Morning Prayer: 25 Sept – Revelation 8:13 ~ “Woe, woe, woe…”

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 8:13 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

“Woe, woe, woe….” (8:13)

In John’s vision he is watching something take place. Verse 13 serves as a transition between the four plagues brought by God upon nature to lead humankind to repentance and the subsequent demonic woes in which people will be directly subjected to the forces of the Abyss. Previous plagues have been called forth by angelic beings, but those that follow are announced quite appropriately by a bird of prey (eagle/vulture) hovering overhead.

The three woes correspond to the last three trumpets. These final plagues are not to fall upon the church but upon a pagan and wicked world. Unlike the forst four trumpets, which affected the source of people’s life, the last three fall upon people themselves.

(Mounce, p.182-183)
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Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 24 Sept – Revelation 8:6-12 ~ judgements upon a recalcitrant world

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 8:6-12 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

apocalypse tapestry Angers_01 — An angel blowing a trumpet leading to shipwrecks on earth. The Apocalypse Tapestry (1377–1382) Musée de la Tapisserie, Château d’Angers, Angers

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Overview: God is about to answer the prayers of the saints. The thunders, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and earthquake that follow are reminiscent of the theophany at Sinai (Ex 19:16ff) and remind us that the world still trembles before the presence of God…. The trumpets reveal the active involvement of God in bringing punishment upon a wicked world.

The church is not in view in the judgements that follow…. The trumpet-plagues are directed against a world that is adamant in its hostility toward God. As the intensity of judgements increases, so also so does the vehemence with which people refuse to repent. But the trumpet-judgements are not final… since they do not affect the entire earth. Their purpose is not so much retribution, as it is to lead people to repentance.

As plagues preceded the release of the children of Israel from their Egyptian masters, so plagues will precede the Exodus of the church from hostile political powers. They are the prelude to that great and final Exodus in which the church is taken out of the world and enters into the eternal presence of God…. We are dealing here with that montage of divine judgements upon a recalcitrant world which leads to the return of Jesus Christ as sovereign Lord. (Mounce, p.175-177)

The First Four Trumpets (8:6-12)

The first four trumpet-plagues involve natural catastrophes… analogous to the Egyptian plagues… the precise nature of which is unclear.

Land: Great devastation is caused by the sounding of the first trumpet summoning hail and fire, mixed with blood which scorches one-third of the land…. Its purpose is to warn people of the full wrath of God yet to fall, and in so doing to bring them to repentance.

Sea: The second trumpet brings destruction to one-third of the sea… killing marine life and destroying shipping and commerce… It is affected by something like a huge mountain of fire thrown into the sea…. The plague represents an eschatological judgement that goes beyond any explanation in terms of natural phenomenon. The purpose is to warn and lead to repentance.

Water: The third plague consists of a burning star that falls from the sky on the inland waters, turning them bitter and causing the death of many people…. The star is called Wormwood after the bitter taste of the plant by that name…. A portion of the inland waters were contaminated by this spectacular act of God and many people died as a result of drinking the water…. Like the other plagues… it is dircted primarily against the world of nature… and only indirectly affects people or the spirit world.

Light: The fourth plague darkens the sun, moon and stars for a third of the day and the night… indicating a total absence of light during that time….. This absolute darkness would be far more terrifying than a partial eclipse…. Darkness as a symbol of judegement runs throughout the OT…. The fourth trumpet-plague is a fulfillment of these prophecies (Mk 13;24; Is 13:10).

The darkness of the fourth plague anticipates the transition from divine warnings to demonic woes. It previews that ultimate excommunication of unrepentant people to the punishment prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41).

(Mounce, p.178-182)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 23 Sept – Revelation 8:2-5 ~ the prayers of the saints

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 8:2-5 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

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. 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, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Preparation (8:2-5)

Jewish writings speak of the seven angels who stand before God…. To these angels are now given seven trumpets… often associated with the end-time in apocalyptic writings (e.g. Mt 24:31).

Before the angels blow their trumpets the prayers of the saints are offered. This is not an unrelated parenthesis. John means us to see that the prayers of God’s people are supremely important. Even the cataclysmic judgements which follow are held up till these prayers have been offered. Indeed in a sense it is these prayers that set the judgements in motion.

