Revelation 8

Revelation 8:1-13

Chapter 21 Christ opens the seventh seal ‘And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour’ Revelation 8:1-13 In Revelation 6:10, we hear the cries of God’s saints, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’ In this eighth chapter, with the opening of the seventh seal, we are shown the trumpets of judgment. These seven trumpets of judgment which are described in chapters 8-11 show God’s retribution upon those who are the persecuting enemies of his church. The final, complete retribution is reserved for the great day of judgment. Yet, ‘even now the seals of persecution are followed by the trumpets of judgment’ (W. Hendriksen). These trumpets of judgment do not symbolize single, isolated events, or specific periods of time.

Rather, they are symbolic pictures of God’s providential judgments which fall upon the wicked again and again throughout history. They are God’s warnings of wrath to come. These are the things which God brings upon men and women, cities and nations, because of their opposition to Christ and their persecution of his church. And every act of divine judgment in time is a warning of eternal judgment to come, calling for God’s enemies to bow to Christ in repentance and faith. In chapters 8-11, God sends seven angels to ‘blow the trumpet and warn the people’ (Ezekiel 33:3). In this eighth chapter, we will look at the first four trumpets of judgment as they are set before us.

There are four things which stand out as prominent lessons to be gleaned from these thirteen verses. Judgment is God’s strange work When the Lord Jesus opened the seventh seal of the book, John says, ‘There was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour’ (Revelation 8:1). For thirty minutes all songs, all praises, all movement stopped. Heaven was completely silenced when the Son of God began to open this seal of judgment. This silence was an indication of sober reflection. The calm before the storm is always a time of sobriety and thoughtfulness. The triune God, the Lamb, the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders, the seraphs, cherubs, and all the multiplied millions of angels, and all the church of God were silent.

God was thinking about what he was about to do. The angels were thinking about their mission. And the redeemed of the Lord were thinking about God’s great mercy to them. This half-hour of silence in heaven was also an indication of great anticipation. ‘Great things were upon the wheel of providence. And the church of God, both in heaven and earth, stood silent, as became them, to see what God was doing’ (Matthew Henry). Throughout the Old Testament the goings forth of the Almighty to judgment were introduced by reverent silence (Habakkuk 2:20; Zephaniah 1:7; Zechariah 2:13).

Above all else, this silence in heaven indicated something strange and terrible. Someone said, ‘The steps of God from mercy to judgment are always slow, reluctant, and measured.’ Judgment is God’s ‘strange work.’ He ‘delighteth in mercy’ (Micah 7:18). But God is slow to anger and slow to wrath. The Almighty has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:16). Judgment is ‘his strange act’ (Isaiah 28:21). Yet, his judgment is sure!

Justice demands judgment. God will punish every transgression, either in the one who commits it or in the Substitute, Christ Jesus (Hebrews 2:2; Isaiah 53:8; Galatians 3:13). The angels of God who minister to his elect execute judgment upon their enemies (Revelation 8:2) To God’s elect these angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be the heirs of eternal salvation (Hebrews 1:14). They are messengers of mercy to the people of God. They watch over and protect them in this world. But those very same angels are messengers of wrath and judgment to all who oppose and persecute the church of God (2 Samuel 14:15-17; 2 Kings 19:34-35). There is a direct correlation between the prayers of God’s people and his judgment upon their enemies (Revelation 8:3-5) This angel of intercession is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the only intercessor and mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 7:24-27; 1 John 2:1-2). And as surely as he makes intercession for his elect, so also he will avenge his elect (Revelation 8:5). As a king is honor bound to avenge the blood of his loyal subjects, so the Lord God is honor bound to avenge the blood of his people upon their enemies who have persecuted, abused, tormented, and killed them. The Lord Jesus Christ, our Mediator, who offered up the prayers of his saints by his own merit, ‘took fire from off the altar and cast it into the earth.’ This fire caused many strange commotions in the earth: voices, thunders, lightenings, and earthquakes. That came about as God’s answer to the prayers of his saints (Revelation 6:10). God is our Defender.

God is our Refuge. God is our Avenger. Our cause is safe in his hands! (Luke 18:17; Romans 12:19). ‘And,’ after Christ gave the command of judgment, ‘the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound’ (Revelation 8:6). Now, look at the four trumpet judgments in this chapter, and understand, fourthly, that. . . Every providential act of judgment is a warning of the greater, eternal judgment that is to come (Revelation 8:7-13) As you read the description of these trumpet judgments, you cannot fail to see a similarity between them and the judgments of God upon the Egyptians in the book of Exodus. As then, the plagues were all poured out upon Egypt and Israel was unharmed, even so, these judgments fall upon the wicked. They do not harm God’s elect! God punished his elect in Christ for their sins. God’s judgment against us fell upon our Substitute. Though the wicked must be punished, ‘There shall no evil happen to the just’ (Proverbs 12:21; Romans 8:1). The first trumpet sounds and brings a terrible storm, leaving destruction in its path (Revelation 8:7). It is a terrible mistake to limit the judgment to a strictly literal interpretation, though that is certainly included. Usually when divine judgment is dealt with in Holy Scripture, highly figurative language is used simply because it is such a horrible thing that nothing can properly describe it (Joe 2:28-32). Here is a terrible storm of hail, fire, and blood. Perhaps it refers to a violent hail storm that causes fire and death. It may refer to storms of pestilence, war, and economic/political upheavals falling upon society in general.

