Revalation

Chapter 8

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
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6 Then the seeven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

The seventh seal is different from all its predecessors in that it introduces the next series of divine judgements. While five of the seal judgements feature devastations wrought by man, all of the trumpet judgements vome direvtly from heaven. They are so severe that verse 1 says, 'When He opened he seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.' In the rest of Revelation heaven is seen to be a joyous and worshipful place, with choruses singing, trumpets blaring, celestial beings cying out - but suddenly there comes this ominous silence. As horrible as the seal judgements were, the trumpet judgements will be worse.

7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire fixed wih blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees burned up, and all the green grass burned up.

Ice and fire rain from the sky, burning up a third of all the earth's trees and all of its grass. This is an ecological disaster without parallel to this point in the history of mankind; its results are incalculable. To make matters worse, John also adds that 'blood' arrives with the hail and fire (see 2:30). And this is but the first trumpet!

8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

When the second trumpet is blown, John sees 'something like a huge mountain, all ablaze" - likely an enormous meteorite crashing through the atmosphere - 'was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood.' As a result, a third of everything living in the sea dies, and a third of the ships on the sea are destroyed.

10 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 (Bitterness). A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

When the third angel blows his trumpet, another meteorite crashes to the earth 'blazing like a torch'. It does not fall on the sea but on a third of the earth's rivers and springs, turning them 'bitter' and poisonous. As a result of this plague, 'many men' die.

12 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 went dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

All life on this earth depends on the sun: If it were to explode, the earth would incinerate; if it were to go cold, the earth would freeze solid. Neither of those extremes is in view with the fourth trumpet judgement, but in some way God does reduce by a third the amount of radiant energy reaching the earth from the sun and all other celestial bodies.

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by he other three angels!"