the significance of this holy silence, the powerful role of prayer in God's eternal plan, and how these events point to God's sovereignty. Pastor Bill White wrote about taking a 45 minute drive with a guy that he knew, an acquaintance of his, and they were in this man's van. It was on its last gasp. This man had been arrested several times in addition to financial troubles.

His wife had already told him she was planning to leave him. Bill took the opportunity during the ride to share with this man the gospel of Christ. His response was startling. In fact, Bill wrote later, and I read his article where he said, after I presented the gospel to him, this man looked at me and said, you know, my biggest problem is pride. I just can't humble myself. You want to know the reason I can't give up my pride?

He leaned onto the steering wheel and paused for a second and then said, because it's brought me so far. Bill wrote, I can hardly believe my ears. His pride had brought him nothing but trouble. Unemployed at the moment, his van would be repossessed in his week. His family shambles.

His daughter's terrified of him. In fact, he was actually going back to jail a week after I took that ride with him, but he was convinced that his pride had brought him so far. It was tragic and as self-destructing as this man's pride was, he happens to be an illustration of the human race. Proud, defiant, obstinate, unbending, unyielding, even in the face of terrible suffering and fractured relationships and financial stress and problem after problem, mankind will still tell you he has come so far and all by himself. One author wrote, most people who hear the gospel are so caught up with themselves, they will only eye the Trinity for a possible vacancy. A kind of obstinacy and pride is never more evident than during the tribulation when everybody's world is crashing down all around them, yet they hold to their stubborn rebellion against God who sits upon the throne. Thus far, we have studied the six seals and world madness that has unfolded. 144,000 evangelists with a special seal have been given special protection and deliver the gospel worldwide. They bring in a great harvest of souls.

Millions of martyred saints sing around the throne. Meanwhile, the world is reeling. It's going back and forth from plagues of pestilence to earthquake, asteroid impacts, darkness and famine and in spite of all of the utter madness, millions more the world over will say we will not humble ourselves before God. We're clinging to our pride.

It has brought us so far. They are no more foolish in their pride than that man who works next to you or that woman who lives next to you or that student who studies next to you, whose relationships are self-serving, whose world is a shambles, who never have enough in their bank account and whose world is never quite secure enough and yet they believe they're really doing a pretty good job with their lives. They will even say they have everything under control and they'll argue with you till the sun goes down that they're doing a fine job with their life. In fact, if they had an audience with God, they would only do so in order to give them some advice on how he could do his job a little better. Paul wrote of the irony of this in the unbeliever's life when he wrote to the Romans, destruction and misery are in their paths and the path of peace they have not known, yet there is no fear of God before their eyes. Well, we're about to see in the record of John's vision the hardening of men's hearts against the lamb even further. They're now prepared to follow the antichrist who will appear in a very short period of time in the text. Before then, God will tip the scales of his judgment as another seal is now about to be opened. In these final years of the seven-year tribulation, these terrifying apocalyptic events are going to take place. It's going to be horrifying.

It's going to be worse than it has ever been on the planet as his judgment will assault humanity and planet Earth. Seven archangels, seven unique angels are about to make an appearance and seven trumpets are about to sound. Now, these seven trumpets are actually all part of the final moments of tribulation. They're actually all sort of bound up in this seventh seal and as the bowls which will be tipped over to represent judgment, it's all part of this last and final seal. And all of this will occur in the last three and a half years of the tribulation period. Now, let's go to the opening phase of these seven trumpets, chapter eight of Revelation.

Let's pick our study back up there in verse one. Just that first phrase, when the lamb broke the seventh seal. Now again, I want you to understand that the seventh seal will actually contain all of the judgments of the remaining time left in the tribulation. All of the judgment that is about to unfold with the image of trumpets being blown and bowls being spilled out. The seven trumpets and the seven bowls of wrath are all contained in the seventh seal.

Remember, let's do a little review. The first seal was the white horse which brought about temporary peace. The second seal was a red horse which symbolized bloodshed and war. The third seal is a black horse which represented global famine.

The fourth seal was a pale green horse representing pestilence and disease and death. The fifth seal encompassed the martyrs and their prayers ascending before the throne of God as incense from the golden altar. We'll see that altar in a little bit today. The sixth seal was a total eclipse of sun and moon. The sun turning black and the moon blood red. Now the seventh seal containing all the rest of the judgments are represented by trumpets followed by bowls which symbolize pouring out of even more wrath to come.

We're getting close here friends. The trumpets and bowls will occur just a few years prior to the return of Jesus Christ with the church, his bride, already raptured, already with him, already having had the promise of Christ fulfilled for them that they were delivered out of and away from this wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 10. So when this seventh seal, when the angel blows on that trumpet, the first one, there's only going to be about three years left before we come back and Christ establishes his literal reign on the earth for a thousand years. We're going to study that later in detail as John unfolds for us visions of the sights and sounds of this incredible coming thousand year or millennial kingdom. Now as this scene unfolds in chapter 8, as I studied it I was struck by several things. Let me give you four elements that were rather striking to me.

