2024 Jan 7th, Sunday Morning Service

Good morning. We're kind of operating on who's the least sick.

So I won today.

This morning. We're going to begin our study of Revelation chapter 8 and we're going to cover the first 5 vs. Revelations 1 through 5. When the lamb broke the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour and I saw the seven angels who stand before God and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar holding a golden censer and much incense was given to him so that he might add it to the prayers of all the Saints on the golden altar which was before the throne and the smoke of the incense descended from the Angel's hand with the prayers of the Saints going before God. Then the angel took the sensor and filled it with the fire of the Altar and hurled it to the Earth and there were peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. The climactic Judgment event that ends man's control and Satan's rule on Earth is called the day of the Lord and it's described that it describes the final takeover of God as he takes the world and the universe that is rightfully his from Satan the day of the Lord involves a final Holocaust the Furious and wholesale deadly destruction. Now, we have already learned that before the day of the Lord kids. There will be a series of judgments that Express the wrath of God on the Wicked World. There will be some preliminary judgments leading up to the day of the Lord are described in the first 5 seals back in chapter 6 and you will remember them. If you've been with us those first five seals in verses 1 through 11 of chapter 6 or horrifying expressions of the Vengeance of God on centers. You will then remember that they're followed those first five. Obviously a 6 cyl beginning in verse 12 at which point. I believe the day of the Lord begins because the description of the 6 cyl is so very parallel to biblical testimony to the character and nature of the day of the Lord. The first five seals are these false peace War famine death and Vengeance Vengeance being illustrated by the prayer of the martyrs are in chapter 6 verse 9 9 to 11 and by that time you've gone through the first five seals hundreds of millions of people across the Earth have been killed. Then it verse 12 of chapter 6. It's the Sixth Seal and that begins the day of the Lord the day prophesied by the Old Testament prophets predicting exactly what God would do in Final judgment testified to even buy Jesus as well as the New Testament writers. Now as we enter chapter 8 the full Fury of the day of the Lord is already begun. It started with the 6 cyl and we now find ourselves on the seventh seal as noted in verse one and I believe that this seventh seal is best understood to contain all of the final judgments. All that is described here by way of judgment is an earthquake. When the angel throws the fiery sensor to the Earth the thunder sounds flashes of lightning and an earthquake, but I believe there's much more to the seventh seal than just an earthquake. I'm convinced that it's best understood to include within that seventh seal the seventh trumpet judgments which following mediately in chapter 8 and 7 Bowl judgments, which follow a little later in the Book of Revelation the first six seals, then we're somewhat simple that is to say they opened and are rather simply and directly described. This one is more complex. The first seems to be open in a moment this one while being opened in a moment then leads to 14 following judgments that are open sequentially. So this one takes more development. It's more complex. And that seems to fit as the judgments begin to mount and speed and power and Devastation. I believe the first five seals takes us past the midpoint of the tribulation. So it takes three and a half plus years for those first five seals to take place. And we're well into the second half the time known as the Great Tribulation. I think when the fullness of The Sixth Seal really hits but we don't know precisely the time table but once the seventh seal is opened and out of it comes trumpets and Bulls. It's going to take time for these to develop for example and 9:10. There is a description of what happens under the fifth trumpet and it says what happens if both scorpions was stings and their tails have power to hurt men for 5 months and that tells us that the blowing of the trumpet from the effect of those trumpet judgments is going to stretch out over months. So when the Seven Seals opened and the judgment begins, they're going to take days and weeks and even months before they're completed. We don't know exactly the timetable some believe that they are not sequential that is Seven Seals in the seventh seal issuing the seven trumpets. And the Seven trumpets issuing and seven final rapid fire Bull judgments. Some would make them a bit more simultaneous Seven Seals at the end somewhere around maybe the fifth the seventh seal. You have the seven trumpets and then somewhere right be dogmatic about that. I think that the way the book lays out chronologically, it seems to be reasonable to assume you go through the seventh seal. The seventh seal is opened you have seven Trumpets the seventh trumpet is blown and you have seven bowls and so really the last 14 judgements bulls and trumpets are contained within that final seal. So this is the rapid-fire Holocaust it's going to take some time to fully unfold and even some time for us to fully describe as we study through the chapters ahead of us. So you have the seventh seal and as it's opened, I just point you to four things in these five versus silence supplication sounding and storm and those four words will give us a feeling about this seventh seal is about and give us some insight into it. Let's take the first one silence. The simple word silence is obviously wrong out of verse one when the lamp broke the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. The one who broke the seventh seal is the Lamb the six judgments are past the seventh one is now open the lamb Jesus the heir to the universe breaks open that's seventh seal. And as he breaks the seventh seal open amazingly. It says there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour kind of interesting turn of events. When you think about it mankind is often complained about The Silence of God, sometimes even expressing the complaint of the psalmist. You said they are God come and not keep silence up till been in some ways Angel and men have been noisy, but God has been silent. And now God is about to speak in the full Fury of judgment and angels and redeemed man in heaven or silent. The tables are turned the prophet Zechariah called for such silence. The light of God's glory is judgement and 2:13. Be silent all mankind before the Lord for he is roused himself from his holy dwelling. So when the land opens to see it in the last seal all of those in heaven know what it means. It means the end has come the final judgment is about to be Unleashed. I cannot sit down.

