Ending the daily sacrifice and blowing of the trumpets. THIS IS THE SEVENTH SEAL. EACH SEAL TERMINATES SOMETHING SO THAT IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. THIS ONE TERMINATES POLLUTED INCENSE BEING BROUGHT TO GOD AND HENCE ACCESS TO GOD BY SATAN. THAT POLLUTED INCENSE LED TO TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES ON EARTH. IT IS A BIT MORE THAN 3½ YEARS BECAUSE IT INCLUDES THE DAY OF THE LORD. IT STARTS WITH THE ENDING OF THE DAILY SACRIFICE WHICH IS PART OF CLEANSING THE TEMPLE. REVELATION 9-19 EXPLORES THE DETAILS OF HOW THIS IS ACHIEVED.
Use this link to go back to the summary.
Atonement is pictured in the last group of God's feasts and it requires the death of a sacrificial lamb and banishment of an Azazel young goat. The first part of Atonement required the death of the Lamb, that happened at Passover. Now the second part requires the removal of Azazel. In my opinion the Seventh Seal covers the events of the last 3½ years. These are the final things that God must fix for mankind's future to unfold. Many of them happen simultaneously, and for example the first four trumpets (the ones in this chapter, chapter 8) happen in quick succession at the beginning of this period and will catch people unawares. It is triggered by Christ continuing the work that was interrupted by His death, and now He begins the final half of the week. All of the work is defined by Daniel 9:24 [KJV], Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy
. How we know that it is the final week (i.e. only one week to go) is because of Daniel 9:25, Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times
(Daniel 9:25 [KJV]). That is to say that since the Messiah has already come then the seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks
must have passed. In verse 25 Daniel is told how 69 weeks of the 70 are already accounted for in history. The seventy weeks (or sevens) is broken down into 62 weeks and 7 weeks leaving 1 week to go. So we get a 49 years (7 weeks), a 434 years (62 weeks), and one 7 years (one week). We delve into these 70 weeks in greater detail when dealing with Revelation 10 but for now I just want to establish that the remaining work starts in the middle of the week where Christ left off at His crucifixion. Christ does His remaining work through the two witnesses and Satan opposes. Among the things that were to be done was to make reconciliation for iniquity, which can only be done if the Temple is cleansed. John is seeing what is going on from heaven. The Temple in heaven has been polluted and has to be cleansed. We discuss one element of this in Revelation 12 but Revelation 8 highlights the problem. This should never be allowed to happen again. There cannot be a rogue element in the priesthood that presents strange incense to the High Priest to bring destruction to the Earth. This incense was so bad that it caused terrible upheaval (represented as earthquakes etc.) in the Earth (which is the original destruction, before the time when Adam sinned). This is the same place that Satan (the source of the Earth's misery) was cast into and which probably initiated the chaos, which has helped me to draw certain conclusions. To maintain stability God cannot remove Satan until He finds a suitable replacement.
In Revelation 1 we established that John is seeing what is going on from heaven. This is my understanding of the general meaning. The physical Temple was made after a pattern. That pattern represents the work of God and that work has been hindered. We have just finished talking about Israel, in one case represented by the twelve bulls under the bronze sea and in another the Table of Shewbread. We are moving towards the Most Holy Place. The Lamb would have started at the altar of sacrifice (the entrance of the gateway to God), passed the Bronze Sea on the outside (possibly a material representation of Israel) and entered the Holy Place with the candlestick (the seven angels to the Church) and the shewbread (the Church) and the Golden Altar (the spiritual end of the Gateway to God) moving towards the curtain (the exit of the gateway and entrance to the throne and God) in order to atone for Israel. Now those seven angels are given trumpets. As we reach the golden altar another angel enters and goes there. The only place left to go after this is the mercy seat (the throne) in the Most Holy Place. Who is this at the Golden Altar? The Lamb has been transformed into a priest to cleanse the Temple. We know that He (Christ) will end at the Most Holy Place. As He takes off the seals He, the righteous judge and chief beneficiary of the will, is moving to the throne where He will be transformed into a king during the Day of the Lord. Christ is ripping off seals as He moves toward His throne.
I think that a summary of my interpretation of the creatures with the four faces in Revelation 4 is in order here. Those were at the base of the lavers but not at the base of the bronze sea. The bronze sea stood on the back of the twelve tribes. They were redeemed by baptism in that sea in order to reach the holy place. The lavers dealt with sacrifice and death, while the sea was redemption and service to God but they tie together. The lavers meant that they shared the fate of the Lamb in sacrifice/death and the sea meant that they shared the work of the Lamb in priesthood/service.
This is all part of the ending of the daily sacrifice which continues with the final 3½ years as the second half of the week. Christ was cut off from this work in the first half. The last thing that Christ did in the first 3½ years (intervening years don't count) was to complete the earthly requirements to ending the daily sacrifice (death of the Lamb etc.), and the work now continues in the sixth and seventh seals. Things continue in the second 3½ years as though the two are connected as in one week. The daily sacrifice could not be allowed to end on Earth before Christ lived on Earth because He had to live a perfect life and keep all His commandments as a Jew. For that He needed a genuine Temple. The daily sacrifice is actually ended in stages and began aeons ago when there was an attack on heaven. It will see a final phase when Satan is completely removed from authority. The seventh seal is composed of the seven trumpets. The last three trumpets are also called woes and they start with another phase in ending of the daily sacrifice. At the end of the Sixth seal (which represents the end of the martyrdom of the saints - except for the Two Witnesses they are taken to a place of safety) terrible trouble again begins in the earth. To begin the prevention of martyrdom all the faithful are collected and taken to a place of safety and are no longer scattered to offer general protection to the Earth through their prayers. This is like when Satan was originally thrown down, i.e. when the coals were originally dashed into the Earth.
Seven Trumpets
There are seven trumpets that make up the seventh seal. The last three trumpets are in chapter 9 and are also called woes. Do not get confused with the seven vials of Revelation 16. They are not the same but related.
Seven angels = seven stars = angels to seven churches are now given seven trumpets.
- Seventh Seal = Seven trumpets
- By the end of this chapter
- First Angel/Trumpet = the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up
- Second Angel/Trumpet = the third part of the sea became blood
- Third Angel/Trumpet = the third part of fresh water polluted
- Fourth Angel/Trumpet = daylight reduces by 1/3
- from Chapter 9
- Fifth Angel/Trumpet (First woe) = smoke from bottomless pit brings unknown mutated creatures possessed by what appears to be supernatural powers that torment and kill for 5 months
- Sixth Angel/Trumpet (Second Woe) = angels from Euphrates produce weapons that kill 1/3 of men.
