God hears – walklikejesus

This post, the 14th in a series through Revelation, finds us in the second set of seven judgments. We will look into chapters 8 and 9. A recording of this post is available on Shofar Durbanville’s Youtube channel.

In our day, it is often easier to imagine God as the Sacrificial Lamb slain for our sins than to see him as the Sovereign Judge over all. That is why Revelation 5 reads so much easier than chapters 8 and 9, where the Lord rains down disasters on the earth as his redemptive judgments on sin. What do these chapters on divine judgment reveal about God’s character in relation to mankind?

Yes, God hears you! Unfolding the first six seals of the scroll unleashed chaos and cries on earth (ch 6), followed by a command to cease all judgment so that God’s servants may be sealed to be spared from the great Day of Judgment (7:1-3). As the 7th seal is opened heaven becomes still, “silent for about half an hour” (8:1). John then describes how God’s full attention is given to the prayers of the saints (8:3-5).

To the churches who received this letter at first, oppressed economically, excluded socially and persecuted religiously – in addition to the periodic earthquakes, famines and threats of war they faced – this was so necessary to hear. It reassured them that “You matter; I listen to you.” Faced with the daily troubles, their faith in an Almighty, Loving Father and hope for the return of Christ, the Prince of Peace, was waning. They needed to be reassured that indeed, despite all the madness in the world and all the magnificence surrounding his throne, God pays attention to every single prayer of the simplest of his saints. And these prayers are pleasing to him, like the scent of incense burning (8:4).

Yes, your prayers are powerful! But do these prayers make a difference? Long-term suffering can often lead one to doubt whether God is good or whether one’s prayers are received and accepted. This was certainly the case for these seven churches in Asia Minor, the recipients of the Revelation. Their prayers did not seem to change their circumstances because the suffering only intensified over time. That is why this hopeful vision of prayers as incense mixed with fire from God’s altar and poured out in wrath on the earth (8:5-6), brought hopeful encouragement that indeed their cries are heard, and their prayers are effective. Christ’s kingdom was advancing by the power of their prayers. These disasters that surrounded them were simply “birth pains” of the emerging Kingdom of Christ – all affected by their prayers.

Yes, God is just! If God is just, why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper? Does God not see? Does God not care about the injustice and oppression of the vulnerable and the righteous? These are the age-old questions believers have wrestled with throughout the ages (Psalm 73; Jeremiah 12; Job 21, etc.). This was also the cry of God’s saints (6:10) during the vile and violent Roman Empire from which John wrote this letter. The vision of their prayers being mixed with fire from God’s altar, poured out over the earth, resulted in “noises, thundering, lightning and earthquakes” (8:5). This phrase is repeated twice more in this middle section of the book when God’s judgments are poured out, notably in response to the blood of his martyrs (11:19; 16:18; refer 4:5). The image of “lightning, thunder and voices” alludes to the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16), and occurs throughout Scripture about God’s justice and judgment (e.g. Psalm 77:18 and Hebrews 12:18).

The seven trumpets which follow (8:6-9:21; 11:15-19) are God’s just judgment response to the prayers of the saints. Christ’s message in this vision to these seven churches is “Yes, I am just. These judgments on the nations are my response to your prayers for justice.” But how do these disasters help God’s people?

[Read the full commentary of Revelation in Faithful to the End]