There are no more seals the scene in heaven has been very noisy. We all know God Loves A Joyful Noise loud singing and he's been having all of that. There have been Harps there been Thunder Angels Sing compre Martyrs under the altar singing tribulation Saints win. The seventh seal is broken. And what is to happen becomes visible as the scroll is unrolled and the implication is they can all see what it says. They are reduced to utter silence and all the triumphant ringing Hallelujah all the exultation halts. And I think it's the Silence of all it is the Silence of the anticipation of the Grim reality of what is coming as well as the joyous reality of the exaltation of Christ and the devastation of Satan and sin. This half-hour silence is the Calm before the storm The Silence of foreboding of expectation of all it's interesting that John measures the time has Vision experience is about half an hour absolute silence in that large of a crowd of innumerable Angels running into the millions absolute dead silence for half an hour would seem like an eternity. The margin of suspenseful expectancy seems to us brief, but it must have seemed to him very long some have even suggested that is a brief half hour for a few more on Earth to repent before the next wave of judgment hits a brief half hour of agnatha agonizing suspense. The wicked are about to be destroyed Lord. Jesus Christ is about to be exalted the greatest events. Since the fall of Adam is about to come it is so stunning and satisfying that heaven stands in utter silence. All of its praise is absolutely silent. The hour has finally come the Saints are to be Vindicated Satan has to be conquered so it has to be punished and Christ is to be exalted. Then there's the second thing we should note and that is the sounding and look at verse 2. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and seven trumpets were given to them. Here's another component in this scene. You're the angels and John see seven of them. Now Angels always seem to play a very important part in the Judgment of the final day and we won't take the time to track that all through the teachings of scripture. But certainly if you give any attention to Matthew chapters, 13 24 and 25 those things that look ahead to the time of judgment in the end. You see the important role that Angels play and here we find the jhansi seven angels. In fact, they're not just any seven angels but notice they're described as I saw the seven angels who stand before God. There's a definite article there which is kind of interesting. It seems to indicate that there is a unique group of angels seven special angels who stand in the presence of God. Maybe that's not unusual. Maybe all Angels do that. These angels have been worshiping God since the time of their creation. If you read Psalm 104 versus 125, you might conclude their that they were created at the time of creation of the universe. And since that time they've been worshipping God and serving God in the ways that God designed them to to do But there are seven angels who are the ones who stand before God. They don't seem to be just run-of-the-mill Angels the definite article the unique statement who stands before God kind of notes that if they have a special Duty. Now remember the angels are divided at all kinds of ranks and orders the New Testament talks about angels who are powers. Some of them are called principalities. Some of them are called rulers summer called the minions summer called in the Old Testament cherubim summer called Seraph summer called archangels. There are varying ranks and Orders of angels depended on God's purpose and design as he created them. There is one possibility that we can identify a presents Angel maybe one out of these seven could be a unique one, but the interesting statement Luke 119. The angel answered and said to him I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. Basically the same notation there of Gabriel this noted of these seven here. Maybe they're highly exalted Angels like Gabriel if Gabriel is identifying himself as an exalted Angel by saying I am one of the Angels who stands in the presence of God than these 7 must also be high-ranking angels. In the 15th chapter of Revelation in 7:7 you might be interested to know that there are seven angels with seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God. One of the four living creatures living beings gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls there. You have seven angels who are not said to be standing in the presence of God, perhaps they are not designated as presents Angels because they're a different order of angels hard to know. But here you have in chapter 8 verse to the use of the definite article and it made denote them as a special group of angels certainly if they weren't special before those. They got special when they do what they're about to do and their duty is to sound out judgement on seven trumpets. Now the trumpets were used for many things in scripture. They're the most used and most significant instrument in scripture. The only thing that comes even close would be a harp or a stringed instrument with trumpets were used for every important event. Just a little list of them trumpets were used to declare war to assemble the people to announce the great convocations or celebrations or the introduce Kings and trumpets were used to call attention to the almighty God there in the Book of Revelation trumpets are primarily used to announce judgment, but also along with announcing judgment as his angels will blow their trumpets and judgment will fall that you're also used in very ways that I just described to you that are characteristic of trumpets used in the Old Testament.