- Seventh Angel/Trumpet (Third Woe) = the return of Christ and the Day of the Lord (Amos 5:18-20). The Third Woe follows the resurrection (Revelation 11:11-14).
- By the end of this chapter
Joshua
The best association that I know of relating to trumpets and the Feast of Trumpets is Joshua and the fall of Jericho. His original name was Hoshea (Hebrew: Hōšēaʿ, meaning 'Save') the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him Yehoshua
(translated as Joshua
in English). These [are] the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua
(Numbers 13:16 [KJV]). It is actually a name of God which means Yahweh Saves
and is identical to the name of our Messiah or Saviour. What is commonly translated as Jesus in English is actually the Hebrew name Jehoshua or Joshua.
Joshua was the elder brother who led God's people into the promised land. By the time they went through the flooded waters of the Jordan (Joshua 3:17) all of the others of his generation except Caleb were dead. On the other side stood the walls of Jericho and the concentrated power of the enemy. At the sound of the trumpet they all fell before him (Joshua 6:20). Joshua completely conquered the land of Canaan and restored it to God (Joshua 11:16). Every dominion crumbled whether in the mountain or in the valley and all power was subdued by him (Joshua 12:7-8). He divided the land according to the tribes (Joshua 11:23; 18:10) and established the covenant of giving them a land.
Jericho was the beginning of the conquest and that was completed with seven trumpets and a shout.
During the seven trumpets there was still the possibility of repentance and escape, nevertheless only the remnant of Rahab, who had previously professed loyalty to God, escaped.
Altar of Sacrifice
The altar is the place where we access God's blessings.
It is here that Christ, the sacrificial Lamb, started out as our messiah.
The altar is a duality that represents a spiritual entity. As Christians we have the access to the spiritual entity in a way that the Aaronic priesthood did not have. We
, Christians use a different altar than they
, the Aaronic priesthood.
Whether we consider the material or the spiritual altar it stays with the Children of Israel wherever they go.
The purpose of the rings and the staves was to take the altar with Israel wherever they went. The things that God wants from the altar are intangible, represented by the smoke. The savour in the smoke is what went to God.
Our prayers are represented by the morning and evening sacrifice.
The Golden Altar
What does the Golden Altar have to do with ending the daily sacrifice? Christ's sacrifice would have taken place at the bronze altar but the fragrance must reach behind the veil. Coals were brought from one altar to the other in order to symbolically accomplish this. In Revelation 8:4 there is a switch in tense in the KJV that gives the impression that the offering was actually made.
As I understand it there is no tense in the Greek and so the switch in tense is an assumption made by the translators. The sacrifice was never made so you cannot say it ascended up
before God. What is described after the angel was given the incense is what SHOULD happen: it SHOULD have ascended up before God
.
By this time the veil is already torn and Aaron's ministry is finished. There is only one sacrifice actually required and that was done by Christ, however there is a constant need of atonement through a daily oblation for those on the Earth. Aaron's administration was terminated, so who does this work? From Hebrews we have said that prayers from the saints are an integral part of a daily sacrifice and certainly the atonement.
According to Wikipedia @ 2011-11-05. . .On this altar incense was burned daily at the time of the morning and the evening sacrifices. The coals used on this altar had to be taken from the Altar of Burnt Offerings. The incense used had to be made according to a specific formula (Exodus 30:34-35), and no other incense was permitted (Exodus 30:9 ). . .
, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altar_(Bible)#Altar_of_Incense.
The burning of the incense was symbolic of the prayer of the people rising up to God (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4). The offering of incense had to take place after the sacrifice, because only after the atonement could communion with God take place. After the offering of incense, the Kohenim (priests) pronounced the Priestly Blessing upon the people.
According to jewishencyclopedia.com
In Herodian times the preparation of the incense was a kind of privilege retained in the family of Abtinas, which was thought to be in possession of special directions for making it. They were particularly credited with knowing how to cause the smoke of the incense-offering to rise in the form of the stem of a date-tree.
When it reached the ceiling it spread out and descended, and covered the whole space. The smoke from incense prepared by other apothecaries spread irregularly as it rose. The family would not divulge the secret of its art, and was consequently driven from office. Apothecaries from Alexandria were sent for who were proficient in incense-making; but they could not secure smoke which rose regularly. The Abtinases were, therefore, recalled, but they demanded double the pay they had previously received (Yoma 38b; Yer. Yoma iii. 9)
Immanuel Benzinger, Judah David Eisenstein, Executive Committee of the Editorial Board INCENSEjewishencyclopedia.com http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8099-incense2011-11-05
This reveals the source of the problem that is now to be addressed in heaven. God expects prayers presented at regular intervals (twice a day) from daily sacrifices to atone for sin in the Earth, but there is no Aaronic priesthood for biological Israel. Christ's sacrifice was once and for all but not the prayers. The Church that sends up acceptable prayers has been removed to a special location - explained in Revelation 10 and 12 - and therefore the prayers that should come from scattered places around the Earth are now missing (Genesis 18:32, James 5:16, Matt 5:13, Job 6:6, Mark 9:49-50). Only a few righteous people would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah. When God comes to examine the situation what will He find?
God explains that without this heart in some people He would curse the earth.
James explains that faith and works are co-dependent.
But prayer is the enabler. It is our access to God that gives us power. Prayers of Christians are essential.
Christians are the salt of the Earth.
Mark explains the principle. A person must retain their salt or be cast out.
In similar manner, if the Earth loses its salt it becomes fit to be cast out, but thankfully it only takes a little salt for God to tolerate it.
Once God's anger is kindled then this is what follows.
Mark said that everyone shall be salted with fire. The fire is what drove the smoke and fragrance out of the incense and sent it up. One possibility is that the fire represents all the tribulation in the earth; a second is that it means only the suffering in second half of Christ's week of work (the final 3½ years yet to come); and another is that it represents suffering from the end of the first 3½ years (when Christ was crucified) continuing through the final 3½ years. Bear in mind that prophecy ignores the time outside of the prophetic week and collapses it into the nether-period joining the first 3½ years to the second 3½ years, forming the one prophetic week.
