Posted by Elana Janson on June 10, 2004 at 14:42:10:
Measure the altar continued (2)
It was shown in How Near Armageddon how Revelation mentions the end time at the beginning of a chapter and then proceeds in the following verses to relate what took place in history through symbolism and time measurement. This also happens in the opening of the “seventh seal” in chapter 8. As mentioned in the previous posts, the word “altar” appeared in Rev 6:9, the opening of the fifth seal. From that verse we know that the end time of “altar” is 2002. In the following verses where the word “altar” appears Revelation ‘expands’ or ‘further clarifies’ the end time of “altar”.
In Rev 8:1-2 we are told “ And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.” As we saw in a previous post a “day” in Revelation is 287 years, but in the last time measures it is the length of a day as we know it, that is, twenty-four hours. In Revelation the length of an “hour” is 24 years, but it may in Rev. 11:13 be an hour as we know it , that is 60 minutes. In Rev 8:1 “about half an hour” is about twelve years. These twelve years are approximately from 1992 to 2004. Readers should understand that the first verse of chapter 8 reveals a period of twelve years at the end time and then in the following verses Revelation goes back in history over a long period of time (measured in ‘hours’, because the opening verse revealed a part of the time “hour”) to reveal how the first four angels were “prepared” (Rev 8:6) to blow their trumpets.
But before that Revelation says in 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 the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar and cast it into the earth…” Revelation is disclosing that there is another end point relating to the word “altar” (“another angel came and stood at the altar”). The two end points of “altar” are therefore 2002 and 2004. The mention of the sounding of the “seven trumpets” at the beginning of this chapter indicates the opening of the “seventh seal”. Because the time of “altar” and the sounding of the first “four trumpets” are both mentioned in this chapter, means that and the end time of “altar” (2002 -2004) and the sounding of the first four trumpets are in the time 2004. It must be understood that each of the angels that sound the trumpets sound at the end of a specific time measure in Revelation. The first angel sounds at the end point of the measure of “earth”. The last time measure of the “beast out of the earth” was 2004. (Readers should refer back to “beast out of the earth” in the Q&A section of this website.)
Why in Rev 8:3 was “much incense” given to the angel? The symbolic meaning of “incense” is “that which makes prayer acceptable”. In the time of the wrath of God, he still hears the prayers of the believers. Before the end God gives Revelation to give us some idea of the signs of the end and to show that he is with his people through the end time. The words “filled it with fire from the altar and cast it into the earth” has a symbolic meaning. It is through the word “earth” related to the meaning of “the beast out of the earth”. Revelation is revealing through these words that the nations will be faced with the revenge of God (Rev 8:5 “fire from the altar” and also the words of the souls under the altar”: Rev 6:10 “avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth”) in their struggle against their enemies that they can no longer rely on their conventional weapons and exceedingly great wealth and prosperity brought about through the centuries by the minerals of the earth (“cast it into the earth”).
We now know that “altar” relates to the time 2002 to 2004 Through the repetition of the word “altar” in Rev 9:13-14 we are told that the wrath of God is going to involve the “Euphrates” river. 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, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound in the great river Euphrates. What does all of this mean? As mentioned in the previous post, we must at this point understand the use of “voice” in Revelation. The word “voice “relates to Revelation 10:4 “And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not.” As was explained in How Near Armageddon”, the “seven thunders” are seven points in time that would be given to me as a guide to the understanding of Revelation. “I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar” reveals that the time measures of Revelation will reveal the time “altar” and that after 2002, in 2003 and 2004, it will be made known to the Christian nations and the children of Abraham, through the Revelation of Jesus Christ, that the Lord God is in control of what is happening between the nations (“fire from the altar”).
The use of the word “Euphrates” and “horns of the altar” reveals that in 2002 to 2004, happenings at the Euphrates still involve the covenant made with Abram in Genesis 15:18 “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. [According to the Old Covenant, it is said in Ex 29:13 that the blood of the bullock must be put on the horns of the altar and that the remaining blood must be poured beside the bottom of the altar. In the Old Testament it was believed that the soul of life was in the blood of the animal that was offered on the altar.]
In How Near Armageddon it was illustrated how the “angels” of Revelation reveal time measurement. Through the word “prepared” in Rev 9:15, we know that Revelation moves back into history to relate in Rev 9:16-21 what happens before 2004. In a previous post I linked the time of “for an hour, and a day, and a month and a year” to the time that the planet Mars was at its nearest point to the earth on 28 August 2003. Therefore Revelation is revealing that what took place in the area of the Euphrates in the time 2002 to 2004 (altar) developed through a long period of time.
The meaning of “four angels” is going to be discussed further in a future post,
For the moment it should be noted that in chapter 8, the end time of altar and the time of the sounding of the first four trumpets takes place in the time 2002 and 2004.
The word “altar” also appears in Rev 14:18 –20 “and another angel came out from the altar which had the power over fire;”. This means that that in the time 2004 and beyond it will be made known to man that as in the time of Elijah, God will make known through the Revelation of Jesus Christ, that he is Lord God.
Revelation confirms in Rev 16:7 that the end time of “altar”, falls within the time of the understanding of the “four angels” in Revelation. This aspect will be discussed in a following post concerning the “four angels” of Revelation.
Before we leave the measure of “altar” and its relationship to the “beast out of the earth”, as well as the time of the wrath of God, we should note the use of the word “face” in Isaiah 25:7 in relation to “face“ in Revelation 4:7. Isaiah 25:7 “And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations”.
Through the repetition of the word “altar in specific verses Revelation verifies time measure and meaning. The reason is that there can ultimately be no mistake in the total meaning of Revelation. Why does Revelation do this? Even at the time that John on Patmos saw all the symbols that would ultimately be the book Revelation, the Trinity had it in view that in the time 1996 to 2004, some understanding of God’s plan would be revealed to mankind. The book of Revelation, and the understanding of Revelation in 2004, is the greatest of gifts to all mankind. The signs of the end are very subtle, because the end will come “as a thief”. But for those believing Christians that are at this time seeking answers, Revelation is there to provide insight and give believers courage, not to despair and above all hold fast to their faith. Revelation is, however, initially complicated, but with understanding and perseverance, Revelation proves to be the greatest book ever to have been put in words. From its formation in that which was seen by John at Patmos, to its construction of words and symbols pertaining to Scripture, faith, time measurement, the history of the Christian nations and the end time – it is as profound as the universe itself.