For example The Trumpet Of War announces the last great battle of God the battle of Armageddon the trumpet of assembly the one that called the people together calls forth. All the saints To The Kingdom Gathering. It is also the trumpet of convocation the one that was blown to announce Jubilee's and festivals that will bring the Great Hall of the greatest Festival the celebration of the reign of Jesus Christ. There'll be a trumpet to proclaim the king's arrival announcing the return and reign of Christ trumpets use fits all of these typical things and certainly signifies that attention be given to the Majesty of God trumpets in the Book of Revelation are also used to hail the fall of Babylon and they were used in ancient times to Hale the fall of cities. So Trump has had many uses and it's almost as if all of those historic uses kind of come together in the trumpets that are blown in this book. So the seven angels hold seven trumpets in each of them when blown will unleashes specific judgment verse 6 tells us in the seven angels who had the seventh seven trumpets prepare themselves to sound them verse 7 says the first sounded verse eight-second Angel sounded verse 10 through Angel sounded verse 12 fourth, Angel sounded 9:1 fifth angel verse 13 6 Angel and clear over and 11:15. The seventh angel sounded they're preparing for a sounding. They're standing on the brink of announcement of a terrifying judgment. It just to give you a brief preview when the first Angel sounds hail and fire mixed with blood or thrown to the Earth. When the second Angel sounds something like a great Mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. When the third Angel sounds a great star fell from heaven burning like a torch when the fourth Angel sounded third of the Sun a third of the Moon a third of the stars were smitten. So the third of them might be dark into the Dan might night might not Shine for a third of it and the night in the same way. The fifth angel sounded and I saw a star from Heaven which had fallen to the Earth in the key of the bottomless pit was given to him and he opened the bottomless pit and smoke went up out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. The sixth Angel sounded and I Heard a Voice from the four horns of the golden Altar and a great Army is gathered an army of 200 million. The seventh angel sounds in there are loud voices in heaven crying the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ then out of that. Seventh sounding Come Those final seven Bowl judgments. Does the seventh seal is broken there is silence in there are angels poised for sounding and that's one of the reasons I believe that these angels make up the components of the seventh seal the third word that helps us in this text is supplication.

At this point another figure grasps John's attention verse 3 another angel came and stood at the altar holding a golden censer and much incense was given to him. So he might add it to the prayers of all the Saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

