Verse By Verse Through Revelation
Chapter Eight
Revelation 8:1 “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”
- Chapter six concluded with the opening of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-17). Chapter seven broke away from the opening of the seals as instruction was given to seal the servants of God (Revelation 7:1-3). Now, we are back to the opening of the seals with the seventh one.
- The Lamb [Jesus - John 1:29; 1:36] is opening the seals (Revelation 5:5-9 and Revelation 6:1).
- In this Revelation of John, Heaven has not been silent (Revelation 4:1, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 6:1, etc.).
- Now John sees silence from about half an hour (which could be literal or not). It is awe? Is it fear? Is it curiosity? Is it a pause in Revelation? Is it something else? Remember what we talked about John being in the Spirit during this (Revelation 1:10, Revelation 4:2, and Revelation 21:10; cf. II Corinthians 12:1-4).
Revelation 8:2 “And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.”
- There were seven angels [messengers] of the churches who John wrote messages to (Revelation 1:20, Revelation 2:1, Revelation 2:8, Revelation 2:12, Revelation 2:18, Revelation 3:1, Revelation 3:7, and Revelation 3:14). What we are going to see now is a lot different than the seven angels to the churches.
- When we talked about the seven angels to the churches we looked at some things different than the seven angels we will see going forward. My notes from Revelation 1:20 say this: “As we approach the next chapter, let’s consider what the “angels” of the churches could mean. The Greek word “ἄγγελος” is defined: “1) a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon; Strong’s # 32). Consider how this word can be translated simply as a “messenger” (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27, and II Corinthians 12:7). Certainly, the term can also mean a spirit-being from Heaven (Revelation 20:1). Consider this though, would an angel from Heaven be standing before the assemblies in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea? Who read letters to the churches (Acts 15:22-32, Acts 16:1-5, Colossians 4:16, and I Thessalonians 5:27)? Furthermore, if this letter was to be delivered to Heavenly beings to be given to the churches; why was John involved at all? John will be seeing and talking with Heavenly messengers (Revelation 15:1, Revelation 21:9, and Revelation 22:8-9). John then is to shew the servants of God what he saw (Revelation 1:1). Remember, God has given His word to man (Acts 8:26-39, Romans 10:14-17, and II Corinthians 4:1-7).”
- These seven messengers are not receiving messages from John (Revelation 8:6). We will see like figures in the future of our studies as well (Revelation 15:6-8, Revelation 16:1, and Revelation 17:1).
- They are given trumpets. They will sound off (Revelation 8:6ff.).
Revelation 8:3 “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.”
- This is interesting. The language brings one back to things done under the Law of Moses (Leviticus 16:1-13).
- We talked about the golden vials full of the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8; cf. Psalms 141:1-2 and Hebrews 13:15-16).
Revelation 8:4 “And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.”
- This language continues to give imagery likened to what happened in the tabernacle and the temple of old (Exodus 30:1 and I Chronicles 28:18).
- Consider the wording in a Psalm (Psalms 141:1-2).
Revelation 8:5 “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.”
- The saints had desired God’s vengeance (Revelation 6:9-10).
- Now, in the context of blowing trumpets, John sees another angel fill the censer (Revelation 8:3) with fire and cast it to the earth.
- Later, we will see vials of wrath poured out on the earth (Revelation 16:1).
- This is followed by voices, thunderings, etc. (Revelation 4:5, Revelation 11:19, and Revelation 16:17-18).
Revelation 8:6 “And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
- Trumpets were used for various things throughout the Scriptures. One of those, was to give warning (Ezekiel 33:1-9).
- Another reason trumpets were used was as an alarm for war (Jeremiah 4:19).
- There were memorials wherein trumpets were blown (Leviticus 23:24).
- The Judgment upon Jerusalem had the angles blowing trumpets (Matthew 24:29-30).
- Then there shall be the last trumpet (I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:13-16).
- The seven angels that had the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2) are here in John’s vision preparing to sound.
Revelation 8:7 “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.”
- cf. Revelation 16:17-21
- This is reminiscent of what God did in Egypt (Exodus 9:13-26; cf. Psalms 78:43-49).
- Likewise, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem and four other kings decided to go up against Israel, God cast down hailstones upon them and the sun stood still (Joshua 10:1-14).
- Times like this is what God has done in anger (Isaiah 30:27-31).
- Think on that (Nahum 1:1-6).
Revelation 8:8-9 “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; 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.”
- After fire from above mingled with blood is cast to the earth (Revelation 8:7), we now see the second angel sounding his trumpet.
- “AS IT WERE” [simile] a great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea. This continues to be clear language of destruction (Micah 1:2-4).
- The sea becoming blood (Revelation 16:3-4).
- Remember when the river in Egypt was turned to blood. That killed what was in the river as we see happening here in the sea (Exodus 7:20-21).
- Bringing down the ships with the destruction in the sea declared a clear message about God’s judgment (Isaiah 2:11-17).
Revelation 8:10-11 “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; 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.”
- This sure sounds like a meteor shower or something like that. The power of God’s vengeance has extended even to the rivers and other sources of water (Isaiah 50:2, Ezekiel 30:12, and Nahum 1:2-4).
- The opposite has also been true (II Kings 2:19-22 and Isaiah 41:17-20).
- Wormwood making bitter (cf. Proverbs 5:3-4).
Revelation 8:12 “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.”
- Later, we will read of a fourth angel pouring a vile upon the sun (Revelation 16:8-9).
- Judgments of the Lord sometimes included wonders in the sky (Exodus 10:21-23, Joshua 10:1-14, Isaiah 13:1-10, Isaiah 24:13-23, Isaiah 30:26, Ezekiel 32:1-10, Joel 2:1-11, Habakkuk 3:1-16, Matthew 24:1-31, and Acts 2:14-20 [cf. Joel 2:28-32]).
- Even when Jesus was put to death (Luke 23:44-48).
- God doesn’t leave one to wonder if He did that (Isaiah 42:8 and Isaiah 48:11).
- This is a great reminder of the might of God and how He is the Creator of the wondrous might we see in our skies (Jeremiah 31:35).
Revelation 8:13 “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”
- In this verse John heard an angel flying, later he sees an angel flying in the midst of heaven in his Revelation (Revelation 14:6).
- When we read of a “woe” in the Scriptures, that generally is not a good message for those who receive it (Numbers 21:29, Isaiah 3:9-26, Isaiah 5:8-16, Isaiah 10:1-4, Isaiah 45:9-16, Ezekiel 13:3-15, Amos 6:1-8, etc.).
- Later we read one woe is past and then a second is past (Revelation 9:12 and Revelation 11:14). Then there is a Woe when the devil is come (Revelation 12:12).
- This woe is from the fact that there are three angels left to sound their trumpets. Like what Isaiah wrote saying “his hand is stretched out still” in relation to judgment from God (Isaiah 5:25, Isaiah 9:12, Isaiah 9:17, Isaiah 9:21, and Isaiah 10:4).
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