The Seven Trumpets: Why History Belongs to the Intercessors

· Prelude of prayer: During a time of silence and prayer, the priest usually made an incense offering as part of the daily sacrifices of the Jerusalem temple (Mishnah Tamid 5.1–6; 6.1–3; 7.3). The priests typically sprinkled sacrificial blood on the altars of the outer temple courts (cf. Lev. 1:5) and later entered into the inner sanctuary to burn the incense on a separate altar before the Most Holy Place (cf. Exod. 30:1–9; Luke 1:8–12). In John’s vision of the heavenly temple, there is only one altar, which fulfills both functions. For the fifth seal, John saw the slain martyrs at the base of the altar cry out: “How long . . . ?” (6:9–10). Here those same cries for justice and vindication rise up like incense and mix together wi…