Here's the text:
Revelation 8:
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
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.
Revelation 8:
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
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.
I've said before that the trumpets flow out of the seals, and the bowls flow out of the trumpets. Remember that the seals are the seals of the Book (scroll) that the Lamb who is the Lion is opening. The seventh seal is the last. It contains the rest.
First thing we see is that there's silence. Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepare to sound, and after that, we see the incense pan (KJV, "censer") with two things: the prayers of the saints (those who believe in Jesus Christ), and additional incense.
The "prayers of the saints" probably refer to our prayers for Jesus' return. Those prayers will reach a crescendo during the awful time of Revelation. Persecution will increase to a fever point. Believers will be murdered by the thousands, men and women and children will cry out for mercy and receive none, because the people who betray and murder Christians are powered by Satan--seduced by the evil one, they do his bidding and seek to rid the world of Christians. There will be some who fight back, of course, but for the most part they are reduced to prayers, which seem ineffective at the time, but which fill the incense pan with cries for help.
Do you really think that God will allow this to continue forever??
He will NOT.
So the next event we see is the angel who holds the censer fill it with fire from the altar, and throw it down from heaven to earth. We don't know all the results, but John (seeing what happens from heaven) details some of the events--voices, thunder, lightning, and an earthquake (probably centered near Jerusalem, which is the focus of these events).
Want to know what these things mean? I'll tell you. They are a warning. God is saying, "Get ready for hell on earth because of what you've done to my people." The material that follows is focused against evil and evil men, as we shall see later.
My question for you today is, "What do you think of Christians?" Better come to terms with Christ for yourself, and then remember what God is about to do in the world.
I know that some who read this will scoff. I can only say, "Just wait." and, "You'll see." These events are coming. You cannot stop them, postpone them, or change their outcome. Jesus said in Luke, "These are the days of vengeance..."
It is a terrible thing to be the target of a vengeful king--what if you become the target of a vengeance-seeking God? He will not leave His vengeance up to men. He will do this Himself, and you cannot stop Him.
My advice is to reconcile yourself to God while you can, and reconcile yourself to God's people, if you've been their persecutor. Do it before the days arrive when God seeks vengeance against you. Do it now.
