Silence

Introduction

It is very hard to sit still and to be silent.

On rainy days, in elementary school, we would have to get our lunch from the cafeteria and go back to our classroom to eat, “in silence”.

But you know how things go - there is always someone that finds a way to break the silence and all off a sudden the teacher comes into the classroom to find an out of control group of students.

However, silence is important.

Silence is good because it helps us meditate on something important.

It helps us to be aware of where we are at and what we are about to do.

For example, you would not want to go to a wedding, the bride and her father are in the center aisle…everyone is standing, their head turned towards the bride, cell phones ready to take that special photo, everyone is smiling, and all of a sudden you have the great idea of shouting out your favorite knock knock joke.

Moments of silence are important - because they help us understand the gravity, the importance, the seriousness of what is about to happen.

In the past few weeks we’ve studied how God will bring about the final judgement upon this earth.

One day, God will bring about complete and utter destruction upon all those that dwell on earth for their rebellion against God and for rejecting the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We’ve seen how those judgements came about each time the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, broke one of the seals from the scroll.

So far, six seals have been broken. One more seal remains.

Apocalipsis 8:1–2 NIV

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 seven trumpets were given to them.

Notice what happens after the Lord breaks the seventh seal - seven angels stand before God, each carrying a trumpet.

In Revelation 8:6-11:19 we read about the judgements that come as a result of each of these trumpets.

The angels are ready to bring about God’s judgement upon the entire planet.

But before that happens there is a great silence in heaven for about half an hour.

For half an hour there was entire silence in heaven.

No noise was uttered, no coughing, no sneezing, simply complete and utter silence.

It is as if all the creatures in heaven are called to attention to witness what is about to happen upon the earth where the final judgement is about to start.

Once the judgement starts to unfold there is no turning back - there is no pause button, there is now rest from judgement, it will continue to unfold until all of God’s judgements are fulfilled.

Conclusion

One day, when we are in God’s presence, we will be called to keep silence before God’s judgement is poured out upon the entire world.

But today, I would invite you to a moment of silent prayer as we meditate upon the reality that we have been saved from God’s judgement.

Today, in silent prayer, we praise God that he has spared us from the final destruction.

Today, in silent prayer, we worship the Lord Jesus Christ who set us free from the bondage of sin and a life of rebellion against God and his gospel.