Well, join me if you would in
the book of Revelation chapter 8. Revelation chapter 8. And there's a word that's used
in this first verse that I'd like to spend a little time on.
We did not spend much time on this word in the previous six
seals. And that is the word opened.
I am so overwhelmed by this when he had opened. The power of God in His Son,
the Lord Jesus, to open things up, to open our mind. The power of God to open our
mind. The power of God to open our
eyes. The power of God to open us to
wisdom. The power of God to open us to
Christ. It takes infinite power to do
that because by nature we're enmity against God and it takes
God's ever almighty power to convert us and to change us and
to open us up to the things that be of God. We have no natural
interest in it. We have no natural interest in
the Word of God, except boasting about reading it or boasting
about not having some trivial knowledge of it. But when it
comes to the spiritual things about the Word of God, we have
no natural interest in it. And when people tell us it's
a spiritual book and that it's only opened up to spiritual people,
we may get just a little ragged on the edge about that, because
we think we know something. And then we find out we really
didn't know anything. And when Christ opens it up to
us, or opens our mind to it, or opens us up to Christ, we
begin to see what he really means by those things. Now here in
the eighth chapter of the book of Revelation is the description
of part of the seventh seal. And this description lays down
a path, lays down a door for us about God's judgment. And
we brought out last time we were here that the silence in heaven
is a prelude for God's people of judgment. It is, there's a
silence that comes with judgment. Nobody, not one of God's people,
not one member of the body of Christ is going to rejoice over
people being judged by God. There will be a silence on our
lips and there will be a thanksgiving offered to God for being included,
thanking him for being included in the body of Christ. Left to
ourselves, we would be judged, and there would be silence over
us. Now there was silence over us at the cross. I think those
three hours, there was a silence you could feel, just like there's
a darkness that is described that you can feel. I think those
people were shut up. when Christ was on the cross
from 12 noon to 3 o'clock. I think that silence is reminiscent
of this silence. But as we look at this, it says,
when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven
about the space of half an hour. And from here on, we're seeing
the description of God's judgment upon this world, past, present,
and future, and leads us up to the great white throne judgment.
where God will judge and he will look on people as being in Christ
or out of Christ. All right. Now, would you join
me in just a few verses from the New Testament that give us
a little bit of insight with regard to this word opened. We
know what it is to have an open door. We know what it is to open
our eyes, and they're just typical. They're pictorial of Christ opening
our spiritual eyes and Christ opening spiritual doors for us.
When we wake up in the morning and we open our eyes, by God's
grace we see, and it is only pictorial, it is pictorial of
what Christ does for us spiritually. When we come from darkness, when
we come from deep sleep, from death, and we're brought alive
by the Lord Jesus Christ in a spiritual resurrection, and we're permitted
for the first time to see Christ in all his glory, That's an opening
up that only God can do and he demonstrates it seven times here
in this book of Revelation with regard to opening those seven
seals. This opening is done by God and
is done by God alone and cannot be done by anybody else. That
was declared early on in this book when we found John weeping
because there was no one that could open the book. Not in heaven,
not on earth, not under the earth. And then we hear John's delight,
as we are delighted, behold the Lamb. Behold the Lamb of the
tribe of Judah. The Lamb hath prevailed to open
the books. He's the only one that can open
our sight. to spiritual matters, and he
declares that in opening these seals. Now turn with me, if you
would, back to the book of Matthew chapter nine. Matthew chapter
nine, and this is the same word that's used here, and nowhere
in scripture is it translated any other way but opened. But
this is such a blessing to see how this word is used in scripture
as we find that this, he opened the seventh seal. It is he that
must have the power to open it. No one else could, and it is
so pictorial of his power when he opens to us Christ, when he
opens to us the word. He alone can do it. No man, and
we can weep over it as John did, but we will hear as John did. The line of the tribe of Judah
hath prevailed. He has power to open. He has power to open. Matthew
9, verse 27. The scriptures share this, and
when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying
and saying, thou son of David, have mercy on us. Now, I could
just say these two blind men represent Jews and Gentiles,
and that covers the entire world. They're in the same condition
that everybody else is. Theirs is physical, as it's described
here, but they're also, unless God has already opened their
heart, there's a double blindness exercised by these people. Now,
if God has opened their heart, then there's only a single blindness,
and that is their physical blindness. But there have been people gone
through this life with physical blindness that's never been healed,
that God has opened up their spiritual heart and revealed
unto them Christ, and they could rejoice in the sight they have
of Jesus Christ the Almighty in a way that no one else except
those who have their hearts open to could realize. Now it says
here that they came Into the house the blind men came to him.
Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?
And they said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes,
saying, According to your faith, be it unto you. And their eyes
were opened. And Jesus straightly charged
them, saying, See that no man know it. Their eyes were opened. I'm unable to grasp that miracle
like I should. the miracle that God could instantaneously
give unto them optical sight, just as he does with his people
when he raises them from the spiritual dead and instantaneously. Now, they haven't seen all the
sights that they're going to see. When we're regenerated,
we haven't seen all the sights we're going to see. They had
not seen all their family yet. They had not seen all of Jerusalem
yet. They had not seen all the sites
yet. They have the opportunity to
now because they have sight. Now, we don't see everything
instantaneously, but we have instantaneous sight. And the
Lord, by His grace, leads us along, and we're permitted to
see Jerusalem. We're permitted to see our family
in Christ Jesus. We're permitted to see Him who
has healed us. Our eyes are open, and we have
a lifetime of getting to see what He intends for us to see,
but He instantaneously gives us sight. And that sight is a
growing sight. It's growing in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's an
instantaneous sight with a lifetime of sightseeing about the things
that be spiritual. We'll learn from God's word,
and it will be open to us about the great truths of the doctrines
of grace. I am convinced that God will
reveal those truths to every one of those he opens their eyes
to. They may not see it instantaneously, but they'll have instant sight.
And then God will lead them to the great sights of the kingdom.
He'll lead them to the great sights of the promised land. There was a bunch of people that
didn't see everything in the Promised Land. I haven't seen
everything I want to see in the Dalles yet. Not alone Wasco County,
and the state of Oregon, and the great country of America.
Just a couple of sites outside of our country. But there's a
lot here to see. Doesn't mean I don't have sight.
Just means I haven't been there yet. And we, every time we open
God's word, there's things God allows us to see that we had
not seen. It doesn't mean we were blind.
It means we just haven't seen it yet. So he opened their eyes. And that's what he's going to
do here in these seals. First seal he reveals unto us
he that goes forth conquering and to conquer. There's no greater
sight than we could see than that. And then the truths that
come with that. Turn with me if you would to
the book of John chapter 9. John chapter 9. The Holy Spirit
led the apostle John to use this word six, eight, or nine times
in this short section of scripture with regard to a man who was
born blind and the Lord Jesus healed. And this question kept
coming up. John chapter 9, beginning with
verse 10. And we're just going to skip
through several verses here, not read the entire section.
But John chapter 9 and verse 10, the Holy Spirit led the apostle
John to write these words. And it says there, John chapter 9 verse 10, therefore
said they unto him, how were thine eyes opened? Now the Lord
Jesus has given him sight. You know what? This man didn't
even know who it was. A little bit later he's gonna
know who it is. But at this point, he didn't know where this came
from. He knew his name, Jesus. And it tells us in verse 14 of
that same chapter, it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the
clay and opened his eyes. This is something that only the
Lord Jesus is able to do. Nobody, and they comment on this,
from the beginning of the world, Nobody has done what this has
done. And it is because of the Lord Jesus. Just as we read over
there in the book of Revelation, chapter 8, and when He had opened
the seventh seal. It is an act of God. It is a
work of God Almighty. And then in verse 17 of this
chapter, it says, they say unto the blind man again, What sayest
thou of him that opened thine eyes? He said, he is a prophet. And verse 21, by what means he
now seeth? We know not. Or who hath opened
his eyes? We know not. He is of age, ask
him. He shall speak for himself. The
mother and dad recognized the fact that something had happened
and he could see. And this is their comment about,
we don't know how it's happened, but we do know that he can see
now. And then in verse 26, it says,
and then said they to him again, what did he to thee? How opened he thine eyes? Now
there is one thing that every one of these verses seems to
indicate. Jesus opened his eyes. They don't know how it happened.
