The Seventh Seal
“And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half and hour.” Revelation 8:1
Before the seventh seal was opened, four angels were instructed to hold back the winds to allow a short time of calm before the next event would be revealed. This pause was to allow 144,000 men of the tribes of Israel who, as most scholars believe, are Jewish evangelists who came to know Christ during the tribulation and were given the task of preaching the gospel to the Jews during these last days. The next thing to occur was a great multitude of people from all nations who stood before God’s throne and before Jesus Christ, clothed in white robes and palms in their hands. These were the people who trusted Christ to save them during the tribulation. They would serve God night and day, and He would live among them, bestowing upon them great blessings for all eternity. They cried out, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (7:10). There was a tremendous worship service in which the elders, the four living creatures, and the angels fell down before God’s throne, praising Him.
The first six seals, which Jesus had broken and allowed the contents of the scroll to reveal the commencement of the seven year period of tribulation, had shown John visions of extreme times of trouble for those who are on earth at that time. The opening of the seventh seal by Jesus was somewhat different that the first six. There was a thirty minute interlude between the sixth seal and what was to be revealed next. Most Bible commentators agree that this was a literal half hour of time. The anticipation of what was to be shown next rendered everyone speechless. Perhaps it was a time for people to pray. With each seal opened, the future became bleaker.
The opening of the seventh seal introduced the seven trumpets. There were seven angels standing before God and each one received a trumpet. Trumpets were used in ancient times as a call to alert people that something important was about to happen. There was another angel who held a golden censer in which incense, a symbol of prayer, was to be burned. The smoke, vapors, and fragrances drifted upward symbolizing the prayers of people as their thanksgivings, praises, and requests drifted upward to heaven. But then the angel refilled the censer with burning, fiery coals and cast it upon the earth as a signal that the final judgment was about to begin upon the wickedness of all mankind. The prayers for justice of which those under the altar had prayed were about to be answered.
Since the four angels had been holding back the wind, the wicked of the earth might have thought the worst was over, but it was actually only a lull before the storm. When the angel cast the burning coals to earth, they set off a series of loud voices, thundering, lightning, and an earthquake. The short time of calm and peace was over. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mingled with blood was cast upon the earth. One third of trees was burned up as was all green grass. When the second trumpet was blown, a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, turning one third of the sea into blood and killing one third of aquatic life as well as destroying one third of the ships.
The third angel then blew his trumpet, and a star, called Wormwood, fell from heaven and made one third of rivers and waterways bitter, causing death to those who drank of those waters. The fourth trumpet sounded and one third of the sun, moon, and stars became darkened, unable to give light for one third of the day by the sun and one third of the night by the moon. After John was shown the events of the fourth trumpet, the darkness and resulting misery for earth’s inhabitants, his attention was turned to an angel who was flying high above him across the span of heaven whose loud voice sounded out a warning. The angel repeated the word “woe” three times, indicating that even greater sorrow, grief, and misery were coming upon the earth. The events of the next three trumpet blasts would be in the form of three devastating calamities far worse than what had already been revealed. They would cause the events of the first four trumpets to pale in comparison. While the first four focused on upheavals in nature, the last three would touch men and women directly.
Next time: The remaining three trumpets.