Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 152nd episode. In this episode I want to continue our study of the book of Revelation. We are in chapter 8. This chapter gives us a preface to the sounding of the seven trumpets which usher in more of God’s divine justice. This chapter also shows us what happens when four of the seven trumpets are sounded. So we’ve already listened to Christ breaking six of the seals in the previous chapters. In this chapter He opens the seventh seal which functions as a prelude to the sounding of the seven trumpets. Expositors like Matthew Henry suggest the seven seals represented the interval between the apostle’s time and the reign of Roman emperor Constantine. And that the sounding of the seven trumpets are meant to signify the rise of Antichrist some time after Rome adopted Christianity as its national religion. But I think it’s likely these prophecies point to events which haven’t happened yet and will unfold at some undetermined time in the future. This chapter shows us a scene of dire judgments being brought upon the wicked of humanity. The previous chapter gave us a reprieve in that it showed us the blissful joy experienced by the faithful who basked in the presence of the Lord. This chapter returns us to the sobering reality which is the world we currently live in. A world where evil has not yet been extinguished nor relinquished its hold over the hearts of many. But because God is all-powerful and because God is good – we know that justice will prevail. Let’s begin with verses 1-6:
Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Rev 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.
Rev 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.
Rev 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.
Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
These verses make up the preface to the sounding of the trumpets. These initial events play out in several parts. First is the opening of the seventh and final seal at the hand of Jesus Christ. The seventh seal is what triggers the events which follow into the sounding of the trumpets. Everything God does is connected – one act of providence leading into another. You can see this simply by observing the world around you. It’s impossible to find any event which was not caused by some kind of preceding event. No matter where we look around us we cannot find anything which creates itself out of nothing. Everything can be broken down to its constituent elements and the existence of these elements depends on some event which occurred before them all the way back to the beginning of space and time itself. A deep consideration of the world around you will reveal God’s unbroken chain of providence and the truth that all things make up one wise, uniform design in the hand of God. The opening of the seventh seal is another brick in the wall of God’s divine plan for redemption.
When the seventh seal was opened a profound silence followed in heaven for the space of half an hour. There are a couple ways to interpret this silence. It’s possible the silence indicates peace among humanity and within the Church. When the faithful cry out on earth their cries resound in heaven. So maybe the Church experienced a blessing of divine peace for a window of time following the opening of the final seal. Or it’s possible this silence was simply the calm before the storm. The palpable silence of expectation. Being all too familiar with human nature I tend to think this second understanding of the silence is more likely. We know the seventh seal was about to bring in more spectacular acts of God – so maybe the anticipation in this passage could be felt in heaven and on earth. I tend to tell people they need to get up and take action rather than expecting God to deliver for them when they lack the faith to participate in His deliverance themselves. But there are certain events of God’s providence which are too big and too grand for any of us. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a good example of this. Humanity did nothing to help raise Jesus from the dead. The Bible says He was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. All we could do was watch with a sense of awe and wonder.
The same thing is true for the sequence of God’s final judgment and His redemption of all creation. It’s just too big for us to fully understand and it’s certainly outside the scope of our ability to perform. Yes we are commanded to advance the Kingdom of God here on earth and to do all we can to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ. But we aren’t the ones responsible for saving souls and thank God for that. I could not bear the responsibility of another person’s eternity. I can’t even shoulder the responsibility of my own eternity which is why I need a Savior in Jesus Christ. When God is about to make a major movement in His grand design, when He is about to shape an eternal, cosmic event – the most faithful thing we can do is be silent and be still. In Zechariah the Bible tells us how to act when God is about to unveil a great act of providence: Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord, for He has risen up out of His holy habitation. And elsewhere, Be still, and know that I am God.
The angels who were being used by God were given trumpets which they were instructed to sound. God uses angels as wise and willing instruments of His divine providence, but even angels must have their tools furnished for them by God. Even angels are ultimately capable of nothing without the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to empower them. One thing angels have in common with humanity is that both are used to accomplish God’s will. Human instruments like ministers are used to sound the trumpet of the gospel all throughout the world. Heavenly angels are responsible for sounding the trumpet of God’s providence. All of us have our own part in advancing the Kingdom of God and each of us bears some responsibility in making sure we are prepared to be used by God in accordance with His divine purpose.