Remember that we are dealing with the ending of daily sacrifice which is accomplished in 1 prophetic week. The first 3½ years, which culminated with the Resurrection, ended with Satan going after the newly formed Church, causing havoc. In the beginning of the second 3½ years the Church has to be taken to a place of safety from Satan's rampage. In history there is the type with the Church fleeing to what some believe was Petra but that period does not exist in prophecy because the first 3½ years is connected directly to the second without any intervening time. The ending of the daily sacrifice for biological Israel was completed with the destruction of the Temple in that nether-period between the first and second 3½ years. I suspect that there may not even be a legitimate Aaronic priesthood with which to rebuild a holy systems that conforms to God's law. The ritual that is prescribed in the Torah requires that Israel (the priesthood and the regular people) be redeemed at Atonement each year in order to carry it out. These and other functions require an outfitted Temple. The spiritual temple is the people that comprise the Church. These offer a daily sacrifice from around the world through prayers. Christ ends that type of global sacrifice through taking His kin to one place, the place of safety. Since in the final 3½ years the Church would be extracted to that place of safety there is nothing (no righteous prayers/no Atonement) to appease the curse, hence no evidence for Christ to present as advocate for the world at large. As with Sodom and Gomorrah where it only required 10 to save the city it would only take a few to save each nation. The four living creatures and 24 elders have the incense with the prayers (Revelation 5:8). It does not appear as though these gave the incense to the angel so where would it come from? Strange incense, devoid of the correct prayers (sweet fragrance) could not be used, therefore the coals are thrown into the Earth by the angel who we will identify later as the High Priest.
On the other hand this ending of the daily sacrifice could refer to Satan before this age, having his offering to God being rejected (having no sweetness, no honour and respect in the intercession), which culminated in him being thrown into the earth as a curse. It could also represent both (which is what I believe) since in both cases Satan is at the centre. Someone could ask how do I know that this happened in the past and that the real incident pre-dates the age of man. The answer is that I believe that if God knew that someone would bring strange incense in the future then He would remove that person from the priesthood. They would not be allowed to act as His priest. It had to have happened as a surprise by someone of whom it can be said Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee
(Ezekiel 28:15 [KJV]).
I have historical precedent for this view. In Ezra 2:58-63 we find two groups of returnees that were unable to prove their lineage and validate their right to participate in worship at the Temple.
The priests who were unable to prove their lineage were regarded as profane.
Before the Temple was used for worship it had to be dedicated and that meant purification by sacrifices and ensuring that God's people and His priests were genuine.
Altar as Gateway to God
Jacob understood that the altar was the earthly end of the gateway to access God.
At the other end is our advocate.
The High priest presided over the offerings at the bronze altar but then he also had to connect the Golden Altar by taking the coals from the bronze altar inside and there allowing the intangible part of the offering to reach God. An ordinary priest could offer morning and evening offerings but only the High Priest could go within the inner veil and offer to the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement. For that day we are told how the incense got from the bronze altar to the Golden Altar/Altar of Incense.
It appears that the coals of the Golden Altar came from the coals of the Bronze Altar. This is what wikipedia says April 24, 2018 under caption Altar (Bible) sub Altar of burnt offering:
. . .There are three separate piles of wood burned atop the altar. The largest of these was where all the portions of the sacrifices were burned; the second fire provided the coals for the Altar of Incense within the sanctuary, and the third was the "perpetual fire" which constantly burned on the altar. Nothing was placed on it, and no coals were taken from it. It existed solely to fulfill the commandment that there be a perpetual fire, as the Torah states: "And a fire shall burn there on the altar constantly; it shall not be extinguished" (Leviticus 6:12-13). There was no commandment regarding the type of wood to be used; however, the Rabbis forbade the use of olive wood and grape vine, as these would not burn well and needed to be conserved because of their commercial value to the people. Three particular types of wood were preferred: fig, walnut, and pine. These woods all burn well, and were therefore preferable. The choicest branches of fig were used for the second fire, the one from which coals were taken for the Altar of Incense. If all of the lamps of the menorah went out, they would have to be rekindled from the fire on the Altar of Burnt Offering. . .Editors of Wikipedia Altar (Bible):Altar of burnt offeringwikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altar_(Bible)April 24, 2018
The priests connected the two altars daily with the morning and evening sacrifice.
Concepts from dealing with the remnant in Revelation 4
Let me review some concepts that I first dealt with in dealing with the remnant in Revelation 4. The water in the lavers and bronze sea conforms to the word of God and the Holy Spirit. Just look at some of the key scriptures that point this out: Habakkuk 2:14, Isaiah 11:9, John 7:37-39, John 3:5-6, I Corinthians 12:13, Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28-29.
The priests were washed at the Bronze Sea which burdened the oxen (Israel/the Church):Romans 3:1-2, Malachi 1:1, Jeremiah 23:32-40, I John 5:2-3.
Animals washed at the laver: Leviticus 1:92, Chronicles 4:6.
These represent two different types of washing. One is in preparation for sacrifice and is hence related to death i.e. cherubim. The other one is in preparation for service in the priesthood and is related to life i.e. oxen.
Those who were once depicted as under the sea will one day be over it in triumph.
Blowing the Trumpets
The blowing of the trumpets was not an exceptional event. I first found this quote at http://www3.telus.net 2011-11-05. Apparently that website no longer exists but I tracked it down again at 3dbibleproject.com. The original link was http://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/temple/details/priest_service.htm
The Duties of the Priests
The Duties of the Priests
Before the break of the day, the priests on duty were ready and they assembled to cast lots to decide the assignment of the various daily tasks. It started with filling the lavers and preparing the altar. At about 9:00 am, they opened the gates and blew the silver trumpets to announce the commencement of the morning service. The service included slaying the sacrificial lamb, salting the sacrifice, trimming the lampstand, burning the incense, presenting the burnt offering and drink offering, blessing the people and blasting the silver trumpets. This was followed by the Psalm of the day, presented by the singers, accompanied by instrumental music.
Immediately after the morning service, the Israelites might bring in their private sacrifices and offerings. It would occasionally continued till near the time for the evening sacrifice, which was about 2:30 pm. The evening service was similar to the morning service. It ended at about 4:00 pm.
Editors of 3dbibleproject.com The Service of the Priests and the Levites:The Duties of the Priests3dbibleproject.com http://www.3dbibleproject.com/en/temple/details/priest_service.htm2022-02-18
This may be the time of the evening sacrifice. Evening would indicate the coming of a new day.
Silver is purified just like gold and has almost all the properties of gold, but silver tarnishes, therefore while gold represents eternal righteousness silver can only be temporary.
