The Righteous Prayers of Sacrifice in Judgement

Revelation 8:1-6 

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 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. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The scroll unrolled to the seventh and final seal and the Lamb who alone is worthy unsealed it for John to witness and record for us what would come next.  Unlike the previous six seals removed with immediate reading from the scroll, this time there was an unusual silence for around a half hour.  This silence was in all of heaven, the place where the four creatures, twenty-four elders, and innumerable saints in white robes had just been loudly praising and worshipping their Lord and Maker.  Then the seven angels (of the seven churches) standing before God and His throne took seven trumpets given to them, waiting for the command to begin blowing them in order, much like the seals previously.  As they waited, another angel arrived at God’s golden altar of sacrifice and worship before His throne with incense to accompany the prayers of His saints.  Their prayers mingled with the sweet incense of sacrifice, rising as a pleasing aroma to God in Christ from the saints out of His righteousness.  Suddenly the angel filled the incense holder with the altar’s fire and cast it down in judgement on the earth.  There followed thunder and lightning that shook up the earth with loud noises.  This was the cue for the churches’ seven angels holding the trumpets to get ready to sound out the judgements of God’s wrath on the world. These will now follow one after another as God deals with sin once and for all before the final judgement is passed.