In preparation for the sounding of the trumpets another figure is seen standing at the altar with a golden censer and much incense. The angel of the Lord is sometimes used in reference to God so it’s possible this figure is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the High Priest of the Church so it makes sense He would be officiating His sacerdotal office here. Using the incense Christ offered up the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar of His divine nature. It’s comforting to know that Christ Himself is the One who handles your prayers. He could use anyone to handle your prayers, but He loves you so much and your prayers are so important to Him that He chooses to hear them Himself. Faithful people do not neglect times of prayer. This doesn’t mean you need to set aside time to pray with other people – rather it means you don’t neglect your own personal time in prayer to God. When you become a Christian you are given the Spirit of grace who teaches you to cry Abba, Father. That’s just a very informal and intimate way of addressing God. There are many things that many Christians cannot do. Not everyone is a talented public speaker, not everyone excels at musical instruments, but everyone is capable of praying. Not only is the capacity for prayer universal among human beings – but it’s also the one of the few things which cannot be taken from you. Even if you are stripped bare and thrown into a prison, there is no prison which can take away your God-given right to go to Him in prayer. Even if you have nothing else you still have your ability to pray and that will make all the difference.
Every time is a good time for prayer, but prayer should become particularly useful during times of danger and times of great expectation. When we are afraid of something we should go to the Lord in prayer. When we are hopeful of something we should go to the Lord in prayer. The faithful should be particularly mindful of the interests of the Church during their times of prayer. If you’re a Christian and something is deeply concerning for the Church of Christ, then this thing should be deeply concerning for you as well. This passage shows Christ using incense to make the prayers of the saints effectual. The idea here is that your prayers are not acceptable to the Father unless they go through Jesus Christ. Fortunately for us Jesus is all-sufficient to make our prayers heard. In this passage He is fully equipped with His incense, His censer, and His altar. Jesus is all we need for our prayers to resound in heaven and for our prayer lives grow in maturity, health, and effectiveness.
Notice how the prayers of the saints come up before God in a cloud of incense. There has never been a prayer which has gone through Jesus Christ and not been heard by the Father. In this passage we see the angel, which might be Christ, take fire from the altar and cast it into the earth. This occurrence is met with strange disturbances, voices, thundering, lightning, and an earthquake. Jesus used the same censer by which He offered up the prayers of the saints to take up fire from the altar and send it back to earth. This vision represents how God answers our prayers and how our prayers make real changes to the system and cause radically different outcomes. The saints were probably praying for vengeance against their persecutors and that’s why their prayers were answered with fire hurtling into the earth. Their prayers for vengeance were answered with tokens of God’s anger against the wicked. And these foreshadows of God’s holy wrath set the scene for the angels with the trumpets to carry out God’s instruction to sound in more judgment. Let’s read verses 7-13:
Rev 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.
Rev 8:8 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;
Rev 8:9 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.
Rev 8:10 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;
Rev 8:11 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.
Rev 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.
Rev 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!
Once the first angel sounded the first trumpet some very terrible events followed. Hail and fire which was mingled with blood fell from the sky. I think it’s wise to consider this passage symbolically. It’s possible the picture of hail and fire falling is representative of the many heresies which were falling on the church at this time. It could also be the chaotic tempest of war breaking loose on the civil state. War doesn’t normally break out in such a way that no one sees it coming – often it builds up ominously like a bad storm. Whether this vision indicates a war or a disruption in the church, the result is the third part of the trees and the third part of the grass blasted and burnt up by it. If this is a disruption within the church then the trees and the grass probably represent clergy and laity. If it denotes war on the civil state then maybe it represents dignitaries and common people. The Roman empire made up a third of the known world so destruction targeting a third of the trees and a third of the grass (which indicate people) could mean destruction targeted at Rome. As severe as this destruction sounds, the boundaries and limitations of it were set by God Himself and everything was always under His control.
The second angel sounded the alarm of the second trumpet and this too was followed by the unfolding of more chaos. A great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea and the third part of the sea became blood. If we’re talking about disruption within the church then the mountain might mean the leader or leaders of the heretics. But if this is a reference to war on the Roman state then it’s likely indicating the invasions of the Goths and Vandals which began in the year 410 and continued for 137 years. Rome was sacked five times during these calamities and it’s estimated a third of her people were killed. So the great mountain burning with fire would be the invading forces and the Roman people would be the third part of the sea which became as blood. Once again this destruction is limited by the divine hand of God because even in the midst of judgment God remembers mercy. The targets which took the brunt of these invasions were Rome’s maritime and merchant cities which made up the economic lifeblood of the empire. It would not have been a fun time to live through but God’s judgment never is.