The shofar is not a musical instrument although it is variously translated trumpet or cornet in several translations. It is more like the old-fashioned counterpart to the bugle. The use of trumpet is largely described in Numbers 10. There were two basic calls associated with the silver trumpets (shofars), the tekiah (a short blast) and the teruah (a series of rapid, stuttering blasts which were apparently intended to mimic a shout). The great tekiah was a variation of the tekiah where the note was held for an extended period. The Call to Break Camp was the teruah
when the families surrounding the Tabernacle set off (Numbers 10:5-6). The Call to Assemble was the tekiah
when appropriate groups would assemble with Moses at the entrance to the Tabernacle. The tekiah of a single trumpet would signal the family heads to assemble while both trumpets meant the whole community was required - (Numbers 10:3, Antiquities of the Jews 3:292-294). The shofar was also used to announce Feast Days, the Jubilee (Lev. 25:9) and the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) which is referred to as a memorial of blowing
(Leviticus 23:24), or a day of blowing
(Numbers 29:1), the shofar.
According to the website musicofthebible.com,
shofar or rams horn
The shofar was the Swiss Army Knife of its' day and performed a variety of functions. It was light, portable, easy to make and was readily available to the common people. Its distinctive and piercing sound could be heard over long distances. Its voice could cry out to the people, "leave an area or be destroyed!" (Ezekiel 33:3-6) and sounded all clear (Judges 3:27) when it was safe to return home. In the military it sounded formation (Nehemiah 4:14), attack (Jeremiah 4:5) and retreat (2 Samuel 2:28, 18:16, 20:22). It preceded important proclamations like the appointment of a new king (1 Kings 1:34, 1:39; 2 Kings 9:13). It heralded the new moon (Psalm 81:3 (81:4 JPS)). It was a ceremonial device used by the priests (i.e., the sons of Aaron) that preceded the movement of the Ark of the Covenant (1 Chronicles 15:28) and announced some of the Holy days (Leviticus 25:9).
Editors of musicofthebible.com shofar or rams hornmusicofthebible.com http://www.musicofthebible.com/extra_shofar.htm2011-11-06
The silver trumpets (shofars) avoided the problems of mould and odour that would occur with their biological counterparts. There is a relief in the south panel of the Arch of Titus
- Rome Italy, which shows two silver trumpets attached to the Table of Shewbread. They were made in two sections: a flute part and a mouth piece. The flute was attached to a wooden rod in the monument's depiction.
The silver trumpets used in the Temple were blown by priests only for assembling Israel to worship at the Temple, so the angels that blow the trumpets do not necessarily intend to cause trouble. They simply expect to announce the time for the sacrifice (and in this case Atonement too, since it is part of the Day of the LORD) and the prayers, but there seems to be something wrong with the incense, there is a missing ingredient that has polluted it. The angel whom we have identified as Christ, recognising that it is strange incense throws it away but the time for the sacrifice must still be announced and woe to the persons who provided the strange incense (Exodus 30:9-10). Nadab and Abihu died to bring us this lesson (Leviticus 9:1-2). The trouble comes because the Earth cannot be atoned for and it has to face the consequences of its sins. The incense was part of the ritual to make atonement for the people, therefore without it that ritual could not be completed (even though the sacrifice was already made) and people would face the result of their sins. Remember that the lamb is also there walking along to the Holiest Place with the scroll. Christ has already been sacrificed and is now our High priest but not yet King of the Earth officially. Remember that this is a call to assembly and everyone must present themselves. Christ left at Pentecost. That part of the plan is finished. We are now moving into the third time that we must present ourselves (the fall festivals) which begins with Trumpets. These trumpets announce the Day of the LORD and also the Day of Atonement. Remember from the discussion of Revelation 5 that Atonement is about causing possessions to return to the rightful owner. Man gets back the life that was lost through Adam by Atonement.
Golden censer and the other angel
Note what the appropriate way to burn incense would be. I took this from an old article which was at meaningfullife.com. It is now MLC (Meaningful Life Center).
. . .Twice a day, the ketoret was burned on the golden altar that stood in the Temple. On Yom Kippur, in addition to the regular ketoret offerings, the Kohen Gadol would enter the Holy of Holies with a pan of smoldering coals in his right hand and a ladle filled with ketoret in his left; there he scooped the ketoret into his hands, placed it over the coals, waited for the chamber to fill with the fragrant smoke of the burning incense, and swiftly backed out of the room. The moment marked the climax of the Yom Kippur service in the Temple.
editors of meaningfullife.com The Incense Offeringmeaningfullife.com https://www.meaningfullife.com/the-return-the-incense-offering/2011-11-05
The normal way to burn the incense was to bring it into the veil, put coals in the censer and put the incense on that.
I go into detail about the Golden Censer in the article Worship - framework and resources. The Golden Censer was possibly a rectangular flat pan with a bowl like recess in the middle. These could collectively be used to cover the altar. Because of how important the Golden Censer is to understanding Revelation 8 I think that is essential to explain why I am so adamant. If the writer of Hebrews was Paul, then the writer was a Hebrew, and brought up as a strict Pharisee. Paul knew the Temple intimately. I believe that the writer was James and in that case Christ taught His brothers perfectly. Some people believe that it was Apollos who wrote Hebrews and he has also shown exceptional understanding of the scriptures. Either and all of these knew what was permanently kept in the Temple and where it was. The only things that were permanently in the Most Holy Place were some Cherubim and the Ark with the Mercy Seat. The Incense Altar was never in there. Now look at this statement, And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; [4] Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; [5] And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly
(Hebrews 9:3-5 [KJV]). You do not have to know any Greek. That is just a distraction from the logic trying to impress with scholarly verbiage. Everything in Hebrews 9:4 was in he same place. Whatever word was translated to be Golden Censer could never mean Incense Altar
because that had a permanent place and it was never in there. The only possibility is for something transient. The only thing that fits the bill is the Golden Censer.
Incense may be classified as direct-burning incense or indirect-burning incense. Direct-burning incense has a combustible base as part of the compound and when lit it continues to burn on its own. Indirect-burning incense requires a heat source like coal. The temple used indirect-burning incense.
To unfold the next piece of the puzzle we need to look at the Golden Censer. The quote is actually from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897.
Censer
the vessel in which incense was presented on "the golden altar" before the Lord in the temple (Exodus 30:1-9). The priest filled the censer with live coal from the sacred fire on the altar of burnt-offering, and having carried it into the sanctuary, there threw upon the burning coals the sweet incense (Leviticus 16:12, Leviticus 16:13), which sent up a cloud of smoke, filling the apartment with fragrance. The censers in daily use were of brass (Numbers 16:39), and were designated by a different Hebrew name, miktereth (2 Chronicles 26:19; Ezekiel 8:11): while those used on the day of Atonement were of gold, and were denoted by a word (mahtah) meaning "something to take fire with;" LXX. pureion = a fire-pan. Solomon prepared for the temple censers of pure gold (1 Kings 7:50; 2Chr 4:22). The angel in the Apocalypse is represented with a golden censer (Revelation 8:3, Revelation 8:5). Paul speaks of the golden censer as belonging to the tabernacle (Hebrews 9:4). The Greek word thumiaterion, here rendered "censer," may more appropriately denote, as in the margin of Revised Version, "the altar of incense." Paul does not here say that the thumiaterion was in the holiest, for it was in the holy place, but that the holiest had it, i.e., that it belonged to the holiest (1 Kings 6:22). It was intimately connected with the high priest's service in the holiest.
editors of biblestudytools.com Censerwww.biblestudytools.com http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/censer/2011-11-05
The manner in which the censer is to be used is described in Numbers 4:14 and Leviticus 16:12.
