1) What are some ways that sound gets our attention? Think volume, pitch, length, etc.
2) What would you pray for in the midst of the end of the world?
3) What signs from God would get your attention? How could God show mankind the seriousness of their rebellion?
Deafening silence. Sounds like an oxymoron, but there certainly are times when silence is incredibly powerful. That must have been the situation in heaven when the seventh seal was opened. The Bible says there was silence for half an hour (8:1). Can you imagine what that would have been like? Talk about waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.
After the silence and before the sound of the first trumpet, our attention is focused on an angel who is before the altar. Much like the priest of the Old Testament, this angel is standing with a container of incense which is being offered up with the prayers of the saints. While we are not told what the saints are praying for, the next event we witness is this container of incense being hurled at the earth resulting in “peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” (8:5) Could the prayers of these saints be similar to those of we read about in Revelation 5:10: “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
The balance of Revelation 8 is the sounding of the first four trumpets (8:7-12). These trumpets represent judgments are against the world around us and resemble the plagues that fell upon Egypt (Exodus 7-12). Judgment is brought against one-third of the land, the seas, drinking water and the heavens. Surely this would get people's attention!
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