Revelation 8
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 8
The Seventh Seal.[a] 1 When the Lamb broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw that seven trumpets were given to the seven angels who stand in the presence of God.
3 Another angel came forward with a gold censer and stood at the altar.[b] He was given a large quantity of incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the gold altar that stood before the throne.
4 The smoke of the incense together with the prayers of the saints rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and emptied it upon the earth. Immediately, there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
6 The seven angels who held the seven trumpets now made ready to blow them.
The First Four Trumpets.[c] 7 When the first angel blew his trumpet, there was a storm of hail and fire, mixed with blood, and it fell upon the earth.[d] A third of the earth was burned up, as well as a third of the trees and all the green grass.
8 [e]When the second angel blew his trumpet, something that looked like a huge mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 When the third angel blew his trumpet, a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It came down on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 This star was called “Wormwood,” and a third of the waters turned to wormwood.[f] Great numbers of people died from the waters that had become bitter.
12 When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars. As a result, a third of their light was darkened, and the day lost its illumination for a third of the time, and so did the night.[g]
13 The Cry of the Eagle.[h] In my vision, I heard an eagle cry out in a loud voice as it flew high overhead, “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth because of the other trumpet blasts that the three angels have not yet blown!”
Footnotes
- Revelation 8:1 We are now at the great Day of God’s Coming. Everything is unmoving in a solemn silence. It is the hour when the prayer of those persecuted—which is symbolized by the incense—is going to be heard (see Rev 6:9-11). Calamities arise to jostle the earth. At the sound of the trumpets, which are part of the scene for the Coming of God (see 1 Thes 4:16), seven tableaus will pass before our eyes in a dramatization without letup.
- Revelation 8:3 The altar is the altar of incense in the Jewish sanctuary; the gold censer is the thurible or fire-shovel used to carry the burning coals from the altar of holocausts to the altar of incense.
- Revelation 8:7 The earth, sea, streams, sources, and stars—everything is disfigured. The universe becomes chaos and lays itself waste. The author amplifies images taken from the Book of Exodus (chs. 7–10).
- Revelation 8:7 See the seventh plague of Egypt (Ex 9:23f) and Joel 3:3.
- Revelation 8:8 See the first plague of Egypt (Ex 7:20f).
- Revelation 8:11 Wormwood: a bitter-tasting plant that is a metaphor for calamity, sorrow, and death (see Prov 5:3f; Jer 9:15; Lam 3:19).
- Revelation 8:12 See the darkness that occurred for three days during the ninth plague of Egypt (Ex 10:21-23).
- Revelation 8:13 After the universe, the human race will itself be struck. The eagle announces the three calamities.
Revelation 8
1599 Geneva Bible
8 1 After the opening of the seventh seal, 3 the Saints’ prayers are offered up with odors. 6 The seven Angels come forth with trumpets. 7 The four first blow, and fire falleth on the earth, 8 the sea is turned into blood, 10, 11 the waters wax bitter. 12 and the stars are darkened.
1 [a]And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about half an hour.
2 [b]And I saw the seven Angels, which [c]stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 [d]Then another Angel came and stood before the Altar, having a golden censer, and much odors was given unto him, that he should offer with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar, which is before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the odors with the prayers of the Saints, [e]went up before God, out of the Angel’s hand.
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 earthquake.
6 [f]Then the seven Angels, which had the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to blow the trumpets.
7 [g]So the first Angel blew the trumpet, and there was hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast into the earth, and the third part of trees was burnt, and all green grass was burnt.
8 [h]And the second Angel blew the trumpet, and as it were a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood.
9 And the third part of the creatures, which were in the sea, and had life, died, and the third part of ships were destroyed.
10 [i]Then the third Angel blew the trumpet, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell into the third part of the rivers, and into the fountains of waters.
11 And the name of the star is called [j]wormwood: therefore the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 [k]And the fourth Angel blew the trumpet, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened: and the day was smitten, that the third part of it could not shine, and likewise the night.