But there is something in all of these verses that indicate
that they recognize that this person, someone outside of this
man's ability, Jesus is his name, opened his eyes. Now they said
he did it on the Sabbath day, and they said, we don't know
how he did it, that's what the parents said, and he said, I don't know
how it happened, but this I do know, whereas I was blind, now
I see. He opened his eyes. Verse 30,
we read these words. The man answered and said unto
them, why herein is a marvelous thing that ye know not from whence
he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Again, testimony. He did it. He knew he couldn't.
The Pharisees knew they couldn't. The parents knew they couldn't.
But the testimony by all of them is someone did. And the identification
is the Lord Jesus. Then in verse 32, since the world
began, was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one
that was born blind? The testimony through this passage
of scripture is sharing with us the physical healing of blindness
and how it represents the spiritual healing of blindness. And the
testimony always comes back, it is of God. I don't know exactly, I cannot
diagram it, and the more I read about it, the more I find out
that men of great study have about as much understanding about
it as I do. It's a miracle. It's a miracle
of grace that God would heal the physical blindness of a person,
but it is a great act of grace that God would heal the spiritual
blindness of a person, and everyone that has ever been able to see
the grace of God in Christ Jesus the Lord will give ready consent. It is He that did it. Not me. I have no ability in myself to
cure myself. I can't cure the common cold,
not alone blindness. Turn with me, if you would, to
the Book of Acts, chapter 9, verse 8. The same word is used
here as we find over in the Book of Revelation, and this has to
do with the Apostle Paul, as we know him later, Saul of Tarsus,
as we know him here, and the Lord worked the work of grace,
and it tells us here. Now, I don't understand all I
know about Saul of Tarsus. He could see physically, and
after the Lord converted him, he couldn't see physically until
three days later. I don't understand the symbolism
there. I don't understand what he's
picturing there. But this I do know. that the Lord opened his
understanding, and the Lord opened his heart, and the Lord opened
his understanding about Christ. Acts chapter nine, verse eight,
the scriptures share this, and Saul arose from the earth, and
when his eyes were opened, he saw no man, but they led him
by the hand and brought him unto Damascus. And then it tells us three days
later, he was able to see. But his eyes were opened. And
then if you'll turn with me over to the book of 1st Corinthians
chapter 16, we find that the Holy Spirit led the apostle Paul
to use this word with regard to a door. 1st Corinthians chapter
16 in verse 9. Used it with regard to a door. And it's a great door and it's
a factual door. It tells us here in first Corinthians
chapter 16 and verse nine for a great door and a factual is
opened unto me. Now the apostle Paul is mentioning
this because a door to preach the gospel had been opened to
him and only Christ can open the door to preach the gospel. Only Christ, only God can open
a pathway where the gospel will be effectual. Now we can give
the general call from here to doomsday. We can preach, but
if there is ever an effectual door, it must be opened by Christ. He is the one that can take home
the message of God's grace and open their understanding, open
their heart, whose heart the Lord opened. As we read with
that lady, God has to open the heart. And here, going back to
the book of Revelation, we find that there in chapter 8, as we
find throughout these readings with regard to the seven seals,
He opened every one of them. It was by His revelation He opened
every one of them. No one could force an opening. No one could force these seals
to be opened. Only Christ could do it. And
He alone could do it. And it says that when He had
opened the seventh seal, chapter 8, verse 1, there was silence
in heaven. that there's a period of time,
and it's happened in the past, I believe it's happening now,
it will happen in the future, when people are acquainted with
the fact of judgment that there will be a time of silence. There will be a time of reflection.
There will be a time of thanksgiving on the part of God's people that
this judgment will not affect them. This judgment will not
pass upon them. This period of time, here, all
songs, all praises, all movements stopped, and there was great
silence when the Son of God began to open the seal, and this seal
is the opening up of judgment. Now, it's happened in the past.
