Revelation Chapter 8

Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

The seventh seal is loosed. Silence in heaven! This silence is striking; some have seen it as "breathing space," or, as the angels being quiet so the prayers of the saints can be heard (perhaps the cry of the martyrs of 6:9-11?). More likely, this quiet demonstrates a sober, awestruck silence at the judgments to come, now that the seals are off and the scroll can be opened. A half-hour silence is not long; but things seem long or short in their context. If a preacher were to stop his sermon and remain silent for ten minutes, it would seem like an eternity.

The structure of the seals and the trumpets. Are they poetic and repetitive? Does John describe the same events with different words and details in both the seal and trumpet judgments? "This is typical of John's method. He goes over the ground again and again, each time teaching us something new. There is more to the End than we can readily take in. Every series of visions brings out new facets of it."  Are they sequential? Then, the seventh seal would contain the seven trumpets; the seventh trumpet contains the seven bowls of judgment. There are problems with a sequential approach; such as the question, "are the people of 6:15-17 mistaken about Jesus' return?" If they are sequential, it is a striking display of God's mercy in stretching out the end and allowing repentance. Since John is bringing us a report from eternity, it is difficult to assign a chronological and sequential element to these judgments. It is most important to emphasize that they are real, even if their sequence is hard to pin down with certainty.

Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

The seven angels. Jewish legends list seven angels who stand in God's presence. In the Old Testament, trumpets sounded the alarm for war, and threw the enemy into a panic; or they called for an assembly of God's people.

Rev 8:3 And 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.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Rev 8:5 And 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.  

Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The other angel. Some see this angel as Jesus (functioning as a mediator and Old Testament references to Jesus as "the Angel of the Lord"); others say it can only be a mere angel (because it is "another of the same kind"). It is significant to see that it is the prayers of God's people which set in motion the coming consummation of history. "More potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the world, more powerful than anything else, is the power of prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth."  2 Peter 3:10-12 indicates that there is a sense in which we can hasten the Lord's coming by our holy conduct and godly lives; but here we see that we can also hasten the Lord's coming through prayer, even as Daniel asked for a speedy fulfillment of prophecy regarding captive Israel (Daniel 9), we can also pray Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)

Rev 8:7 The 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.

The first four trumpets. The first trumpet is a plague on vegetation. Mingled with blood may indicate the color or the result of the phenomenon described here. This should be understood straightforwardly, without a escaping into a creative symbolism. "The truth is, if earth, trees, and grass do not mean earth, trees, and grass, no man can tell what they mean. Letting go the literal signification of the record, we launch out upon an endless sea of sheer conjecture".

What about "natural explanations" like nuclear war, fallout, pollution, meteors, and so forth? These approaches are interesting, even provocative, but they should never obscure the essential truth: God is bringing judgment; He isn't a passive bystander. This is not "nature" taking its course. He may use whatever means He desires, but the people on earth know these happenings are from God, and do not think them to be merely natural disasters (16:9, 11; 19:19).

Rev 8:8 And 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;
Rev 8:9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

The second trumpet two is a plague on the sea. John carefully says that this is not an actual mountain (note the use of like), but it is a blazing mass as large as a mountain. This disaster is perhaps a cataclysm (a meteor?) resulting in great oceanic upheaval with residual pollution; many scientists say that this sort of phenomenon has happened many times in the history of the earth, sometimes resulting in great ecological upheaval. The sea may be a specific reference to the Mediterranean, not a reference to all oceans

Rev 8:10 And 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;
Rev 8:11 And 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.

The third trumpet is a plague on fresh waters. Wormwood is a very bitter substance, and proverbial for bitterness and sadness. Again, this is probably a meteor or asteroid impacting earth, bringing great ecological catastrophe.

Rev 8:12 And 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.
Rev 8:13 And 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!

The fourth trumpet is a plague on the heavens, bringing darkness on the earth. This does not describe a one-third lessening of light, but one-third of the day and night are plunged into absolute darkness; as Jesus said: the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light (Matthew 24:29).  The angel's (some versions have "eagle") woes are well founded; one-third of the earth's population will die in the next three trumpets.

Observations: These first four trumpets reveal the severity of God's judgment; He attacks all the ordinary means of subsistence (food and water), comfort, and knowledge (light and regular days). Man has come to see these aspects of the created order as impersonal, perpetual forces; God proclaims His Lordship through their agonizing disruption. We know the great humility that comes upon men in the midst of something like an earthquake, because they know that "nature" is not as reliable as they had thought. With these four trumpets, that effect will be multiplied greatly.

The first four trumpets also reveal the mercy of God's judgment; these are partial judgments (striking only one-third), and are meant to warn and lead a rebellious world to repentance before the final curtain. For now, God spares more than He smites. A good theme: knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men (2 Corinthians 5:11). May it never be enough for us to know that we will be spared God's wrath; we have been delivered from God's terror, and we should want others to have the same deliverance!

The First 4 Trumpet Judgments

(1st four are "natural"; the next two are "demonic"...)

"Judgment of the Thirds"

• 1st Trumpet: Aimed at the earth; 1/3 trees, grass dies.

• 2nd Trumpet: Aimed at the Sea; 1/3 of fish, ships destroyed.

•  3rd Trumpet: Aimed at the waters; 1/3 part dies. Star called "Wormwood."

•  4th Trumpet: Aimed at the Sun, moon, stars: 1/3 sky darkened. The final 3 Trumpets are also called "3 Woes." [Chapter 9.] There appears to be a "logarithmic" progression in the various judgments: Seals (Ch. 6), Trumpets (Ch. 8 & 9), and Bowls (Ch. 15 & 16).