Mike Bickle emphasizes the significance of the seventh seal in Revelation, which marks the transition to the trumpet judgments and ultimately the bowl judgments. He explains that these events are real and will occur in heaven, highlighting the importance of understanding and participating in the end-time prayer movement. The sermon details the role of the angels, the divine silence in heaven, and the critical moment when an angel offers much incense on the prayers of the saints, igniting a powerful response from God. Bickle encourages believers to remain steadfast in prayer, as it is essential for the unfolding of God's plans in the last days.

Father, we thank you in the name of Jesus for this glorious revelation of the end-time events around your throne in heaven. We ask you for understanding and encouragement from it in the name of Jesus. Amen. Okay, session seven, we're in our studies in our Bible school class here on studies in the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls of wrath. Here we're looking at the seventh seal, the releasing of the seven trumpet judgments, which then release the seven bowl judgments after that. Let's read the passage. It's a complex passage. I'm going to do my best in the grace of God to make it as clear and as simple as possible without making it simplistic. It's very dynamic. A series of events happen in heaven, in real time in heaven, and I want to encourage you to understand Revelation chapter 8 verse 1 to 6 as real events that really happen in heaven in the future. These events have not happened yet. We have this idea that, you know, because it's in heaven, it doesn't really happen in time and space. It's like, well, it's heaven. It's just kind of ethereal, just not real. No, it's real. It's real. The worship in heaven is real. The actions in heaven are real. The saints in heaven are real. The angels are real. God is real. It's all real events happening up there, and these events are communicated to us in a clear and a precise way so that we would understand them, so that we would be encouraged by them, and that we would participate in the Spirit and the Holy Spirit's activities so that we would understand the bigger picture of what we're doing on the earth. And let's say that again. We're supposed to, meant to understand these, this passage or, you know, the whole book of Revelation so that we would participate with real encouragement, with purposeful understanding, with detailed understanding, so that we are, we're consciously, intentionally cooperating with a bigger picture of events that God is orchestrating. So some will read the book of Revelation and they'll think of it, again, as not real events. These are real events in their yet future, in chapter 8, verse 1 to 6. Some will read the book of Revelation and just kind of reduce it to poetry, symbolism. It's far more than symbolism and poetry. These are real events. They're complex. There's a series of steps that are taking place. I would say this is one of the more challenging chapters in the book of Revelation, or passages, chapter 8, verse 1 to 6. So go from here and read it over and over again, and study it, and think about it. Probably the most complex chapter in the book of Revelation would be Revelation 17. I would think this is number two. This would be second place in terms of challenging. So I'm not saying that so you draw back and say, oh, well, forget it. I'm saying it so that you say, okay, if I don't get it the first time, it is one of the more challenging and complex, because there's several details that have to go together that you have to make sense of. Okay, you want to read it first, and then we're going to break it down line by line. Okay, it says in verse 1 that when he, Jesus, opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour. And this is meant to be understood literally. Verse 2, and I, John speaking, I saw the seven angels, and you want to circle the word the. This is a particular group of angels called the seven angels. These are angels that John is assuming the readers are familiar with this group of angels. That's why he doesn't describe them in a detailed way, because they're the seven angels that were well known and understood. And these are the seven angels who stand before God. Now, all angels stand before God, I mean, come before God in various tasks and assignments, but these are seven that are particularly assigned as standing in the presence of God. Gabriel said that. We'll look at that in a little while in Luke chapter 1 verse 19. He said, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. He was, I understand him to be one of these seven angels. It's a particular group of angels. Now, to them was given seven trumpet, seven trumpets. It's a very dramatic moment, because these angels are before God right now, but the trumpets have not been given to them. When these seven trumpets are given to them by God, the implication to the assembly around the throne, the implication to the hour when the seven golden trumpets, I assume they're golden, are handed to these angels, all of heaven understands it is a divine dynamic timing in human history. So John is getting to see in advance by this word of prophecy and open vision, the events that are yet to happen in the days to come. It's the hour when the seven trumpets are handed to the angels, because throughout the ages, they don't have these seven trumpets. They're given to them at a critical moment, signifying the unfolding of the end time drama of which would lead to Jesus taking back the earth and his full manifest leadership over the entire earth. It's a very dramatic moment. Verse three, now another angel, it's the eighth angel in the passage. There's the seven with the trumpets. There's an eighth one, and this one's very, very important. And there's only eight angels in this passage, but he's just simply called another angel. Very important angel. This is the key event. This, verse three and four, is the core issue of the seventh seal. The other angel. There's a mysterious dimension to this other angel. In verse three and four, you got to really stay with it to follow it, but read it over and over and get familiar with it. I like how Alan Hood says, he goes, eventually the fog lifts. Once you get it first, you read it and there's kind of a fog. You go, I don't get it. You stay with it, get familiar with it. All of a sudden the fog lifts. You go, oh, I get it. It's a clear sequence of about three or four steps going on here. I can follow that. So this other angel, the eighth angel in the passage, the key event, the core issue of the passage is here, right here in verse three and four. This other angel has a golden censer. Think of it as a big golden bowl, a big one. So this angel comes with an empty golden censer, a big one, and he stands there. So he came and he stood at the golden altar, which is right in front of the throne of God. So already, you know, the angels that are watching, again, this is yet future, but John was able to see it in an open vision. So first the seven angels come and they're handed trumpets. I mean, the seven angels that stand there all the time are handed trumpets. There's a holy hush around the throne going, uh-oh, uh-oh. Oh my goodness, it's really happening. And so then that's not complete, that they're handed trumpets. That's massive in its implications. But now there's another angel, verse three, he comes. There's this, there's this even, uh, an intentional understanding of the movement of the angel. I mean, you see him in a distance and he's coming up. He's at, I don't know how far away, but he's walking up with a golden censer, a golden bowl, and everybody's looking at him. He's this mysterious figure walking to the throne of God. He's coming. I see all, all of heaven staring, going, wow, here he is. We've heard about this. It's in the Bible. The hour has come. And he stands there alongside the seven angels who just received their trumpets. Well, something mysterious happens. He's got this big golden bowl. It's empty and he's standing in front of the golden altar right next to the throne of God. I mean, it's, doesn't get any more intense than this. Then suddenly this mysterious, there's not a lot of description to it, but this is the key event. He is given something. He does not have previous. He's given much incense. That's the key phrase. I believe that's the key phrase to the entire passage. He is given not a little bit of incense much. It's he's given that, which he did not have before this event. He's given that, which is outside of his ability to produce himself. It's the mysterious element of the seventh seal, much incense. When the much incense is given to this angel in the same timing, when the trumpets are given to the, to those angels before the throne, watch out. The domino effect is all, nothing can stop it. It's already set into motion. Then again, yet future event. Now he's given much incense. So he's standing at the big bowl. It's God gives it to him is the, is the obvious intended meaning. It doesn't say who gives it, but we know this is an angel of great stature, of great prominence to have this role at the end of the age. And so the, the, the absence of the description is given. My understanding of this is when it's given and it's clearly intended to be understood as given of God, but it doesn't signify or designate who actually gives. I see it as the work of the Holy spirit. It's the faceless man in the dreams. You know, you have a dream. It's the man that comes or pronounces something from heaven, from God, but you never quite get to see who was he. It's the Holy spirit speaking in the dream language. Many of you have had that happen. So it's this unspecified, undesignated actor giving this dynamic element, this mysterious element to this angel. It's called much incense. What's he going to do with it? He's going to take this incense, big old bowl of it. And he's going to pour the incense out on the prayers of the saints that have been accumulating through history, but really coming to a crescendo at the end of the age, the prayers are on this golden altar. Now this golden altar, it's got flaming fire. I mean, this, I mean, it's probably a really big altar. You know, someone says, you know, uh, how big is it? I don't know. I bet it's big. It's right next to the throne of God. It's flaming fire, this golden altar and this divine fires on it. And somehow it doesn't, it's not clear to us, but the prayers of the saints come before God at that altar. Now, how that happens by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Bible never tells us. It just tells us our prayers ascend before God. But this passage is letting us know our prayers ascend and the location, if you will, that our prayers meet is at this golden altar that's filled with divine fire. It's, it's an altar engulfed in Holy Spirit fire right before the father. Fathers look at it. It's always the fire on that altar never goes out. Never. It's got a divine fire, a life of its own. It's the very energy and life of God igniting this altar, but the Holy Spirit in some way that we don't understand brings the prayers of the saints worldwide and they meet together right there upon that altar. So what we have through history, we have two things happening through history. We have the fire always on that altar. It never goes out and we have the prayers ascending from all nations or wherever the gospel has gone throughout history ascending. And it's meaning that there's two things meeting at this golden altar. Fire is already there from God and saint and prayers are being added by the minute, you know, by the day, by the hour, the prayers are accumulating there. But now there's a third element. It's not just fire. It's not just prayers. There's a third element, this mighty angel. I'm adding the word mighty. This mighty angel takes this golden, this big bowl of incense. He was given mysteriously and he pours it out. And so now there's fire and prayers that are already in a convergent and now there's divine incense on it and it explodes. There is a combustion. There is a divine synergism. There's divine, there's the fire of God. There's the prayers from the earth and this mysterious element that ignites it and the smoke just races up in a big glory cloud right in the face of the Father. And that is what ignites the whole, the final great judgments in the book of Revelation is this event. It's this reality. It's this reality. It might not be an event in the sense where it happens, you know, it in a five-minute time frame but I think of it more as a reality. It's not a reality that's going on right now. It's a reality yet to happen but I don't know how long this whole thing takes place but it's the end time prayer movement from around the earth. The prayers are ascending by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings those prayers to that altar. There's a fire that's on the altar all the time but there's a moment in time where the angel pours the divine incense onto it and when you throw incense, this fragrant incense, this mysterious element onto the fire, a big puff of smoke breaks forth of aroma, of fragrance and it's so pleasing to God. And it's when this smoke ascends and it's, it's as though the picture we're, we're, uh, uh, uh, we're confronted with or not confronted. What is it? The picture that comes before us is of and it's meant to be understood of God the Father smelling it and oh he loves the aroma of the combination of his own fire the prayers of the saints not just through history but but yes through history but particularly globally in that hour