Sweet and Powerful Prayer

Revelation 8.1-5  -When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³ And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, ⁴ and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings,^[a] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

You cannot let the imagery of Revelation throw you off your game.  Revelation is about the big picture: God, not only wins, but is winning! However, like  a 'Where's Waldo?' picture, the closer you look, the more you see.  You also have to remember that John is writing a coded message to Christians about concepts that they are already familiar with. 

The seal comes from the thought of a wax sealed, royal document that is to be delivered untampered.  A broken seal could mean that the courier would lose his life, so the seal is important.  However, on this document, there has been placed seven seals.  Typically that would mean that it took seven important people to be at a place to read an important document.  One seal for each person.   For instance, when a will is read.  However, when the seventh seal is broken and therefore the whole document is read, there is silent anticipation (v.1).  You can cut the air with a knife, in other words.
Seven angels are messengers of God (seven being a complete number that goes back to creation week).   This will be a complete message from God. 

Then there are trumpets.  Trumpets are blown when war is declared, the battle begins, and the royal entrance is proclaimed.  All of those things are happening here.    They stand before a golden censer filled with incense.  Incense is also always aligned with prayer with the thought that we are  attracting the Lord with beautiful aromas to work in and through our prayers. 

The message in these passages concerns the power of the prayers of the saints.   God enjoys our prayers (incense) and answers our prayers.  In this passage He is responding to the wickedness of the world due to the prayers of the saints.

Do our prayers today have such power?  That is not the question. The question is: Do we pray such prayers?  That reminds me of If my people who called by my name....

Let's pray like the whole world is depending on it and all of heaven is listening to it...because it is true.