Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
Revelation 4:6

And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
Revelation 15:2

Twice in the book of Revelation (Revelation 4:6 and Revelation 15:2) John describes what appears to be a sea of glass. In one verse he describes it as “before the throne”, and in anther he describes it as being mingled with fire; and those standing on it having victory over the beast. “Glass” gives the impression of stillness. This seems opposing to the vibrant, moving force of water that is a sea.

What does a sea of glass have in common with silence?

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

Have you ever felt silenced when you knew what you had to say needed to be heard?

When I was a young teenager I once had a teacher call me out in class in an unfair way.  She made a judgement out of speculation without bothering to ask me to explain. All eyes were on me and I felt shamed, even though I had done nothing wrong. Without realizing it I picked up an aversion that day to people whom I considered to be in a place of authority. A mere glance from them could intimidate me so badly that all I could do was be silent, as if someone were holding my ability to speak.

In Strong’s concordance, the Greek word for “be still” (Strongs 5392) in this passage found in Mark is φιμόω, or “phimoó”, and is defined as “to silence, to muzzle, to put to silence”. Examples of its use include when Jesus silenced the Pharisees (Matthew 22:12,34) or when He is commanding a demon to come out (Mark 1:25) or other places where ignorance is silenced (1 Peter 2:15). Strong’s Greek 5392’s principal theme describes an active, decisive silencing whether applied to mouths, winds, demons, or hostile critics. It conveys bringing something that speaks or rages into immediate submission, preventing further utterance or activity.

What if the sea of glass before the throne mentioned in Revelation, that those who have the victory are standing upon, represents silence – the final word that has defeated all that rages?

I don’t have the type of formal education that would be recognized or respected by many as a being a theologian. By today’s standard, I should have nothing to say worth listening to… But I do! The times I have noticed my “voice” being the loudest is when I have been with Jesus and His word within me spills out. I can feel the passion rising as I speak from my own experience and personal possession of faith in Christ to impact the lives of those around me… and I am no longer silenced.