Revelation Session 12
Notes
Transcript
The Seventh Seal & the Prayers of the Saints
The Seventh Seal & the Prayers of the Saints
Recap:
God answers the question of “Who can stand?”
The people of God are sealed, preserved, and assured
The focus was not escape from suffering, but security in the midst of tribulation
The chapter emphasized identity, belonging, and future hope.
Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
Revelation 6 ended with the question who is able to stand. Chapter 7 does not advance the timeline. It answers that question.
This chapter 7 an interlude—a pastoral pause—designed bring assurance to God’s people. They are sealed, preserved, and secure.
Chapter 8 resumes the seal sequence:
1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having 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.
4 And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints, out of the angel’s hand, before God.
5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Exposition
Exposition
A. The Opening of the Seventh Seal: Silence in Heaven (v. 1)
1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Up to this time heaven has been anything but quiet. Heaven was filled with the noise of worship, thunder, voices, and proclamation.
It is a dramatic pause that makes even more impressive the judgments about to fall upon the earth
20 “But Yahweh is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
7 Be silent before Lord Yahweh! For the day of Yahweh is near, For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice; He has set apart His guests.
8 “Then it will be on the day of Yahweh’s sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
13 “Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.”
There is silence in heaven for 1/2 hour. At the brink of the end of chapter 6 “who shall be able to stand”, we understand the break in chapter seven as Revelation explains that the redeem are saved amidst all of what is happening.
But there is an expectation that after that revelation, we should reach the end of the story with Jesus bursting to the clouds. But that does not happen. How are we to understand this silence?
1. Silence is reverence: it reflects awe at the glory and majesty of the Sovereign Lord who comes in splendor and might.
Revelation Chapter 25: Silence in Heaven (Revelation 8:1–5)
“so fearful and awful … that the inhabitants of heaven stand spell-bound, lost for a time—half an hour—in breathless, in silent amazement.”
2. Serves a literary purpose: Hearing this book being read for the first time would give the impression that the book was concluding with the opening of the seventh seal. Yet there is more to reveal.
Since Revelation pauses here, we will too, to take stock of what has happened so far
Chapters 1—3:
Chapters 1—3:
Presented the glory of Christ as Lord of His church, and through the 7 letters expressed the governing principles for the Church in this age.
Chapters 4—7
Chapters 4—7
Presented a view of history focused on the opening of the seven seals on God’s scroll.
Specifically, chapters 4 and 5 gave us a view of heaven and in chapter 6 the seals are opened to release the tribulations in history out of which the redeemed are saved.
Chapter seven showed the restraining judgement and sealing of the saints so that they would arrive safely in heaven . The final judgement that began with the sixth seal is paused by the opening of the seventh seal and there is silence here in chapter 8.
A bit of an explanation of what is to come:
We have seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls. DP will see these as a straight line of chronological events in Revelation. However, all other views see these different angles of the same events with each angle revealing another layer.
Moreover, much of what happens when the trumpets are blown and the bowls are poured obviously precedes the final judgment revealed in the sixth seal. For instance, when the angel blows the third trumpet, a star falls from heaven to poison all the rivers (Rev. 8:10). Under a strict chronology this is impossible, since under the sixth seal (6:13) all “the stars of the sky” had already “[fallen] to the earth.” Therefore, it is evident that the judgments of the trumpets and bowls take place chronologically before the sixth seal, which occurs earlier in the text of Revelation.
Understood rightly, the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet, and the seventh bowl all depict aspects of the same event: the return of Christ in wrath and salvation. With that, let’s move on
B. The Seven Angels and the Trumpets (v. 2)
2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Heavenly order:
These angels “stand before God,” indicating readiness, authority, and divine commissioning. Nothing here is random or reactionary. We are not told the identity of these seven angels, although there are two notable suggestions:
In chapter 1, Jesus stood amid the seven golden lampstands, with seven stars in his hand who were “the angels of the seven churches” (1:20). It may be, therefore, that the seven angels of chapter 8 are the angels of the churches to which John was writing, which together signify the whole church in the gospel age.
Other scholars urge that these seven are more likely the angels of God’s presence, referred to in Isaiah 63:9. Two of these archangels are named in the Bible: Michael (Jude 9) and Gabriel (Luke 1:19). Jewish apocryphal writings supply the names of the other five as Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Sariel, and Remiel (1 Enoch 20:2–8). Since the definite article identifies these angels as “the seven,” it is probably best to understand them as the seven archangels
Meaning of trumpets:
In Scripture, trumpets often signal warning, announcement, or divine intervention. They call attention before action occurs:
16 So it happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because Yahweh descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.
19 And the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder; then Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.
Also, trumpets serve as warning before judgement:
1 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman,
3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people,
4 then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
5 ‘He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have escaped with his life.
The trumpets tell us that what follows is not surprise judgment—it is announced judgment.
C. The Angel, the Altar, and the Prayers of the Saints (vv. 3–4)
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having 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.
4 And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints, out of the angel’s hand, before God.
Incense means acceptability of what is being offered albeit worship and/or prayers:
2 May my prayer be established as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
The prayers do not ascend on their own strength. They ascend because God has provided what makes them acceptable. That is pure grace.
What Incense Is Not:
Not the quality of our prayers
Not emotional intensity
Not spiritual technique
Not human worthiness
Prayer is acceptable because God has provided a mediator
This scene ties directly back to Revelation 6:9–11, where the martyrs cried out for justice.
Heaven treats prayer as weighty participation in God’s purposes, not background noise. Jesus said,
49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
D. Fire from the Altar: Prayer and Judgment United (v. 5)
5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
It is obvious that his fire is cast down in response to the prayers revealed by the fifth seal. The martyrs cried, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:10). In the judgment of the seventh seal, Christ has responded to their pleas and avenged his martyred church.