The Golden Censer was only used at Atonement. There is no mention of where they were kept but Hebrews 9:4 indicates that they were kept in the Holy of Holies. Some argue that this may be a mistranslation. As I see it there is no way that anything else but the Golden Censer could have been in or associated with the Most Holy Place. All of the other items are accounted for on the outside. In any case the only one who could use them was the High Priest, Christ. In Revelation 8:3 we have the other angel
that had a golden censer, hence the other angel
has to be the High Priest (Christ). This is the only way that we are able to identify who this other angel actually is.
Cast the Coals Into the Earth
In Revelation 2 I proposed that fire would consume/obliterate in God's vengeance, separate the precious from the worthless and illuminate the darkest area. The fie cast into the Earth does all these simultaneously. God also speaks of Himself acting as fire in Zephaniah 1:18 and Zephaniah 3:8 but we now look at Hebrews.
Forest fires are fast and deadly. Israel has been the victim of forest fires in the area of Mount Carmel. It is quite possible that this has occurred often enough in Israel for them to understand the devastation of a fire-storm. Ezekiel 1:4 speaks of a fire-storm, it actually says out of the midst of the fire
but some people claim that it is something else.
In recent memory Mount Carmel has had several terrible fires. From Wikipedia Mount Carmel forest fire (2010) , I gleaned that Mount Carmel suffered a forest fire beginning on 2 December 2010. The fire claimed 44 lives and more than 17,000 people were evacuated. One suspected cause of the fire is a Nargila (Pot smoking device) coal.
Mount Carmel forest fire (2010)
Mount Carmel contains large areas of forests, including large numbers of Aleppo pine trees, which are more easily ignited. Over the years, many fires have occurred on Mount Carmel, among them many which devastated hundreds of thousands of acres of forest. One such as that was the Mount Carmel forest fire of 1989 which destroyed about 3,200 dunams (320 ha; 790 acres) of forest.
Editors of Wikipedia Mount Carmel forest fire (2010)Wikipedia.org WEB2016
A fire can start from one coal and you cannot outrun it. The following verses indicate that God's vengeance can cause an individual to wake up at the epicentre of a personal fire-storm.
These passages indicate that a fire can represent God's vengeance and His instrument to chastise hard and impenitent hearts. To me the main point is that fire represents such great distress that we have to act to put it out immediately.
We already concluded from Revelation 2 that flames of fire illuminate, separate and obliterate. In Revelation 8:5 when the coals are thrown into the earth, this is the indication of a figurative firestorm brewing around the head of the earth. Something was terribly wrong with the incense that was brought to Christ. The source seems to have polluted it, and the source could be represented as the coals that ignite the incense which causes the appropriate prayers to reach God. Satan's reports of mankind are polluted just as the one that he brought of Job. Bear also in mind that the fire which lit the coals was required to have come from God originally and could never be allowed to go out. That polluted report cost Job terribly, so if such is presented then the outcome is trouble one way or another.
God's vengeance is often expressed as fire.
The hottest of fire is coals like in Revelation 8:5 and Ezekiel 10. Coals actually burn much hotter than the wood that they came from would. Wood combustion is a step by step process. Step 1 is converting excess water to steam. Next the sap is converted to gas and ignited. This is what gives you flames. The sap from trees varies from things like maple syrup to turpentine, similar to gasoline. The last thing to happen is combustion of the solid fuel which we call coals. This is all happening at once in a fire so the temperature averages out. The coals actually generate the most heat but some has to be used to convert the water to steam and the sap to gas slowing down the overall heat output of the wood. Somehow stupid
Old Testament man seems to have known this and those in the Bible describe the flame of coals as vehement.
I just want to remind the reader that the seals represent things that are to be prevented from ever happening again. This has led me to the conclusion that the issue with throwing the coals into the earth began long ago with Satan and has persisted and continues down to our age. Christ is now our High Priest but as we can see from the book of Job, the tainted reports continue since Satan owns the Earth. In any case the coals that caused the distress or tribulation which has been great was cast down aeons ago.
Abomination that maketh Desolate
The Abomination of Desolation and ending the daily sacrifice is often described as fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes. I will deal with this subject again in Revelation 12 and perhaps provide more clarity there because I go into detail about some things that I do not cover here. I also touch on this topic in Revelation 11 from a different perspective but by Revelation 12 it should all come together. Daniel begins to talk about this abomination in chapter 8 of his book. The Four kingdoms (identified as horns in Daniel 8:22) were WEST: Cassander in Greece, NORTH: Lysimachus in Asia Minor, SOUTH: Ptolemy in Egypt, and EAST: Seleucus in Babylon and Syria. Antiochus usurped his nephew's throne in the Seleucid empire which is the east horn and then invaded Egypt which was the south horn. He was eventually forced out of Egypt and came to Jerusalem in 167-168 BC where he crushed a Jewish rebellion, stopped the daily sacrifice and weeks later erected a statue or altar of Zeus in the temple. Ten days later he eventually completely polluted the place by offering swine on the altar. All this was long before the birth of Christ.
From Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries (Mickelson) we get that the Greek word bdelugma
translated as abomination
is Strong's G946 and means: 1. a detestation, 2. (specially) idolatry.
Then in Daniel 9 Gabriel was sent to Daniel to give him understanding of the events of chapter 8, hence chapter 9 is intended to explain some more of chapter 8 so it covers the same general events but it clearly focuses on them from the perspective of the messiah. The first thing to note is that somebody confirms a covenant. There was no covenant between Antiochus Epiphanes and the Jews, not for seven days or seven years.
Oblation
Next the oblation. The English word oblation
occurs three times in Daniel. The fact that it does not mean what is commonly recognised as a sacrifice is brought out by Daniel 9:27.
