The (Frequently) Missed Message of Easter

{At our monthly office meeting, I gave this message as a devotional. Some asked for my notes. Written out in long hand, here are those notes.}

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour... [An] angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him… And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. The first [trumpet] sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
Revelation 8:1-7 NASB

As the Book of Revelation unfolds, heaven up until now has been full of noise. There are the sounds and peals of thunder around the throne (Revelation 4:5), the constant praise of His creation (Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:11-14; 7:10), the loud calling of angels (Revelation 5:2; 7:2-3) and more. Yet here we have silence. 30 minutes of eerie, terrifying silence. As the last of the seven seals is opened.

And the ending of that 30 minutes of silence is a scene of worship. As the angel offers incense before the altar, the scene is duplicating the Old Testament duty of the priests. John MacArthur, in his commentary on Revelation, made the connection this way:

"In the Old Testament era, the priests would twice daily (morning and evening) take hot, fiery coals from the brazen altar (where sacrifices were offered) and transport them into the Holy Place to the incense altar. They then ignited the incense, which rose toward heaven, emblematic of the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8)."



Yet in one of the most frightening twists in all of Scripture, the silence in heaven is shattered as the angel takes the censer, fills it with fire from the altar, then turns and throws it down to earth. Peals of thunder, sounds and flashes of lightning and great earthquake accompany this bizarre twist. John must have been horrified; surely he was expecting a liturgy or a chorus from this moment of high church. Yet without warning the holy worship in heaven becomes terrible judgment on earth (Revelation 8:5).

A trumpet sounds, the first trumpet judgment, and the fire from the altar in heaven arrives on earth mixed with hail and blood (Revelation 8:7). A third of the earth is destroyed. A third of the trees and ALL of the green grass. ALL? Yes, ALL!



I remember just a few days ago standing on a baseball field here near Budapest. The sun came out and the warmth chased away the cold wind. All around were signs of spring. The crack of a bat and the pop of a glove. However there is no more soothing, comforting sign of spring than green grass. The juicy, soft green color of spring grass is an indication that winter is over and warmer months and renewed energy lay ahead. How many children’s drawings in your life have you seen that include green grass? Yet in the judgment of God, green grass is GONE, ALL GONE!

What is going on here? How can a worship service in heaven without warning turn deadly on earth? I thought God is a God of love! In fact, John wrote “God is love,” in 1 John 4:8. Didn’t God so love the world that He gave us His only Son? Isn’t Easter a sign of God’s triumph over evil and death? Don’t we celebrate Easter with little bunny rabbits, green plastic grass and chocolate eggs? Don’t we point our children to God’s love through the celebration of Easter? Then why this judgment? What is God doing?

It is very tempting to not like this God…and to despise the cross. At first glance, at least…

Yes, it is true. The cross is a symbol of God’s love for mankind. For God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died a horrific death on the cross to pay the death penalty for our sins.

However, Jesus’ death on the cross not only displayed God’s love; it also displayed His judgment. Sin was not merely laid aside and dismissed. Justice was satisfied; the law fulfilled. The full punishment for sin was poured out on Christ; for the Lamb of God who stands before the throne took our wrath upon Himself. He took our sins upon Him so that we might have the righteousness of Christ upon us.

Romans 5:8 speaks beautifully of the love of God and how that love drove Jesus to the cross. Yet the very next verse, Romans 5:9 also speaks of how the wrath of God destined for us sinful humans was assuaged by Christ Himself: “Much more then, having now then, been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Christ.” The wrath of God destined for us was imputed to Him.

Yet the Lord will punish, no longer with imputed wrath but with the full weight of His fury, those who reject the cross. The Book of Revelation spells out in excruciating detail the wrath of God on those who reject the cross.



May this sober us and may it quicken us in our short-time of ministry upon earth. The cross is a frightening reminder of God’s judgment on sin. Yes, the message of Easter is one of love of God for the world. It is also the glorious message of the power of Christ over death. Yet we must not miss the most prudent message of the cross: that God has judged and will judge sin.

Through God’s judgments, the wrongs will be made right; sin will be punished, creation restored and death will be reversed. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. “God will dwell among us…and wipe every tear from our eyes.” Revelation 21:3-4.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

“The cross is God’s commentary on us.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer