The Book of Revelation: Part 17, The Seventh Seal

Revelation 8:1-13 (BSB)

We are in week seventeen of our sermon series on The Book of Revelation, and today, we are in the eighth chapter when the Lamb opens the seventh seal. Six seals have been opened by the Lamb—He is the only one who is worthy to open them. And as we’ve seen, each time a seal has been broken, terrible things have been unleashed or given permission to cause destruction to the earth and people. Before this seventh seal is opened, the winds were paused in order to place a mark on the forehead of every servant of God, marking His people, just as He has done at other times in history, as the Bible records.

All of that has led to the question that must be asked: Are you marked as a servant of the Lord?

But, in addition to the Lamb who had been slain, there are martyrs under the altar in the throne room, along with many angels, twenty-four elders, four living creatures, and the One seated on the throne. And it seems clear from John’s visions and the letters to the churches that the uncountable multitude of people dressed in white who are there too are the people who have overcome the tribulations they have faced during their lives. They have kept their faith in the Lamb who was slain. 

So, the other question that must be asked is this: Are your robes white? 

Have you been forgiven and washed clean, and do you now walk in a manner worthy of what the Lamb has done? Because as we’ll see from the text, like the other six seals, the seventh seal is broken by the Lamb, but this time, the devastation that follows is not only given permission to happen, but it seems to be done by the direct hand of the Lord.

Now, let’s read what happens. Revelation 8:1-13 says:

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

Now, if I read that sentence and started a timer and we waited in silence for half an hour, it would seem like a very long time. The way John states this, in a matter-of-fact sort of way, makes me think there really was silence for half an hour in Heaven.

I won’t make us wait that long, but I do want us to pause right here, because some theologians, like Charles Ellicott, think that the opening of the seventh seal and this silence in Heaven should have been connected to the previous chapter. He says, “The second verse of this eighth chapter introduces a new series of visions: the first verse gives the close of the visions which follow the opening of the seals. But what is the meaning of this verse which describes a half-hour’s silence in heaven? …The stillness of this half hour…is the silence which tells us that sorrow is ended, and eloquently tells us of heart peace. It is the rest of the troubled on the breast of God.”

I am not sure if Ellicott and others like him are correct, but that might be what is happening. I don’t think it’s wrong to consider this idea. If they are correct, this seventh seal is opened, and the only thing that happens is this half hour of silence. If so, that could seem to signify that there was, or will be, peace on the earth for a limited amount of time, with no destruction or war on the earth, no death or disease, and no persecution of Christians. Some theologians think that this already happened—maybe during the time of Constantine, when Christianity was embraced by the Roman Empire. But while the abject persecution of Christians was halted then, there were still wars being fought, still disease and death, still earthquakes and trouble on the earth. So, I don’t think that idea fits.

Still others think that the Book of Revelation is divided up into three different visions, and this seventh seal completes the first. They think that in the following chapters, John will retell this same information again, but in two different ways. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible doesn’t agree with this idea, but he summarizes it well. He says, “Those who suppose that the whole book consists of a triple series of visions designed to prefigure future events, parallel with each other, and each leading to the consummation of all things - the series embracing the seals, the trumpets, and the vials, each seven in number - regard this as the proper ending of the first of this series, and suppose that we have on the opening of the seventh seal the beginning of a new symbolical representation, going over the same ground, under the representations of the trumpets, in a new aspect or point of view.”

We will learn shortly about these seven trumpets, but I agree, rather, with what the Benson Commentary states, that the consequences of the seventh seal being opened are simply, “of much longer duration, and comprehends many more events, than any of the former seals.” Like him, I agree that this seventh seal includes seven different events that are noted by the sounding of seven different trumpets. So, let’s keep reading to learn what happens, although for the sake of time, we will only look at the first four of the seven trumpets today.

