Revelation: Chapter 8
Setting
As shown in the chronology of Revelation, John observes the events of this chapter from heaven and sees their impact on earth.
The man of sin and the consequences of sin on the earth have been revealed with the Lord's opening of the first six seals, as seen in Revelation 6:1-17. In 1Corinthians 4:4-5, Paul speaks of an appointed time when God will judge believers for their works as they appear before the judgment seat of Christ, which follows the church's rapture. Although this passage, written by Paul, is directed to the snatched away (raptured) saints, it parallels this time in Revelation. The pause also reveals the great multitude that will turn to Christ as their savior during the tribulation period. The tribulation saints will endure considerable persecution, but the appointed time for those who persecute them is set at the battle of Armageddon, when Christ returns with His saints to establish His kingdom.Revelation 7:1-17 begins with a pause in activity before the opening of the seventh seal. During this pause, an order is given to seal 144,000 individuals from the twelve tribes of Israel. The great multitude is revealed during this time, indicating those who will turn to Christ as their Savior during the tribulation period.
The number seven typically signifies something completed, such as the seven seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments. Although the seventh seal is the final seal, it marks the end of the revealing of the man of sin, 2Thessalonians 2:3, on earth and the consequences of his actions for all mankind and the world, and introduces the seven trumpet judgments. The seventh trumpet signals the conclusion of the trumpet judgments, but it does not indicate the completion of God's judgment on earth. Instead, the seventh trumpet opens the final set of seven bowl judgments. The seventh bowl judgment completes all of God's judgments on the earth.
Revelation 8:1 contrasts the typical activity levels in heaven with the loud, boisterous sounds that John observed and heard. In Revelation 4:1-11, Revelation 5:1-14, Revelation 6:1-17, and Revelation 7:1-17, continuous sounds of joy, worship, and praise are directed to God on His throne. In sharp contrast, there is a 30-minute silence accompanying the opening of the seventh seal in Revelation 8:1. This change may reflect a solemn recognition of the start of God's judgment against the world, as the sins of the world have been revealed through the opening of the seven seals. The opening of the seven seals was not about judgments but rather a revelation of the sobering reality of Satan’s influence and control over the world. The return of Christ Jesus was unveiled with the opening of the sixth seal, when Christ Jesus will rule the world with a rod of iron. The sixth seal also revealed the response of the unrighteous upon seeing His return, Psalm 2:9. Daniel’s prayer, after receiving the revelation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, declared that God reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells in Him, Daniel 2:22. However, the significance of the 30 minutes of silence is not provided. Still, there are several references to silence and the reasons for it in the bible, such as:
- The heavenly silence may parallel the thirty days allotted for mourning the death of a loved one, such as Aaron's mourning in Numbers 20:27-29.
- The preparation for war, Isaiah 25:5
- Israel is being judged for its pride, Amos 6:10
- The Lord is in His holy temple; let the earth keep silent before Him. Habakkuk 2:20
- All of humanity is quiet before the Lord, for from His holy dwelling, He has aroused Himself, Zechariah 2:13
- When judgment from heaven was felt on earth, all feared and fell silent, Psalms 76:8
This silence will ultimately be replaced by sounds of judgment and ongoing praise for God. Even in judgment, God’s love has never faded, and the silence may signify God’s grief for those who have turned their backs on Him.
In Revelation 8:2, the scene unfolds in heaven before the throne of God. This signifies the judgment and destruction of the Gentile era over Israel, Jerusalem, and the world in preparation for the millennial reign of Christ, as seen in Daniel 2:20-23, Daniel 2:34-35, and Daniel 2:42-45. This begins a crescendo of events leading to the fulfillment of what was prophesied by Isaiah 13:9-13. No other being in God's creation is responsible for these impending judgments; they rest entirely in God's hands and are issued by Him. Seven angels who stood before the throne were each given a trumpet to enact judgments against mankind. An example of this crescendo of events during the seven years of tribulation can be observed by following this link, a compressed view of the judgments during the tribulation. Like the seals, these judgments will likely unfold in an unbroken rhythm, akin to a massive tsunami rolling onto the shore, where nothing can halt its advance or divert the wave. This is God's judgment, and its consequences will be felt globally, even though the effects will impact one-third of the world, as noted in the following verses.