particularly it's from this the prayers from the fifth seal and then there's this mysterious element of of incense poured out on it the smoke breaks forth oh the Father loves it the Father is delighted with it nothing delights him more than the aroma that comes from the combination the synergism of the fire the prayer and the incense all coming before him and what happens then what happens that the Father gives the permission he gives the word the word of direction verse five no no verse four the smoke of the incense it's a fragrant smoke because without the incense you got a little bit of smoke on the fire but the incense just brings a whole nother dimension it's sparkling it's dynamic it's fragrant the colors are breaking out everywhere when the incense is poured on the fire that's why it's poured on it it all ascends before God in verse four and the idea of ascending before God means God is receiving it with pleasure it means it's it ascends in favor and it sends effectively it makes the impact that it was ordained to have in the Father's plan verse five then the angel takes this this sensor this big bowl that was once well when he started off it was empty then it was filled up with incense so now it's a big then he dumps it on the fire on the altar where the prayers are and the fires now it's empty again and so the Lord designates to him fill it with fire from that altar so he takes his hand and there's coals on the altar he takes his hand takes the coals out and he fills this big bowl with coals from the altar the smoke is ascending there's coals of fire isaiah chapter six verse two there's the coals from the altar that touch isaiah's lips it's right from this altar those coals isaiah chapter six verse two ezekiel chapter 10 verse 2 i don't have any of these verses on the notes ezekiel chapter 10 verse 2 one of the cherubim i mean one of the angels i mean come and they take the coals from this altar and throw them on the city of jerusalem when they're going to go under judgment from babylon in 8 and 586 bc 587 so my point is there are coals on this altar isaiah 6 2 and ezekiel 10 verse 2 and the coals from this altar were one time probably a number of times through history but one time it's revealed to us in ezekiel 10 that the angel actually takes those coals and throws them to the earth and when he throws them to the earth the city comes under the judgment and of course in the case of ezekiel 10 the babylonian army came in and burned the city to the ground fire really i mean there was this reality it wasn't just symbolic it was actually it was more than symbolic it was a real relevant act in the spirit that is deeply was linked to the burning of the city by nebuchadnezzar's army uh coming from babylon in 586 587 bc so we are to understand i mean as as god is revealing this to us here in revelation 8 we know there's coals on that that altar we know those coals can be thrown to the earth and we know when those coals are thrown to the earth the cities of the earth burn in which those coals touch in other words they're devastated terrifying judgment terrifying so let's read verse 5 again the angel takes the sensor now it's empty remember the the sensor started empty right then he went and he came i again i have this idea this image in my mind he's from a real far away you know i just think there's drama you know that that that's my own interpretation of it but it says he came and stood there's this element of movement he's coming he's coming closer all the angelic beings are watching he's coming right to the throne of god i mean you just don't walk up to the throne of god because you're kind of having a you know a nice walk into the eternal city i mean this is awesome and they're looking their eyes are getting bigger going oh this is intense and he stands there with a big golden bowl empty and then the mysterious element it's filled with divine incense again that's the core event that's the mysterious element of this seventh seal it's full it's probably heavy it's probably big he pours it on the altar fire and colors and sparkle and fragrance it's a big smoke a ball of the shekinah glory of god the smoke of god and it's a this is a glorious smoke this is a smoke filled with divine dimensions and activity it ascends before god the lord says yes yes this is that which was spoken of he looks at the angel and he gives that nod he gives that signal he gives that go ahead the angel now goes to the very altar he poured the incense on because now his big bowl is empty he takes it hands in his hands it says and i mean in ezekiel 10 says their hands they take hands full of coals and they put it and all the other angels are watching and he's filling this thing up like oh no this is serious this is really serious when angels take burning coals from the altar the golden altar before god's throne when angels take those coals this is a very significant event this is not just something happening every day all day it's a very very important uh event yet future from right now this event has not happened in the eschatological final way again there's been a few times in history where we know from the scripture these kinds of things have happened and probably it's happened more times than god has revealed it but it's not a common occurrence it's not something happening all day every day he fills up this big bowl with fire it says fire but ezekiel 10 and isaiah 6 is coals of fire so i'm gonna add the word coals coals of fire and i don't know where he goes you know he steps over i guess to the balcony of heaven i made and he pours it on the earth it's at the end of the age it's god's purging the earth preparing for his son's full kingdom rule that begins in the second coming of christ his jesus has ruled in part in manifestation of the earth it's the kingdom has uh it's it's not yet it's already existing in heaven and god's from the cross uh he's purchased it but the kingdom is now but not quite yet fully manifest but there's that that hour where he begins to exert his rule in a manifest open way and that's what this this fire is all about to prepare the earth for the glorious reign and rule the millennial kingdom of jesus so he fills this censer with fire he threw it to the earth oh i mean no more terrifying words threw it to the earth threw it to the earth i mean is that terrifying or what and then there were noises noises uh oh noises one translation says voices in other places the book of revelation it's voices well voices could be included with the noises but it might be voices plus more than voices but all of a sudden and there's all these noises probably singing and proclamations and noises this is like that word scares me we think oh that's going to be so cool oh i think it will really surprise us really surprise us thunderings lightnings these are real