May 17
21
Old Testament Reading: Zephaniah 1 (Prophesied during the reforms of King Josiah (640–609 b.c.))
“The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. ‘I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, those who have turned back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.’ Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice— ‘I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire. On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud. On that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills. Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the traders are no more; all who weigh out silver are cut off. At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.’ Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.’ The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth” (Zephaniah 1, ESV).
New Testament Reading: Revelation 8:1-5
“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:1–5, ESV).
Introduction
There are three truths that I would like for you to take from the breaking of the seventh seal as it is described to us here in Revelation 8:1-5.
First, notice that God does indeed hear the prayers of his people who are living on earth. This fact was dramatized before John’s eyes when he saw, in verse 3, the angel who “was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.” Your prayers do reach the heavenly throne of God.
Two, notice the guarantee that we have in this text that God hears the prayers of his people and will indeed answer their prayers for retribution. The opening of the seventh seal describes judgment, as we will see. We should remember that the first six seals were all about God’s judgments – both partial and perpetual judgments (seals 1-4), and also the full and final judgment (seal 6). And do not forget the prayer of the martyrs – the souls of whom John saw under the alter when the fifth seal was broken. What did they say? “They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10, ESV). Here in 8:3 we have a description, not of the requests of those who have died and gone to heaven, but of the prayers of those living upon the earth being brought before God in his heavenly temple. Everything in the contexts suggests that these are prayers regarding retribution, for when God hears them the response in this vision is judgment. God hears your prayers, and he will indeed answer them in due time.
Three, notice that when God does fully and finally judge there will be silence in heaven. The significance of the silence mentioned in 8:1 will be discussed later. For now please understand that the silence is significant. It is not that God ran out of things to reveal to John, and therefore, silence. But rather the silence has meaning.
We will come back to all of that in just a moment. But before we do I would like to say a word about the structure of Revelation 8:1-5 and it’s relationship to what has come before and what will come after.
Many have been confused by this text. I think is those who mistakenly assume that the book of Revelation is organized chronologically who have the most trouble with this passage. But I will admit that it is a difficult one. I should give credit where credit is due. G.K. Beale and his commentary on the book of Revelation was very helpful to me especially when it came to sorting out the structure of this passage. His insights were very helpful.
To state the question very simply: what is verse 2 doing in-between verses 1 and verses 3-5? It seems out of place upon first reading.
Verse 1, as we will see, provides us with yet another perspective on the final judgment. It picks up naturally where the sixth seal left off at the end of chapter 6. There we were given a picture of the last day when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the earth. It is an earthly perspective. John was shown something of God’s wrath poured out upon the earth and upon the wicked alive on the earth on that last day. Remember, the wicked cried out “calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand” (Revelation 6:16–17, ESV)?
The two visions of chapter 7 function as a interlude. They break from the seal cycle and answer the question that everyone should be asking: how will it be for the people of God as they live on earth in the midst of the tribulations described in the first four seal? And what will happen to them when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth on that last day? Will God’s people be able to stand? The visions of chapter 7 answer those questions. God’s people will indeed stand, for they are sealed by God to persevere in the midst of tribulation. And they will indeed stand on that last day, for they will not come under the wrath of God and the unrighteous will, for they are clothed in Christ’s righteousness. They will stand before God and give him praise for the salvation that he has earned for them.
And then in 8:1 the seal cycle picks up again. When the seventh and final seal is broken we are given yet another perspective on that last day – the day of God’s wrath. This time it is from a heavenly, and not an earthly, vantage point. Seal 6 provided an earthly perspective. Seal 7 provides a heavenly one. We are told that in heaven there will be silence on that last day given the gravity of God’s judgments. Clearly 8:1 is connected to all that came before it in the seal cycle.
The same can be said of verses 3-5. The prayers of the saints are being brought before the throne of God. Where are these saints? They are on the earth. They are the ones living on earth where the four horsemen of the apocalypse roam. They are the ones living in the midst of trials and tribulations. And they are crying out to God for, among other things, justice and retribution. And where do their prayers go? They make it to God’s ears! And what is the result of their prayers? Notice that the angel who was seen offering up the prayers of the saints along with the incense “took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:5, ESV). What is this except yet another perspective on that last day when the wrath of God and the Lamb is poured out from heaven upon the earth? God hears the cries of his people and he will judge the wicked on earth from his heavenly throne. Do you see, then, that verses 3-5 pick up very naturally where the seal cycle left off, proving us with yet another perspective on how things will go for the people of God living on earth in the time between Christ’s first and second coming. Will the church suffer tribulation? Indeed! Are Christians alone? By no means! They are sealed by God, and he hears their prayers. Will things go on like this forever? Certainly not. Verses 3-5 remind us that God will one day respond to the prayers of his people and judge from his holy habitation.
