REVELATION ON THE END OF TIMES – LIVING OUR BEST EVERYDAY (PART 8)

“When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.”
(Revelation 8:1-2)

Rapture is an event in the new testament church. Afterwards, the earth will enter into a moment of darkness for three and a half years. At that time, many catastrophes will occur; there will be seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of wraths. 

God never takes pleasure in punishing sinners because He loves humans. Therefore, He is always half-hearted in punishing but wholehearted in loving.  

Chapter 8 talks about the condition in heaven. When the seventh seal was opened, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. The angels came to Him, but God was silent as if He said “wait”. There was something causing him to pause. Did God need some time to think? 

God is a good father. Just as our father on earth who are angry to his children, there is a time when Father is silent and pause because He loves His children. We have a very good God. God’s heart is always in turmoil when He’s about to punish someone, even though that person might deserve it.  

When God is silent, it doesn’t mean He agrees or is powerless. One thing for sure, whenever we come to Him, there’s always an assurance in our soul. When He is silent, come closer. God’s moment of silent is our ray of hope, an opportunity for faith to grow. What comes after His silence is action, believe that “My God will be in action”. When God is silent and does not answer us, it means that He is the answer! 

If we want breakthroughs, we have to pray more because the more the prayer, the more the blessings, the lesser the prayer, the lesser the blessing, no prayer, no blessing. Prayer will bring us to know Him more so that we can believe in Him more. Keep believing even in His silence, keep the faith that He will do something. Set a special commitment to pray to God.  

These words will motivate us to pray more: 
1. The more the prayer, the more the blessings;
2. The lesser the prayer, the lesser the blessing;
3. No prayer, no blessing! 

God always provides warning before punishment. If the punishment takes us by surprise, then we must’ve missed His warning. We are surprised because we do not pray and build a relationship with God that we miss His warnings that God has given.  

The purpose of going to church is not to have an opinion but to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Let’s maximize the time to fellowship and understand God’s will and instructions so that we escape His punishment.

Extracted from Philip Mantofa’s Sermon, 15 March 2020, Sunday Service, GMS Surabaya Barat
https://youtu.be/rYQXgixzlQU
https://youtu.be/j44bc8w8iiI

We have a very good God. God’s heart is always in turmoil when it comes to punishing someone, even though he deserves it.