13 [l]And I beheld, and heard one Angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the sounds to come of the trumpet of the three Angels, which were yet to blow the trumpets.
Footnotes
- Revelation 8:1 He returneth to the history of the seals of the book, which the Lamb openeth. The seventh seal is the next foresignification, and a precise commandment of the execution of the most heavy judgments of God upon this wicked world: which foresignification being understood by the seal, all things in heaven are silent, and in horror thorough admiration until commandment of execution be severally given of God unto the ministers of his wrath. So he passeth unto the third member of which I spake before in Rev. 6:1, which is of the execution of those evils wherewith God most justly determined to afflict the world.
- Revelation 8:2 Now followeth the third branch of the common history, as even now I said: which is the execution of the judgments of God upon the world. This is first generally prepared unto verse 6, then by several parts expoundeth according to the order of those that administered the same unto the end of the Chap. following. Unto the preparation of this execution are declared these things: first, who were the administers and instruments thereof in this verse. Secondly, what is the work both of the Prince of Angels giving order for this execution, thence unto verse 5, and of his administers in verse 6. The administers of the execution are said to be seven Angels: their instruments, trumpets, whereby they should as it were sound the alarm at the commandment of God. They are propounded seven in number, because it pleased God not at once to pour out his wrath upon the rebellious world, but at divers times, and by piecemeal, and in slow order, and as with an unwilling mind to exercise his judgments upon his creatures, so long called upon both by word and signs if happily they had learned to repent.
- Revelation 8:2 Which appear before him as his ministers.
- Revelation 8:3 This is the great Emperor, the Lord Jesus Christ our King and Savior: who both maketh intercession to God the Father for the Saints, filling the heavenly Sanctuary with most sweet odor, and offering up their prayers, as the Calves and burnt sacrifices of their lips, in this verse: in such sort as every one of them (so powerful is that sweet savor of Christ, and the efficacy of his sacrifice) are held in reconcilement with God and themselves made most acceptable unto him, verse 4. And then also out of his treasury, and from the same sanctuary poureth forth upon the world the fire of his wrath, adding also divine tokens thereto: and by that means (as of old the Heralds of Rome were wont to do) he proclaimeth war against the rebellious world.
- Revelation 8:4 Our prayers are nothing worth, unless that true and sweet savor of that only oblation be especially and before all things with them, that is to say, unless we being first of all justified through faith in his Son, be acceptable unto him.
- Revelation 8:6 This is the work of the administers. The Angels the administers of Christ, only by sounding trumpet and voice (for they are only as Heralds) do effectual call forth the instruments of the wrath of God, through his power. Hitherto have been things general. Now followeth the narration of things particular, which the Angels fix in number wrought in their order set out in verse 19 of the next chap., and is concluded with the declaration of the event which followed upon these things done in the world, and in chapters 10 and 11.
- Revelation 8:7 The first execution at the sound of the first Angel upon the earth, that is, the inhabitants of the earth (by Metonymy) and upon all the fruits thereof: as the comparing of this verse with the second member of verse 9 doth not obscurely declare.
- Revelation 8:8 The second execution, upon the sea in this verse and all things that are there in the next verse.
- Revelation 8:10 The third execution upon the floods and fountains, that is, upon all fresh waters, in this verse: the effect whereof is, that many are destroyed with the bitterness of waters, in the verse following.
- Revelation 8:11 This is spoken by Metaphor of the name of a most bitter herb, and commonly known, unless perhaps a man following those that note the derivation of words had rather expound it adjectively, for that which by reason or bitterness cannot be drunk, or which maketh the liquor into which is poured more bitter than that any man can drink the same.
- Revelation 8:12 The fourth execution upon these lightsome bodies of heaven, which minister unto this inferior world.
- Revelation 8:13 A lamentable prediction or foretelling of those parts of the divine execution which are yet behind: which also is a passage unto the argument of the next Chapter. Of all these things in a manner Christ himself expressly foretold in Luke 12:24, and they are common plagues generally denounced, without particular note of time.
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