On our Supply of Grace site, we have now thoroughly covered Day One of the Tribulation.

In today’s article, we’re somewhere in the first quarter of the Tribulation. The first four Seal Judgments were unleashed Day One, which were the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Today, we’re looking at the last three Seal Judgments.

The Fifth Seal

Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

First, you can follow verse-by-verse how the Lord spoke of the Seal Judgments in His Olivet Discourse. He said in Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake, which is fulfilled in the fifth seal.

Notice that this is an obvious departure from the previous four seals, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Those horsemen were only visions, not reality, designed to visually illustrate to us that the coming antichrist and his kingdom will bring war, famine, economic ruin, death, and a whole lotta suffering. Those horsemen are also judgments of God, judgments that are part of His determined desolations. He’s allowing the fourth beast to rise and have his global kingdom as judgment upon an unbelieving world.

However, with the fifth seal, God has turned our attention to His martyred saints. This fifth seal shows the collateral damage of the first four seals. A whole lotta believers will be killed, including these martyred souls who are under this altar crying out to God for speedy justice.

I had a lot of questions about this. Is this reality in Heaven or a vision like the Horsemen of the Apocalypse? If this is real, why are they in Heaven under an altar? Why didn’t they go to Sheol? Why are they stuck under an altar? Why can’t they be out and about in Heaven with everyone else? These saints get killed and they get to go to Heaven only to find themselves stuck under an altar? That’s kinda… not fun.

Plus, consider the last half of Rev. 7. John sees millions and millions of believers who died who during the Tribulation standing before the throne. They’re all in white linen holding palms praising God. Why weren’t their souls under the altar like these other martyred saints? Who are these saints exactly?

Let’s start with what we read in Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar… souls. What’s this altar he’s talking about?

I get the impression that there are two altars in the book of Revelation. There is the altar that’s in the Temple of God. In Rev. 11:1 John was given “a reed like unto a rod” and he was told to “measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.”

But there’s another altar, a golden altar that’s before the throne.

Look at Rev. 8:3. This is all about the seventh seal judgment, which we’re going to cover in this article. But look at what this verse says. Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. That’s altar number two. There’s an altar in the temple and a golden altar before the throne. This golden altar has to the same altar that’s being written about in Rev. 6, because these are events taking place in God’s Throne Room.

Notice also that he was given much incense. We mentioned in the article on God’s Throne Room that incense was visually symbolic of prayers (see also Psa. 141:2). The idea that prayers are like incense meant that prayers are accepted before God, just as the fragrance of incense is also an agreeable sensation to Him.

Plus, we find in Rev 8:5, “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth…” There is also fire somewhere on the altar, and we know that fire is associated with judgment.

In Rev. 9, we’ll find one more detail about this golden altar before the throne. This verse has to do with the sixth angel sounding the sixth trumpet judgment. Rev 9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God…

So the golden altar also has four horns, and those horns speak with one voice. We know that this altar is made of gold, has souls underneath, fire somewhere, incense, and has four horns, which speak with one voice. Plus, we know this golden altar is the heavenly counterpart to its Earthly shadow, the altar that was in the Jews’ temple. The instructions about the construction and location of that golden altar of incense is found in Exod. 30. We learn in Exod. 30:6 that this altar was in the sanctuary in front of the veil through which you’d enter into the Holiest of Holies. So this altar was in the sanctuary, in front of the veil, some suggesting it was probably between the Table of Show Bread and the Golden Candlestick. This altar was made of wood covered in gold – to be distinguished from the sacrificial altar, which was made of stone. This golden altar of incense was different. This was all about prayer.

John Gill wrote that, “on this altar incense was offered, which was typical of the prayers of the saints offered by Christ, through his mediation: the [make-up] of this altar was shittim wood, a wood that is incorruptible, and of long duration, denoting the perpetuity of Christ’s intercession; and its being covered with gold expresses the glory and excellency of it; its form was foursquare, as is the city of the new Jerusalem, and shows that Christ’s intercession avails for all his people in the four parts of the world…”

So this golden altar in Heaven is also all about prayers and Christ’s intercession, Him now in His high priestly role, answering the prayers of the saints oftentimes by responding in judgment. The four horns (horns always representing authority, and there are four of them, possibly to symbolize authority over the four corners of the earth), the four horns mean the Lord intercedes on behalf of the prayers of the saints around the entire globe. The four horns speak with one voice because only the Lord Himself, has the authority over the entire Earth to intervene for the saints.

