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The Apocalypse

or

"The Day of the Lord"

The Second Vision "in Heaven"
H², chaps. 7:9 - 8:6

The Seventh Seal (8:1-6).

From the Structure of this Second Vision "in Heaven" we saw that this last great member A (8:1-6) is set in contrast and corresponds with A (7:9-12), the Heavenly voices and utterances.

We have shown that the six Seals cover not only the whole period of the Great Tribulation, but that the sixth bring us right up to the great day of wrath; co-terminous, apparently, with chap. 11:17, 18 (the seventh Trumpet), and chap. 20 (the final Judgment).

But that, whereas the seventh Trumpet expands into the seven Vials — which are consecutive — the sixth Seal is followed by silence in heaven, as though to break off all continuity, and to show us that we have to go back and learn how the details of the judgments of the Seals are to be filled in.

The following is the Structure of 8:1-6, describing the close of this second Vision "in Heaven":

The breaking of the seventh Seal, instead of producing one single result, as the other six had done is closed by this "silence," which seemed to John to last half an hour; after which, John is shown how the prayers of the saints under the fifth Seal are presented (verses 3, 4), and answered (verse 5), by the commencement of a series of judgments ushered in by the sounding of seven Trumpets. But we will first give the translation of 8:1-6.

8:1. And when he opened the seventh seal, there was (i.e., became, came on, or followed) silence in heaven about half an hour.]     At the sounding of the seventh Trumpet there are "great voices in heaven" (11:5). And at the pouring out of the seventh Vial, a great voice came out of the throne (16:17).

But this "silence" means more than that. It marks very solemnly the pause between the prayer and the answer, which shall turn the prayer into praise. On earth, the cry of the saints has been incessant. They "cry day and night." In heaven the cry is now about to be answered, and there is a solemn pause — the silence of expectation.

The Heb. (...) (dumeyyah) silence (fem. adj.), which occurs four times, exactly expresses the position.

(1)   "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not;
        And in the night season, there is no silence to me.
        But thou art holy,
        O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel" (Psa. 22:2, 3 (3, 4).

(2)   "I was dumb with silence (Psa. 39:2 (3)).

(3)   "Truly my soul is silence toward God:
        From him cometh my salvation" (Psa. 62:1 (2)).

(4)   "There shall be silence before thee,
        And praise, O God, in Zion.
        O thou that hearest prayer,
        Unto thee shall all flesh come" (Psa. 65:1 (2) RV. marg.).

In all these four passages the word denotes a period of waiting between the offering of the prayer, and the giving of the answer which shall call forth praise. The adverb in Lam. 3:26 exactly expresses it: "It is good when one doth wait even in silence for the salvation of Jehovah."

That goodness is here seen, for the prayers offered on earth are, during this period of silence, formally presented before God, and the answer is formally announced in the preparation of the seven angels to sound their Trumpets and declare war against Satan and all his hosts. This is what is now seen by John.

2. and I saw the seven angels]      i.e., at the expiration of the half-hour. Not merely seven angels, but THE seven, because well known, and before referred to as "the seven spirits which are before the throne" (1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6), for "he maketh his angels spirits" (Heb. 1:7).

At the breaking of the seventh Seal there is silence. This shows that here we have a pause with a view of a return, to fill up details. While in the other two (the Trumpets and Vials) we have continuous and consecutive and consequent action arising from the seventh Trumpet.

who stand in the presence of God;]      In chap. 4:5, they are the called THE seven spirits of God (So. 3:1) for it is said of the angels: He "maketh His angels spirits" (Heb. 1:14). The word (...) (pneumata) spirits, is used of any spiritual being. In chap. 5:6 also we again read of "THE seven spirits sent forth into all the earth."

There seems to be no doubt but that all these passages relate to the same seven "Presence-Angels."

In Dan. 4:13 (10), 17 (14), 23 (20), they are called (...) (irin) watchers (Greek, (...) (egregoroi), 70. Lam. 4:14). This term is from Ps. 103:20, i.e., those who watch and wait for the Divine commands. That GABRIEL is one of these is clear from Luke 1:19. MICHAEL may be another.

and there was given unto them seven trumpets.]     By whom they were given is not stated. But they were given by direction from the Throne; the action of which is now renewed, though it is changed. The Lamb opened the Seals, but Angels sound the Trumpets. The Seals were opened in secret; the Trumpets publicly proclaim war. (See Num. 10:9. Judges 6:34; 3:27; 7:8, 16, 18:1 Sam. 13:3. Jer. 4:5. Job 39:25. Rev. 14:14). They notify also the presence of the great and terrible day of the Lord. See Zeph. 1:14-16.