Jeremiah the prophet spoke of this day, saying, “The Lord will roar from on high, and from his holy habitation utter his voice; he will roar mightily against his fold, and shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked he will put to the sword, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 25:30–31, ESV).
So verse 1 of Revelation 8 is clearly connected to what has already been revealed in the seal cycle (particularly the sixth seal, which focus in upon the day of God’s wrath). On earth the wicked cry out, but in heaven there will be silence. And verses 3-5 are also obviously connected to the seal cycle. What are the people of God doing as they live in the midst of the trials and tribulations described in the first four seals? Well, they are praying. And those prayers do indeed reach the ears of God. He hears, and he will one day act, raining down “fire from the altar… and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”
But what of verse 2? It seems so out of place. Instead of looking back to the seal cycle, as verses 1 and also 3-5 do – instead of concluding the thought of the seal cycle as the beginning and end of this passage do – verse 2 points forward to the trumpet cycle that is yet to come. In verse 2 John says, “Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them” (Revelation 8:2, ESV). Verse 2 looks forward, whereas verses 1 and 3-5 look back bringing the seal cycle to a conclusion.
Those locked into a chronological and futuristic interpretation of the book of Revelation are particularly troubled by this. For shouldn’t of the events be silence in heaven, fire from the alter, and then the introduction of the seven trumpets? Friends, get used to it. The book of Revelation is not ordered chronologically, but thematically. There is a literary structure to this text that is most helpful.
Verse 2 functions literarily like a pin does on a hinge. There are three parts to a hinge – the two arms and the pin. This is passage is constructed like a hinge. Verse one points backwards to seal cycle, bringing it to a conclusion. Verses 3-5 also points backwards. They too belongs to what has been said before and conclude it. But verse 2 introduces what will come later, and in due time the hinge will pivot on it opening up to us an entirely new set of visions introduced by the sounding of seven trumpets.
Look at 8:2. “Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.” Look ahead now to 8:6: “Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.” 8:7: “The first angel blew his trumpet…” 8:8: “The second angel blew his trumpet…” 8:10: “The third angel blew his trumpet…” 8:12: “The fourth angel blew his trumpet…” 9:1: “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet…” 9:13: “Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet…” 10:1-11:14: Interlude. 11:15: “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever’” (Revelation 11:15, ESV). The end.
The trumpet cycle does not describe to us something that will happen after the events described in the seal cycle, for how could it! The seal cycle has taken us to the last day when God’s wrath is poured out! It is has taken us to the end. Do you remember that when the sixth seal was opened back in Revelation 6:12, “behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place” (Revelation 6:12–14, ESV). Everything about the text says, THE END. But in the trumpet cycle these same realms are said to be effected again but he the judgments of God. How can it be? The answer is that the book is not ordered chronologically. The order of the book of Revelation does not match the order of events in human history. The book recapitulates. It provides the reader with a different perspective on the same period of time over and over again.
Chapter 6 verses 12-17: THE END, from and earthly vantage point. Chapter 8 verse 1 and also verses 3-5: THE END from a heavenly vantage point. Chapter 8 verse 2: the pin in the hinge. It is the verse upon which everything with turn from seals to trumpets.
Now here is where things transition from a technical consideration of the structure of the book of Revelation to the practical. If you are interested the structure and proper interpretation of the book of Revelation you’ve been locked in on the sermon. But if you’re not, you’ve probably been spacing out for the last 15 minutes or so. Now is the time to come back.
God Hears The Prayers Of His People
At the heart of this text is the truth that God hears the prayers of his people who are on earth.
This truth is found throughout the scriptures.
God’s people are always people of prayer. They commune with God through prayer.
This was symbolized under the Old Covenant in the design of the tabernacle, and later the temple. A curtain separated the holy place from the most holy place where the ark of the covenant was. The ark symbolized the footstool of God’s throne. Heaven is his throne and the earth his footstool. And in the holy place, immediately before the curtain which separated the holy place from the holy of holies, was an alter of incense. The priests would burn incense on that alter and the smoke would rise and even come into the holy of holies which symbolized the very throne room of God. What was this except a visible reminder that when God’s people pray their prayers do indeed reach his ears.
Remember that Jesus the Christ prayed. “He would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16, ESV).
He taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9, ESV).
Paul urges all believers to pray. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV).
James says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise [our singing is prayer in song form]. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:13–16, ESV).
The writer to the Hebrews says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
Here in Revelation 8 those truths are dramatized for us. “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel” (Revelation 8:3–4, ESV).
