In chapter 6, we saw Jesus Christ opening the six seals of the scroll. With the opening of each one, a more severe punishment was delivered to a sinful and unrepentant world than the punishment before.
In chapter 7, we saw a temporary restraint from these punishments. And in the place of the seals, we saw a period of time when 144,000 Jewish men went out as evangelists to proclaim the word of God to the rest of the world. God was giving man yet one more time to come to the Lord before His total wrath would be poured out upon the earth.
Picking up in chapter 8, we begin by seeing the 7th seal opened.
VERSE 1:
“When He (the Lamb of God) opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”
We do not know exactly why there was this period of silence, but we know that it is very significant and comes from God. Perhaps it is like when we hold our breath for a moment just before something terrible happens. Or, perhaps it is a moment in time when God’s heart is breaking, but He knows He must finally end this cycle of sin that man continues to live in, even if it demands some of His beloved creations must die and go to hell.
In VERSES 2-4, we begin learning about the 7 trumpet judgments of God’s wrath. John writes:
“Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel had a gold incense burner, and he came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the gold alter that was in front of the throne.”
Each one of these trumpets is a severe judgment that will be handed down upon the earth. The passage says that the angel standing before the altar had a large incense burner, and he was given a “large amount” of incense to offer up with the prayers.
Incense is a fragrant substance that creates a particular smell when burned. If you have ever seen a Catholic ceremony, you have seen a priest who carries an incense burner with smoke coming from it. We are not told what this incense was.
VERSES 5-6 show us the very beginning of God’s pure wrath as it starts to unfold!
“The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were thunders, rumblings, lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels prepared to blow their seven trumpets (or dispense their seven judgments).”
The word “hurled” refers to a mighty and angry force being used. It was so mighty, it caused many natural disasters, which will end up being worse than the most severe storms and earthquakes we have ever seen on the face of this planet.
VERSE 7 describes a judgment of fire that was cast upon the earth.
“The first angel blew his trumpet and hail and fire, mixed with blood, was hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all of the grass was burned up.”
Some reports say that during a nuclear holocaust, the explosion, and radiation that is shot up into the atmosphere causes ice to form. Could this be the hail John talked about, and could the fire he speaks of be due to the explosion of the bombs? If so, these things would sure cause bloodshed, wouldn’t they?
Whatever actually causes these things, we know it will be more horrifying than anything we today would ever want to live through. The enormities of the fires are such that we cannot comprehend them today. They will not be isolated to one area, but will literally scorch a third of the earth.
It will be as bad, if not worse than the judgment of hail God rained down upon Egypt in -
EXODUS 9:18.
“Tomorrow at this time, I will rain down the worst hail that has ever occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.”
And the fact that there is grass mentioned, we are led to assume that this judgment will occur during the growing season, or probably from late spring to late summer. Otherwise, the grass would be dead and dormant. But that is purely speculation on our parts.
VERSES 8-9 tell about the second trumpet judgment. It will be a judgment upon the sea .
“The second angel blew his trumpet and something like a great mountain that was burning was cast into the sea. Then, a third of the sea became like blood; a third of the living creatures in the sea died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.”
Let’s analyze these two verses. First of all, when we read the book of Revelation, we must use all the knowledge at our disposal to help understand what this time will be like. John was trying to write down things he saw that he had no words for. He had no reference of knowledge to draw from.
This judgment is very similar to the judgment God rained down upon Egypt in:
EXODUS 7:20-21.
“Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded. In front of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile River, and all the water was turned to blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad the Egyptians could not drink from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.”
We are not told what the great thing in REVELATION 8:8 is, but something like a very large mountain was engulfed in fire, and it was thrown into the sea. Some say this could be a meteorite. Some say it could be a group of nuclear rockets coming down. Whatever it is, we know it will be deadly beyond our comprehension. Whatever it is that goes into the sea will poison the sea and cause a third of everything in the sea to die, and it will likely cause such great waves that a third of the ships will be tossed about and destroyed.
The mention of all these ships leads us to believe all of this will come without any warning at all. Just like in the days of Noah, people will be busy carrying out their normal routines, and then – WHAM – the end is upon the earth. And at that time, most will have already made their decision.
VERSES 10-11 describe the third judgment. It is a judgment of a fire star.
“The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. The name of the star is ‘Wormwood.’ And a third of the waters became wormwood; so, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.”
This is not the same fire that is mentioned in the first trumpet judgment in verse 7. This is an entirely different judgment. Wormwood is a plant with a very bitter taste that can make you very sick. It is used as a symbol of something poisonous. Now, keep in mind that John was trying to explain things that he had no reference of knowledge for. It would be like your great-grandfather trying to explain to somebody of his day what a radio wave was.
Again, could John have been trying to describe a nuclear war? Certainly we know that when Gog and Magog (the armies of Russia) come against Israel, they will be joined with the armies of the Islamic countries, and what are all of them trying their best to achieve even now? Weapons of nuclear warfare.
VERSE 12 describes the fourth trumpet judgment. It is a judgment of absolute darkness.
“The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun became darkened; a third of the moon, and a third of the stars also. They all became darkened. A third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.”
God has used darkness in His dealings with mankind before, as shown in -
EXODUS 10:21-23
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt; a darkness that can be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness throughout the land for three days. One person could not see another, and for three days they did not move from where they were.”
What is the scariest thing of all to a human? It is darkness. Humans need light to live. If you are I absolute darkness for even 10-15 days, you will lose your eyesight permanently. That is how badly we need light. Yet, God is so angry at a world that has gone to great strides to show their hate and contempt for Him, that He includes a judgment of darkness on His own creation.
John goes to extra length in describing the darkness as one that can be felt, and one that is thick. It will be a darkness that, if not cut short, would blind every person on earth.
VERSE 13 wraps up the fourth trumpet judgment.
“I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, and the eagle said in a loud voice; ‘WOE – WOE – WOE’ to those who live upon the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound!”
In other words, the eagle was saying that if they thought the preceding four trumpet judgments were bad, the next three will even be much worse.
Let me warn you that this is NOT “just a story” that we read about. These are precise details of things that are getting ready to happen! It isn’t just a “someday” thing anymore – it is an emergency status because we are on the brink of it happening any day!
We must fully understand this so that we can be armed with urgency. That urgency will be the main thing now that will help you withstand the pressures of telling others about Jesus and His loving plan of salvation. Without this urgency, it becomes nothing but “just a story.”
And we all know that it is not "just a story".