these are not just figurative poetic symbolic they will a storm will break out upon the earth yeah i believe that this thundering lightning will be around the throne but these thundering lightning will actually be manifest the earth will see it it's like when jesus died uh undoubtedly in the spirit there was thundering lightning and dark earthquake but all those things manifest in the natural too when he died the tombs opened and so i believe that these things are have a some application directly around the throne of god but they also have an application around the earth on the earth the day is going to and there's a big earthquake comes the day is going to come where we're going to say i think that's the revelation eight five thunder what do you think whoa and the earth will be terrified because this thunder and lightning and earthquake remember the sixth seal these things are happening this is above and beyond the sixth seal don't write it off as just poetic and don't write it off as something that only they see around the throne these things will be manifest on the earth these will be part of the terrifying signs of luke 21 uh jesus said you will the nations will be terrified with the signs in the heavens on the earth and those signs are in here though thunder lightning earthquakes and noises happen on a series of occasions they don't just happen one there there's a sequence there's an unfolding of these things and verse six now goes back and repeats verse two verse six goes back because really verse three to five was like a parenthetical thought i mean it was kind of a parenthesis describing why there was silence and the significance of the angels with the trumpets so in verse six he's going back to the main point okay he says john says let's get back to the to the point i i i want to make here there are seven angels that have seven trumpets and they are ready to go they're prepared to sound they're ready to go it's the right timing the prayer movement has matured in the earth it's the fullness of time the the angels have the the right trumpets i mean they have the seven trumpets these trumpets have never been sounded ever these trumpets have never ever been played you stop and think how good a trumpet player are these angels these are the these trumpets will be played with such skill and power and so now the angels are handed these trumpets and they are prepared they have the right garments on they have the right garments on you know you think of a king's court and there's a certain uh uh there's a certain etiquette around a king's court there's a certain garment there's a certain alignment there's a certain positioning there's a certain order when you're in a king's court and all of this is prepared there's a there's probably a series of of issues that are involved in the king and his court being prepared on this day to take the manifest leadership over the earth and here it is right here so they're prepared when it says prepared i'm thinking i'm picturing their countenance i'm picturing their garments i don't know what they're wearing but it's not business as usual i assure you that they have the trumpets they're ready to go they're aligned in just that divine order before the throne that all of heaven recognizes it's a very serious hour in the king's court well let's look at it now don't uh worry we're not gonna go through every line of this some of these notes are just so you can go and study it on yourself i mean study it on your own i just wanted to give you the sense of it even before we looked at it little by little just phrase by phrase okay a this is uh the most powerful and dramatic of the seven seals the most powerful and dramatic is the seventh one it's it uh uh surpasses even the sixth seal surpasses even the sixth seal again it's the most complex uh passage in my opinion the book of revelation before besides revelation 17 again you don't draw back because of that but you you give yourself a little mercy if you don't get it the first run you go hey this is one of the harder passages you know i'm gonna like read this again and again and again i have taken this passage just in our prayer meetings i've done this over the years and just take these six verses and just walk back and forth you know in this setting it'd be here or at the other prayer room with the other prayer rooms whatever in the years past and i would just open this i'd read it over and over and over and i'd say lord show me this because i don't want to just understand it to tell somebody i want to understand it so i participate in it i want to understand it so i'm encouraged today by the meaning the implications because the implication of this passage is in verse three there's coming a moment in god's uh uh great end time scenario there's a moment in verse three where that angel comes from however far away he comes he comes to the throne with that empty center and he's given the mysterious element he's given the mysterious element of incense now already around the throne the fires already be going there on that golden altar right in front of the throne for i mean for you know i guess forever i don't know how that works but long long long time that fire's been on that altar so that's not a new component and the prayers of the saints have been coming up ever since abraham or before you know whatever the prayers have been ascending through history for thousands of years now there's a great crescendo so those two elements have been going on for for for for uh thousands of years if not longer but the new element is the verse three the the incense attitude that is the catalytic point that's the that's the element that puts the thing into another gear puts it into another level brings it into another realm is that incense so that incense is uh we're gonna find in in a moment it relates to the work the well the person first of jesus the work of jesus that's the cross i mean you can't go higher than the person and the work i mean in terms of god's end time purpose the person the beautiful man himself his work is death on the cross but it's not doesn't end there it's also his intercession he is interceding and that intercession is strategic and the spirit is interceding and i believe that it's his person his work on the cross and it's his own intercession that is that mysterious incense that moves the whole end time scenario to another level it's the thing that's added to everything else that's there the holy spirit's intercession and so as we're down here on the earth praying we know there's a whole nother level of divine activity coming to the prayer movement beloved let me tell you we need to stay faithful i mean i know we all know that we need to keep doing what we're called to do and we're getting ready because in revelation chapter eight there's going to be