I do not think that this is teaching that angels must always collect the prayers of the saints and deliver them to God in this way with the burning of incense. That would be a hyper-literalistic interpretation of this text. Indeed, there is only one mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace in his name.
But in this drama we are reminded that there are indeed ministering Spirits in heaven (remember that each of the seven churches were addressed “to the angel of the church of…”). God uses angels to bring about his purposes. True enough.
The point is this: God hears your prayers.
Are you praying?
Remember that these are persecuted people praying. Trials and tribulations should not hinder prayer but motive it.
And these are people who believe in the sovereignty of God over all things. They are not paralyzed by the theological conundrum, if God is sovereign over all, if he has ordained all that will come to pass, then why pray?
They pray because the are God’s people and they know that God has determined to work through the prayers of his people.
God Will Answer The Prayers Of His People For Retribution
The prayers here seem to be a particular kind of prayer – they are prayers for vindication and retribution being offered up by Christians suffering tribulation and persecution.
Should a Christian pray that the wicked be judged?
Remember Christ’s words to his followers: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’” (Matthew 5:43–44, ESV). Christians should pray for the salvation of their enemies.
But we the scriptures also provide us with examples of the people of God praying for vindication. Remember the prayer of the martyrs under the alter in Revelation 6: “They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth’” (Revelation 6:10, ESV)?
And listen to the words of the Psalmist:
“O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.’ Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath… Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out” (Psalm 94, ESV).
These two principles are not contrary to one another. Is it not possible to pray all at once, “Lord have mercy upon my enemy. Bring my persecuted to repentance and to salvation in Christ Jesus”, and at the same time say, “Lord, if they will not repent, make it right in the end. Bring justice. Vindicate your people. Bring retribution to the wicked.” Indeed the scriptures compel to praying this multifaceted way.
Paul in Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19–21, ESV).
It is the prayer, “Lord, make it right in the end” that frees us from feeling as if it is our job to take vengeance upon our enemies. That is God job! Give it to him in prayer! And having done so, be free to show love to your enemies – to give them water when thirsty, an food when hungry, praying always for the salvation of their souls.
God will answer the prayers of his people for justice in two ways. He will one day judge fully and finally. Until then he will judge partially and perpetually. This, by the way, is why the trumpets are mentioned in the middle of this text. The first six trumpets will again portray partial and perpetual judgments. Particularly they will show how God is able to, even in this present evil age, judge the wicked, partially and perpetually, with precision.
When God Does Fully And Finally Judge There Will Be Silence In Heaven
Lastly, understand that when God does judge fully and finally there will be silence in heaven. “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1, ESV).
In the Old Testament descriptions of God’s judgments often include the mention of silence.
You saw it the Zephaniah passage that I read at the start of the sermon. The chapter is all about judgment. In verse 7 we read, “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near…” (Zephaniah 1:7, ESV).
Habakkuk 2:20: “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20, ESV).
Psalm 31:17: “O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol” (Psalm 31:17, ESV).
When in Revelation 8:1 we read, “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour”, by no means are we to assume that the seventh seal is an empty seal, as some interpreters do, but rather we are to unhand that this silence is significant silence. It is the silence that accompanies the judgment of God. The vision of silence in heaven for about a half hour is yet another perspective on what will happen on that last day.
Why silence in heaven? It is the only proper response to weightiness of the judgments of God. Men and angels observe, but they do not speak. They stand with their mouth covered given the seriousness of the matter.
Have you ever been in a situation so weighty that there are no words? A situation so somber that to utter words – any words at all – would seem inappropriate?
Silence, in a moment like that, is a very powerful and moving.
Notice that every other heavenly sense described to us in the book of Revelation is filled with much noise. Angels, along with the redeemed, are constantly singing praises to God in heaven for the salvation that Christ has earned. But when pondering the outpouring of the wrath of God and of the Lamb, only silence.
This is important to notice. The saints in heaven and on earth have been crying out to God, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” But when that day comes they do celebrate. They can only cover their mouths and remain silent.
Certainly they know in their hearts that the judgments of God are right and true altogether. But no child of God would ever take pleasure in the death of the wicked. The judgments of God are at once terrible and yet perfectly right and true and just.
Do you long for that day? Do you long for the day when God will pour out his wrath upon the unjust? I hope that you have mixed feelings about it. For it will be the day that the Lord sets all things right. But it will also be the day where the opportunity for men and women, boys and girls, to come to salvation is no longer.
For the child of God the second coming of Christ is pure gospel. But for those not in Christ it is pure law – it is the day on which they will be judged by the law, which no man has kept, except one.
