Revelation 8 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Rev 8:1-5

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 seven trumpets were given to them.

3 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. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

A. Find Out:

1. What happened when the 7th seal was opened? v.1
2. Who were given trumpets? v.2
3. What did another angel offer at the altar? v.3
4. What happened to this? v.4
5. From where did the angel take fire? v.5a
6. What did he do with it? v.5b

B. Think:

1. Why do you think there was a silence after the 7th seal was opened?
2. What does incense do and what does the picture of it mingled with prayers suggest?

C. Comment:

      At the 6th seal being open, universal catastrophe occurred. When the 7th seal is opened and the contents of the scroll of God is revealed, it is as if all of heaven is silenced by the awfulness of what is coming. Even the worship of all the beings in heaven is silenced by what is revealed. Eventually, after the content of the scroll is taken in, seven angels close to God are appointed as heralds and are given seven trumpets with which to sound the coming of the next events.

      However, before they blow the trumpets, we are shown another angel who stands before the altar in heaven. Sacrifices are not offered there because the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus, has been made already. Instead fire on the altar is used to burn up sweet smelling incense, perfume mingled with the prayers that come up from the saints on the earth. It is as if in the midst of all the terrible things that are happening, there is a beautiful aroma that is blessing heaven, made up of heavenly incense and human prayers.

     Lastly, we see this angel taking some of the holy fire from the altar of blessing and casting it down on the earth. That which is a source of blessing in heaven now causes a shaking on the earth as a prelude to what is now coming.

D. Application?

1. There is divine order in the history of the end.
2. Our prayers can bless the Lord!

Passage: Rev 8:6-13

6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

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

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 into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were 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. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

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

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

A. Find Out:

1. What happened when the 1st trumpet was blown? v.7
2. What happened with the 2nd? v.8,9
3. What happened with the 3rd? v.10,11
4. What happened with the 4th? v.12
5. What was the eagle crying out? v.13

B. Think:

1. What were the CAUSES of disaster after the first three trumpets?
2. What is the result on the world?
3. What is the effect on the sky?

C. Comment:

      The sixth seal had heralded a shaking. The seventh seal opens the way for death and destruction on a massive scale. Always remember it is only by the grace and mercy of God that we aren’t all destroyed immediately (see studies in this Series on Romans).

      The disaster that hits the earth can either be seen as disaster which hits the whole world but only destroys one third of it or, more likely, disaster that hits one geographical third of the earth. In that third the earth is scorched, the sea is thrown into turmoil and everything in it destroyed and all the rivers, lakes etc. completely polluted. The result of this holocaust, now brought by a fourth angel, is that the sky is blotted out (remember the sky over Kuwait when oil wells burnt in the early part of the 1990’s).

      God’s divinely brought judgements so often come through “natural” means (see studies in this series on the first half of Exodus). Because the foolish inhabitants of the earth still refuse to call on God (as we’ll see later), it is likely that they view these disasters as “natural” or even “man caused”. We see them, however, specifically brought by the angels of God. As if that wasn’t enough, we are shown an eagle (eagles see all that is happening or coming) and it wails out what is to follow, something even worse than we have seen so far!

D. Application?

1. Disasters drive men to God – sometimes!!
2. God seeks to draw all men to Himself in love.