Revelation 8:1-13

(Revelation 8:1-13)

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.  And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.  And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.  And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.  And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;  And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;  And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.  And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

 

The book of Revelation conveys a message of hope to the saints at that time in the midst of persecution. First, it is God's severe judgment. The judgment of God of the seven seals that began in Chapter 6 is expressed as the judgment of the seven trumpets in Chapter 8. The judgment brought by the first, second, third, and fourth angels is It shows that it is God's judgment on the heavenly body.

In the Old Testament, the trumpet was an instrument of the beginning of war. As we see in Jeremiah 4:19, we know that when war breaks out, the trumpet is blown. In this way, blowing the trumpet has a special meaning of attack. This, too, can be said to be similar to the battle situation of Jericho Castle if we find a connection in the Old Testament. In Joshua 6, the Hebrew soldiers rounded around the city of Jericho once a day for six days, and seven priests each holding a double trumpet and marching in front of the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, after going around the city seven times, the trumpets sounded long at once, and the people shouted with all their might. At this time, the trumpet was to announce the start of the attack and judgment on Jericho, and with the sound of the trumpet, Jericho fell and Israel won this war.

 

On the seventh day, the story of the seven priests turning seven rounds and blowing the trumpet and the story of Revelation today have the same meaning. Therefore, the sound of this trumpet was a declaration of offensive against a war that would triumph against Israel, and a sound of judgment announcing defeat against Jericho. In this respect, the sound of the trumpet that will sound in the end times is God's order of attack that the victory of God's people has begun and the judgment of God's enemies has begun. Therefore, the saints should not see this text with fear, but as a declaration to victory. Now all we have to do is shout out and prepare to run towards Jericho. After seven days of silent waiting, there is only one thing left to scream.

The trumpet plague is also related to all the ten plagues of Exodus 7. The disasters that come from the first trumpet are all related to ten plagues. A third plague caused by hail and fire mixed with blood (Ex. 9:13), and a third plague in which the sea was destroyed by blood (Ex. 7:14). A disaster in which a third of the river becomes bitter (Ex. 15:23), and a disaster in which a third of the sun, moon, and stars is damaged (Ex. 10:21/ darkness). Affliction caused by yellow insects (Ex. 10:1-20), a disaster in which people are killed by horses that harbor fire, smoke, and sulfur, and by 200 million horsemen (Ex. 11-12/Death). For all the plagues, we can find a model from the ten plagues of the Exodus event.

The ten plagues of Exodus were judgment against Pharaoh and Egypt, and God's victory against Israel. We know that the ten plagues eventually brought the Hebrews liberation from their long enslavement and brought rest in the land of Canaan. As such, the plagues in Revelation are a message of hope that a final victory and eternal rest will be given to the saints living in suffering on this earth, and a message of grace that urges faith and patience.

The message of God's just judgment unfolding for the Lord's people who are unrighteously persecuted on this earth is that the prayers of the saints are being reached before the Lord. “Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 』

The golden altar in front of the throne of God in the heavens is burning incense from a gold censer, and the prayers of the saints are harmonized with the incense burned and go up to God. This is the prayer of the saints before God. Looking at the sacrifices offered in the Old Testament, there is an incense altar in front of the Holy of Holies along with a burnt offering in the sanctuary inside the tabernacle. God received the feast from this incense altar as a sacrifice.

Like the Old Testament rites where the smoke of the censer was offered as a sacrifice, the fact that the prayers of the saints are being raised to God with the smoke from the gold censer does not mean that the saints' small sighs and prayers disappear in vain, but God who is on the throne of heaven. It clearly shows that it is being conveyed to you. We must remember that even the small prayers of the saints are being offered before the throne of God. God is not the one who just listens to the prayers of the saints, but hears the prayers of the saints, and the righteous judgment of the Lord over the resentment and pain of the saints who were unjustly and persecuted and misunderstood in the world with a good heart. He is the one who rewards with.

『The angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. The fire of the altar is contained in the censer where the identity and prayer of the saints ascended before the throne of God was offered, and the fire of the altar was poured into the ground. This represents the work of God who answers and judges the prayers of the saints. The God who hears the prayers of the saints is not just listening to the prayers, but is the God who examines and counts the contents of the prayers, answers the prayers of the saints, and judges for us. He hears that prayer and judges the earth through thunder, voice, lightning, and earthquake. That God is the one who listens to the prayers of the saints and who himself judges for the saints.

Another thing the saints should remember about prayer is that prayer is not only a role to tell the Lord about my needs, but also a part of worship (sacrificing) offered before the Lord. In other words, prayer is not my personal domain that I have to give when I need it and don't need it when I don't need it, but because prayer is a part of the worship God receives, it must be continually offered before the Lord regardless of my needs or demands.

So, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the meaning of “Pray without ceasing” means that we must continue to offer a feast of prayer as part of the worship that the Lord wants to receive. God is the one who hears our prayers. In addition, he is the one who examines and answers the situation of the believers contained in prayer, and judges the world with justice for the believers himself. God is the one who wants to receive the prayers of the saints through worship. Therefore, believers must live as a person of prayer every moment of their daily life.