Article 16
UNDERSTANDING REVELATION - 16
Trumpets and Incense
In the previous article we find that the promises of eternal security in Revelation 7:16-17 are borrowed from the OT, mostly from Isaiah’s restoration promises to Israel. One will suffice: “He will swallow up death forever. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:8). These two passages are made triply sure in 21:4 for the followers of the Lamb! This chapter has brought comfort & consolation to millions.
As we turn to Revelation 8 and address the seven trumpets in chapters 8-9, we find this vision is one of the most perplexing in all Scripture. Read and puzzle! What are they all about? When does the blowing of the trumpets take place? What does Scripture say about trumpets?
In both testaments, the blowing of the trumpet symbolizes “the intervention of God in history.” In the OT the society of Israel was closely connected with the blowing of trumpets. It was a summons to battle; an announcement of the coronation of a king; a call for the gathering of the people and a warning of approaching danger. It was much used in the Israelite religious service. Numbers 10:8-10 is our key text.
“The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations. When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God and you will be saved from your enemies. Also, in the day of your gladness, in your pointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
When seeking forgiveness of sins or when fighting against enemies the priests blew the trumpets. God then responded with forgiveness or deliverance from their adversaries. This concept of “remembering” before God is crucial for an understanding of the theological meaning of the 7 trumpets in Revelation 8-9!! This concept continues in the New Testament. Please read Matthew 24:31, 1 Corinthians 15:52, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16. These passages show that the trumpet reminds us that God is and will be the Protector and Deliverer of His beleaguered people. In Revelation Christ’s voice is like a trumpet (1:10; 4:1). So, we understand better the nature of the seven trumpets. Here we find a series of interventions by God in response to the prayers of his people.
To better understand we turn back to the seals, particularly the 5th seal – 6:9-10. Their prayers are not for vengeance, but for justice and deliverance from oppression on “those who dwell on the earth.” Notice 8:13. This clearly links the trumpet judgments to the prayers of the saints in 6:10.
As we have noticed in previous articles, the introductory scenes of the 7 churches and the 7 seals are active throughout the entire time of the Christian era. So, we also see this in the introduction to the 7 trumpets. We have discovered that Christ continues His intercessory ministry throughout the entire Christian Church era? For review read Acts 2:33; Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16; :24-25; 8:1-2. So, we begin to see that the trumpets parallel the 7 churches and the 7 seals. All these visions are from the throne room and reveal the continual intervention of God in the affairs of earth. God is in charge – HE CARES!
Therefore, we focus our attention on Revelation 8:2-4, (please read) the introduction to the seven trumpets. There, an angel “having a golden censor” is given much incense “to offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand”. The “incense” represents the incense of merits of Christ’s High-priestly on behalf of His people. Again, this teaches us that the activities of the trumpet angels occur during the time of the Christian era because that is the extent of Christ’s ministry in heaven for us! It also shows that God is attentive to the prayers of His followers and that such persistent prayers for justice assume the faithfulness of God. Throughout history there has been a persistent hostility towards deeply committed Christians on the part of those wielding power.
Verse 5 is vital to a proper understanding of the theology of the seven trumpets. There, “the angel Hook the sensor, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” Here we find fire without incense. The “natural” activities of the above sentence are actually “supernatural” activities of God with a specific purpose to get the attention of those who actively oppose Him. We need to remember that God still loves them also. He is working to an ordained end! Through it all the seven trumpets reveal God’s response to the injustice and harm done to His people. Jesus in the Lord of history, and He is in full control of the powers of this world that viciously oppress His people. As we work through the trumpets, we will sense the presence of God with His covenant people.
Michael Wilcock noted:
“The Seals showed the suffering church pleading for justice to be done. But the Trumpets show the wicked world being offered mercy. The offer is not accepted, and the world will not in fact repent (9:20ff); but let it never be said that God has not done all in His power, even to the devastation of His own once perfect earth, in order to bring men to their senses."
We find a striking prototype to the “fire without incense” in Ezekiel 10:2. The historical context is just before the fateful year of 586 B.C. Israel’s God was leaving Jerusalem’s temple with a mighty sound (10:4, 5, 18). What did the casting of the burning coals of fire symbolize? It was the execution of God’s judgment on Jerusalem by means of war and exile (11:8-10). It is a manifestation of the covenant curses found in Leviticus 26:31-34. (It is important to read the entire chapter of Leviticus 26. It describes the covenant blessings on the obedient and the curses on the rebellious.) Even so, God’s covenant would provide mercy for the penitent v. 40-45; Ezekiel 11:16-21. These judgments were not final and full but partial, endeavoring to regain the attention and allegiance of His wayward people.
This urging of repentance on the enemies of Christ’s people is the theological significance of the seals and the trumpets. History teaches us that often-times God’s own people are His worst enemies.
Yes, we need to remember that God still loves those who oppose Him. Paul teaches that it was while we were still god’s enemies that “we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). So, we will find in the seven trumpets preliminary and partial judgments throughout the Christian era, restricted judgments that harm “only” one-third of the earth, (11 times in Revelation 8-9).
God has been working hard for several thousand years. In this Book of Revelation God has revealed Himself, it's the revelation of Jesus Christ, and in broad strokes revealed to us in the first half of Revelation the history of the Christian Church era, yet in enough details so that those who will... can understand, by his rich grace, the times of our visitation and the necessary preparation for them and the second coming of our Lord. This needful preparation we will find as we begin the last half or section of this marvelous book.
In the next article we will begin to discover the historical applications of the seven trumpets.
~Rex Frost
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