The Hebrew for oblation in Daniel is not the same as used in Leviticus and Numbers where the Hebrew is qrbn
or qorban
. According to wikipedia in Judaism qorban is any of a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah
. In Isaiah there are two Hebrew words translated as oblation. Isaiah 19:21 and 63:3 both employ minchah
or mnche
which means 1. a donation, 2. euphemistically, tribute, 3. specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary) according to Mickelson. In Isaiah 40:20 the Hebrew is truwmah
for which Mickelson says that it means a present (as offered up), especially in sacrifice or as tribute. This is the same Hebrew used throughout Ezekiel. Daniel uses the same word minchah
used in Isaiah 19 and 63 so Daniel is not intending to convey a meaning of blood sacrifice. According to the JewishEncyclopedia.com under the caption Burnt Offering
(@ 2016), bloodless offerings were made only in connection with the blood offerings. So what I want to propose is that the oblation was an additional sacrifice done to support the main sacrifice.
To continue "Abomination that maketh Desolate"
The covenant is the promise of Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 28:14, and Exodus 2:24 which points out that in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed
.
Daniel 9:26 gives us the context that we are talking about the messiah but our focus in on verse 27. Notice the difference between KJV and the NET. The one who maketh desolate
will come on the wings of abomination and will continue until the completion or consummation on the place or person that becomes desolate (by comparing translations it is not clear to me that the Bible specified it to be a person). The desolation comes over a period; it could be Satan and it could be a place like the Earth or Jerusalem. This cannot be Antiochus Epiphanes. This involves Christ who came over a century later to deal with a covenant. Antiochus only participated in half of a week at best but this person does the whole week. The two prophesies overlap and are combined as one in the final fulfilment but are separated in the first part. The two prophesies also involve two actors, one causes the problem and the other solves a problem. They function simultaneously in the second part but not in the first. One causes the daily sacrifice to end creating a problem but the other ends it solving a problem. One starts the desolation but the other brings is to consummation.
Next we have Gabriel again sent to Daniel to explain what will happen to Israel over the same period (Daniel 10:14). He told Daniel that this was already written in something called the scripture of truth
(Daniel:10:21). What he actually told Daniel about the future is found in Daniel 11.
The perpetrator of the abomination is the same Antiochus Epiphanes because he is who attacks Israel. Daniel 11 tells us that they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength
. What does that mean? The sanctuary is a place of protection or Place of Safety
as in Revelation 12:6. Strength is translated from a word that means fortified. The army will pollute the fortified place of safety. With what? We will talk of that in Revelation 11.
Now take a closer look at Daniel 12. It is talking about the abomination again but Daniel 12 is fulfilled long after Antiochus Epiphanes. Remember that there will be an overspreading and a consummation from Daniel 9 so there is a continuation to a worse desolation caused by a worse abomination. Daniel 12 is talking about the consummation and it seems clear from verse 1 that Michael will have to fight and so this will be a fight of angels. Then somebody asks Christ about the end, i.e. the consummation, and He tells them. The Greek word translated as set up
has a wide range of meanings having to do with establishing something so the abomination gets set up before it actually occurs.
Half of the prophecy is fulfilled by the combination of Christ's work and the actions of Antiochus Epiphanes but the second part has never been done. John wrote the Book of Revelation in exile on the Isle of Patmos about 95 A.D. and he does not specifically mention the abomination of desolation but that does not mean that it has been fulfilled. Some identify the fulfilment as the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD but that is a red herring. If this event is so important as to be repeated in Matthew and Mark then why would John ignore it? The answer to that is that he does not. The prophecy in Revelation focuses on its future fulfilment which involves the other half, Christ again and some new actor identified as the beast so it has to be there.
We see from Daniel 9:26-27 that it is Christ that causes the desolation which results from the overspreading of abominations and He starts it at the beginning of the second half of the week, i.e. at the beginning of the final 3½ years. In Daniel 11:31 the initial abomination is performed by Antiochus IV (Antiochus Epiphanes) in 167 BC causing the desolation but the effect is always the same, desolation
of Jerusalem for its rightful inhabitants. It is known by its effect not by how it is done and it is triggered off by Christ and continues to a future consummation. Whatever the Abomination of Desolation and ending the daily sacrifice is it involves Christ as the leading figure. We will get back to this later in Revelation.
Ending the daily sacrifice
I discuss ending the daily sacrifice in Revelation 12 but I want to make an advance comment here.
Many people use the above quotation to substantiate their interpretation of ending the daily sacrifice but there is also another part to be added.
In verse 27 of Daniel 9 the cutting off of the messiah spoken of in verse 26 of that chapter, is further clarified. It will occur half-way through the final week. So Christ dies in the middle of that week leaving half to go to completely confirm the covenant, but notice that it is also He that shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations He shall make it desolate. It is Christ who will end the sacrifice, not a man, and it is Christ that will cause the place to be desolate, not a general. One way or another the daily sacrifice has ended because Hebrews 10 shows that Christ did it once and for all. The only question is one of timing. I discuss this further in Revelation 12.
John did not recognise Christ as the High Priest
John did not recognise Christ as the High Priest. He just saw Him as another angel. Why would that be? The answer lies in how the High Priest performed His duties on the Day of Atonement. You can find the information in Leviticus 16:1-29. I have covered it in Outcasts Kingdom Redeemed at Atonement. At the outset Aaron must satisfy standards of righteousness. He must be ritually purified. He must bathe and wear all white. At this point he looks like any other priest. It is only after the removal of the Azazel goat that he is allowed to put on the special priestly garments. As High Priest Aaron could handle the Golden Censer at any time but he could not represent the glorified Christ and offer burnt offerings. That is a picture of conditions at this point in Revelation. Christ is the High Priest but until Satan is removed He will not act in His glorified role as He will during the Millennium. Christ is not yet in His new role which includes King of the Earth, but He is still the God of justice that will pronounce judgement leading to the fulfilment of the Day of Atonement. That is what He does with the coals.
The Atonement Ritual
The atonement ritual is given in Leviticus 16.
This is what is expected to happen to atone for Israel and indeed the whole Earth. Israel (God's chosen people) was once Adam and the problem for mankind began back then. Satan lied and corrupted the relationship leading to the beginning of tribulation for man.
The Beginning of the 3½ Years
The 3½ years before Christ comes is mistakenly called the Great Tribulation. People begin to suffer the consequences of their sins like Sodom and Gomorrah. Notice that the angels only announce the events, they do not necessarily produce them. Since it is Satan who goes after the remnant it could be demons that are active although Christ is in control.
I entertain the possibility that it starts with a surprise nuclear attack on the seventh head from a friendly nation or group of nations. Based on the description in Revelation 8, And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him
(Revelation 13:4 [KJV]), nobody from outside the beast power would consider making war with the beast. Let us assume that the 7th head could be the US. Knowing the US's policy on responding to nuclear attack, their hostility to others and unwillingness to negotiate, the other nations have no choice but to go to war as well. It is commonly believed that the US policy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) includes the principle that they must be the greatest power remaining on the earth after a nuclear attack, so they must destroy any nation that could survive with greater power than them, hence attack the whole world.