With the blowing of the trumpets, what is revealed is that “one third” is the prominent indicator of each impending judgment; a third of this and a third of that. Scripture does not specify which third of the world will be directly affected, but it does indicate what each trumpet blast affects. The first trumpet judgment targets plant life and agriculture on Earth, the second focuses on maritime life and commerce, the third addresses the fresh water supply, and the fourth is directed toward the celestial bodies that provide light to the Earth. The first four trumpet judgments affect the environment essential for humanity's survival. The next chapter introduces the fifth trumpet, which directly assaults those individuals who do not have the seal of God on them. The sixth trumpet is a judgment on the world with the release of four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.
There is a varying time element for each trumpet blown. Like the seals, they consist of six distinct events. However, these events do not necessarily last until the end of the tribulation. The first three judgments affect specific times and places; the fourth judgment persists until the end of the tribulation, while the fifth judgment lasts for only five months. The sixth judgment continues until the conclusion of the tribulation period. Throughout scripture, trumpets serve various purposes, Numbers 10:1-10000, but in this context, they announce each successive judgment.
In Revelation 8:3-4, the prayers of all the saints are to be addressed, and all of these prayers are set to be answered now. This is similar to Luke 18:2-8. Paul likewise wrote to the Corinthians, 1Corinthians 4:5, regarding the believer, but here the Lord Jesus is the light revealing the world's sins and their consequences upon all the unrighteous. An angel stands before the altar with a golden censer and is given much incense to offer alongside the prayers of the saints before the throne. Earlier, John reported seeing the 24 elders holding harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, as noted in Revelation 5:8. It will be like the days of Habakkuk when he cried to the Lord concerning the iniquity, lawlessness, and violence in Judah and Jerusalem, as described in Habakkuk 1:1-4. Additionally, the prayers of the saints, revealed with the opening of the fifth seal, cried out for vengeance for their blood that was shed, as seen in Revelation 6:9-11. The prayers that ascended to God’s throne have been gathered into a single censer and are being answered by demanding the innocent blood of the saints from those in the world who committed those evil deeds. This is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, as stated in Isaiah 63:4 and Romans 12:19.
John saw an angel standing before the altar with a golden censer, who was given much incense to offer alongside the prayers of the saints already before the throne. The image to the left depicts a priest offering prayers with a censer before the altar, in front of the curtain that separates him from the Holy of Holies. These prayers are offered to the slain Lamb, who is worthy to take and open the sealed document.
The graphic to the right illustrates a heavenly scene in God’s throne room, with concentric circles of heavenly beings proclaiming their praises and joy to God. The angel stands at the altar, holding the offering of incense and the prayers of the saints. The smoke from the offering rises before God.
In Revelation 8:5, when the angel hurls the censer to the earth, four physical responses follow this action. This indicates the impending judgments from God and concludes the 30 minutes of silence with sounds of judgment. Several steps are revealed to John for avenging the saints' blood and addressing their prayers. This is directly linked to the Mosaic system of sacrifices and offerings as observed by the Levitical priests:
- First, the angel with the censer stood at the altar, offering a great deal of incense along with the prayers of all the saints before the throne, Revelation 8:3
- Second, the incense mingled with the prayers of the saints ascended before God, Revelation 8:4
- Third, the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and cast it onto the earth, Revelation 8:5
- Four physical responses indicate impending judgments from God
- Thunder
- Rumblings
- Flashes of lighting
- An earthquake
In Revelation 8:6, seven angels are depicted, ready to sound their trumpets, as all the sins have been revealed and the prayers of the saints have been acknowledged, which Paul referenced at Mars Hill in Athens, Greece, Acts 17:29-31. This period of judgment has been disclosed over time, as stated in Romans 1:18-20. The magnitude and terror of the “day of the Lord” are summarized in Joel 1:15-20.
Similar to the opening of the seals, one event seems to follow another rapidly, with no distinct interval between the sounding of one trumpet and the next. The first six trumpets appear to conclude during the first half of the tribulation period.
