Revelation 8:1-12 Lesson 478

Revelation 8:1-12
Lesson 478

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The seventh seal is opened, and a hush falls over heaven (8:1).

The seven seals (lessons 476-478) were the first set of judgments.
The seven trumpets are the second set of judgments and more severe than the first.

The first Four of seven trumpets bring four ecological disasters.
First Trumpet (8:7)
Second Trumpet (8:8-9)
Third Trumpet (8:10-11)
Fourth Trumpet (8:12)

The trumpet of judgment.

Study Tip:

The Book of Revelation is complex and controversial, so it helps to study more than one translation. When you encounter a difficult passage, scroll back and forth between the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation" below.

Also, read the "Margin Notes" in blue and click on the links.

Remember, these lessons are meant to help you form your own conclusions.

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 8:1-12
The seventh seal is opened

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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;

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.

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;

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.

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.

Margin notes:

"When he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven." (8:1) - "When Jesus opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven." Compare this silence to the sound of thunder when Jesus opened the first seal (6:1).

"Trumpets." (8:2) - In the Old Testament, the sound of trumpets was a warning that God's Judgment was coming (Joel 2:1). In the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 tells us that Jesus "shall descend from heaven with a shout...and with the trump of God" on judgment day.

"Censer." (8:3) - A metal pan or container filled with coal and used for burning incense. God instructed Jews to burn incense (Exodus 30:1; 30:7-8) as part of their worship. As hinted in verse 8:4, Jews believed that the rising smoke from the censer would carry their prayers to God.

"The angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar." - (8:5) - Just as God told Aaron to do centuries earlier in Leviticus 16:12.

"Cast it into the earth." (8:5) - "Throw it upon the earth."

"The seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound." (8:6) - Although more severe than the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments are still only a partial punishment from God. The final disasters will come with the vial (bowl) judgments (16:1-21).

"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood." (8:7) - The Preterists believe this chapter predicted the disasters and years of war that befell Judaism soon after Revelation was written. To quell a revolt, the Roman army slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Jewish men, women, and children in AD 114.  Nineteen years later, in AD 133, a new revolt led to another two years of war that once again killed thousands and left an estimated one thousand Jewish cities and villages utterly destroyed. Crops were destroyed, leading to famine and disease.  The Jewish social structure that took generations to build was gone, and chaos followed.
Futurists disagree with the Preterist. They believe this passage predicts future events leading up to the Second Coming of Christ. Others believe this passage predicted both the end of the Jewish way of life in the first century and the events leading up to the Second Coming. Interesting note: Do you see any similarities between this verse and the ninth plague God laid on Egypt (Exodus 9:23-24)?

"The third part of trees was burnt up." (8:7) - An angel blows the first trumpet and unleashes hail and fire mixed with blood on the earth. All the grass and a third of the world's trees are burned. Only a third of the trees destroyed might be a hint that this is a limited judgment from God, and there could still be time to repent.

"A great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea." (8:8) -The second angel blows their trumpet, and a great burning mountain is cast into the sea. Some believe the mountain is symbolic and represents the authorities who persecuted Christians. Others feel the mountain symbolizes the defeat of Rome at the hands of the barbarian Goths and Vandals. Still others take John's words literally. They believe the burning mountain is a meteor storm hitting a third of the earth.

"The third part of the sea became blood." (8:8) - Later, we will read how all the sea will turn to blood, killing everything in it (Revelation 16:3). In verses 16:4-6, God will turn all the freshwater rivers and fountains into blood. The water turning to blood reminds us of how God punished the Egyptians centuries earlier (Exodus 7:20).

"And there fell a great star from heaven." (8:10) - The third trumpet sounds and a great star (perhaps a meteor?) will fall to earth destroying a third of the rivers and fresh water. Preterists believe this (and not the fallen mountain in verse 8:8) refers to the barbarians who destroyed the Roman Empire.  Others believe the fallen star refers to a future leader who will corrupt Christianity with a false doctrine.

"Burning as it were a lamp." (8:10) - "Burning like it was a torch."

"The waters became wormwood." (8:11) - "The waters became bitter." Wormwood is a plant that yields a strong bitter extract (Proverbs 5:4) used to flavor absinthe. In biblical days, it was given to patients with intestinal worms. Here, John uses it to symbolize God's bitter judgment.

"The fourth angel sounded." (8:12) - The fourth trumpet will cause a third of the sun, moon, and stars to go dark. Some scholars doubt this passage is a prediction of things to come. They believe these four trumpets brought God's judgment down on the Roman Empire. However, other scholars tell us that this passage predicts events yet to come as the world nears the end. Others say both are true.

New Living Translation

Revelation 8:1-12
The Lamb Breaks the Seventh Seal

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

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

3 Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God's people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.

4 The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God's holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.

5 Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.

The First Four Trumpets

6 Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts.

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned.

8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood,

9 one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed.

10 Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

11 The name of the star was Bitterness. It made one-third of the water bitter, and many people died from drinking the bitter water.

12 Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark, and also one-third of the night.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What is the tribulation?

Feel free to forward these lessons to family and friends.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. "Some think this (the tribulation) may refer to the suffering generally endured by Christians throughout history - already begun when John wrote his revelation. Others believe it will be a unique and especially intense period of trouble that will come at the end of time. Among those who believe the great tribulation will occur at the end of time, there are three main views that relate the tribulation to the Rapture, an event when the church will be taken to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). They are: (1) The Rapture will not occur until after the tribulation. This view is called post-tribulationalism. (2) The Rapture will occur before the tribulation, a view called pre-tribulationalism. (3) The Rapture will occur during the tribulation. This view is called mid-tribulationalism.

Jesus taught his disciples that they should expect difficulties and troubles in this world (John 16:33). In fact, many in the early church suffered severely for their faith and even died for it (Acts 5:40-41; Hebrews 10:32-33). Revelation hints that believers could expect tribulation (Revelation 2:10; 12:17), and the apostle Paul said that Christians who remain faithful will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).

Regardless of when the great tribulation occurs - today or in the future - countless people (7:9) will come out of it victorious because God is faithful."

(The "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 1783).

Application thought for the day:

What do these verses teach about God's judgment?
How does this apply to your life?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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