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REVELATION 8
II. THE SEVEN ANGELS ARE GIVEN SEVEN TRUMPETS (8:2)
8:2
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 8:2 The scene begins with seven angels who “stand” (histemi, perfect tense, “have been standing”) on purpose as awaiting instructions. The use of the definite article, “the” seven angels, though the article is not translated, indicates this to be a unique and high-ranking group of angels. There are other angels as well, but these seven are given trumpets, which signal the unleashing of seven severe judgments. As Jesus taught, (Matt 13:39-41, 49-50; 16:27; 25:31) angels will play a key role in bringing about the judgments of God in the Tribulation. Each trumpet will signal judgments to begin on earth. The first four trumpets destroy the earth’s ecology (8:6-12), the next two unleash demonic destruction of humanity (8:13; 9:1-11, 13-19), and the seventh trumpet introduces the seven bowl judgments to finalize God’s wrath on mankind. Reflection: Are we beginning to understand how much God hates sin? How will we think of disobedience knowing how God will judge it in the future?
III. THE GOLDEN CENSER (8:3-5)
8:3-4
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 8:3-4 Before the seven angels could sound their trumpets, a solemn event needed to take place. Another angel appears. The word “another” (allos, “another of the same kind”) means that this angel was another of the special angels around the throne. He stood (histemi, perfect tense, “stationed” as in NET) at the golden altar (vvs. 3, 5), which is a heavenly pattern as used in the temple. This may have been a regular function of this angel. Was this the angel that took the coal from the altar and gave it to Isaiah in Isa 6:6? One of the services in the temple was to take hot coals from the brazen altar, site of burning sacrifices, twice a day and carry them to the Holy Place to the incense altar (Ex 30:7,8) just in front of the Holy of Holies, to ignite the incense, which arose in a fragrant smoke, symbolic of the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8).