The first element is silence. Notice again verse 1. When the lamb broke the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Now again this one verse causes us to have to rethink what it will be like in the presence of God in heaven. I know as I said before the hymn writer wrote it, you know when the trumpet of the Lord shall sign and time shall be what?

No more. I don't want you to stone me outside the city gates but I disagree. Evidently according to Revelation 8 somebody's keeping time. There is the progression of time in heaven. It doesn't destroy or dilute any of the glory of heaven to think of progressing events one after another. In fact we're told that there will be trees bearing fruit every month.

Somebody's keeping record of weeks, days and weeks. Revelation 22. You discover the progression of events that we by the way who are here in this text will watch. And we evidently aren't going to be singing before the throne of God nonstop because here we've been told to stop and watch. An amazing scene for at least 30 minutes which will unfold. Evidently there may be other stopping points and starting points. Other events to watch and see.

And I believe there are. Verse 2. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and seven trumpets were given to them. For 30 minutes silence while we watch and the language indicates some kind of ceremony as seven angels are given seven trumpets. And all of heaven is watching this ceremony as seven angels are given seven trumpets. I'm struck by these seven special angels secondly.

But you ought to circle the definite article. The seven angels. Not just any seven. Not just any volunteers. Can I have seven angels please?

No. The seven angels. And they stand before God. Jewish tradition for centuries has long held that these are the seven archangels of the presence. And they're named. I won't give you their names. Two of them happen to be Gabriel and Michael. They aren't named in scripture and for that reason we can't be sure. But the article V with seven angels proves their existence as a special class.

A specific unique grouping. Add to that the fact that John's language uses the perfect participle translated in your text. Stand. They're standing before God. That indicates they have been in that position. That is their special position unless they're sent on a message or with a message or on some mission from God.

And evidently they have been standing there for some time. They've been there all along they just haven't been introduced. You remember that the New Testament in fact the Old Testament describes a number of different classifications of angels. In Genesis 3 you have reference to the cherubim. Isaiah 6 talks about the seraphim. Paul to the Thessalonians speaks of archangels. These are more than likely archangels. A high ranking class of angel given this incredible task of announcing judgment. Making an announcement which seems to be something that archangels did. It's interesting to me that Gabriel when he announced to Zacharias the news of the coming Messiah in Luke chapter one verse 19 he introduced himself rather uniquely. He said I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. Same phrase here.

It's interesting to me then that the same angel who announced the birth of the Lamb of God will be used to blow a trumpet signaling the wrath of the Lamb of God. And again it amazes me that we're here. We're watching this. This is our future.

We're going to see this ceremony. We've been raptured. We're in the presence of our Lord and now we've been hushed and we're watching Gabriel perhaps.

Maybe he's the first in the lineup. Maybe it's Michael as well and five who are unnamed in all of scripture. And they have their trumpets ready to sound them throughout the universe. And it's striking to me as well to consider these seven trumpets. In the ancient world the trumpet was used more as an instrument of announcement than music. Although David references a couple of times the use of a trumpet in music. In the Apostle Paul's day the Roman army spoke as it were to its army through trumpet calls. The first trumpet in a battle would signal the beginning of it and the last trumpet which made a deeper sound signified to them that the battle was over. I believe that was Paul's thinking when he used the phrase the last trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15, 52. It's the last trumpet.

We're going to be called up. You don't need your weapons anymore. The battle's over. You can lay down your shield of faith and you don't need that. You're in his presence. No more battling.

No more struggling. That last trumpet calls the soldier home. The last trumpet could be understood within the Jewish culture significantly as well. The Jewish feast of trumpets and the practice of the sounding of trumpets. The Jewish practice involved blowing trumpets each year.

And during the ceremony there was a series of short blasts of various lengths concluding with the longest blast of all, the Tekiah Gedolah. That was the last trump. Judaism connected that last trump with resurrection from the dead. Paul could have also had that thought in mind when he wrote to the Thessalonians with a little different nuance as he talked about the trumpet call of the rapture.

He wrote this and listen. For the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. So whichever way you want to understand the trumpet of God related to the rapture and your future as a believer either through the Jewish lens or the Roman lens both hold great significance to the truths of the coming rapture as either the call to end the battle or the call of the resurrection. Throughout scripture the trumpet was also sounded in relation to God's holy justice, his law and judgment. At Sinai when God descended to give the law a trumpet sounded Exodus 19-19 and it grew louder and louder and louder.