It is important to remember the context of the 3½ years. It is the time of Jacob's trouble but other people will apparently become wealthy by trade. The capitalist system has already gone through some serious recessions since WWI. Some economists claim that it is the nature of capitalism to produce these downturns and has to be bailed out by some means. Suppose nobody is willing to bail it out. Suppose that is combined with weather problems like described in Leviticus 26:19-25, and trust problems based on abuse and extortion of friends
. Some friends
could take advantage of the situation. The third of the world that is damaged could be focussed on the principle combatants in WWI and WWII which includes the US and Britain. The name Jacob's trouble could be because they contain many Israelites and not because they are Israel.
This scripture in Jeremiah is in the process of being fulfilled while the earlier promise of becoming a nation and a company of nations was fulfilled under David and Solomon. People resident in all nations and of all colours are actually Israelites and sometimes they are helping to persecute their own. Some of them think that they are something special to God because they fit in with the establishment but this is what He says.
They have a vain confidence in their pedigree or colour or whatever carnal thing makes them feel superior, but they are headed for what Jeremiah calls Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) which evidence points to as being the 3½ years, but God is faithful to Jacob and will deliver them out of it.
The Brazen Altar and the Earth
I am inserting this section here, because while I have not had time to fully develop it, I believe that it is important to understanding this chapter. Before the brazen altar all altars to God had to be made of earth. Even following that all other altars had to be made of earth or unhewn stone, i.e. in its natural state.
The covenant connected the altar and the people.
I have previously stated that the altars represent a gateway to God and that the brazen altar is at the earthly side. I will go one step further here and suggest that the altar rests on earth and is an extension of the earth and in one sense the whole earth is the altar: saints are sacrificed all over the globe, but it is also a special part of the earth raised in service to God. I suspect that God only made it of brass because transporting earth and putting it back together again is not very practical. This brings me to the point, when we see the brazen altar in heaven it is an extension of the earth and is connected to the earth and the Golden Altar is connected to that. If anything is thrown in the vicinity of any altar it is thrown into the earth. When we see the angels throw anything into the earth they do not have to go very far. The way that I picture it is that the brazen altar in heaven is attached to the earth via some supernatural connection or void. Sacrifices were killed on the north side of the altar (Leviticus 1:11) which may tell us that they are in God's sight since the Bible indicates that the third heaven is in the sides of the north
.
Dissecting Revelation 8 [KJV]
The chapter begins with the angels ready to blow to call the assembly for Atonement. As the activities begin the eighth angel, who we identify as the High Priest, notices a problem and abruptly throws the incense into the Earth (verse 5). Why Earth? Earth is the domain of Satan and so it has to be something that Satan did that caused it to be directed at him. For some reason there was a solemn period before Atonement in heaven. The other angels cannot act before the eighth angel does. It appears that the eighth angel postpones calling the assembly (there was silence, no trumpet blown) giving God time to protect the innocent. This seems to be a pause to seal the saints and begin to move them to the place of safety in reach of the Tabernacle where they must assemble. Following that they call the assembly and unleash the consequences of bad incense on those who do not present themselves. There is a related prophecy given in Zechariah 14. This prophecy is for after the Day of the Lord but the application here is clear. The prophecy speaks of a remnant who repent because they see this punishment on those who do not present themselves when called. God's warning is that we must come out of Babylon and present ourselves to Him.
| The Eighth Angel | Comment |
|---|---|
| [1]And when he had opened the seventh seal {*1}, there was silence {*2} in heaven about the space of half an hour. | 1__remember that opening the seal means that Christ is removing an obstacle that will not have to be removed again. As He opens the seal we see what the obstacle was. 2__No thunder. God's deliverance is waited for quiet anticipation (Lamentations 3:22-66) but also induced by with Habakkuk 2:20 re. observing the fulfilment of God's prophecy long in coming (Habakkuk 2:3). There is great anticipation for the next step. If the seals are what is preventing the scroll from being read then the scroll can soon be read. If the scroll represents the future of man then man's future is to be unfolded as soon as this seal is completely broken. This period may also allow for the 144,000 to be sealed (Revelation 7:1-3) and taken to safety but God also knows that there is a critical event coming and gives all who are willing time to be in position to obey. |
| [2]And I saw the seven angels which stood before God {*3}; and to them were given seven trumpets {*4}. | 3__representing the Churches. They are the candlestick. Remember that this is the Day of the Lord and hence the Resurrection. The whole Church would have participated over the years but from the perspective of the Day of the Lord they are participating ceremonially as these spirit beings. When we last dealt with the altar in chapter 6 it was an altar of sacrifice. Now these angels are inside the Holy place before God. 4__to blow an announcement for all the Church to meet at the temple and participate in Atonement (removal of Azazel). |
| [3]And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer {*5}; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints {*6} upon the golden altar which was before the throne. | 5__This must be the golden altar in the Holy Place and it has to be the High Priest (Christ). This appears like it will be the normal use of the golden censer, i.e. to hold the prayers of the saints (in incense as a sweet smell). 6__He SHOULD be putting the incense in the golden censer and lighting it with the coals (Leviticus 16:12-14). It seems to me that the concept is that the fragrance is contained in the tangible incense. Prayers are not tangible. The tangible smoke contains the intangible fragrance which is the prayers of the saints. |
| [4]And the smoke {*7} of the incense, which came {*8} with the prayers {*9} of the saints, ascended up {*10} before God out of the angel's hand. | 7__glory and power of the saints (comp. Revelation 15:8) since this smoke is from the altar and the saints produce it. 8__ which cameis in italics in KJV. Italics are inserted text, omit. 9__smoke AND prayers i.e. smoke from incense of which the fragrance is prayers. 10__this must be a mistranslation, there is no tense in the Greek (Strong's G305). It should probably be SHOULD ascend because the prayers will not come until the incense is lit. |