3. And another angel came and took his stand at the altar, having a golden censer;]     We are not told who this other angel was, and therefore it is simple speculation to assert, as many do, that he was the Lord Jesus Himself. The golden censer belonged to the Holy Place (Heb. 9:4), and it was the golden altar on which the incense was offered.

And there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar that was before the throne. (4) And the smoke of the incense went up before God, with the prayers of the saints, out of the hand of the angel.]     We have here a Vision of events in Heaven, from which we learn that Heaven is a place of great and grand realities; the dwelling-place of God, in which Heavenly worship is carried on. The Tabernacle on earth and its worship; and afterward the Temple with its ordinances, were only copies of the realities in heaven; "figures of the true," and "patterns of things in the heavens." "Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the Tabernacle: for, see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount" (Heb. 8:5; 9:23, 24). In like manner was David admonished, when he received the plan and pattern of the Temple "in writing" from God (1 Chron. 28:11-13, 19).

The prayers of the martyred saints were over, but the cry of their blood from the ground is voiced in words (6:10). These prayers are the living saints, the people of the book; the 144,000, and the great multitude before they are taken out of the great Tribulation, who "cry day and night unto Him" (Luke 18:7). We have specimens of these prayers, given (proleptically) in the Psalms:

        "Give them according to their deeds,
        And according to the wickedness of their endeavours:
        Give them after the work of their hands;
        Render to them their desert" (Psa. 28:4).        

        "Do unto them as unto the Midianites;
        As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kishon" (Ps. 83:9).

And the very Psalm which likens prayer to incense, also contains similar prayers (Ps. 141:1, 2, 7, 10).

        "Lord, I cry unto thee:
        Make hast unto me:
        Give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
        Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense;
        And the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice...
        Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth,
        As when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth...
        Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
        Whilst that I withal escape (marg. Heb. pass over).

The Golden altar "is before the throne." So it was in the earthly copy of the heavenly pattern. It was "before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony" (Ex. 30:6; 40:5, 26).

5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it from the fire of the altar (Lev. 16:12), and he cast the fire unto the earth: and there were thunderings, and voices, and lightnings,* and an earthquake.] We have a similar scene in Ezek. 10:2, &c., where the fire is taken from between the cherubim under the throne, and scattered over the city of Jerusalem in token of its destruction. So here: that on which the fire falls is to be consumed and destroyed. This is the answer to the prayers which had been so solemnly offered. In other places "fire" is mentioned as one of the judgments which He will send on the earth. (see Ezek. 39:6; 38:22. Hos. 8:14. Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12; 2:5). Compare Deut. 32:22.

* This is the order according to T.Tr.A. WH. and RV. L. and WHm. read "thunderings and lightnings and voices."

This very scene is prophesied in similar words in Ps. 18:4, 6-8:

        "The floods of ungodly (marg., Belial) men made me afraid...
        In my distress I called upon the Lord,
        And cried unto my God:
        He heard my voice out of his Temple,
        And my cry came before him, even into his ears.
        Then the earth shook and trembled;
        The foundations also of the hills moved
        And were shaken, because he was wroth,
        There went up a smoke out of (marg., by) his nostrils,
        And fire out of his mouth devoured:
        Coals were kindled by it."

The fulfilment of the next verse, which speaks of this actual descent, is deferred here by the description of other events which are also to take place.

6. And the seven angels who had the seven Trumpets made themselves ready that they might sound them.]     The prohibition of 7:1 is now about to be removed. Twice the sevenfold enunciation is given, and the reproach of Ps. 79:11, 12 is about to be rewarded "sevenfold," in answer to the prayers which had been offered.

This heavenly vision is a vision showing what will one day literally take place. If they are Symbols, they are symbols of solemn realities. If they are Figures, they are figures, not of speech, but of facts. Just as the judgments of God at the time of the Exodus were real and literal; and the announcements of them were literally fulfilled, so will these be. For they are exactly what is foretold. "According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I show him marvellous things" (Mic. 7:15).

Indeed, we are distinctly told that the physical marvels of that day shall be "like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt" (Is. 11:15, 16).

We are even told in Jer. 23:7, 8 that the coming judgments (for which preparation is now made, Rev. 8:1-6) shall exceed those which God performed in Egypt, and the covenant of marvels we must once more quote as being conclusive on this point:

"Behold I make a covenant: before all thy people I WILL DO MARVELS, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a TERRIBLE THING that I will do with thee" (Ex. 34:10, and compare Deut. 28:10).

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