Revelation 8:1-6 The Seventh Seal

Revelation 8:1-2 The breaking of the seventh seal puts the singing on hold for a while. Perhaps this is respect or awe for what is about to happen. The seventh seal unlocks the way for the angels to herald the next phase of judgments. Rather than mankind reaping fruit from cause and effect, it will now experience God's wrath. Perhaps this indicates that the wait ordered in Rev. 6:11 is over.

          Each of the seven angels standing before God will join in, but it appears these are herald trumpets, not musical instruments. Trumpets were ordained for some of the holidays under Mosaic law. This includes the revelation of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:18), the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24, Numbers 29:1), to summon the Israelites either to an assembly or as an alarm in case of an attack (Numbers 10:1-9), and on the first day of every month (Numbers 10:10). This is perhaps because trumpets were among the earliest instruments, and therefore appear frequently. So the purpose of these trumpeting angels in Revelation is to announce. And the Mosaic ceremonies foreshadow this role.

Revelation 8:3-6 An angel emerges and goes to the altar holding a vessel for holding frankincense. Olibanum has been used as a precious aromatic spice for at least 5,000 years and was part of the worship commanded in the Mosaic law for the tabernacle.  (Exodus 30:34)  It was also one of the gifts of the three wise men to Jesus as an infant. (Matthew 2:11)   A lot of incense is given to this angel, which is added to the prayers of believers (Rev. 5:8); perhaps the incense represents the intercession of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:26) All of this ascends before God, which ceremonially symbolizes that God is now going to respond and wait no longer. The angel, with God's evident blessing, then throws fire from the altar onto the earth, which manifests itself as thunder and lightning and an earthquake. This is reminiscent of the symptoms of God's visit to Mount Sinai. (Exodus 19:16-18,  Hebrews 12:18,  Isaiah 29:6) except that this time, instead of the law being given by which mankind would be judged, the punishment for rejecting this law is now to be administered, through the agency of the seven trumpets, and subsequently the seven bowls. (Rev. 16)