God Wins: The Message of the Book of Revelation
A Series by Ray Jewell
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
– Revelation 8:1-5
The picture reminds me of an intermission or even the time before a concert begins. The seventh seal leads into an anticipatory period, all is quiet as the next phase of God’s judgment is about to become a reality. This “lull” in the action serves to remind people that the next vision of seven is coming up, the seven trumpets. God’s judgment with the seals covered ¼ of the earth. The upcoming one will cover 1/3. The judgment is getting more severe, but it is still a partial judgment, again providing people the opportunity to repent.
The key character here is the angel with the golden censer who also has the prayers of the saints mentioned in 6:10. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” There prayer continues to be one of vengeance, although this vengeance is not in their hands, but in God’s. The Lord continues to show His patience in bringing on the final judgment so more people can come to Him through the Lamb.
The tools of the upcoming partial judgment are natural occurrences; thunder, lightning, earthquake. The picture shows that God is still in charge of even this part of His creation.
For us today, we can rest assured that God will ultimately take His revenge on those who have persecuted His people. Yet He continues to show a loving perseverance, desiring even the enemies of god to come to Him. Who are we to treat His enemies any other way? Jesus, the Lamb, instructed all of his disciples to what? To love your enemies. To do good to those who persecute. I wonder, are we really part of the people of God if we do anything but love the opposition?
Lord, help me love my enemies this day by sharing life, kindness, even possessions with them. Amen.
Until next time,
TO THE GLORY OF GOD!
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