Picking back up the text, Revelation 8:2-13 says:

2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

3 Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 

4 And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.

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

6 And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

7 Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

8 Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 

9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed 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 like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

12 Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

13 And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”

Just as the eagle flying overhead said, those are only the first four trumpets which have blown. The eagle seems to know that the next three are going to be even worse. We will wait to read what happens when those are blown. For now, let’s go back through this chapter again, taking it a verse or two at a time.  

Verse 1 says, “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

Don’t you wish you could peer in at that scene? Was everyone kneeling with their heads bowed? Were some people standing? What was the Lamb doing? John doesn’t tell us anything more. So, what does the silence tell us?

Have you ever heard a song that was so emotionally moving that after it was over, you just had to sit in silence for a moment? It’s like the song was so beautiful you didn’t want to say anything that might break the sound of the notes still lingering in your mind. Or have you seen a movie or read something in a book that was so profound that you had to just sit in silence, contemplating what you just learned?

Maybe that’s why everyone was silent after the Lamb opened the seventh seal. Maybe they were in awe of what they’d seen so far, and now, knowing this is the last seal, they are silent in anticipation. Or maybe it was simply the proper response, not only due to awe, but due to respect. As Zephaniah 1:7 says, “Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near.”

I remember when the movie The Passion, which dramatically portrays the crucifixion of Jesus, came out. I saw it in a theater, and when it ended, no one spoke. Everyone walked out of the theater in silence. I think we all wanted to show respect for what we had all witnessed.

Then, verse 2 says, “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.”

I don’t know if these angels were given seven trumpets before or after the half an hour of silence, but someone gave them trumpets. Again, we see the number seven. I think we can still assume that the number symbolizes completeness and perfection. As to the trumpets themselves, throughout the Old Testament, we see that trumpets were to be blown when people were to assemble, on festival days, or when wars were to begin. Here, too, the trumpets seem to be blown in order to bring everyone to attention and announce that something is about to happen.

Then verses 3-4 say, “Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.”

Earlier, in Revelation 5:8, we were told that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders “were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” So, here we see that same imagery being used for prayer. The prayers of the saints are mentioned even though the bowls are not. But a new image is introduced: one of the angels has a “golden censer.”

A golden censer is not a term most of us are familiar with. I had to do a lot of digging, but it is the same word that is used in the Greek translated version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) and is translated into English as frankincense or incense. So, as we see from verse 3, this angel was given much incense to offer, and John says this incense was in a golden censer. I know that in the Catholic Church, priests will sometimes walk in procession and swing a censer filled with incense on a chain.

But the important thing to know is what the incense is representing: the prayers of God’s people. In this vision, the angel “was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.” That means there was much prayer being offered to God. And the prayers are not just from the saints (meaning God’s people), but other prayers are being made as well. We know from other places in Scripture that Jesus Himself makes intercession for us. Romans 8:32 tells us that “Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.”

I also think this passage shows that in this time when the seventh seal was or is opened, there was or is going to be so much devastation that prayers will increase exponentially. As Barnes’ Notes says, “Such has always been the case in times of danger; and it may always be assumed to be true, that when danger threatens, whether it be to the church at large or to an individual Christian, there will be a resort to the throne of grace.”

In times of global conflict, I think we can all attest to this being true. I can remember whenever the United States has faced great tragedy, such as the devastation of what is called 9/11, even our normally godless government made public declarations of prayer to God. So how much more does it stand to reason that in times of great distress, the Church will increase our prayers for God’s help?

But in this vision, the prayers of the saints are not confined to the throne room. Unexpectedly, verse 5 describes something entirely different happening. It says, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

Barnes says that by casting the prayers to earth, it means to suggest that it’s “as if the prayers were not heard any longer, or as if prayer were now in vain.” That could be, but what if it’s the opposite? What if God’s answer to the prayers of His people is to bring judgment on the ungodly? And if so, it’s possible then that the trumpets and the events that follow are showing either further judgments on the earth or even what will happen when Jesus returns in final judgment.

