The Coming Storm: Prayers Of Incense, Seven Angels Prepare

The Coming Storm: Prayers of Incense, Seven Angels Prepare

Introduction

In the book of Revelation, we encounter some of the most profound and mystical imagery in all of Scripture. Today, we turn our attention to a passage that depicts a moment of divine preparation: a holy pause before judgment, where the prayers of God's people play a crucial role in the unfolding of His purposes.

Revelation 8:2-6 offers us a glimpse into the throne room of heaven, where seven angels stand before God, trumpets in hand, ready to announce the approaching judgment. Yet before these trumpets sound, there is a significant moment of intercession where the prayers of the saints rise like incense before the Almighty.

This imagery reveals profound truths about prayer, divine timing, and the connection between heaven and earth. As we explore this text together, we'll discover how our prayers are not forgotten but are gathered and presented before God Himself. And we'll see how even in the midst of impending judgment, God's mercy and compassion remain evident.

Let us turn to Revelation 8:2-6:

"And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Then 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. Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them."

1. Appointed by Compassion: The Vision of the Seven Angels

"And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets." – Revelation 8:2

The number seven in Scripture consistently symbolizes completeness and perfection. We see this throughout the Bible: seven days of creation, seven churches in Revelation, and here, seven angels with seven trumpets. This indicates not random judgment but the perfect, complete, and measured response of God to the sin and rebellion of humanity.

These angels are described as those "who stand before God." These aren't ordinary angels but special attendants in God's throne room. Jewish tradition speaks of seven archangels who stand before God, including Michael and Gabriel. Their position indicates their readiness to serve, standing at attention before the Creator of all things.

To these angels were given seven trumpets. Trumpets are among the most significant musical instruments in Scripture, as they are associated with various important events.

In the Old Testament, trumpets served multiple purposes:

1. Summoning the congregation of Israel (Numbers 10:2).

2. Sounding the alarm in times of war (Numbers 10:9; 2 Chronicles 13:12; Ezekiel 33:3).

3. Marking religious feasts (Numbers 10:10; Psalm 81:3).

4. Announcing news (1 Samuel 13:3).

5. Acclaiming new kings (1 Kings 1:34, 39).

6. Aiding in worship (1 Chronicles 16:6, 42; 2 Chronicles 5:12-13).

Zephaniah 1:14-16 associates trumpets with the Day of the Lord, emphasizing their role in divine judgment.

In the New Testament, trumpets continue to hold prophetic significance. Scripture teaches that a trumpet will announce the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16) and that they will be linked to the judgments of that Day (Revelation 8:6ff).

All of these purposes converge in the trumpets of Revelation. They announce God's arrival in judgment, signal the beginning of spiritual warfare on an unprecedented scale, and warn of the coming storm of divine judgment.

Each of the seven trumpets unleashes a specific judgment, with an intensity greater than that of the first six seals but less destructive than the seven bowls (Revelation 16:1-21). Specifically, the first four trumpets devastate the earth’s ecology (Revelation 8:6-12), while the subsequent two bring about the demonic destruction of humanity (Revelation 8:13; 9:1-11, 13-19). Finally, the seventh trumpet serves to introduce the ultimate outpouring of God’s wrath, which is manifested in the seven bowl judgments.

Let me share a story that illustrates the importance of divine appointments. During World War II, a small church in rural England received word that German bombers were approaching their area. The church bell, which normally called people to worship, instead became a trumpet of warning. When the warning sounded, people sought shelter, and lives were saved. What's remarkable is that the church bell ringer had been appointed to that role just a month before, a man who had lost his legs in the previous war and couldn't serve in combat but could faithfully sound the warning to others.

Like that bell ringer, these seven angels were appointed not out of wrath but out of compassion: to sound a warning before judgment falls. God's judgments never come without warning. From Noah to Jonah to John the Baptist, God has always sent messengers ahead to call people to repentance.