much divine activity much power added to the prayers of the saints and the thing is going to explode in power and go to a whole nother level there's nothing more important than the earth i say this unapologetically nothing more important in the earth than the end time prayer movement when the end time prayer movement is in its place prepared in our weakness to receive this divine help this this uh help from heaven i mean the preaching will go to another level the healings are on another level the mercy ministers will go to another level the judgments will go to the other level this the protection of god to the saints will go to another level angelic activity the prophetic anointing everything goes to the other to another level related to the quality and maturity of the end time prayer movement so when uh you know i run into this you know all the time well you're just doing that perfect thing i go there's you know i don't have to say to everybody talk to it's not that kind of deal but in my heart of hearts i am unapologetic and unmoved about the wisdom not just the wisdom the absolute necessity that the prayer movement on the earth comes to and that it's the sort of thing that god when it's ready god will put much incense on and he'll put that extra dimension of his life and power on it and it will release the fire of god upon the earth the fire of judgment as in this place but also in this passage but also it's the fire of holy spirit power in the sense of miracles and preaching and the messengers are released and all those kinds of things as well it's the fire that fell upon the intercessors in acts chapter two it's coming from the same altar because where ezekiel 10 the the the coal from the altar uh uh punished the rebels but the same coal from the same all the same coals from the same altar is what ignited isaiah into his prophetic forerunner ministry as well so those so you know ezekiel 10 the coals on that altar are trouble they destroy a city but isaiah chapter six verse two though the coals on that altar the fire that's released to the entire prayer movement will ignite the entire messengers like isaiah will touch our lips it will put power and authority on the entire messengers and it's dynamically related to the prayer ministry because that's what the holy spirit is putting incense on the prayers that are ascending from the earth okay b i give five main activities of the seventh seal you might you know break it down and say it differently than this number one the seven angels are commissioned the seven eight with eschatological trumpets which means in time trumpets the seven angels are before the presence of god all the time that's their assignment these are there's a very uh dynamic group of angels but there's something that happens in the future that has not happened yet they receive the eschatological trumpets they don't have right now so they're commissioned that's number one issue that's going on in the seventh seal the angels are commissioned with the trumpets number two divine the heavenly silence the awe of god the hushed awe falls over the entire eternal city because they understand the implication of these angels receiving this commission they know they know there's going to be great suffering on the earth but there's going to be glorious redemption and everything that hinders love is going to be driven off the planet as the net result of the the domino effects of this event they know it so there's this heavenly silence the third thing that happens which is the real core issue is the this eighth angel is given divine incense is given this empty bowl that's filled with incense and i believe again that incense is the work the person the intercession of jesus and the intercession of the holy spirit is added to the weak prayers of the saints there's this divine incense that enhances the entire prayer movement the fourth thing it releases fire on the earth releases the ezekiel 10 verse 2 coals again i don't have that verse on the on the i wish i'd put it on the notes i just was running late and didn't get all that i wanted on there and so it's the ezekiel 10 coals it's fire of judgment remember there's the isaiah 6 2 coals that touch the forerunners that that touch the the prophetic preachers and the messengers the revelation 10 and 11 messengers are touched by the same coals and then there's these cosmic disturbances with an earthquake i mean thunderstorm all these things and they're real they're not just in heaven they're real they will be discernible and terrifying on the earth those are the five activities of the seventh seal you'll read uh a number of commentators and and as you're reading uh commentaries on the book of revelation and it's common for them to say well there's no events with the seventh seal i say read the seventh seal again read it again uh there's lots of dynamic things happening in the seventh seal and it boils down to one giant reality one giant reality the end time prayer movement receives supernatural supernatural power on it and it goes far beyond the prayer movement of the fifth seal see the prayer of the fifth seal is more of the fact that uh the saints are all gravitating to the prayer movement there's a there's an outrage the uh the the fifth seal is more the saints view of them standing up to give themselves the seventh seal is god adding divine uh incense to their labors and adding a supernatural dimension above and beyond that which is the normal course of god's redemptive purposes through history because god's always helping the person the saints always but there's a time when the help goes to a whole nother level okay let's go uh to roman numeral two the seven angels are commissioned with eschatological trumpets it's verse two and it's verse six they basically are saying the same thing it's in a it's in the timing of god these seven angels are given their uh uh who they're they're given their commissioning again there it's the it's the etiquette of the king's court which is recognizable for all of heaven they know when those seven angels get those trumpets and they have those certain garments and they're in that certain alignment that is that uh depicts the order of the day and they have that certain countenance on their face they know this is that which was spoken of in revelation eight i can i ask the lord i go lord i would just for for just the sheer enjoyment of being fascinated with uh the whole drama i just would like just a little more insight not not to make not to say it just i want my heart captured with this reality there's so much drama going on around the throne here it's a great throne scene one of the great throne scenes in the book of revelation just like revelation four and five is the great throne scene before the seals this is a throne scene before the trumpets revelation 