A Study of The Book of Revelation, Part #30

Earl Gillespie

The Seventh Seal

2 Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  Paul is exhorting Timothy to study.  In school we were exhorted to study to come up with answers to problems.  To some this meant staying up all night trying to figure out the right answer to a problem.  Prayer has been always an important asset when studying to pass a test, and it is a necessary asset when studying to understand the Word of God.  There are keys to understanding the Word of God and those keys are found in the Bible.  When I began a deeper understanding study of the Bible it took a lot of prayer and more than two weeks of study to get from Geneses 1 to Geneses 2.   In school we were taught to ask questions if we did not understand certain aspects of a subject.  In Bible study we are often chastised if we ask what is deemed the wrong question.   There is no search for answers, science and the Bible disagrees, the earth is flat and we must mix Law and Grace.

One of the most important keys to rightly dividing the word of truth is the understanding that the Bible is divided up into ages and dispensations.  This is the "Dispensation of GRACE," and extends from the "Cross" to the "Crown" for Christ, and from "Pentecost" to the "Rapture of the Church" for the Believer. This is a Parenthetical dispensation thrown in between the "Dispersion" of Israel, and their "Restoration" to their own land. The purpose of this Dispensation is to gather out a "People for His Name," called "The Church." In this Dispensation we are under the "Davidic Covenant," the sign of which is a "SON" (Jesus), and we are neither Jews nor Gentiles and are dealt with as such. The characteristic of this Dispensation is, that "Blindness in part  has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles' be come in." Ro 11:25. The "Fulness of the Gentiles," with some Jews, make up a "New Body," called the CHURCH. This "New Body" is not under LAW but GRACE. Ro 6:14. When Christ took His seat upon the "Father's Throne" He changed it from a "Throne of JUSTICE" to a "Throne of GRACE," and God's attitude in this Dispensation is one of favor and "long-suffering" toward wicked men and nations. 2Pe 3:9. This Dispensation we are foretold will end in APOSTASY, for Christ Himself said that when He came back He would not find FAITH (the Faith) on the earth. Lu 18:8.

The Opening of the Seventh Seal

Revelation 8:1-5

Verse 1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.In this chapter, 

The opening of the seals is resumed. The seventh seal, from which the seven trumpets come, is removed from the seven-sealed book. Seven is God number of perfection, and it is used extensively through the Book of Revelation, but you might ask how can seven be one and what is the signification of seven..  Here is a good illustration on  the fourth of July, you have seen a rocket fired into the air. The rocket bursts into seven small rockets, and these seven bursts into seven other small rockets producing a brilliant display of color. Numerous burst of color is sustained yet only one rocket was fired. The seventh seal includes all that happens during the sounding of the seven trumpets, and also the pouring out of the seven vials, and extends down to the time when the Millennium is ushered in. In our Scripture, the seventh seal includes the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet includes the seven vials. Three woes are also included. It is very significant that Heaven was silent for the space of half an hour when the seventh seal was broken; and yet, when you read what occurs during the seven trumpets and the seven vials, you do not wonder that all Heaven stood speechless when this terrible judgment was revealed. It is certainly noteworthy that the Spirit directed seven messages to seven churches. 

The book John saw in the hand of Him who sat upon the throne  a little book or scroll containing the terms of the redemption of the earth and it was sealed with seven seals. Beneath the seven seals were seven trumpets. Chapters 12 and 13 reveal to us seven personages: the sun clothed woman, the dragon, the Manchild, the archangel, the Jewish remnant, the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. In chapters 15 and 16 we read of seven vials filled with the wrath of God and poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth. In chapters 17, 18, 19 and 20 we read of seven dooms: the doom of ecclesiastical Babylon, the doom of commercial Babylon, the doom of the Beast and the False Prophet, the doom of the Antichrist nations, the doom of Gog and Magog, the doom of Satan, and the eternal doom of the wicked dead. After the seven horrible dooms, we have seven wonderful new things. Revelation 21 and 22 tell us about the new Heaven, the new earth, the Pearly white City, the new nations, the new river, the new tree of life, the new throne. All seven of these glorious new things will continue throughout the ages of ages: “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end” (Isaiah 9:7). 

