Home / Revelation: Verse by Verse / Revelation 8
The Trumpet Judgments, Part 1
- Passage
- Revelation 8
- Taught
- April 27, 2025
Summary
When the Lamb opens the seventh seal there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. Seven angels are given seven trumpets, and another angel offers incense with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before throwing fire from the altar on the earth. The slides draw two takeaways: prayers are not forgotten, and God’s justice is certain even when it seems delayed.
The slides show the literary structure of chapters 6 to 18, the Day of the Lord in Joel 2, and the other uses of trumpets, or shofars, in the Bible. The first four trumpets bring hail and fire mixed with blood, a burning mountain thrown into the sea, a blazing star called Wormwood that embitters a third of the waters, and a darkening of a third of the sun, moon and stars. The slides set the second trumpet beside an asteroid impact as an illustration, and compare the darkness to Isaiah 13 and Mark 13.
An eagle cries, “Woe, woe, woe,” over those who live on the earth. Romans 1 is used to warn against worshiping created things, and the slides give the three grounds for God’s judgment: suppressing his truth, ignoring his revelation and perverting his glory. They close with three takeaways: God’s sovereign control, the call to repentance, and the urgency of the gospel.
The first four trumpets
The class read these judgments:
- 8:1–5. The seventh seal and the golden censer.
- 8:6–7. First trumpet: hail, fire and blood.
- 8:8–9. Second trumpet: a burning mountain into the sea.
- 8:10–11. Third trumpet: Wormwood.
- 8:12–13. Fourth trumpet: darkness, and the three woes announced.
Key takeaways from Revelation 8
The slides give three takeaways:
- God’s sovereign control: the events show that God is in control, even in chaos.
- The call to repentance: the judgments serve as a wake-up call.
- The urgency of the gospel: the chapter underscores the importance of sharing salvation.
Questions to talk about
- Do I believe my prayers are really kept before God, even when I see no answer?Revelation 8:3–4.
- Where do I give to created things the worship that belongs to the Creator?Romans 1:18–25.
- Who could I share the gospel with before these things come?Revelation 8:13.