15 is the great throne scene before the bowls each one uh the seals has a throne scene revelation four and five the trumpets has a throne scene revelation eight and the and the and the bowls of wrath has a throne scene revelation 15 most of you that have been studying revelation you're familiar with those chapters. B, my theory is, it's a very common theory, it's that these are the, these are seven archangels, ancient Hebrew tradition, you find it in quite a few of the writings, they, they name the seven archangels, and that to me, I don't know that's true. I mean, apocryphal writings and apocalyptic literature names these seven archangels, we don't really have to know this, we don't have to know these names, or someone says, are they or are they not? I don't know, it really doesn't matter, because if it mattered, we'd be told clearly in Scripture, and so when we're not told something in Scripture, we go soft on it, it's okay to talk about it, but we don't declare it with any kind of boldness or, or any kind of, you know, like this is that, but I give the names of the, the archangels that Jewish tradition teaches, whether it's true or not, I don't know, but it's believable to me, it's reasonable that these are the seven archangels before the throne, because Gabriel uses the language in Luke 119, I have it in the notes here, loses, uses the language here of Revelation 8 verse 2, and so it's, it's belie, it he, it's believable that he's of that number. Okay, C, which is inter, I find very interesting, is that when Israel went to take the promised land, they go into the land, Joshua, they're gonna go in, and they're gonna, the great battle to confronting the enemy, you know, Moses is dead, Joshua's, they're crossing Jordan, here they are, they got to go in the land, Jesus appears to Joshua in Joshua 5, and the great first battle is Joshua 6, here it is, and it's the seven trumpets blown, and the walls of Jericho fall down, it's unmistakably a prophetic picture to Revelation 8, when the Lord brings down the great enemy of the Antichrist, and a global empire of wickedness, and the seven trumpets, and it crashes down, and God's people inherit all the land, it's, it's unmistakably meant in Joshua 6 to be understood in its full light from Revolution 8. Okay, let's go to Roman numeral 3, the terrifying silence, there was silence in heaven, and the silence in heaven is because all of the ranks of heaven understand the implication of the 77, if they are archangels, I'll just call them that without being sure that's what they are, but again, to me it's a very reasonable thought, it's a theory, but it's a very common theory through a church history, many commentators would point to that as a, as a possibility, so it's, the silence is because the seven angels appear, they're given trumpets, oh my, then the other angel, he comes to the throne in this dramatic way, with this empty censer, now it's filled up, and he's given incense, and he pours it, and the smoke of glory breaks out in the presence of God, and all of, all of heaven is staring at it going, this is serious, this is gonna be unprecedented judgment, this is gonna be, we find out in Revelation 9 verse 13 and 15 that one third of the earth's population dies, unnatural deaths in the wake of this fire, I mean it is, it is carnage on the planet of, it is death at a level we cannot fathom, because God is zealous about claiming and manifesting the glorious authority that is his, that Jesus bought with his blood, he's gonna purify and cleanse the planet, he's gonna cleanse it of all darkness, he's gonna cleanse it with fire, that's what Jesus said in Luke chapter 12, he said, oh, he says, I came not to bring peace, I came to cast fire on the earth, he goes, oh how I wish the whole thing was behind me, in essence, I wish, I wish that the fire that I came to, to purge the earth with fire, and of course he's talking about his death, and all that would happen in the wake of it, but certainly he's talking also about Isaiah, Revelation chapter 8, he knows all about this, there's gonna come a time when fire is cast to the earth, and so much suffering and pain, but so much glory, because darkness is gonna be purged and driven off the planet by the process of God's fire, oh, how terrifying, and all, all of heaven understands what's going on, hey, I talk about the dreadful, glorious silence, the awful anticipation, and I have a Zachariah 2 and Habakkuk 2, there's about, I don't know how many, maybe five or ten other passages, where it talks about the end-time judgments and silence filling the earth, this is silence filling heaven, Revelation 8, Zachariah and Habakkuk and the others are talking about silence on the earth, I think the whole earth and heaven, creation is breathless in that sense of, this is that, this is that, which has all been spoken of by the prophets, okay, C, the issue of sound, I find it very interesting that each one of the seven seals has an issue of sound related to it, the first four seals, when they're broken, when they're broken, a voice like thunder breaks out and tells the horseman, go, there's a voice of thunder that breaks out, whoa, the fifth seal, there's the cry under the altar of the intercessors, how long, oh God, there's this, there's this anguish cry coming from the under the altar, the sixth seal, there's anguish cry, but it's a very different one, it's the kings of the earth, hiding in mountains, crying out, fall on us rocks, crush us, the wrath of the Lamb, there's a cry of anguish on the planet, not under the altar, it's a different cry and here, in total contrast, is deadly silence all through heaven and undoubtedly, according to Habakkuk and Zephaniah and the other passages, again, there's five or ten of them, there's silence over the earth, there's this awe-stricken creation, heavenly and earthly, awe-stricken, because God is breaking in with power, beloved, the whole thing is in the balance of the end-time prayer movement, you never ever draw back, you never apologize, because you're giving yourself unrelenting, in an unrelenting way to the prayer movement, because our spirits are dull, our experience is weak, we know so little, we're trying to get, position ourselves, line ourselves up to learn about this thing that is most significant for the end of the age of the prayer movement. Okay, let's go to Roman number four. The fullness of Jesus and the Holy, Jesus's and the Holy Spirit's intercession is manifest. The fullness of Jesus's intercession and the fullness of the Holy Spirit's intercession is now manifest. Then another angel having a golden censer, again, it's empty, he came, I just love that word, he came, I just can't get free from that, oh, I see him coming, oh no, my heart's pounding, and he stood, he looks, and it's empty, and all of a sudden, there was