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, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. (Revelation 8: 3-4 ESV)
The verse above takes place in Revelation just before the seven angels blow their trumpets, which is the beginning of the end of life on earth as we know it today.
They signal that God’s kingdom is coming and His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
I recently heard a preacher on Kinship Christian Radio note that the incense rising before the throne is mixed with the prayers of the saints—specifically, this part of the Lord’s prayer:
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10, Luke 11:2 ESV)
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10, Luke 11:2 ESV)
The preacher’s point was that each time we pray those words, those prayers are being stored up in heaven for the day that is, inevitably, coming to pass.
Of course, none of us knows when that day will be. Anyone who claims to know the day or the hour is, by definition, identifying themselves as a false prophet.
Oh there will be signs. They are described in many places in the Bible including Matthew 24, Luke 17, and, of course, in Revelation.
Many, many people have been obsessed with them, studied them, conjectured, interpreted, and spent lifetimes trying to gain as much insight as possible.
As near as I can tell, there are over a million websites dedicated to the subject.
And now, all across the internet, there are claims of people hearing strange trumpet noises from the sky.
They are too many to ignore and they are coming from all over the world.
There are many theories about the noises, including: increased solar flares, acceleration in the shift in the Earth’s magnetic field originating in our planet’s very core, tectonic plates grinding, atmospheric pressure, trains, construction projects, aliens, and a strange secret weapon the U.S. government is using for defense and/or modifying the weather.
NASA’s official explanation is that it is Earth’s “background noise.”
And of course, many have said that the noises are the trumpets announcing the apocalypse.
Since I am but a humble blog writer, I will readily confess that I do not know what these sounds are or where they are coming from.
But I do know that Jesus said this: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44 ESV)
Are you ready, brothers and sisters?
Are you ready?
Today’s Praise
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21: 3-4 ESV)