The transition in 8:1–5 reveals some of the artistry of Revelation. Not only are the seven seals followed by the seven trumpets, but the end of one and the beginning of the other are interlocked, since the seven trumpets are introduced in verse 2 and the judgment of the seventh seal is shown in verses 3–5.
This overlap is constructed to make a point essential to the message of Revelation as a whole. It shows that the judgments depicted by both the seals and the trumpets occur in response to the prayers of God’s people
The emphasis on prayer in this passage makes a number of important points. First and foremost, we see that prayer is the means by which God accomplishes his purpose in history. This is the point that we are to notice in Revelation 8:3–5, a point so important that the seven archangels are interrupted from blowing their trumpets.
Here, God reveals the strength of his covenant bond with his people and his attention to their prayers by first sending the angel to offer up the prayers of the saints and only then using their container to cast fiery judgments on the world.
One reason that this needs to be emphasized is that Christians tend to rely on our own activity and to focus on what we can do against sin and evil, while we often neglect the far more important resource of prayer. In contrast, the biblical idea of holy warfare places prayer first and our own activity second
Also, people had rejected His grace. That rejection resulted in the martyrdom of those under the altar. That rejection gives way to judgment— not because God is cruel but because He is just
The same altar associated with prayer now becomes the source of judgment.
Fire is thrown to the earth.
Thunder, lightning, and earthquake follow—symbols of divine presence and action.
The prayers for justice do not vanish into silence. They become part of the means by which God acts. The church is not powerless in history. God weaves the prayers of His people into the unfolding of His redemptive and judicial purposes.
Theological Reflections
Theological Reflections
1. Silence as Holy Fear and Judicial Anticipation
The silence in heaven is not merely a pause—it is dread-filled reverence before the execution of God’s righteous judgment. Throughout Scripture, silence often accompanies the realization that God is about to act decisively, especially in judgment.
This is not therapeutic silence or contemplative stillness. It is the silence that falls when all excuses are gone and every mouth is stopped before the holiness of God. Heaven grows quiet because the weight of divine justice is fully understood.
2. Prayer Is a God-Ordained Means, Not a Mere Expression
Revelation 8 teaches that prayer is not merely therapeutic or symbolic. The prayers of the saints are formally presented, received, and answered. God has chosen to weave the prayers of His people into the unfolding of redemptive history.
This does not diminish God’s sovereignty; it magnifies it. God ordains both the ends and the means. Prayer is one of those means.
3. Divine Judgment Flows from Holiness, Not Impulse
Judgment emerges from the altar—the place of sacrifice, intercession, and holiness. This reminds us that God’s judgment is morally grounded. It is not arbitrary wrath but righteous response.
The same holiness that accepts prayer is the holiness that cannot tolerate unrepentant rebellion. Grace and judgment are not opposites; they flow from the same holy character of God.
4. The Church Is Not Spectator but Participant
The suffering church on earth is actively involved in heaven’s activity. The martyrs’ cries in chapter 6 and the prayers of the saints in chapter 8 reveal that the church is not forgotten, sidelined, or passive.
God dignifies the faithfulness of His people by incorporating their prayers into His work. This reinforces the biblical truth that perseverance, suffering, and prayer are never meaningless.
5. Christ Remains Central Even in Judgment
The Lamb opens the seal. Everything that follows—including judgment—comes through the authority of the crucified and risen Christ. This guards us from viewing judgment as detached from the gospel.
The same Christ who saves is the Christ who judges. His judgment is therefore neither unjust nor unloving, b
Eschatological Views
Eschatological Views
Eschatological Views Table
Clarifying Teaching Note (Very Important)
Clarifying Teaching Note (Very Important)
Only Dispensational Premillennialism insists on a strict, forward-moving chronological structure.
Historic Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism all recognize repetition or recapitulation, even if they disagree on direction and outcome.
This explains why:
Seals, trumpets, and bowls often mirror each other
Similar language and imagery reappear
Judgment is described from multiple angles, not in a single timeline
This distinction helps people stop reading Revelation like a modern news ticker and start reading it like apocalyptic theology.
Application & Pastoral Emphasis
Application & Pastoral Emphasis
Do not confuse God’s silence with God’s indifference
Heaven’s silence is not neglect; it is holy resolve. When God appears quiet, He is not absent, uncertain, or inactive. He is acting according to perfect justice and timing. The church must learn to wait without accusing God of apathy.
Recover a biblical fear of the Lord
Revelation 8 reminds us that judgment is real and deserved. Grace is only amazing when we remember what we have been spared from. A shallow view of sin produces a shallow view of grace. The silence in heaven calls us to reverence, not casual familiarity.
Pray with confidence, not resignation
The prayers of the saints are not symbolic gestures—they are part of how God moves history forward. Every prayer offered in faith is heard, stored, and answered according to God’s will. Prayer is not a last resort; it is active participation in God’s purposes.
Trust God’s justice even when evil seems to prevail
The martyrs’ cries are not ignored. God’s response may not match our timeline, but it will match His righteousness. This anchors believers who suffer, are persecuted, or feel overwhelmed by injustice in the world.
Live faithfully in the present age, not speculatively in the future
Revelation was not given to create end-times obsession but enduring faithfulness. Whether judgments are cyclical or future, the call remains the same: remain faithful, pray persistently, fear God rightly, and trust Christ fully.
When heaven is silent, the church must not panic.
When judgment is delayed, the church must not doubt.
When suffering continues, the church must not stop praying.