| [5]And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar {*11}, and cast it into the earth {*12}: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake {*13}. | 11__the burnt offerings altar (Leviticus 16:12-13). We saw the slain lamb come from the altar of sacrifice and we never see the other goat being led away. Satan is not yet dealt with. The Bible never says that the fulfilment of the ritual requires that the leading away of the goat and the death of the other happened at the same time. Christ has died but the ritual is only complete when the Azazel goat is led away. One goat was slain to make an atonement for the earth and the other goat is to be cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). If you go back to Leviticus 16 you will see that by the time the goat was led away the sacrifice was already completed. The selection and sacrifice take place in verses 1 to 19 and in the beginning of verse 20 it says: Leviticus 16:20(KJV), And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 12__He did not add the incense. Something was terribly wrong with what that angel brought to Him (like Nadab and Abihu). He did not do what SHOULD happen by a High Priest, Christ, instead He took the pan, filled it with fire from God and He cast it into the Earth. They seals represent things that by that time would have already happened. This is a depiction of Satan's original rebellion. Satan brought an unsatisfactory representation to YHWH who we know is Christ. It was so repulsive that wrath was directed at his domain (the Earth) because of it. This may not be the original incident when Satan was thrown into the earth because that throwing was not done by Christ then (He just saw it, Luke 10:18) whereas this was. On the other hand it is not Satan being represented as thrown here but the consequences. The original rebellion culminated in his attack on heaven and has never been repented of nor atoned for. Mankind was dragged into the same rebellion and hence incurred the same wrath. This is largely what the seal is removing!! God's wrath to be replaced by His blessing. The problem goes back originally to when Satan came to God, as all the angels are said to do regularly in Job, but he had the wrong approach, like Cain, and caused the original havoc in the Earth. The Day of the Lord is when Christ returns and personally examines the Earth as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah. Spiritual Israel has been resurrected as saints and biological Israel is scattered to the four winds of the Earth and throughout the islands (Isaiah 11:11-12, Ezekiel 36:19, Ezekiel 20:23 etc.), but have no Temple for the ritual blood atonement and offer no prayers as the now resurrected spiritual Israel would have. As with Sodom God says enough is enough. In principle the application also extends to the time of Jacob's trouble or the 3½ years. The human saints would be in the place of safety and the appropriate prayers coming from scattered places around the Earth would be gone. When Satan brings in his report, as he did with Job, what will it say about the world at large? Satan would have been rejected at the end of the first 3½ years which brings wrath on the earth at the beginning of the final 3½ years since they are joined in prophecy. Hebrews 12:29 says that God is a consuming fire; Psalm 140:9-11 and Romans 12:19-20 indicate that it is God's vengeance. 13__this is a strange order of events. Normally there is lightning followed by thunder. This suggests that it was continuous like at Sinai (Exodus 19:16). Notice the earthquake. Normally there is just lightning and thunder. This earthquake could be what swallows up the army and prevents it from obstructing the Church from fleeing to safety in Revelation 12:17 but also remember that in Revelation 6:14 the mountains and islands shook because of the wrath thrown into the earth. Are these connected? The order also suggests that this is no ordinary earthquake but possibly the build up to nuclear war. It starts as a conventional war and quickly escalates. It seems to me that this could be the point where the seventh head is slaughtered, perhaps beginning with a surprise strike from a friendlynation. |
| [6]And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. {*14} | 14__At Atonement it is the High Priest that offers the incense but the angel does not go into the veil. It is time for the ritual but the angels do something else. Notice too that this is still part of the prelude to the 3½ years because the trumpets have not yet begun to sound. Until Satan is removed, instead of atonement there is judgement. The seventh seal triggers off (or rather signifies the end of) many activities stemming from the coals from the censer being thrown into the earth. These activities are the wrath of God represented by the fire. Christ interceded every day and the rituals of the earthly Tabernacle is only a type. Remember that twice a day, every day, incense was burned and a sacrifice for the people was offered to reach the Tabernacle in heaven but no sacrifices and prayers will come from the world on the Day of the Lord or for that matter at the time of Jacob's Trouble. God's people will be resurrected in the first instance and in the second taken to the place of Safety and will no longer be scattered hence the atonement will not cover the world. From another perspective Christ was covered at the first Omer and His saints at the second but nobody else was. This is covered by Leviticus 16:11-14 for Aaron and his household only, but the congregation was not covered until verse 15. We know that the saints (his household) are covered because they are represented by the seven angels. On Atonement there is the extra incense and going into the veil but the High Priest does not appear to go into the veil. There is no general covering of Israel, hence only the ones in the Church that are sealed are covered. |
| The First Seven Angels | Comment |
| [7] The first angel {*1} sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. | 1__The first angel uses earth (Revelation 16:2). This activity is taking place at the temple and only one trumpet sounds at a time. The Call to Assemble was thetekiah. The tekiah of a single trumpet would signal the family heads to assemble. These trumpets call God's people who are intended to be leaders to assemble at the Place of Safety while the rest of the earth is devastated. It also starts the war between the Beast and the opposing kings of the earth. |
| [8] And the second angel {*2} sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; | 2__The second angel uses sea (Revelation 16:3). |
| [9] And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. | |
| [10] And the third angel {*3} sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters {*4}; | 3__The third angel uses fresh water (Revelation 16:4) and is even called the angel of the waters(Revelation 16:5). 4__ . . . upon the fountains of watersrefers to fresh water/drinking water. |
| [11] And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. | A single star cannot simultaneously fall on several rivers to cover a third of the earth. A meteor that big would obliterate the earth. John probably saw a nuclear weapon or a terrible kinetic weapon. The problem may not even be the payload that the weapon itself carries but what it hits. You may want to check out what a superfund site is. Some military superfund sites have little defence because they are no longer in use. New Jersey had 115 Superfund sites listed on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List (NPL). Some countries may not even know what NATO is storing at some military sites on their territory. Many chemical companies are built along rivers and push their waste into the water or use the water for cooling, hence they have a direct link to the water. Many fuel storage silos are also near the water. A multitude of toxic pollutants would be produced by the partial combustion of chemicals, petroleum products, and synthetic materials and the like. For some it is seen as a strategic move to attack oil and gas production facilities. Military installations, chemical plants, gas and oil refineries, and urban production centers are among the targets which contain vast stores of chemical and petroleum products and dangerous waste products. If nuclear power plants are targeted we can reproduce the Fukushima Daiichi Accident of 2011. Following a major earthquake, a huge tsunami disabled the power supply that cooled the reactors. All three cores melted in the first three days. |
| [12] And the fourth angel {*5} sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. | 5__The fourth angel uses light including the sun (Revelation 16:8). It may not be nuclear winter because it does not mention cold however it already mentioned hail in verse 7. Hail forms in strong thunderstorm clouds, where a good portion of the cloud layer is below freezing. Previous theories of nuclear winter lasting years have now been largely retracted but short term localised effects on weather conditions now seem far more likely. |
| [13] And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe {*6}, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! | 6__The three woes identified as the last three trumpets. Mankind has not rejected the establishment and turned to God so there is something more severe to come. |