Perhaps it refers to a spiritual storm and has reference to the heresies by which God’s elect are proved and those who rebel against his truth are destroyed (1 Corinthians 11:19; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). But even in wrath, God remembers mercy! The storm of judgment is limited to only a third part of the earth. The second angel sounds his trumpet and ‘as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea’ (Revelation 8:8-9). The words ‘as it were’ are significant. They specifically tell us that the picture is symbolical, not literal. Most likely this refers to idolized spiritual leaders, famous evangelists or pastors who appeared to burn with zeal for Christ and his truth, falling publicly into sin and disgrace. These self-appointed false prophets are not God’s servants, though multitudes follow them. When they fall, many are destroyed. Yet, ‘the foundation of God standeth sure’ (2 Timothy 2:15-19). God’s elect are not deceived by such men. The third angel sounds his trumpet and a star falls from heaven polluting the waters of the earth (Revelation 8:10-11). Unlike the mountain that fell, this star was not a heretic of the earth. Rather, he is one who is by profession in the kingdom of heaven, a preacher of the gospel, one who shines as a brilliant lamp in God’s church. But at last he falls into heresy and with his heresy pollutes the Word of God and the souls of men. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet and brought great darkness into the world (Revelation 8:12). In the Scriptures, the sun represents Christ and the light of the gospel shining from him (Malachi 4:2; Luke 1:78; John 8:12; 2 Peter 1:19). The smiting of the sun represents the abundance of heresy in this world, engulfing the churches (represented by the moon) and preachers (represented by the stars) in thick darkness. But even this thick darkness is limited to one third. God always has his elect remnant! I will leave it to others to debate about the meanings of these symbols, but of this much I am certain: all temporal, providential judgments are but warnings of the infinitely greater, everlasting judgment that is yet to come (Read Revelation 8:13!). Are you ready for that great and terrible day?

Revelation 8:3-4

Chapter 22 Christ our intercessor ‘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’ . Revelation 8:3-4 The Angel here is not one of the creatures of God, but the Son of God, our Savior, in his mediatoral, priestly office. Here we see the Lord Jesus Christ performing his work as our great High Priest and Intercessor before God (Exodus 30:1-10). At this moment, he stands before God as our Representative. He has in his hand a golden censer full of incense (the merits of his blood and righteousness). The fragrance of that sweet incense makes the prayers which we offer up to God acceptable and well-pleasing in his sight. This symbolic picture is intended to teach us that our prayers and sacrifices are acceptable to God only through the merits of Christ.

God’s saints, those who have been redeemed and regenerated, even those who are already in heaven, are accepted by God only through the blood and righteousness of Christ (Ephesians 1:6; John 14:6). Yet, this is the believer’s confidence and encouragement - We are accepted by God for Christ’s sake (Ephesians 2:13-18). The Lord Jesus Christ is our only intercessor All believers are priests unto God. We do business with God ourselves in the Person of Christ. We do not need Aaron, Levi, or their sons. We have Christ. ‘There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5). We know that the Angel mentioned in Revelation 8:3 is Christ, because he is the only Mediator between God and men. ‘Another Angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer.’ Of course, the picture here is symbolical. There are no literal, material altars in heaven! But the picture is most instructive. On the day of atonement in the Old Testament, burning coals of fire were taken from the altar of burnt offering and placed in a censer.

They were brought to the golden altar of incense. When the incense was put upon the fire in the censer, a cloud of sweet-smelling incense arose before the Lord (Leviticus 16:12-13). Those burning coals of fire and the sweet incense beaten small represented the sufferings of Christ in the place of his people. The wrath of God, like fire, was poured out upon our dear Savior. The agonies of his soul were the fires of God’s wrath burning in him. His body, crushed under the wrath of God, was typified by the incense beaten small. The altar represented our Lord’s divine nature. As the altar sanctified the gift offered upon it (Matthew 23:19), so it is Christ’s divine nature that gives virtue, merit, and efficacy to his sacrifice.

The work which John saw, described in Revelation 8:3-4, takes place within the vail before the presence of God. As the burning coals were carried by Aaron within the vail along with the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus entered into heaven as our great High Priest with the merits of his own blood, ‘having obtained eternal redemption for us’ (Hebrews 9:11-12). Usually, our Lord is pictured as one who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 10:12). That tells us that his work of redemption is finished and complete. But John saw him standing before the altar. That tells us that the merits of his sacrifice are perpetually fresh and effectual. ‘And there was given unto him much incense.’ The incense was given to him. All the work of Christ as our Mediator was given to him by the appointment of God the Father in the covenant of grace (Hebrews 5:4-5). God gave his elect to his Son to redeem and save them (John 6:39). The world was given to him to rule for the salvation of his people (John 17:2). His seed, God’s elect, are given to him as the reward of his atonement (Isaiah 53:10-12). As God, everything belongs to Christ by right of his own divinity.