The third angel sounded the third trumpet and a star fell from heaven. Based on what we know about stars we can infer this was not a literal star but rather the vision was symbolic. This might have been a political star or some well-known governor. Or it could have been a powerful person within the church. If it was a person within the church that would make sense of the piece about it burning like a lamp. Church leaders function as guiding lights for their communities and the people they serve. There’s a lot of responsibility in this role because if you become corrupt the likelihood your followers will become corrupt as well is significant. The Wormwood star is most likely a picture of corruption happening within the state or within the church – or both. This kind of corruption is a human universal and has occurred repeatedly throughout history in almost every domain human beings influence. The state becomes corrupt when arbitrary power poisons the laws which function as streams for civil liberty, property, and safety. If you poison the stream then you poison those facets of life as well. The church becomes corrupt when arbitrary power poisons the doctrines of the gospel which function as streams for spiritual well-being, refreshment, and vigor to the souls of humanity. If you poison the stream then you poison those aspects of spiritual life as well. If you corrupt the teachings of the church then humanity finds its own destruction in the very place it’s supposed to be searching for life. You notice the universal element which drives and is prerequisite for corruption: the universal element is power.
The fourth angel sounded the fourth trumpet and darkness fell upon the earth. The sun, the moon, and the stars were darkened. The governors of our state and the clergy of our church are placed on higher platforms than common people and are therefore responsible for dispensing light and proper influence to us. Corruption causes these lights to burn out. Even during this terrible judgment God would not allow humanity to suffer in total darkness. A third of the guiding lights were protected by God so that the people would not be lost and abandoned. Preachers and evangelists bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to a population and it’s up to the population to receive it. If the gospel is received coldly or rejected entirely then severe judgments are incoming. God sends warnings on almost every level of analysis before bringing down the hammer of judgment. God desires repentance and obedience rather than punishment so He gives us every opportunity to turn from our mistakes. The warnings come in His written word, in the preaching of His ministers, in the signs of the times, and the warnings even sound off inside the conscience of each individual.
If the warnings are ignored and the people persist in their wickedness then there is nothing left but to face judgment. God’s wrath hits in every domain of experience embittering all comfort and making life itself burdensome and miserable. But even in His anger God never forgets to be merciful because He always sets limits to the measure of wrath which is released into the world. If you want to know where the process of corruption usually takes root then you need only look at the church. All of society goes where the church goes because the church is the primary sense-making apparatus for understood truth. If wicked men and women ascend to positions of power within the church and begin poisoning the doctrines of the gospel then look out because this corruption is definitely going to spill over into the state and into common life. God will not allow us to utterly destroy ourselves and so you can be certain He is going to interject in this process of corruption with His divine judgment which brings us back to truth.
This chapter closes with a dire warning about the final three trumpets which have yet to sound. An angel is heard flying across the heavens shouting woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the final three trumpets. The reality of God’s judgment is that He starts out slow and ramps it up across time. This steady increase is meant to give us yet even more opportunities to repent and turn back from wickedness. But what’s happened to people throughout history, what’s happening to us now, and what will likely happen at the end of time is that humanity will scoff at God’s warnings and answer Him with increases of defiant sin. The wicked among humanity will draw the sword against the Almighty God and challenge Him for His throne. This is always a really bad idea. But this is what humanity did and what we will do at the end of time which is why the misery brought by the final three trumpets is so much greater than the first four. This is what it looks like to wage war on the God who loves us and created us. God will be known by the judgments He executes and He knows that when He reveals Himself to punish the world the wicked inhabitants thereof will tremble with fear before Him.
But even in dark and difficult chapters like this one the grace of God can be observed shining through the storm. Even during judgment His loving presence never goes away and He restrains the chaos so that we don’t entirely destroy ourselves. You might be going through a difficult time in your life and you might be full of sins which deserve judgment. But God’s not after you to bring judgment – He’s after you to bring redemption. Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ knows that you were born into a fallen system and that many of your trials are not your own fault. He knows that life can be confusing and challenging and that the yoke of evil is burdensome to no end. But He wants you to come to Him so He can show you the way to everlasting life. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
If you enjoy this podcast, please rate it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to it. You can follow The MHB Podcast on Facebook or Twitter @mhbpodcast. Tell your friends about it and share it on social media. If you’d like email notifications of new episodes or if you’d like to support my work directly, please consider becoming a paid subscriber on my website at mhbpodcast.com. This work is made possible by listener support so your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thank you all for joining me, and I will see you in the next episode.
The MHB Podcast 