given to him much incense. And what is he gonna do with this incense? He's gonna offer it on the golden altar, on that flaming altar, that flaming altar before the throne, he's gonna offer it, there's fire, and there's the prayers of the saints, he's gonna throw this extra dimension called incense, mysterious dimension, he's gonna put it on there. And of course, smoke, the fragrant smoke, because see, fire has some smoke in it, you throw incense on it, there's fragrance. It takes the combination, the three are in combination, the saints' prayers, the fire of God, and this mysterious incense, that's what produces the smoke that ascends before Father. And Father, when it ascends before him, he approves of it, he says, yes. That, when it says it ascends before God, the whole meaning is, it approves, God receives it with pleasure. Okay, let's go to D. The fullness of Jesus's and the Holy Spirit's intercession will be manifest in the seventh seal, in partnership with the church. That's a key phrase I need to add to that sentence. The fullness of the Holy Spirit's intercession and Jesus's intercession is manifest in partnership with the church's intercession. That's the point. It's not just Jesus, it's Jesus with his bride and the Spirit. This divine incense represents Jesus's person, the cross, and intercession together with the manifest authority of the Holy Spirit. All five of these are, I mean, all of these are working together. There's a verse I want to add that I did not put there, and it's in Exodus chapter 30. Exodus chapter 30. Next time around I'll add it in there. Verse 34 to 38. Exodus 30. You want to write this down. Verse 34 to 38. Here's why. There was a special incense that was very holy to God. It had five ingredients in it, and this incense had five ingredients. It was mysterious, and it was holy, and you could not imitate it. If you imitated it, you were struck dead. You could not mess around that incense because the incense of the Exodus 30 that the high priest had was a picture of this incense, this mysterious divine incense of chapter 8 verse 3. And so how holy, how mysterious, how powerful is this incense? Well, we find it in Exodus chapter 30. Verse 34 to 38. The Lord says, don't anybody imitate. Don't anybody treat this as casual or something that they're just all gonna like because, you know, God ordered it, so let's, you know, produce it in Israel and sell it everywhere and make a lot of money on it and retire. The Lord says, don't you dare touch this. But there were five components, which I'm not going to go into. My point is, is this incense in chapter 8 verse 3, I believe, has these components. The incense around the throne has a combination of components like the incense of Exodus 30. It's not just one thing. It's Jesus. It's His death. It's His intercession. It's the Holy Spirit. It's all working in the timing of God. There's the beauty of God. It's all in it together. So this incense has a number of components to it. I'm not gonna press that there has to only be five, but my point is, the incense is not just a neutral kind of figurative kind of little perfumes, you know, it's kind of, you know, sprayed in the room. This thing is a dynamic, holy, changing history reality around the throne of God that is released at the end of the age. Now, I want to read these passages to you. These passages I have here are so important. Zechariah 12. Here's what the Lord promises. None of these passages have had their fullness of manifestation. Look at this. I will pour out the spirit of supplication. The Holy Spirit's gonna pour out the spirit of prayer. Supplication means prayer. There is gonna be a pouring out of the power of prayer. This is the incense. Beloved, this is the Holy Spirit empowered prayer. He's gonna pour it out at the end of the age. Now we have little breakouts of this through history and every now and then for a minute and a half, we have just a little feel of it, just a token of it here and there. But there's gonna be an outpouring. Instead of the word pour out, the spirit of supplication, think of this, a bowl, a censer. He pours out the incense on the altar. It's the same light. It's the pouring out. Now this is an earthly reality, but that pouring out is gonna have a heavenly corresponding reality as well. Look at the next verse. The Spirit helps us in our weakness. Let's talk about weakness in prayer. The Spirit helps us. I mean, you know, come to any of our prayer meetings. Go to your own prayer meeting. It's like, oh, you know, our spirit is lethargic, and even when it's alive, it's barely alive. I mean, even when we count as alive, it's just barely. I mean, and what I mean by the manifest authority and power is what I'm talking about. And we appreciate everything God does, but our prayers are weak. He helps us. The Spirit of God Himself says, I'm gonna get involved in this. I believe in this. He does that through history, but there is going to become a crescendo. I believe this is one of those components of the incense that ignites the whole end-time process. The Spirit Himself, look at verse 22, tells us this is an eschatological. This is a reality that has not been fulfilled. Maybe a token, a 1% token, Revelation 22, 17. This is an end-time reality. The Spirit is on the church, crying through the church. Come! The Spirit's on the church. The Spirit's crying through the church. Beloved, I believe this is the incense of chapter 8, verse 3. This is the much incense that's added. Oh, by the way, I didn't hit the phrase very focused. In chapter 8, verse 3, verse 3, it says, much incense. I like that word. I like that word. There's enough incense for the whole prayer movement on the earth and on heaven. Much incense. Ooh, I love it. The Spirit is going to anoint the church to cry calm. It's going to be our voice, but it's going to be His voice in us, too. It's going to be anointing all of the earth, pouring out the Spirit of supplication. Romans 8, 34. It is Christ. He's making intercession for us. Hebrews 7. Jesus is able to save us to the uttermost. Why? He's making intercession for us. He's making intercession. Beloved, I believe this is the glorious dimension of the divine incense. It's Jesus' intercession. The Holy Spirit's intercession. The fragrant aroma of His death all coming together in that glorious incense, giving strength and power to the end-time prayer movement, putting us into a whole other level of power and authority. Look at this. Psalm 2. Now this, again, a little bit fulfilled through history, but it's really at the end of the age that it comes to pass. Look at this. Here's Jesus speaking. Jesus said, I will declare my Father's decree. Because they're kind of, the idea is, Jesus, what do you have to say about all this? He goes, here's where I take my stand. I'm going to declare my