Here's another Angel. He's doing a very interesting thing. He's standing at the altar and he's holding the golden sensor, which would be on some kind of a rope or a chain and much incense is given to him that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was Before the Throne you have to Alters there and that was the way it was in the temple in the Tabernacle of old. You have the Brazen Altar and then you have the altar of incense. The Brazen altar was basically the altar used to fire the coals to burn the sacrifices for sale. And the altar of incense was where you poured the incense of the fragrance of the incense Rose and was symbolic of the prayers of the people. Typically, the priests would go to the Brazen Altar and with tongs, he would take out of the Brazen altar hot coals and he would put them in a sensor which would just a little instrument by which she could transport these flaming coals. He would fill that little sensor with the Kohl's and he would take it to the altar of incense and he would put those coals on the altar of incense with incense and they would rise the smell of that incense would rise to the nostrils of God symbolically speaking of the prayers of the people. This Angel is functioning like an Old Testament priest. He's standing there at the altar. He's got the golden censer in his hand. He gets incense probably give it to him from God since God is the giver in this scene in order that he might take this incense and the hot coals from that symbolic Brazen altar in the scene that John's having and they might going to the golden Altar and put this down on the golden altar mingled with all the rest of the prayers of the saints that are already there. Because of this Priestly work of this Angel some commentators have felt that the angel maybe Jesus Christ himself in his role as high priest possible, but doesn't seem best and I'll give you a couple reasons why first of all the Lord Jesus Christ has already identified in the scene. He is clearly identified as the lamb in the Heavenly sea, in fact just to versus prior at the end of chapter 7. The lamb is the center of the throne here is another Angel who is standing by the altar just simple reading would tell you this is not the lamb. The mention of seven angels also in verse 7 seems to define the use of the word angel in the context. Whatever those seven were this one must be as well since he Bears the same name Angel. No New Testament usage of the word. Angel is ever ascribed to Jesus Christ the Old Testament. You can be referred to as the angel of the Lord but there is a pre pre incarnate title and he's never called an angel in the New Testament. So it's best to see this as an angel of some exalted Place Not Jesus every word Jesus Christ appears in the Revelation. He is clearly identified. He is Alpha Omega. He is Jesus Christ faithful witness. First born of the Dead ruler of the kings of the earth. He is the son of man the resurrected one the Son of God the son of David the lion of Judah the lamb the root of David faithful and true the word of God King of Kings Lord of lords the beginning and the end, but he has never called an angel. So some Angel stood at the altar and this is the place where the Angels actions begins and it's an amazing action. This is the Heavenly counterpart as I said to the Brazen altar where the fires of sacrifice for sin burned. The angel is there to gather fire into a sensor and he says he has a golden censer. He filled it with fiery coals to ignite he would take it in and ignite the altar of incense, but at this particular point, the image received indicate, the altar of incense is already burning and the prayers of the Saints are already going up and they're praying for Satan to be defeated and sin has to be destroyed and Christ to come there praying as we saw in chapter 6 as the prayer of the martyrs how long oh Lord. How long before you take Vengeance and how long before Christ is exalted. Then God gives us Angel more incense to go in to add to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which is Before the Throne. By the way, the Brazen altar was on the outside. The golden altar was inside the holy of holies twice a day a high priest would do this once at the morning sacrifice and wants of the evening sacrifice. The priests would go to the Brazen Altar and he would get fire and he would mingle it with incense take it right or it before the holy of holies. Put it on the golden Altar and he would ignite that and would send the incense upward and it was symbolizing exactly what the people were doing outside for at the very time that he was doing that they were all outside praying back at Luke you get a very practical account of this in 1:8. Now it happened that while he was performing his Priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division. That is in the ranking of priests. They serve so many times during the year it was his. To do that. He was doing his service verse 9 says according to the custom of the Priestly office. He was chosen by lot to enter the Temple of the Lord and burn incense and the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. So the people are all outside and they're praying and pleading with God and petitioning and he goes inside and symbolically lights and ignites the altar of incense. So here you have this angel doing it and it's simulates symbolizes the accumulated prayers of all the saints. Notice the word all is used there that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints all the prayers of the saints that have gone up that are going up calling for Christ to come and are all accumulated their inverse 4 and the smoke of the incense ascended from the Angel's hand with the prayers of the Saints before God. The residue that he still had in the sensor he went in did what he was to do with the golden altar still had a residue in the center in the sensor. There's still some fiery coals and some burning incense and it's still in his hand in the sense of anticipation as this prayer Rises. It is rising off the Golden Altar and it's even rising out of the