As our Mediator, everything has been given to him as the rightful reward of his obedience (John 3:35). This incense was given to Christ, ‘That he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.’ The incense sprinkled upon the burning coals from off the altar formed a sweet smelling smoke, which rose up to God in heaven. This smoke of incense was a picture of Christ’s intercession to God for his elect (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24). In the Old Testament, the incense was specifically described. If anyone offered a strange incense, mixed anything with the incense, or tried to imitate it, he was put to death (Exodus 30:7-8; Exodus 30:34-38; Leviticus 10:1). Even so, any who attempt to add anything to the finished work of Christ for their acceptance with God cannot be saved (Galatians 5:2; Galatians 5:4).

Salvation and eternal life can be obtained only by faith in Christ. As the incense was sprinkled upon the coals, our Lord’s intercession to God for us is based upon and arises from his sufferings and death as our Substitute. The prayers of Christ for his people are always effectual, because they are enforced by his precious blood (1 John 2:1-2). Notice the word ‘much’ in Revelation 8:3. ‘There was given unto him much incense.’ What a blessed word! There is a plentiful abundance and fulness of intercession arising from Christ for us, even as he accomplished a ‘plenteous redemption’ for us (Psalms 130:7). Christ in heaven constantly makes intercession for transgressors, for his elect, covenant people, who have no merit in themselves. We are all transgressors.

We all deserve God’s wrath. But he makes intercession for us according to the will of God. ‘All saints,’ all who have been, all who are, and all who shall be saints are the objects of his intercessory ministry at the throne of God. Our Lord’s intercessions are his prayers that all the needs of his elect will be supplied and that all the blessings of grace will be brought to them by the Spirit of God. He prays for the conversion of his elect, redeemed people (John 17:9; John 17:20), for the non-imputation of sin to his people (1 John 2:1-2), for the preservation of all believers in grace (John 17:15), and for the ultimate glorification of all whom he has redeemed (John 17:22-24). The intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ is always pleasing and acceptable with the Father and always effectual. What Christ seeks from his Father, he always obtains. His prayers cannot fall to the ground! His intercession is according to the will of God, for the people of God’s choice, and made effectual by the merit of his blood (Romans 8:34). Those sinners cannot perish for whom Christ makes intercession! He does not plead the goodness of his people, the works of his people, the sincerity of his people, or even the weaknesses of his people.

He pleads the merits of his own blood and righteousness on behalf of his people. God himself cannot resist the intercession of his Son! The Lord Jesus Christ is our only intercessor with God; but we need no other. He is an all-sufficient, accepted, perpetual, effectual intercessor! All God’s saints are praying people The dominant theme of John’s vision in this passage is Christ our Intercessor; but he also speaks of ‘the prayers of the saints.’ Prayers are the spiritual sacrifices which God’s saints offer up to him (Hebrews 13:15) and are accepted by him through the blood of Christ (1 Peter 2:5). We offer many things to our God as we seek to serve him, but the essence of all is prayer. If we offer not the prayer of faith, we offer nothing! Christ our High Priest takes our prayers into his hands, perfumes them with the incense of his blood and righteousness, and offers them up to God our Father. John describes God’s people as quote; ‘saints.’ All of them are saints. They are saints now and forever.

They are made saints by the work of God alone. All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are saints, holy and sanctified, by virtue of their union with Christ. Our sanctification is threefold:

1. We were sanctified, set apart as God’s, for holy purposes in eternal election by God the Father (Jude 1:1).
2. We were sanctified, declared to be holy, by God the Son in redemption (Hebrews 10:10-14). And
3. We have been sanctified, given a holy nature, by God the Holy Spirit in regeneration (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Peter 1:4). All who are saints, sanctified by grace, are people of prayer. ‘Every one that is godly,’ David said, shall ‘pray unto (the Lord)’ (Psalms 32:6). John’s description of God’s saints and their prayers in the hands of Christ is very suggestive. First, prayer brings all the saints of God into communion with one another. All the prayers of all the saints are put into one golden censor. All the truest desires of all believers are the same (Matthew 6:9-13). Second, our Lord graciously receives and accepts all the prayers of his saints. Even our groans and sighs are sweet to the ears of our heavenly Father through the mediation of Christ. Our gifts, prayers, worship, and service to God are accepted by him because of Christ’s intercession It is Christ who offers up ‘the prayers of the saints.’ And it is Christ by whose merit we are accepted (1 Peter 2:5). Our text indicates three things that make our prayers acceptable to God:
4. They are offered by a fit person, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1-2),
5. In a fit place, standing before the altar with the merits of his sacrifice (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 10:10-14), and
6. In a fit manner, ‘with much incense.’ Our great Advocate and High Priest graciously mixes the perfume of his sacrifice with our prayers and wisely corrects our petitions. We do not know what to pray for as we ought. So our Savior makes up for our ignorance (Romans 8:26-28).