It would have been an awe-inspiring thing to be there and hear that. Before the walls of Jericho fell the priests blew seven trumpets to warn the inhabitants for six days and then on the seventh day they blew them again and the walls came what? Tumbling down Joshua 6. It's interesting the prophets connected the sounding of trumpets to this day of the Lord, to the day of judgment, to the tribulation period as we know it as ways of announcing the unleashing of great judgment Zephaniah 9.16 and Zechariah 9.14. And so here it really should be no surprise that God has in his plan trumpets in Revelation 8 which announce the coming of great judgment. In this opening scene in Revelation 8 I'm struck by the silence of heaven, by these special angels, by these seven trumpets. Finally I'm struck by these saints' prayers. Another beautiful picture of prayers ascending to God.

Look at verse 3. Another angel came and stood at the altar, that's this golden altar we've already seen, holding a golden censer, that's a little skillet, a little bowl and much incense was given to him so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints went up before God out of the angel's hand, then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and yet another earthquake.

This can only be understood in light of Old Testament worship. After the lamb was offered, two priests would take hot coals and ashes from the golden altar as they entered the holy place just outside the Holy of Holies, separated there only by that veil. One priest would fill his golden saucer, his censer, with grains of incense, little grains. The other priest would place hot coals from that altar into a golden bowl and the other priest with the incense would shake it or sprinkle that incense over those live hot coals and it would create smoke, sweet smelling smoke.

It's a beautiful metaphor throughout scripture of the beautiful prayers, the precious prayers of the saints wafting their way as it were. That's the scene here and we will be watching this unfold. Frankly I think this will be one of those unrehearsed moments in heaven that will mean so much to every one of us there. We will be there.

We will see the drama. We'll watch the ceremony and we'll see the demonstration of prayers long unanswered but not forgotten. It's going to strike us.

It's going to hit us. They have been reserved to be answered then. Frankly we don't know if they represent the prayers of just the martyred saints from chapter five if this is a carryover or if this somehow symbolically represents all of the prayers of all of the saints of all time. This may very well represent the prayers of all the saints of all time, every cry you made to God, every frustration uttered to his throne, every praise given to his glory, every surrender you gave in his name, every impatient request for his will, every longing uttered for relief, every anguished cry for his direction, every plea for justice and equity, every hope breathed to God in prayer.

All of it. God heard all of it. Every need uttered in prayer he heard. But we will see it in this ceremony and it will strike us. It was all heard. Every part of it.

Every word. And it's interesting to me that we'll get this when we're already in heaven. And some prayers are intended to be answered even after we arrive. One of the most beloved hymns of the church is entitled I Need The Every Hour. Many of our hymns have been written by pastors and theologians and church leaders. We've sung for centuries in the lyrics of Martin Luther and Isaac Watts and John Newton. This particular well-loved hymn which seems to express the heart of our need very well was written by a wife and the mother of three children living through the challenging stressful days in Brooklyn, New York in the mid-1800s. In fact, I Googled that date when she wrote this hymn to see what kind of life, what kind of events were occurring in America. What a list.

What a challenging year. She would write 400 hymns. This is the only one we sing. In her retirement, she wrote most of them.

But this one that we sing, she wrote when she was only 37. Trying to raise kids. Going through the pressures of life. I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord. No tender voice like thine can peace afford. I need thee every hour, stay thou nearby. Temptations lose their power when thou art nigh. I need thee every hour, enjoy your pain, come quickly and abide or life is vain. I need thee every hour, most holy one. O make me thine indeed, thou blessed son. I need thee, O I need thee.

Every hour, I need thee. O bless me now my Savior, I come to thee. Ladies and gentlemen, this scene in heaven reveals to us that prayers long unanswered had been heard all along. This scene reveals to us prayers unexplained by God's silence are now experienced in God's justice. It reveals to us that prayers that seemed good and right at the time were delayed until God's time was good and right. It reveals that prayers we assumed were worthless to God have now in this ceremony taken priority over all worship of God. It reveals prayers that returned us nothing but silence are now featured in the silence of heaven. And so verse six tells us and the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. Can you imagine the ceremony, the anticipation? They're ready.

These seven archangels are prepared. I think they've been ready for centuries. I think Gabriel's been reaching for his trumpet every once in a while.

Not now, not yet. Now God's time piece says now. Gabriel hears your trumpet.

Sound it out to the universe and through every crevice and corner of earth. My will will be done. In fact, ladies and gentlemen, remember as we read at the beginning of this hour, the greatest and the grandest prayer we could ever pray is, Lord, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And we're going to see it happen. We have front row seats to these seven archangels who will sound their seven trumpets. In the meantime, we wait for his will. In our lives, we pray for his direction, not only for the future of our world, but the details of our lives here and now. We admit to the sovereign king our deep need for him. We join Annie Hawks in saying, I need thee. Oh, I need thee. Every hour I need thee. Oh, bless me now, my savior, my savior. I come to thee. Silence of heaven reminds us that God hears every prayer.

That was Stephen Davey and this is wisdom for the heart. Today's message is called Heaven Hushed. We've got a tool that can transform how you explore the Bible. It's designed to give you instant biblically sound answers to your Bible related questions.

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