sensor and that leads to the final word for this morning. That's the word storm. Here comes a Divine Firestorm. Watch what the angel does inverse 5, then the angel took the sensor and filled it with the fire of the Altar and hurled it to the Earth and there were peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. We went through the description of The Sixth Seal here and the day of the Lord passages in the Old Testament have the sky begins to collapse and the heavens roll up in the celestial body start flying all over the place and crashing into the world. This is another description of that in Heavenly terms. As trumpets blow you see other things smashing and crashing it careening into the Earth. And here is this flaming ball coming out of Heaven that smashes the Earth like a meat. It is propelled of the Earth with severe results. It is destructive in Matthew Chapter 13. The Lord says that the Angels who assist him in the Judgment are going to break bring fire upon sinful man. The tears are going to be bound up in bundles and burned fire is associated with the final judgment. The Lord will destroy your fire is so this powerful Angel curls this thing out of heaven and it crashes into the Earth. And you know, what's an amazing connection here and what I want you to see this that sensor in the Angel's hand is inextricably linked to the prayers of those people, isn't it? Because where did the angel get the fire? He went in there with the added incense and the Flaming coals and put it in mixed it in with all the prayers already going on and then when he got it all mixed together, he then reached in and took some out and put it in the sensor. And what scripture is saying, is it the final Holocaust of judgment that is curled at the Earth in the seventh seal is in direct response to the prayers of God's people. You think prayers are powerful. It's in response to the prayers of God's people. He will hear his Saints and judgment will fall how amazing that the prayers of the Saints become the fire Lee comets the strike the Earth. There followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake and what about this earthquake? Will there's no description nerve already been some Quakes chapter 6 describe the Great Earthquake. It would be my conviction that this is probably got to be at the equal or maybe even bigger one a terrible terrifying earthquake. This is what the world has to look forward to and as I said coming out of the seventh seal whores that are so shocking and will see them on fold in the months to come. The question is asked why is it that during this period of time when the gospel is preached all over the world and 144,000 Jewish evangelists are preaching the gospel and angels flying through space preaching the gospel to Witnesses are preaching the gospel. At some point they're they are all killed and rise from the dead ceiling the validity of their testimony. Then you've got all the people being converted preaching the gospel. Then you've got The Gospel according to Matthew 24 being spread to the ends of the Earth. Why in the midst of all that Holocaust in disaster in judgment? Why don't people believe You say if I was there I'd sign on. There's no way I'd be hanging around when Seven Seals hit in defiance against God. Why will people still be in unbelief why when salvation has been offered and judgment has been tasted why? And the answer is the same answer that Jesus gave and John 3:16 through 18. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life for God did not send his son into the world to judge the world the so that the world might be saved through him. The one who believes in Him is not judged the one who does not believe has been judged already because he is not believed in the name of the only son of God and why verse 19 and this is the judgement that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. They love send. They loved it be even through the tribulation. They loved it. The prophet of old ask. Why will you die Ezekiel 33 tourney tourney? Why will you die I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Why will you die but they will and they do God's provision in Jesus Christ is so that we need not die in our sins and we don't need to suffer this horrible fate and a worse fate eternal. Hell why will you die why Jesus said will you not come to me that you might have life the answer? Men love Darkness because their deeds are evil. They love their sin, but they're send damson. We're here today at this very time because by God's grace we've turned from sin. We will not die will we

I can still awake. I don't want to die and go to hell. I don't want to die in my sins and never be able to go where Jesus is. I don't want to suffer a fate like that described in the seventh seal and there's no need to God offers in the grace of Christ Deliverance salvation rescue and hope for all who receive his son and here we are as Christians and who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ and we read all of this and we have no fear do we We have no fear. This isn't for us. This isn't for us because we have been redeemed by God's grace. We take no credit for that. We put out the humble hand for of a beggar and received a gift. It is tragic beyond all description that the world will die in its sins and reject and reject. They rejected Jesus when he came they reject his gospel now and they'll reject him when they taste the fury of final judgment because they love their sin and I'm so thankful for the grace of God that reached out to you and to me and called us from our sin. because of that we have no fear.

Because of that our hearts grieve for the Lost. But we rejoice. What Chris is going to do for us? What spray?

father We thank you if the chief promised us that we shall not perish but have everlasting life because of Jesus. So our hearts with gratitude and give us a new and fresh desire to live the kind of life that are salvation calls for one that truly is a life of gratitude and exaltation of the one who died that we might live Jesus name. Amen. Thank you. You are dismissed.