The new angel… combines much incense with the prayers of the saints… symbolizing the unity of the worship of heaven and earth…. The golden altar before the throne stresses the importance and value of the prayers of the saints…. They went up from the angel’s hand is probably a way of saying that heaven and earth are at one in this matter. Prayer is not the lonely venture that it so often feels. There is heavenly assistance and our prayers do reach God… there is something sacrificial in true prayer.

The fire came from the very altar on which the prayers of the saints have been offered. This surely means that the prayers of God’s people play a necessary part in ushering in the judgements of God.

What are the real master-powers behind the world and what are the deeper secrets of our destiny? Here is the astonishing answer: the prayer of the saints and the fire of God. That means that more potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the world, more powerful than anything else, is the prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth. (Torrance)

(Morris, p.116-119)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 22 Sept – Revelation 8:1 ~ silence

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 8:1 (ESV) – to be read aloud

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, “The Silence in Heaven”, from Die Bibel in Bildern (“The Bible in Pictures”, 1852-1860)

The Seventh Seal (8:1)

When the seventh seal is opened, a great hush settles over the worshiping hosts of heaven… a dramatic pause… a breathless silence as all await the judgements of the scroll now unsealed…. We are reminded of the prophetic injunction, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Apparently the angelic activity of vv 2-5 takes place during this interval of silence. Trumpets are given to the seven angels before the throne. An angel standing over the altar mingles incense with the prayers of the saints, and taking fire from the golden altar fills his censor and casts it upon the earth. The intensity of the scene is heightened incredibly by the complete absence of any sound. (Mounce, p.170-171)
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The best suggestion is that the silence represents an attitude of trembling suspense on the part of the heavenly hosts in view of the judgements of God which are about to fall upon the world. It is the silence of dreadful anticipation of the events that are about to ensue, now that the time of the end has come. (Ladd, p.122-123)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 20 Sept – Revelation 7:9-17 ~ Bliss of the Redeemed

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 7:9-17 (ESV) – to be read aloud

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Reflection

Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church (Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate) in Butte Montana.

Orthodox Church buildings today are full of icons, but the very architecture and layout of the buildings are themselves icons of the Church. In the ornamentation of the church, the various iconographical scenes and figures are not arranged by chance, but according to a definite theological scheme, so that the whole edifice forms one great image of the Kingdom of God.

The Orthodox faithful can feel the building open up to a time without end. They are surrounded by the images of Christ, the angels, and the saints, and are reminded of the invisible presence of the whole community of heaven at the Liturgy. Each local congregation, in their church building, can see that their Liturgy on earth is one and the same with the great Liturgy of heaven.

The building should help the faithful lay aside their earthly cares, as the Liturgy is celebrated, so that they, like the cherubim, may welcome the King of all .

Overview:

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Interlude: Bliss of the Redeemed in Heaven (7:9-17)

The church is pictured a second time from an entirely different perspective… after the tribulation is over, saved in the Kingdom of God…. No longer on earth, they crowd the throne room of heaven wearing victors’ robes and bearing the emblem of festive joy. The new vision anticipates a glorious day yet future when those who are to pass through the final persecution will enter the blessedness of the eternal state.

The innumerable multitude includes far more than the 144,000 of the previous vision. All the faithful of every age are there. Some have been called upon to give their lives as martyrs. All have been prepared to pay the price of fidelity…. They stand before God in the righteousness of Christ. God blesses them with protection and freedom from want. The Lamb leads them to springs of joy, and the tears of earth’s sorrows are wiped away by God himself.

The purpose of the vision is to grant a glimpse of eternal blessedness to those about to enter the world’s darkest hour. For a brief period John is priviledged to look beyond this age to the hour of ultimate triumph…. Without a doubt it is one of the most exalted portrayals of the heavenly state to be found anywhere in Scripture. There are no less than three paeans of praise, and lyric prose of vv 15-17 is charged with a spiritual excitement that has caused the faithful of all ages to yearn for that final redemption. (Mounce, p.160-162)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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