Read or listen The Book of Revelation, chapter 8 online (ESV, YouVersion)

The Calm Before the Storm 8:1-5

Finally, the seventh seal is opened, but now - unlike when the first six were opened - nothing happens. There is complete silence in heaven and it lasts for half an hour. Apparently, the silence represents waiting. Heaven is waiting with bated breath to see what will happen next. The heavenly hosts understand that God's judgments will soon be fulfilled and they are expected in silence. The calm before the storm, as the saying goes.

When the silence is over, John sees seven angels and then another. The eighth angel has a censer and John says that the angel put incense on the prayers of the saints. The same thing has been said before (Revelation 5:8). The saints are God’s own living on earth. So the angel mixes fragrant incense with our prayers and then our prayers ascend to God. This assures us that our prayers are heard in heaven. And even if we pray unwisely, the angel of God adds incense to our prayers, which makes our prayers acceptable to God.

Then the angel fills the censer with fire from the altar and throws it to the earth. This results in thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. The angel’s action may be a reference to what will soon happen: the seven angels will blow their trumpets and the world will be shaken.

The throwing of the censer is probably also a reminder that God's own prayers have been heard and now God is doing what has long been asked of him. The church of God has prayed that Jesus would come soon, that God would end the evil in the world and show that he is almighty. Before that, God will shake humanity and call them to Himself. The seven trumpets also tell of this.

The First Four Trumpets 8:6-13

Seven angels blow their trumpets in turn, and John is shown visions. The visions of the seals and the visions of the horns are related: The visions of the horns are probably a more detailed description of what was already discussed in the sixth seal. They describe the end of the world, what happens just before Jesus returns.

As the trumpets sound, John sees shocking visions. Hail and fire rain from the sky, nature dies, the seas become polluted, stars fall from the sky, the heavenly bodies darken, and the world is shaken. We don't know how metaphorical this is. Man has invented ways to kill sea life and burn entire continents. Perhaps just before Christ's return, human inventions will get out of hand and destroy the world. It is also likely that God will strike the world with unprecedented plagues.

We do not know what will happen before Jesus returns. However, the Book of Revelation tells us that the world will be struck in many ways before the day of judgment comes. This is how God speaks to people. We are so stubborn that we don't hear his gentle words. That's why he has to use hard means. However, this is God's grace and love. He does not want anyone to perish and be lost. He calls us to Him through good and bad.

Verse 11 was much talked about during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The name Chernobyl comes from a Ukrainian word meaning wormwood. It has even been said that the Chernobyl disaster fulfilled the prophecy in the Book of Revelation about the star called Wormwood. That's probably too much to say. The Chernobyl nuclear accident was, after all, a small catastrophe on the scale of the Book of Revelation. It did not destroy nearly a third of the water. Still, the Chernobyl accident must have something to do with the Book of Revelation. It was hardly a coincidence that the nuclear reactor called Wormwood spread its pollutants into the environment. At least I personally believe that God gave a sign that the Book of Revelation is true. Maybe God allowed the disaster to happen so that people would wake up and seek the living God and his will.