God judged this world in Noah's day. He judged this world. And he said until the end he'd
never judge it like he judged it then. And we have the promise
every time we see a rainbow. That's a promise God gave us.
Now the scientists can tell us how that rainbow is created as
light passes through water particles. However God intends for it to
be made, it's made. But it is a covenant between
man and God that I'll never destroy the world like I once destroyed
it until the end. Now I will work on certain areas.
And I'll take in hand certain peoples. And I'll do certain
things, but never on the way that I did in the days of Noah.
Now I can't help but think that when those waters rose how many
cubits above every mountain, that there was a silence that
Noah remembered. I don't know what went on outside
of that boat. I don't think that there was
anybody knocking on the boat trying to get in. I can see him
scrambling for high ground, but I cannot see him scrambling for
the boat. That boat is a symbol of Christ,
and anybody without their eyes open will not go to Christ for
deliverance. They'll try anything else afloat. It takes the opening of the spiritual
eyes in regeneration for us to ever grasp that ark, the Lord
Jesus. So whatever they were doing,
but when the last one breathed his last, there was a silence
that was deafening, and it was for more than 30 minutes. I think
there was a silence when God brought his judgment upon Sodom
and Gomorrah. There was a silence with Abraham
because he quit talking to God about how many could be delivered.
He was silent. There's been a silence when Israel
was carried off. Can you just think of the silence
among all those people that were tied together or strung together
or held together as God led them to Babylon. That's one of the things that
I've read about when people are in captivity and they're led
to a place they don't want to go. Most of the time there's
a silence that's deafening. There's just low conversation. There's such a defeatedness about
it. And we find that throughout the
scriptures, that there's just a silence brought when God's
judgment, and here it's described as silence in heaven for the
space of a half an hour. When God gives us some understanding
about God, he gives us a human picture, if you please, as God
is thinking about what he's going to be doing. and their silence. There's silence among the angels,
there's silence among the elders, there's silence among the four
living creatures, and there's silence in the church when God
demonstrates his judgment. I believe that when we turn to
the book of Luke chapter 23 from noon to three o'clock on the
day of the crucifixion, There was a darkness. Now, I didn't
realize this until this afternoon when I was reading that the Passover
is at the full moon stage. And there's Kenna, and there
will never be an eclipse at a full moon stage. It's always at a
new moon stage. So this is not just an eclipse.
This is a darkening of the heavens. When Jesus Christ was on that
cross, there was a darkening of the heavens. And it's prophesied
in the Old Testament. Would you turn with me over to
the book of Amos? Amos chapter eight. Amos chapter
eight. There was a silence on this day.
Now there's only one thing that I can hear on this day. I can't hear people talking.
I think they're silenced. I think the priests are silenced.
The Pharisees are silenced. I think the disciples are silenced.
I think Jesus' mother is silenced. I think all of those women are
silenced. I think they're all silenced. The only thing you
can hear on this day is the ripping of that great, great, great piece
of cloth that was suspended between the holy place and the holy of
holies. And it was ripped from top to bottom. Now read with
me here in the book of Amos chapter 8 verse 9, it shall come to pass
in that day, Amos chapter 8 verse 9, it shall come to pass in that
day, saith the Lord, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon
and I will darken the earth in the clear day. And if you go
over to the book of Luke and Matthew, you'll read that it
was from the third hour to the sixth hour, which is noon to
three o'clock in the afternoon, the Lord Jesus was suspended
between heaven and earth on that cross, and there was darkness
that you could feel, and I look at this as a time of silence.
Now, Jesus was judged. Now, in his judgment, all the
church was judged. And so the church in this judgment,
beginning with the seventh seal, is quiet, not out of the fear
of judgment, but out of thanksgiving that judgment has fallen. We're
silenced. Judgment has fallen on Christ.
Silence has already taken place. He has already been judged. On
the cross, three hours of silence. And the only thing we can hear,
that gray veil torn from top to bottom. As God shows us, the mercy seat
is open to all. Jews and Gentiles alike. This
figure of silence has been demonstrated many times throughout scripture.
