Revelation — Chapter 8

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1When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

3Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

4And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.

5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

7Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

8Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,

9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

11The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

12Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

13And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”

1And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

2And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

3And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

4And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

5And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

6And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

7The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

8And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

9And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

10And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

11And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

13And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

1And when he opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

2And I saw the seven angels that stand before God; and there were given unto them seven trumpets.

3And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

4And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel`s hand.

5And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

6And the seven angels that had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

7And the first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

8And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

9and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, [even] they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.

10And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters;

11and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; that the third part of them should be darkened, and the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night in like manner.

13And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound.

1Now when the Lamb opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

3Another angel holding a golden censer came and was stationed at the altar. A large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne.

4The smoke coming from the incense, along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6Now the seven angels holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

7The first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood,

9and a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed.

10Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; it landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

11(Now the name of the star is Wormwood.) So a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.

12Then 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 them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day and for a third of the night likewise.

13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying directly overhead, proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”

1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

3Another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. Much incense was given to him, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

4The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.

5The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it on the earth. Thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake followed.

6The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

7The first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. One third of the earth was burned up, and one third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

8The second angel sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood,

9and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died. One third of the ships were destroyed.

10The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of the waters.

11The name of the star is called “Wormwood.” One third of the waters became wormwood. Many people died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

12The fourth angel sounded, and one third of the sun was struck, and one third of the moon, and one third of the stars; so that one third of them would be darkened, and the day wouldn’t shine for one third of it, and the night in the same way.

13I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe for those who dwell on the earth, because of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels, who are yet to sound!”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

When the Lamb opens the seventh seal, heaven falls silent for about half an hour (v. 1). Seven angels appear before God and are given seven trumpets, while another angel offers incense mixed with the prayers of the saints at the golden altar; the angel then fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth, producing thunder, lightning, and an earthquake as the trumpet judgments begin (vv. 2-5). The first trumpet brings hail and fire mixed with blood, burning up a third of the earth, trees, and all the green grass (v. 7). The second trumpet causes something like a great burning mountain to be thrown into the sea, turning a third of it to blood and killing a third of its creatures and ships (vv. 8-9). The third trumpet sends a blazing star named Wormwood falling on a third of the rivers and springs, making the water bitter and deadly to many who drink it (vv. 10-11). The fourth trumpet strikes a third of the sun, moon, and stars, darkening a third of the day and night alike (v. 12). The chapter closes with an eagle flying overhead, crying out three woes on the earth's inhabitants because of the trumpet blasts still to come (v. 13).

Authorship & Background

Author: The Apostle John (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Historical Context: Chapter 8 opens the seventh seal — which contains the seven trumpet judgments (a pattern of judgments within judgments). The seventh seal begins with dramatic silence in heaven (v.1), then the prayers of saints are offered (vv.3-4), and the first four trumpets sound (vv.7-12). These trumpet judgments intensify the seal judgments — affecting a third of the earth rather than a quarter (cf. 6:8).
Classification: Apocalyptic Prophecy — The Trumpet Judgments
Key Themes: half an hour of silence in heaven following chapters of ceaseless worship, an unexpected pause that reads as awe rather than emptiness, seven angels receiving seven trumpets while another angel offers incense mixed with the prayers of the saints, that same censer then filled with fire and cast down to earth so prayer itself triggers judgment, four trumpets each striking a third of something, trees, sea, rivers, sun, moon and stars, the plagues of Egypt run at a larger scale but stopped short every time, and a flying angel announcing three woes still to come before the worst of it even starts
The Seventh Seal — Silence (v.1): Half an hour of silence in heaven. After the ceaseless worship of chapters 4-5, silence is stunning. It represents awe, anticipation, and the solemnity of what's coming.
Prayers and Fire (vv.2-6): Seven angels receive seven trumpets (v.2). Another angel offers incense with the prayers of saints (vv.3-4). Then the censer is filled with fire and cast to earth — voices, thunder, lightning, earthquake (v.5). The prayers of saints trigger judgment.
The First Four Trumpets (vv.7-12): Four trumpets, and each strikes a third of something. Hail and fire mingled with blood on the earth, and a third of the trees burnt. A great mountain burning cast into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A star called Wormwood falling on the rivers, and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter. Then a third of the sun and moon and stars struck, so that the day shone not for a third part of it. The pattern is the plagues of Egypt run at a larger scale and stopped short each time, which is the point of the fraction: this is warning rather than end.
Three Woes Announced (v.13): An angel (or eagle) flies through heaven declaring three "woes" for the remaining three trumpets — the worst is yet to come.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the silence, the prayers/fire connection, each trumpet judgment, and the three woes announcement.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Revelation 6:1-8:5 | Breaking the Seals | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Revelation 8:6-11:19 | Seven Trumpets | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Revelation -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Silence Before Judgment (v.1) — After the ceaseless worship of chapters 4-5, heaven falls silent for half an hour as judgment approaches. Do you treat God's coming judgment with the same weight and seriousness heaven does?
  • Prayers That Trigger Action (vv.3-4) — The prayers of God's people are offered with incense before the throne, and what follows is fire cast down to earth. Do you pray as though your prayers actually move God to act?
  • Judgment That Leaves Room (vv.7-12) — Each of the first four trumpets strikes only a third of the earth, sea, rivers, and sky — severe, but not total. What does God's restraint here tell you about His patience toward a world still given the chance to repent?
  • Worse Still to Come (v.13) — An angel announces three woes still ahead, warning that the worst of the judgments haven't arrived yet. Does the certainty of coming judgment create any urgency in how you share the gospel with others?