Someone wrote, perhaps Bullinger, that this golden altar before the throne of God, “Symbolizes the place of priestly intercession of Christ. But here they are seen, not standing in glorified bodies around the altar, but their souls under it, as in the place of the ashes, crying for vengeance.” A member of our congregation and resident Revelation junkie made the point to me, and I’d agree, that the saint’s souls are under the altar because they’re still awaiting their resurrection bodies. I would add to that thought that I think those souls are Jewish believers, which is why they have the right to cry unto the Lord for a speedy vengeance for their deaths.

They had that right to ask the Lord for retribution because of their covenant relationship with Him. However, in the last half of Rev. 7, all those millions of believers who got saved and died during the Tribulation and they were before the throne clothed in white linen holding palms, those were all Gentile believers. They came from every nation, kindred, people, and tongues. Because they’re Gentiles, they’re not asking for vengeance, because they weren’t in that covenant relationship with God. But they got saved because of their faith. They died and went to Heaven. And God has a purpose for them. They will serve the Father in His temple in Heaven.

I’d venture to say it’s safe to conclude we’re seeing Jewish believing souls under the altar in Rev. 6, and Gentile believers in Rev. 7. Plus, Jewish believers who die during the Tribulation go to Sheol and the Gentile believers who die during the Tribulation go to Heaven to serve the Father. The only explanation, to me so far, that makes sense of this fifth seal judgment is that the souls under the altar is a vision of souls in Sheol making prayers to the Lord for vengeance just as the Horsemen of the Apocalypse were visions and not reality. It’s like a visual hologram under the altar in which we can see the souls in Sheol. I highly doubt that these souls will literally be in Heaven trapped under that altar for seven years. This is just a vision, like the first four seals, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and this vision is designed to visually illustrate the big point that God and the Lord will hear the prayers of all the saints during the Tribulation whether they’re dead or alive, and that they will intercede and avenge every martyr.

The big picture point is that the golden altar of incense is all about prayer and the Lord’s intercession for the prayers of His saints whether dead or alive. This is about Him hearing their prayers and interceding on their behalf, as part of His role now as a high priestly intercessor of saints after the order of Melchizedek.

Notice how these souls under the altar are dead but they’re not sleeping while they’re waiting for the resurrection. They’re awake. They’re praying.

Likewise, all the Gentile believers who died during the Tribulation who are standing in Rev. 7, are also not sleeping until the resurrection. They’re awake in the presence of God. Plus, the souls under the altar still have memory of their past lives on Earth. They remember how they were murdered. They want justice. All of which perfectly coincides with the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The rich man in hell remembered his life. He remembered his five brothers. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus up to warn his brothers about the place of torment in Sheol. Abrham told him in Luk 16:29 They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 16:30 And [the rich man] said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. The souls under the altar, the millions of souls in Rev. 7, puts to bed the whole idea of soul sleep.

Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.

We learn here that the souls under the altar were killed for two reasons: for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. I suspect that this is meant to show us that the persecution of the saints almost immediately begins in the Tribulation. They’re, first of all, slain for the word of God. It may be possible that, in Israel, having the completed Word of God that includes the New Testament (NT) will be outlawed and punishable by death, which was engineered by the antichrist. Likewise, anyone who is a believer in Christ is put to death, which may have likewise been engineered by the antichrist. This is further evidence, to me, that the antichrist is from the beginning claiming to be the Messiah, which means that anyone who possesses a Bible with a NT or who believes that Christ was/is the Messiah must be put to death. The souls under the altar shows us that persecution almost immediately starts at the beginning of the Tribulation after the antichrist steps onto the world stage.

Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

I would here just again make the point that because of what they’re praying, these must be Jewish believers who were martyred. They have the right to ask for speedy justice from the Lord, which is entirely appropriate in light of their covenant relationship with Him. We’re not told to pray for vengeance today in the age of grace. We’re to do good to those who wrong us, and in Rom. 12:19, we’re to simply keep in mind that vengeance is the Lord’s, and He will repay in due time. You might also remember that in chapter 5, the four beasts and the 24 elders all had golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. The bowls were golden, which connects them to the golden altar of incense, which is all about prayer. The bowls were filled with odors like incense symbolizing prayer wafting upward into the throne room, which we shouldn’t take to mean that prayers are smelled as incense and not heard. The Lord and God hears the words of the prayers from the souls under the altar, which is probably meant to be representative, with some variation, of ALL the prayers ALL the saints were making at that time.

A number of commentaries pointed out the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18, in which the Lord says in Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

The Lord will speedily avenge the saints. But before He does that, He gives them robes. Consider, Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Some have speculated that these robes were meant to make those souls somehow more comfortable in their state until they’re given new bodies, but I don’t think the souls of saints are ever uncomfortable in their intermediate state. I prefer what Bullinger suggested. These were robes of honor for their stance on the Earth, for their testimony, and for their martyrdom.

Robes in the OT were often forms of honor as a reward. The robes were white, a sign of their being numbered among the overcomers, which we read about in the 7 letters to the 7 churches. Not only will the Lord honor their prayer request in due time, but He will also richly reward them in the kingdom. But for now, they’re to rest. More saints will be martyred, which fulfills prophesy. But when the new Babylon falls, all saints will be rejoicing. We find in Rev 18:20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. That rejoicing includes the souls under the altar.

One comment about the time element. We’re now well past day one. We’re not even halfway through the first half of the Tribulation, which must mean that the persecution and the death of Jewish believers is almost immediate after the antichrist makes his first appearance. The Fifth Seal shows that part of God’s judgment upon the Earth is Him allowing there to be collateral damage of believers both Jewish and Gentile, at the hands of the antichrist, perhaps viewed as necessary sacrifices which may also be why they’re under the altar. The fact that the Lord tells these souls to rest because more saints will be dying would also indicate that this fifth seal judgment will last the entire Tribulation.

The Sixth Seal

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Let’s look at this verse-by-verse.

Rev 6:12 we read, And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

First, the Lord spoke of earthquakes in Matt. 24:7. This is the first one – a great, big, massive, global earthquake. Everyone on the planet will feel this earthquake. Albert Barnes wrote that this verse “…denotes a shaking or agitation of the earth. The effect, when violent, is to produce important changes – opening chasms in the earth; throwing down houses and temples; sinking hills, and elevating plains; causing ponds and lakes to dry up, or forming them where none existed…”

All of that is plausible, but we would learn in vs. 14 that every mountain and island were moved out of their places, which I would presume is a result of this one massive earthquake, which means the Earth’s plates have completely shifted to such a degree that entire islands and whole mountains will literally be moved.

For my country, America, it’s at this moment, all the major cities are leveled. New York City. Gone. Chicago. Gone. The Rockies? Won’t be in Colorado anymore.

One also can’t help but compare the seventh seal to the seventh bowl judgment, the final judgment of God at the end. When that 7^th bowl judgment happens, the mountains and islands will literally vanish. Rev. 16:18,20 – “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great… And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”

Not only that, we read the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. I think this is a fulfillment of Joe 2:31 when he wrote that “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” Joel speaks of a darkening of the sun, and I suspect he was writing about the sixth seal judgment.

What are we to make of this expression, the sun became black as sackcloth of hair?

Sackcloth of hair is very black. Sackcloth is a cloth usually used in times of mourning or repentance. It’s a cloth made up of dark, course, thick, goat’s hair. It’s pitch black, so black that if you were to apply that color to the sun, it means that all light has been extinguished.

But we know from other Scriptures that the darkening of the sun is progressive over the course of the Tribulation.

In Rev. 8, we’re shown the next set of judgments, the trumpet judgments, and in particular, this verse is all about the fourth trumpet. ConsiderRev. 8:12 And the fourth angel 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. John makes the point here that a third part of the sun, a third of the moon, which is still red as blood, as well as a third of the stars all become darkened.

Thus, it would seem that the sun at this point is still giving some light because what happens to the sun during the fourth trumpet would be noticeable by everyone on Earth. How would anyone notice that the third of the sun is smitten if it’s already completely black? And by smitten, John means “struck, hit.” We might well ask, “If a third of the sun is smitten does that mean it’s broken off or just darkened?” John was careful to explain so as the third part of them was darkened. It’s still there but darkened.

In Rev. 9, we’re looking at the fifth trumpet judgment, which we’ve referenced many times so far. Rev. 9:2 “And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” By the time we get to the fifth trumpet, the sun is still giving some light, because now that light is obscured somewhat by the smoke coming out of the pit. So, naturally, if the light from the sun is diminished by the smoke, then the light from the blood moon would likewise be diminished.

We know that the seventh trumpet is sounded at the midway point. Then the Abomination of Desolation. The Jews are hunted. The mark of the beast is implemented. And we’re given the final seven bowl judgments. You might recall how the Lord said in Mat 24:22, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

Amos would actually give us some details about the shortening of days. He’d write in Amo 8:9, “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day…” What little sun they have left will go down at noon. The majority of those shortened days will be a darkened Earth.

This is why the darkened sun and moon is so significant as a sign because this is the only way the saints will have a sense of how close they’re getting to the end. The darkening of the sun is like the sands of time falling through an hourglass. They darker it becomes, the closer they know they’re getting to the Lord’s Second Coming.

What are we to make of Rev 6:12 about the sun becoming black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood? I think this verse, just like the previous seal judgments takes place over the course of the entire Tribulation, which means that the sun BEGINS to darken when the sixth seal is opened, and the sun will progressively darken over the course of the entire Tribulation UNTIL it is so black, it’s black as sackcloth of hair, which means the light is completely extinguished.

This is a slow terror.

Every day the people will wake up to find that the sun is giving less light. The next day, they will wake up – less light. The next day, they will wake up – less light. And this will go on and on and on. And there will be moments when there’s a significant reduction of light, like the fourth trumpet, when a third of the sun is darkened. Then the next day, even less light, until, after 7 years, there is no more light at all, until the sun is as black as sackcloth, so black, you won’t even know it’s there.

Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

Now some have tried to suggest that stars here might refer to kings, those in authority, or demons falling from their seats in Heavenly places above the Earth, or that these are angels coming down to the Earth because angels are sometimes referred to as stars, even in the book of Revelation. All plausible, but I would take the stars falling as literal. There are just so many verses about stars literally falling during the Tribulation. We read earlier the fourth trumpet, which is part of the next set of judgments, and when that trumpet is sounded, a third of the stars is darkened.

Of course, you can’t help but ask the question, how can some be darkened later if they had ALL fallen here? Plus, the Lord, in His Olivet Discourse, would say in Mat 24:29 that Immediately after the tribulation of those days (after the Abomination of Desolation, after the Mark of the Beast, we have the final seven bowl judgments and) the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

So when exactly do the stars fall? Do they fall during this sixth seal judgment or later after the tribulation of those days, after the Abomination of Desolation, after the Mark of the Beast, all that stuff?

I suspect the solution is the same as the verse about the sun. What’s happening is that, like the other seal judgments, the falling stars takes place over the course of the entire tribulation. When the sixth seal is opened, the stars BEGIN to fall, and they will fall over the course of the Tribulation. ALL the stars fall until the moon and the sun are gone. Then the stars will be gone, too. The falling stars takes place over the course of 7 years.

Again, this is a slow terror. Every night, people will look up and the moon will be more red. There will be fewer stars, and there will, of course, be less light.

Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together…

Again, I’d suggest that like the other seal judgments, this is something that happens over the course of the entire tribulation, so that over the course of the Tribulation, people will see more and more of the universe gone, rolled up like a scroll. Every night they will look up and see noticeable changes to the entire universe above like a scroll being rolled up. This is a fulfillment of a number of prophecies. I’ll just quote Isa 34:4, “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.”

Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Some who hold the pre-wrath view have tried to tell me that the first half of the Tribulation isn’t wrath. Well, the people going through the sixth seal judgment would beg to differ. They know what’s going on. They know this is wrath. And they scream to the mountains, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Of course, these verses are a fulfillment of what the Lord said in Luk 23:30, “Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.” He was quoting Hos 10:8, “The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.”

Bullinger would point out that, “Similar phenomena are again mentioned under the fourth Trumpet, and the seventh Vial (xvi. 20), showing that we have in the sixth Seal the preliminary announcement of that which will take place ‘immediately after the tribulation of those days’ (Matt. xxiv. 29) and ‘immediately’ before the personal Advent of Christ.”

The Seventh Seal

Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

Why is there silence in Heaven? For the same reason we had to jump from chapter 6 to chapter 8, the same reason God takes the time to break up the narrative about the seals with that parenthetical insertion of chapter seven telling us all about the 144,000 and the Gentile believers who died. The seventh seal judgment is different. We had with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse visions designed to visually illustrate for us that the coming antichrist and his kingdom will bring war, famine, economic ruin, death, and suffering, which are judgments of God, judgments that are part of His determined desolations. In the fifth seal, we’re shown the consequences of that, the collateral damage, the persecution and death of many saints. With the sixth seal, God sets the stage, a preliminary announcement, that HIS judgments are coming.

Now, with this seventh seal, God goes on the offensive.

I can’t get over what precedes this judgment – a half hour of silence in Heaven. The wings of the Cherubims are motionless, the singing stopped, the lightnings and thunderings halted, all the life and activity and energy in Heaven comes to a crashing stand still. Total silence in all of Heaven, because God is now going on the offensive.

Bullinger would write that this moment, “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.” I love that.

Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

The stage is already being set for the next set of judgments to come. The prayers of the souls under the altar won’t simply be answered in this one seventh seal judgment but in ALL the judgments to come.

Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Some have suggested that this angel could be the Lord Jesus Christ, because He is sometimes in the OT the “Angel of the Lord.” I take this to be a literal angel because vs. 3 says another angel. Plus, you might note that “there was given unto him much incense.”Paul Sadler, in his commentary on Revelation, would note that this angel “is subservientto God the Father and to the Lamb. He was given the incense to perform a ministry on behalf of the Godhead.”

With respect to the golden censer, in the temple on Earth inside the Holiest of Holies a golden censer is right next to the Ark of the Covenant and incense is burned in that censer. Likewise, here in Heaven, incense (symbolic of prayer) is given to the angel, left in the angel’s hand, to show us that the prayers of the souls under the altar are about to begin to be answered with this judgment. Look at…

Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Sadler would write, “Here God’s response to their requests comes to pass as the angel fills his censer with fire and casts it to the earth. In the Scriptures, fire is often associated with God’s judgment (II Thes. 1:7,8), and that is certainly the case here. The action of the angel casting to the earth the censer— which once contained the prayers of these very saints—is God’s answer to their prayers… When the angel hurls the censer of fire to the earth, it is immediately followed by ‘voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.’ The peaceful silence of heaven quickly turns to the thunderous roar of the fierceness of God’s anger…”

We’re not told what happens when this censer crashes into the earth. We’re given enough details to know it’s cataclysmic. John doesn’t see what happens. He only hears what happens. The silence in Heaven is shattered by the violence of that censer hitting the Earth – the impact is so deafening, so powerful that it causes another global earthquake, and John hears the screaming voices of humans, the thunderings, and the lightnings. That censer impacts the Earth so hard… it causes the entire globe to quake, like a million atom bombs going off all at once in the same spot. So, by this point, there is not one structure on the planet that is left standing, and people are looking for caves and any shelter they can find.

Conclusion

I’ll just close with this. Some have pointed out that when the saints are on this Earth enduring these judgments of God, this is the perfect time to sing the praises to God found in Psalm 46.

Psa 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psa 46:2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Psa 46:3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. Psa 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. Psa 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. Psa 46:6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. Psa 46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Psa 46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. Psa 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psa 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.