The great things are upon the wheel of God's providence during
this silence. In the past, he shared the principle
of judgment. And among the world, it is certain
judgment will fall in the end. Now, judgment is God's strange
work. And that's a verse of scripture.
God's strange work. Turn with me to the book of Isaiah
chapter 28. Isaiah chapter 28. Isaiah 28 and verse 21. There's some interesting pictures
starting, beginning with verse 18. I think I'll just start with
verse 18 here. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled,
and your agreement with hell shall not stand. When the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then you shall be trodden down by
it. From the time that it goeth forth, it shall take you. For
morning by morning shall it pass over, and by night and by night
it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. For the
bed is shorter than the man can stretch himself. on it and the
covering narrowed and he can wrap himself in it. Now, I don't
know about you if you've ever had a bed that was shorter than
yourself and your covers didn't fit you, but that's the picture
that he gives us. It's a disconfitting situation. And then it tells us in verse
21, for the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Parazin. He shall
be wroth as in the Valley of Gibeon. that he may do his work,
his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act. Judgment is a strange act of
God. I don't know how many times today
I read in the book of Chronicles that the children of Judah remembered
for his mercy endureth forever. And Psalms is filled with it. Several Psalms, every verse concludes,
for his mercy endureth forever. And the church trusts that. His
mercy endureth forever. God is love. His mercy endureth
forever. We love him because he first
loved us. And yet his strange work is judgment. And He will, has, and will continue
to bring judgment. But there is a time when judgment
will fall. Turn with me, if you would, to
Jude chapter 5, excuse me, Jude chapter 1, verse 5. In the book
of Jude, there's a reminder of God's judgment. It's just brought time and time
again to remember that God will not always Just as we found over
there in the book of Isaiah, he'll do his work. He'll do his
strange work. Strangest work, we realize, is
his work on the cross. How God can be just and justifier. And he can only do that in judging
his son in the stead of his children. That's the only, that is a strange
work. That's a strange work. His judgment
is a strange work. His mercy endureth forever, and
yet he will judge. It is a strange work. Here in
the little book of Jude, verse 5, it says, I will therefore
put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how the Lord,
having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
destroyed them that believed not. Now that's a strange work.
He delivered them. and judged them that believe
not. The angels, which kept not their
first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved
in everlasting change under darkness, under the judgment of the great
day. He created these angels, and a third of them fell, and
there is no hope for them, and they are at this time held in
change, and they will be judged. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, the
cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication,
going after strange flesh, are set forth an example. suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire. Likewise, also these filthy dreamers
defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he
disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a
railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke thee. These speak
evil of those things which they know not. But what they know
naturally as brute beasts in those things, they corrupt themselves.
Woe unto them, for they have gone the way of Cain, and ran
greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward, and perished in the
gainsane of Korah. What happened to all of those?
God judged one with a mark. God judged another one with a
hole in the ground. And God's judged another one
with just death. God's judgment, it's a strange
word. Now, in conclusion tonight, would
you turn with me to the book of Revelation chapter 20? Revelation
chapter 20. Now this just brings silence
to me. There are just too many of my
family. Revelation chapter 20. There's
just too many of my family. It brings silence. Too many of my family are going
to be lined up here. Now everybody's going to be at
the great white throne judgment. Don't think that this is just
for the lost. This is everybody. They're going
to be separated as sheep from the goats. Everybody, we'd only
expect a white throne with Christ. Nobody ever said anything about
a great black throne. It's a great white throne. It's
a righteous place. His righteousness is demonstrated
here. And then it tells us in Revelation
chapter 20 verse 11, Revelation chapter 20 and verse
11, it says, and I saw a great white throne. and him that sat
on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there
was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God. The books were opened, and another
book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books according
to their works. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead that
were in them, and they were judged, every man according to their
works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not written or found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire. Now there's silence. It's a silent time. Judgment
brings silence. And when we see these verses
open up as God judges, and he does, he's merciful upon his
people, he's merciful upon the church, and the church is just
as silent as everybody else because we thank God for his grace and
for his mercy. Because this is what we deserve.
But we go back to a three-hour creative darkness and silence,
and we see what Christ did for us.