Additionally, similar to the seven churches that are divided into a group of four and a group of three based on the word “Remember,” the trumpets are also grouped. The first four trumpets have a direct impact on the environment, while the last three trumpets directly affect humanity. Although the impact of the trumpet judgments is limited in time and space, their effects are felt worldwide.
In Revelation 8:7, the first trumpet sounds. John sees hail and fire mixed with blood thrown upon the earth. The result is:
- One-third of the Earth is burned
- One third of the trees are burned
- All the green grass has been burned
To gain a sense of dimension, one-third of the Earth is covered by 120 degrees of longitude, encompassing most of the American continent and both hemispheres. As shown on the associated Mercator projection of Earth, the map has been divided into thirds, each 120 degrees of longitude wide. Each section broadly represents the Americas, the Euro-African region, and the Asian region, providing a very generalized population size for each third. Whether these trumpet judgments impact a third of the globe or whether the affected areas cover a series of unrelated geographic regions, their total coverage still amounts to a third of the globe, and the effect on the world population at that time cannot be overlooked. The global economy and the environment will experience significant disruptions, but they will be repairable over time.
Though the judgment in Exodus was limited to Egypt (excluding the land of Goshen), it resembles the trumpet judgment that affects the entire world, as seen in Exodus 9:22-26. On the timeline for Revelation chapter 8, the chart indicates only a short duration, as the vegetation will recover from the effects of the first trumpet. Additionally, following this link, comparing the judgments with the plagues will provide a comprehensive list of all the judgments in Revelation alongside those imposed on Egypt during the Exodus.
In Revelation 8:8-9, a second trumpet sounded. Something like a massive mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea, resulting in:
- One-third of the sea turned to blood
- One-third of the living creatures in the sea died
- One-third of the ships were destroyed
One might be tempted to attribute the origin of these judgments’ physical nature to what we can observe or know exists in the universe and on Earth. However, all these judgments, like those against Egypt in Exodus and those at an earlier time, Sodom and Gomorrah, were directed by God based on His Word, not merely on natural causes.
This resembles the Egyptian plague in Exodus 7:19-21, where the sea was turned to blood. Similar to the first trumpet, the timeline for Revelation chapter 8 indicates only a limited duration, as life and commerce on the seas may recover over time.
In Revelation 8:10-11, the third trumpet sounds. John observes a great meteor blazing as it falls through the atmosphere, impacting one-third of the rivers and springs, timeline for Revelation chapter 8. The star is called Wormwood, and as a result, one-third of the waters become bitter, leading to the deaths of many people. During the Exodus, the children of Israel faced similar circumstances with bitter water. At that time, God healed the waters by having Moses throw a piece of wood into it, as described in Exodus 15:22-26. Much later in their history, Israel was judged with bitter waters during King Nebuchadnezzar's conquests against Jerusalem, as seen in Jeremiah 9:13-16.
Incredibly, in Revelation 8:12, a fourth trumpet is sounded, resulting in:
- One-third of the sun was hit
- One-third of the moon was impacted and darkened
- One-third of the stars were affected and dimmed.
The consequences are similar to those in Exodus 10:21-23:
- One third of the day will be without light, meaning there will be about four hours less daylight shining on the Earth during a 12-hour day
- Likewise, the light from the moon and stars will decrease by one-third at night, resulting in enhanced darkness
Unlike the first three trumpets, the timeline for Revelation chapter 8 indicates that this judgment will continue until the end of the tribulation.
In Revelation 8:13, John observes an angel (the NIV interprets this as an eagle) flying in the air, while the scene remains centered on the throne of God. John hears the angel announce that three woes are yet to come for the inhabitants of Earth, timeline for Revelation chapter 8. This marks the beginning of another noticeable pause in the succession of trumpet blasts, as the last three will bring greater calamities upon the earth, its inhabitants, and the universe than the first four trumpets. However, the subsequent three trumpet blasts represent only the first of three woes; the other two woes are connected to different individuals in Revelation 11:1-19 and Revelation 12:1-17. The loss of life on earth from these woes will be compounded by what will occur through Satan with the opening of the seals and the judgments of God with the sounding of the trumpets. This pause in the trumpet judgments may serve to emphasize the horrific carnage the world is yet to suffer for its rebellion against God. The focus is on the next trumpet judgment, which will directly and devastatingly impact mankind.