But the question we need to ask is this: Is the seventh seal concluded after the censer is thrown to the earth? Or does the seventh seal continue with the seven trumpets? Verse 6 says, “And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.”

Is this still a continuation of the seventh seal being opened or a new vision? Or is it a parallel retelling of the seven seals again? I honestly cannot say. I see support for many possibilities. So, as we’ve tried to do throughout this whole sermon series, let’s go back to the purpose of this book. What is this revealing to us about Jesus?

The Lamb had placed a mark on the foreheads of all the servants of God before He opened this seal. That’s got to be significant. And in the fifth seal, we saw the souls of martyrs under the altar, and they were crying out for the Lord to avenge their death. So, when the censer is thrown to earth, is this the beginning of that judgment by the Lord? Is He now responding to their request, and they won’t have to wait any longer? Revelation 6:9-10 said, “And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?’”

To review, in John’s vision, each time a seal is opened, evil is given permission or authority to harm people. The first seal is opened, and a rider is given a crown and the authority to conquer. The second seal is opened, and a rider is given a sword and permission to take away peace and cause people to kill each other. The third seal is opened, and a rider carries a pair of scales and is told to harm food prices. The fourth seal is opened, and the rider, who we are told is named Death and is followed by Hades, is given authority to kill a fourth of the earth. The fifth seal is opened, and we see souls under the altar who were allowed to be murdered for their faith. When the sixth seal is opened, an earthquake happens, and there are meteor showers and eclipses, but of such an extreme nature that people are terrified and wish they could die. And if my interpretation is correct, when the Lamb opens a seal, He’s allowing the release of evil or natural destruction because it seems like the seals restrained those things from happening. So now, the seventh seal is opened, and an angel throws a censer filled with fire from the altar of God to earth, and “there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” and then seven trumpets sound, and seven more things are about to happen and cause destruction on the earth. And so that could mean that these seven trumpets and what happens when they are sounded are a part of this seventh seal. 

So now, let’s look again, closer this time, at the first four of these seven trumpets. Verse 7 says, “Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.”

There are many different ways to interpret this passage, but it sounds similar to the plagues in Egypt, doesn’t it? In Exodus 9:23, we read how “Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.”

In that instance, the judgment was literal thunder and hail, which, as the verse right before that said, the hail struck “every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” God sent that hail that destroyed the crops as judgment against the Egyptians. And I think that tells us that we can interpret this vision of John’s literally and understand it to mean that God has burned up or will burn up a third of all vegetation on earth as a righteous judgment in response to His people’s cry for justice.

But that’s not all that happens. Then, verses 8-9 say, “Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

This could be taken literally and so it could be describing a devastating volcano or a meteor falling into the ocean. Or, as Barnes states, we could “apply this part of the symbol to some strong and mighty nation” and its downfall. And he could be correct, because later, in Revelation 17, we will see that mountains can represent kings or nations.

But again, we see a parallel in Exodus 7:17-18, which says, “This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood. The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.”

The third trumpet also resembles that same plague of Egypt. Verses 10-11 says, “Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.”

Instead of blood, this time the damage to the water supply is a “star” called “Wormwood.” Earlier in chapter 1 of Revelation, though, we were told that stars represent angels. So it could be that an angel whose name is Wormwood was given the power to turn 1/3 of the fresh water into bitter water that was unfit to drink. Or a literal star could have fallen to earth and poisoned the fresh water. If a large meteorite fell to earth, it could cause that sort of destruction.

Then, finally, verse 12 says, “Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.”

Back in Revelation 6:12, after the sixth seal was opened it says, “And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red.” If that sixth seal had literally caused the sun to be permanently blackened, then how could a third of the sun be struck and a third of the day now be without light? It would already be 100% blackened and without light. So, I think this verse is more evidence that the sixth seal was speaking about eclipses, which temporarily darken the sun.

You probably noticed that these first four trumpets all seem to be describing natural disasters, and as terrible as they are, we should also take note that not everything is destroyed—only a third of everything is harmed. Just as earlier, when the third seal was opened and not all the food supply was allowed to be harmed, or when the fourth seal was opened and only a fourth of the earth was allowed to be harmed by death and Hades.

But because only a third of everything is being wiped out by the Lord’s judgment, it makes me think that these judgments we are witnessing through John’s vision are not yet the last day of judgment when Jesus returns to earth. I think that this is still showing us how God not only gives permission for terrible things to happen, but sometimes the terrible thing comes directly from His hand, but there are reasons and purposes for His judgment.

In the sixth seal, we saw some people’s response to earthquakes and eclipses, and they cried out for the rocks to fall on them, all the while acknowledging that God was judging them. But they did not cry out for God to save them. And here, after the seventh seal has been opened, we see God bringing judgment in response to His people’s cries for justice, and yet it’s still not a final judgment of complete annihilation. I think it’s correct to say that God is using those disasters to try to get sinful people to repent and come to Him. If He wanted simply to destroy them, He could devastate the entire earth, killing all people. Instead, He destroys only one third of the vegetation, the sea life, and the drinkable water, and He obscures only one third of light.

Just as Exodus told us that God sent those plagues to make Himself known to the Egyptians so that they might believe in the One true God, I think these trumpets of judgment are being done not just to level righteous judgment against sinful people, but so those people will repent of their sinful ways and realize that He is God.

And we see in verse 13, the trumpets and judgments aren’t finished yet. It says: “And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!’”

Is this eagle who is flying and giving a warning one of the four living creatures—the one who looked like an eagle flying as John had stated before? It’s possible, because the four living creatures had spoken when the first four seals were opened. At any rate, this creature knows it’s not over yet. The next three trumpets will be even worse.

As with each of the other six seals that the Lamb opens, it seems impossible to know when these events happened or if they are yet to come. But it seems to me like this is the ongoing way of our world. In the past, in our current present, and into the future until the end, God has continued to be the One who has authority over all creation, even as He’s given people free will. Yet He’s clearly also been reigning evil in. And as this vision is showing us, He’s orchestrating all things in such a way in the hopes of drawing all people to Him, bringing justice and judgment, responding to the prayers of His people, and acting on their behalf. 

But note again, throughout all this judgment, God is giving people time to repent. His people, the servants of God, have been marked with a seal on their foreheads, and the destruction that happens is limited in what it can do. But clearly, anybody who does not have a seal on their forehead is not safe—not until they repent and come to salvation in Him, and find refuge in Him, too.

In the letters to the churches, in the opening of this seal, as well as in the other seals, the questions are still the same: Who will abide in the Lamb and who still refuses?

We must not forget the main point of this vision is that the Lamb is on the throne. The same Lamb who died on the Cross for our sins, is the same Lamb who is opening these seals. From our perspective here on earth, it can seem like evil is allowed to go unchecked. Everywhere we look it seems like there is so much sin, so much hate, so much death and destruction. God’s people are still being martyred. But this vision tells us that God hears the cries of His people. He hears and responds to those who belong to Him. And in His right time, He will bring justice.

We don’t know when these events in Revelation will unfold or if these seven seals have already been opened, but we know that we must be ready to stand before Him. This vision is letting us know that only those who overcome will be able to stand before the throne of God.

So that brings us back to the questions I brought up at the beginning: Are you marked as a servant of the Lord? Have you been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb? Are your robes white? Do you have faith to overcome?

Our hope is not that we understand everything in this book of Revelation correctly. Our hope is that we belong to the Lamb who holds the future in His hands. By faith in Him and what He did for us by dying on the Cross, we can have faith that when He returns, we will stand before Him, for we have been marked as His servant.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us Jesus, who is the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world. We pray that You would help us by Your Holy Spirit to walk in a manner worthy of the name by which we are called. And we thank You that You hear our prayers. Thank You that You have not abandoned us to this evil world but will bring justice. Please give us faith to trust in Your timing. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.