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1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence
in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were
given seven trumpets.
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the
altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all
the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints,
went up before God from the angel's hand.
5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,
and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings,
flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound
them.
Revelation 8:1-6
Explanation:
When the seventh seal is opened, the seven trumpet judgments are
revealed. In the same way, the seventh trumpet will announce the
seven bowl judgments in 11:15 and 16:1-21. The trumpet judgments,
like the seal judgments, are only partial. God's final and complete
judgment has not yet come. A censer filled with live coals was used
in temple worship. Incense was poured on the coals, and the sweet-smelling
smoke drifted upwards, symbolizing believers' prayers ascending
to God (see Exodus 30:7-9). The trumpet blasts have three purposes:
(1) to warn that judgment is certain, (2) to call the forces of
good and evil to battle, and (3) to announce the return of the King,
the Messiah. These warnings urge us to make sure our faith is firmly
fixed on Christ.
7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire
mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third
of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up,
and all the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge
mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea
turned into blood,
9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of
the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing
like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on
the springs of water--
11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned
bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun
was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that
a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light,
and also a third of the night.
13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call
out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the
earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the
other three angels!"
Revelation 8:7-13
Explanation:
Since only one third of the earth is destroyed by these trumpet
judgments, this is only a partial judgment from God. His full wrath
is yet to be unleashed. Wormwood is a plant with a very bitter taste,
and it stands for the bitterness of God's judgment. Habakkuk used
the image of a vulture to symbolize swiftness and destruction (see
Habakkuk 1:8). The picture here is of a strong, powerful bird flying
over all the earth, warning of the terrors yet to come. While both
believers and unbelievers experience the terrors described in verses
7-12, the inhabitants of the earth are the unbelievers who will
meet spiritual harm through the next three trumpet judgments. God
has guaranteed believers protection from spiritual harm. (7:2, 3).
In 6:10' the martyrs call out to God, How long...until you judge
the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood? As we see the
world's wickedness, we too may cry out to God, How long? In the
following chapters, the judgment comes at last. We may be distressed
and impatient, but God has his plan and his timing, and we must
learn to trust him to know what is best. Judgment is coming--be
sure of that. Thank God for the time he has given to you to turn
from sin. Use the available time to work to help others turn to
him.