I will reiterate, seven is God’s number, it is the Bible's number of perfection. In the book of Revelation we have the account of God bringing to a close the affairs of man. God will make a perfect end to all sin, sorrow, unrighteousness and unrest. He will deliver the whole creation from the curse which was brought upon it by the sin of Adam (Romans 8:22).  It is not what God is doing, it is what man is doing.  What the first Adam lost through disobedience to God’s command, the second Adam purchased back through obedience and death on the cross.  In this study we will find out why Adam didn't fall dead the moment he disobeyed God.   Revelation 8:1 gives us the record of the opening of the seventh seal. When that seal is removed, there is silence in Heaven. Something gigantic, ghastly, unheard of, something heretofore unseen happens. When the seventh seal is opened, the seven trumpets begin to sound. All the terrible judgments of the trumpets are hidden beneath the seventh seal, and the seven vials of the wrath of God are also there. If you will read Revelation chapters 8 through 16, you will not be surprised that all Heaven stood aghast - completely silent, Speechless, and spellbound - for half an hour!

The four and twenty elders ceased to play their harps. Heaven’s angels hushed their singing. Cherubim and Seraphim ceased to praise God. The host of Heaven stood in awe. Think of Heaven standing in complete silence for the space of half an hour! Can you imagine the judgments of misery, blood and woe poured out upon mankind, so terrible that the very sight of those judgments renders all Heaven speechless and silent? God pity those who will be here upon this earth when the seventh seal is removed! Will you be here? If you are not born again, you may be. But you can be saved this moment if you will only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour (Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9, John 5:24). 

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Revelation 8:2-6:

2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

3. 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.

4. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

5. 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. 

6. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

In verse 2, seven angels stood before God. These are special angels. Not all angels are said to stand before God. Gabriel stood before God (Luke 1:19). There were seven of these angels -not six, not eight - but seven, representing the full perfection and power of God in judicial judgment. They stood before God to pour out God’s wrath upon His enemies. Seven trumpets were given to the angels. Trumpets are used to call soldiers to war. They are used in worship, for the convocation, to proclaim festivals such as the year of Jubilee, the Feast of the Tabernacles - and for judgments. Read Exodus 19:6, Amos 3:6, Joshua 6:13-16 and Zephaniah 1:14-16. The seven angels received the trumpets, took their Positions as directed, and prepared to sound. But before the sounding of the trumpets, John saw another angel With a golden censer in his hand, and he came and stood before the golden incense altar. We are told that this angel was given much incense, and that he offered the incense with the prayers of “all saints.” These saints were the saints of the Tribulation period. The smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. The angel took a censer and filled it with fire taken from the altar, and cast it into the earth. When the fire was cast into the earth, there were voices, thunderings, lightnings, and a great earthquake. The silence was broken. If you will notice, the same four things happen when the seventh trumpet sounds (Revelation 11:19) and also when the seventh vial is poured out. All end alike.

In verse 3 we read, “Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer . . “ The service rendered by the other angel at the altar proves that it could be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the High Priest. Both the brazen and the golden altars are mentioned here. No ordinary creature could add to the prayers of the saints. The action of this other angel is of a mediatorial nature . . . One who is between the suffering, praying saints on earth and their God. There is “one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5). Therefore, we conclude that this angel could be none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. The term “another angel” is mentioned three times in Revelation - first in chapter 8:3, second in chapter 10:1, third in chapter 18:1.

In Joshua 5:13-15 the Lord appears in the form of a man to defend and fight for God’s people. Read the account carefully and you will see that the greatest Commander in Chief of any army that ever fought was none other than the angel of the Lord - Christ Jesus Himself. In our present Scripture the “other angel” stood at the altar of the burnt offering which stood in the court of the tabernacle of Israel (Leviticus 9:24 ff). The fire was lit by God Himself, and afterwards kept burning by the daily sacrifices offered there. Remember, the promises on earth are to God’s chosen people, Israel. We, the Bride of Christ, will reign with Jesus over the restored Paradise on earth. God’s people Israel are an earthly people with earthly promises. The Bride is a heavenly people with heavenly promises. This altar is mentioned six times in Revelation: Chapter 6:9, chapter 8:3, chapter 8:5, chapter 11:1, chapter 14:18, chapter 16:7. In Hebrews 9:4 we are told that the censer used at the altar was made of gold, and was used to carry the fire from the brazen altar (Hebrews 9:1-10, Leviticus chapter 16).

Verse 3 continues by saying, “Much incense was given the other angel,” and he offered it with the prayers of the saints. The incense was to be offered on the golden altar before the throne. The question is, who are these saints? Why are they praying? It does not seem reasonable to suppose that these are the saints that make up the Bride of Christ,  those of us who are members of the True Church. At the time of the removing of the seventh seal, the Church was in Heaven, having been raptured before this time of terrible judgment. The Church without regard to denomination is raptured at the beginning of chapter four, and at the time of Revelation 8:3 will have been with Jesus in the clouds in the air for a period of time. These “all saints” are the converts of the 144,000 sealed messengers of God, about whom we studied in Revelation 7. They are a part of the great multitude which no man could number. 

They are praying because they are going through hell on earth under the mighty hand of the rider of the white horse of Revelation 6:1. We are not told what their prayers are, but no doubt their general burden will be for deliverance and judgment on their ungodly oppressors. God answers their prayers by pouring out unheard of judgment upon the peoples of the earth. God deals again with His people Israel as He dealt with them in the days of old in the case of Joshua and the battle of Jericho. The incense used in the tabernacle service was composed of four ingredients. Read Exodus 30:34-38. These four ingredients represent Christ, just as the four Gospels speak of Him from four points of view. The divine fire of God was needed to bring out the fragrance of this fourfold incense, just as Calvary was God’s way of bringing out the fragrance of Jesus in its 

fulness (John 3:16, Luke 22:44). This incense was burned morning and evening in the tabernacle (Exodus 30:7-10). The sweet savor of Christ is set forth in the incense burning, signifying what He was for us, what He did for us, and what He suffered for us. Why did this other angel, holding the golden censer, stand before the golden altar before the golden throne to offer incense with the prayers of all saints? Why this demonstration? The answer: The whole action is called for because of the great body of saints on earth during the last half of the Great Tribulation . . . the time of the trumpet judgments. They need heavenly help . . . they must have help from Heaven . . . in this time of terrible, terrible tribulation. If the days were not shortened and if Heaven did not help them, there would be no flesh saved.

In Revelation 6:9-11, the souls of the saints who had been martyred were crying unto the Lord, but no provision for intercession was made for them. They were out of their suffering at that time. They were resting under the altar. They were told to rest a little longer, until their fellow servants would be killed as they had been. These saints who are praying and crying unto God in chapter eight are those “other servants” to whom God referred. The intercession of the angel with the censer shows the long-suffering of God toward man, even unto the end. 

Verse 4 tells us that the smoke of the incense came with the prayers of the saints, and ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand - not out of the golden censer, but from the hand of the angel. This signifies even further that this angel was none other than the Lord’s eternal High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. When the prayers of the saints and the incense from the censer have gone up to God out of the angel’s hand, the angel then takes the empty censer, goes again to the altar, fills the censer with fire from the altar - but there is no incense mixed with the fire! The incense was mixed with the prayers of all saints. 

Verse 5 tells us that the angel filled the censer with fire from the altar and cast the fire into the earth. Note: The incense and prayers went up to God, the fire was cast down upon the earth. There were voices, thunder and lightning, a great earthquake - and judgment, raw judgment, judgment in such fury as this earth has never known nor will know up to that moment, this is yet future and will occur during the last half of the Tribulation period. God is bringing to pass the redemption of all creation (Romans 8:22). “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.” And they say we should not fear God.  One day God will renovate this old earth a second time, removing every trace of evil and of the curse, and we will have one giant Paradise such as God placed Adam and Eve when He created man. When the angel took the censer, filled it with fire and cast the fire into the earth, the stage was set for complete catastrophe . . . voices in the sky, thunderings, lightnings, and a great earthquake. Immediately the seven angels prepared to sound their trumpets.