Father's decree. And somebody goes, well, what is the Father's decree? Look at Psalm chapter 2. Jesus said, here's my Father's decree. My Father said to me, ask and I'll give you the nations. Ask and you will shatter them with a rod of iron. Jesus, there's going to be a time, He's asking even now, but there's going to be a time where He's going to fulfill Psalm 2. He's going to ask His Father under the decree of His Father. Father, it is now the hour to shatter the nations with a rod. It's Revelations 8. That's when the rod goes forth and it begins to crescendo in the trumpets and bowls. The fire hits the earth. And of course, we find this rod in Revelation chapter 19 at the second coming. Jesus is asking, what's He asking? For permission to release the trumpets and the bowls. When He says, I want to, He's saying, you know, we always limit the verse to ask, I want the nations. We leave it to evangelism. And oh, surely it's evangelism. But beloved, you gotta read the whole passage. It's evangelism plus the shattering of every rebellious government on the earth with judgment. He's praying for Revelation 8 and 9 right here. So, has He been doing that all through history? Well, probably. I mean, knowing Jesus, the little that I know of, He probably has been somewhat. But there's a point in time, there's a Kairos hour where He enters into that season where He asks the Father, the decree. And the Father says, now ask that one decree. I want to shatter the nations! That's Jesus entering into the prayer ministry of the end-time church at a whole nother level. Look at Joel chapter 3. The Lord will roar. I believe this is at the second coming as well, but I believe there's a roar that's gonna begin in His, I mean, that's gonna begin to, what's already, I mean, it doesn't begin in Him, but it's a roar that's gonna be released. He's gonna utter His voice. And when that man, that God-man roars and utters His voice, the heavens will shake. The earth will shake. When that man, Father! All of a sudden, the rumblings of the planet start happening. Well, that's the shaking of the earth there in the heavens, a little bit of the earthquake and the thing right there, Revelation 8. It's also in the bowls of judgment. When that godly man, that beautiful man roars, oh my goodness, when He utters His voice, and I believe that the fullness of this is at the second coming, but there is a beginning of the roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and everything will be shaken. But look what it says at the very end of verse 16. He will be a shelter, and He will be the strength of His people. He will protect His people when He's shaking everything. He will be the strength and the safety of His people. Look at Isaiah 42. It's the same thing. This is, this, Isaiah 42 is the end-time prayer ministry of Jesus. The Lord, Jesus, will go forth like a mighty man. He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He will cry out, He will shout aloud, and He will prevail against His enemies. Beloved, this is the end-time prayer movement. This is Jesus making intercession. This is Jesus declaring the decree of His Father and wiping out nations in intercession. This is Psalm chapter 2. It's not just, you know, He's up in heaven going, glory! No, no, He's asking for permission in intercession to reap the harvest and shatter the planet. That's what Psalm 2 says. Get the harvest and shatter the rebellious nations, which is the nations of the earth. Look at Psalm 149. It's the same thing. This is where we come in. Psalm 149 is the clearest depiction in the Old Testament of Revelation 8 of the seventh seal. Let the high praises of God be in their mouths. Let the high praise, let the worship in intercession. They will execute vengeance on nations. They will execute punishment on the nations of the earth, the peoples. That's nations as well. They will bind the real, the literal kings with chains. They will bind the senators, and they will bind the noblemen, the statesmen, the political and economic and military leaders of the earth with fetters of iron. This is Psalm 2 again. They will execute on the nations the things that are written, and the things that are written in Revelation 8 and 9, the judgments of the trumpets and the bowls, the things written. Of course, they're all in the Old Testament prophets as well. We're going to release them to praise and worship on the earth. This is the earthly part, the praise and worship. The other part is, you know, the Holy Spirit's part, and Jesus is part of the verses I've been looking at. This is the earthly part. The saints of God are worshiping, and judgment is breaking forth. Jesus is wrought of iron and shattering nations. Look at this, the end of verse 149. This honor is for every single believer. The entire church on the planet will be caught up, swept into the end-time worship movement, loosing God's judgments on the earth. Well, you could read the rest on your own. I've said it all. I'm just saying it over and over and over and over. Same thing. I read the paragraph to give me a chance to say it again, so it's all there. So let's just end with that. Oh Lord, we want to be a part. Lord, we want to move to another level. Lord, Holy Spirit, come and help us in our weakness. Come and help us in our weakness. Put divine incense, even now, in that limited sense. We know there's a moment, there's a kairos hour where the Lord does it in heaven at the fullness of time. We ask for the beginning of the outpouring of the Spirit of grace and supplication. I'm gonna have you all stand. I'm gonna have those of you that you feel weary in intercession. You say, you know, I know it's important. I didn't realize it was the critical issue at the end of the age. Beloved, it is the critical issue. It is the critical issue to the harvest and the punishment of nations. And both of them are the theme of Psalm 2. You're weary in intercession, but you're saying, no, I'm not gonna settle for that. I am NOT gonna settle for being weary in intercession. I'm gonna shake the dust off. I'm gonna take my weak prayers of Romans 8, 26, my weakness, and I'm gonna say, Holy Spirit, come and intercede through me. Here I am. Pour the incense on me, the work of God. Add it to our prayers. Of course, that's our prayer for IHOP. If you're weary in intercession and you would like prayer, I want to come and invite you to come and stand on these blue lines. Come to the first lines first. We're just gonna stand before the Lord. Beloved, this is the incense ministry. We're all gonna be anointed in it before it's over. But I want to line up now. I want to be ready. I don't want to be the last one in. I want to say, Lord, even before the hour, even before the hour, I was digging the well. I was preparing. I was doing the things central to your heart at the end of the age.