요한계시록 Chapter 8

Translation: ESV

1

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Key Message

Heaven's silence before the greatest judgment reflects the majesty of God and the weight of his judgment.

▸When the seventh seal is opened, contrary to expectations, 'silence for about half an hour' settles over heaven.

When the seventh seal is opened, contrary to expectations, 'silence for about half an hour' settles over heaven. This heavenly silence is both preparation for the greater judgment to come and a silence of reverence before God. Silence before God's judgment appears frequently in the Old Testament tradition (Zephaniah 1:7, Zechariah 2:13). This silence prepares for the beginning of the seven trumpet judgments.

Related Verses

Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.
2

Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Key Message

The seventh seal contains the seven trumpet judgments, and God's judgment progressively expands.

▸The seventh seal contains the seven trumpet judgments.

3

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne.

Key Message

God's judgment unfolds as a response to the prayers of the saints.

▸Before the trumpets blow, the prayers of the saints first ascend to God.

4

and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

Key Message

The prayers of the saints certainly reach before God and await his response in his time.

▸The prayers of the saints rise before God together with the smoke of the incense.

5

Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Key Message

Prayer has spiritual power to trigger God's judgment.

▸The fire of the altar is now placed in the censer of the ascending prayers and poured onto the earth.

6

Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

Key Message

God's judgment proceeds in a prepared and orderly manner.

▸All preparations are complete.

7

The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Key Message

The first trumpet judgment is limited but is the beginning of progressively intensifying judgment.

▸The first trumpet judgment affects the land.

8

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea,

Key Message

The second trumpet judgment is a broader judgment affecting the sea and marine ecosystem.

▸The second trumpet judgment affects the sea.

9

and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Key Message

Judgment affects both the natural ecosystem and human economic systems.

▸The consequences of the sea plague are described concretely.

10

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

Key Message

The third trumpet judgment threatens the source of life by polluting sources of fresh water.

▸The third trumpet judgment affects rivers and springs.

11

The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

Key Message

The shocking paradox of the third trumpet judgment is that the life-giving water becomes a source of death.

▸'Wormwood (apsinthos)' is an extremely bitter herb used in the Old Testament as a symbol of judgment and suffering (Jeremiah 9:15, Lamentations 3:15).

12

The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

Key Message

The fourth trumpet judgment reduces cosmic light, affecting the very order of creation.

▸The fourth trumpet judgment affects the lights of the sky.

13

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other three trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!"

Key Message

The three trumpet judgments to come are so much more severe than the preceding ones that a special warning is necessary.

▸A special warning is inserted between the first four trumpets and the last three.