Revelation 8 - The 7th Seal & 7 Trumpets -

The 7 year tribulation begins in Revelation 6 with the opening of the 1st seal. The first half of the tribulation goes from the opening of the 1st seal to the opening of the 6th seal in Revelation 6. The halfway point of the 7 year tribulation appears to be the “Abomination of Desolation”. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 24:15, when the antichrist declares himself to be god in the Temple.

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” – Matthew 24:15-16

This is an abomination that Daniel spoke about.

“He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” – Daniel 9:27

The 2nd half of the 7 year period is known as the Great Tribulation, and is shown in Revelation starting after the opening of the 6th seal in Revelation 6 until God’s final judgement is finished in Revelation 19.  And then Jesus will come back, to take the reign and dominion over the earth and universe from Satan, and begin His 1000 year reign on earth in Revelation 19. This is known as the Millenial kingdom.

Then in Revelation 20 Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire. And the great white throne judgement will take place, and all that rebelled against God and refused to repent and bow down to Jesus will also be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity.

Revelation 8 – The 7th Seal & 7 Trumpets

Silence In Heaven

When the 7th seal is opened in Revelation 8:1 there is silence for 30 minutes.

In John’s vision of heaven and God’s throne in Revelation 4, 5, 6, and 7, prior to the opening of the 7th seal, there was continuous praise and worship of God and the Lamb Jesus. Continuous praise and worship by 4 living creatures, and 24 elders (represent Old and New Testament believers), and angels, and martyred believers from the tribulation.

Now after the opening of the 7th seal there is complete silence for half an hour. There is a sense of expectancy for what is about to come. And a sense of reverence and awe. Finally the “day of the Lord ” is about to begin.

God’s final judgement and punishment, that begins in Revelation 8 with the opening of the 7th seal and continues through Revelation 19, is also known as “the day of the Lord “. Especially in the Old Testament.

“Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers. I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord’s wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth. ” – Zephaniah 1:14-18

“Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.” – Isaiah 13:9-11

“Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.” – Joel 1:15

“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

7 Angels That Stand Before God

“Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.”  – Revelation 8:2

The 7 Angels that stand before God are very special high ranking angels. These angels are unique and have special roles and positions in God’s heavenly court.

These 7 angels stand in God’s presence, and they are there to worship Him. And they are directly involved in God’s plans, including for the end times or “The day of the Lord ” and judgment. They do not seem to get their orders from higher ranking angels, but directly from God.

These 7 angels that stand before God will have the honor and responsibility to carry out the 7 trumpet judgements during the day of the Lord. Part of the series of final judgements and punishments for God’s enemies that will occur in the Great Tribulation, which is the 2nd half of the 7 year tribulation period.

Gabriel is one of the angels that stands in God’s presence. In Luke 1 he is seen speaking to Zechariah about his coming son John the Baptist.

“And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” – Luke 1:18-20

The Golden Censor

“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 God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” – Revelation 8:3-4

The censer filled with fire is symbolic of the initiation of the final part of God’s divine judgment and punishment for His enemies. Thunder, rumblings, lightning, and an earthquake follow and are a signal that God’s final judgments are about to begin.

Incense and Prayers

Revelation 8:3-4 mention that incense and prayers of God’s people were in the censer. And that the smoke of the incense and prayers went up before God.

What were the prayers of God’s people? Remember that this is taking place in the 2nd half of the tribulation, at what is known as the day of the Lord. The final series of God’s judgement and punishment for His enemies, right before Jesus takes back dominion and reign over the earth and universe.

The prayers of God’s people most likely are the prayers mentioned in Revelation 6 after the 5th seal is opened. The prayers of all those who will repent and place their faith in Christ and will be saved during the tribulation. And then will be killed by the antichrist. These are the prayers of the many martyrs from the tribulation that will refuse to bow down and worship the antichrist.

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” – Revelation 6:9-11

They are praying and asking how long until God’s wrath and judgment will be poured out on God’s enemies. And how long until their blood will be avenged. And in a sense they are crying out for Jesus to come and take the reign and dominion of the earth and universe from Satan.

Golden Censer Filled With Fire

“Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”  – Revelation 8:5

The angel took the censer filled with fire and threw it on earth.

In 2 Thessalonians 1 Paul describes Jesus appearing during the day of the Lord and being revealed from heaven “in blazing fire” with his angels. And they are ready to bring God’s judgement and punishment for God’s enemies.

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” – 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9

The First Trumpet Judgement – Hail, Fire, and Blood

“Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.”  – Revelation 8:6-7

This trumpet judgement is similar to one of the 10 plagues God sent to Egypt. Except this time in God’s judgement and punishment in the day of the Lord there will be blood mixed with the hail and fire.

A third of the earth will be burned up, and a third of the trees, and all the grass also.

“Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.” – Exodus 9:23-25

The prophet Joel prophesied about the day of the Lord and mentioned blood and fire.

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Joel 2:30-32

Isaiah spoke about the day of the Lord, and in the prophecy he spoke of the “lofty and lifted up” cedars of Lebanon, and the oaks of Bashan.

“For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob,

because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. 7 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. 9 So man is humbled, and each one is brought low— do not forgive them! 10 Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty. 11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 12 For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; 13 against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; 14 against all the lofty mountains, and against all the uplifted hills; 15 against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; 16 against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. 17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,

and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols shall utterly pass away. 19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks

and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. 20 In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, 21 to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.” – Isaiah 2:6-21

This trumpet judgement will be so large that it will affect the whole earth. 1/3 of the earth and 1/3 of the trees will be burned up and destroyed. And all the “grass” means that all vegetation will be destroyed. This will greatly and adversely affect the world’s food supply.

2nd Trumpet Judgement – A Great Burning Mountain Crashes Into The Sea

“The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”  – Revelation 8:8-9

The 2nd angel blows the trumpet and brings the 2nd trumpet judgement. And a large flaming meteor or asteroid falls into the ocean. It is so large that 1/3 of the world’s oceans are turned to blood. And 1/3 of all creatures in the oceans are killed. And 1/3 of all ships are destroyed as well.

There is a similarity between this trumpet judgement and one of the plagues God sent to Egypt. The Nile River was turned to blood. Except that the 2nd trumpet judgement will be on a much larger and more destructive scale.

“Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.” – Exodus 7:20-21

Once again the world’s food supply will be great and adversely affected. As will shipping and the supply chain for the world’s products, since 1/3 of all ships will be destroyed.

The 3rd Trumpet Judgement – A Blazing Star

“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.”  – Revelation 8:10-11

The 3rd trumpet is blown by another angel and brings the 3rd trumpet judgement to the world. A great star blazing like a torch falls from the sky.

Jesus talks about this when He was teaching at the temple in Luke 21.

“Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”  – Luke 21:10-11

We have seen in Revelation 6 and 7, in the first half of the 7 year tribulation, the wars and earthquakes and famine and pestilence. Then Jesus mentions “terrors and great signs from heaven “.

The great blazing star falling from the sky in the 3rd trumpet judgement is one of the terrors and great signs from heaven Jesus taught about. As is the previous 2nd trumpet judgement, the great mountain that fell into the oceans.

The great blazing star falls from the sky and affects 1/3 of the rivers and springs of water. 1/3 of the world’s fresh water supply is affected and turned poisonous. This will have a huge impact on life in the entire world.

The name of the great blazing star is Wormwood.

The Greek word “apsinthos” is translated wormwood. Wormwood is a bitter herb. When 1/3 of the world’s  freshwater will be struck by the star Wormwood it will became bitter and poisonous. And many people will die.

In the Old Testament wormwood is associated with bitterness, sorrow, and judgment.

“Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, 7 O you who turn justice to wormwood  and cast down righteousness to the earth!”  – Amos 5:6-7

“And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink.”  – Jeremiah 9:13-15

“He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood. 16 He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; 17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18 so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.” 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!  – Lamentations 3:15-19

When the great blazing star Wormwood makes the water bitter and poisonous, this is God’s bitter judgment being poured out on His enemies.

The 4th Trumpet Judgement – Sun, Moon & Stars Darkened

“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.” – Revelation 8:12

Next comes the 4th trumpet judgement. Another one of the “terrors and great signs from heaven” Jesus taught about in Luke 21 when people asked Him about the end times.

In the 4th trumpet judgement 1/3 of the sun will be darkened. And 1/3 of the moon will be darkened. And 1/3 of the stars will be darkened. There will be a sort of eclipse of the sun, moon, and all the stars at the same time.

And 1/3 of the day will be dark. And 1/3 of the night will be without any light from the moon or stars. And quite possibly the days will be much colder due to a third of the sun being darkened.

Besides all that has already happened to the world with the 6 seal judgements, and the first 3 trumpet judgements, this one will have great mental and emotional impacts on those still alive. Distress and panic and terror.

Many will ask “Why would a loving God do such terrible things”?  God’s word in Romans 1 has the answer.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” – Romans 1:18-25

Things Will Get Worse And Worse

“Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” – Revelation 8:13

After the 4th trumpet judgement John heard an eagle crying out in a loud voice. It was saying “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on earth “.

There will be worse things to come. Much worse. How could it possibly be worse than what will happen in the 6 seal judgements and the first 4 trumpet judgements?

In Revelation 9, 10, and 11 we will see the last 3 trumpet judgements. And they will be worse.

And then in Revelation 15 and 16 there will be 7 bowl judgements. Then final judgments and punishment for God’s enemies. And indeed it will be worse for anyone that manages to survive the previous judgements.