In 8:1-2 we see the seven trumpets brought in as the answer to the saints’ prayer in the fifth seal. The seals are opened secretly, whereas the trumpets are sounded openly.
When the Lamb “opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about half an hour” (v. 1). This silence indicates solemnity. At the opening of the seventh seal, all heaven becomes silent because the age is about to be changed. The period before the opening of the seventh seal was the age of God’s toleration. For the sake of His purpose of preaching the gospel to produce the churches to fulfill His eternal plan, God has been tolerating the sinful situation on earth. But with the opening of the seventh seal, the age of toleration is terminated and another age is brought in. This is the age of God’s wrath. God is now coming in to intervene in the rebellious and sinful situation on earth. Because this occasion is so solemn, heaven becomes silent, an indication that something serious is about to take place.
In the midst of this solemn scene, another Angel appears (v. 3). This angel is Christ. When Christ was revealed as walking in the midst of the churches, He was revealed as the Son of Man, and when He spoke to the churches, He declared all His qualifications. But in the administration of God’s judgment upon the earth, Christ is the Angel standing on the position of One who has been sent by God. In a very positive sense, Christ is everything; He is whatever the economy of God needs. Revelation specifically describes Christ as “another Angel,” indicating that He is not a regular or common angel but a special Angel. As we pointed out in message twenty-one, in the Old Testament Christ was called the “Angel of the Lord,” who was God Himself (Gen. 22:11-12; Exo. 3:2-6; Judg. 6:11-24; Zech. 1:11-12; 2:8-11; 3:1-7). In Genesis 22 the Angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham, and in Exodus 3 the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses. Christ is another Angel; He is the unique, special Angel.
Verse 3 says, “And another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him that He should add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” The first altar in this verse refers to the altar of burnt offering (cf. Exo. 27:1-8), and the golden altar before the throne refers to the incense altar (cf. Exo. 30:1-9). The golden censer signifies the prayer of the saints, which is brought to God by Christ as the other Angel. The incense signifies Christ with all His merit to be added to the prayers of the saints that the saints’ prayers might be acceptable to God upon the golden altar. At the opening of the seventh seal there will still be “saints” praying on the earth.
In this scene in heaven after the opening of the seventh seal, Christ appears as another Angel to execute God’s administration over the earth in the way of ministering to God as the High Priest with the prayers of His saints. As He offers the prayers of His saints to God, He adds His incense to them. Verse 4 says that “the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the Angel before God.” The “smoke of the incense” indicates that the incense is burnt to God with the prayers of the saints. This implies that by the incense which is added to them the prayers of the saints become effective and acceptable to God.