Revelation 8:6-13·~1 min

The First Four Trumpets

The seven trumpet angels prepare to sound, and the first two trumpets strike the land and sea. The first trumpet brings hail and fire mixed with blood, burning a third of the earth, a third of the trees, and all the green grass. The second trumpet hurls something like a great burning mountain into the sea, turning a third of it to blood and bringing death to sea creatures and destruction to ships. The paragraph shows the trumpet judgments moving from the earth's surface into the maritime world in partial but severe devastation.

A⁶nd the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. ⁷Then 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. ⁸Then 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, ⁹a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third trumpet strikes the fresh waters when a blazing star called Wormwood falls upon rivers and springs, turning a third of them bitter and causing many deaths. The fourth trumpet then reaches upward to the heavenly lights, darkening a third of the sun, moon, and stars so that daylight and nightlight are both diminished. The judgments now move from waters to the heavens themselves, showing that no realm of the created order is untouched by the trumpet blasts.

¹⁰Then 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. ¹¹The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters. ¹²Then 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.

As John watches, an eagle flies overhead crying out three woes upon those who dwell on the earth because the remaining trumpet blasts are still to sound. The warning does not close the cycle but intensifies expectation for what follows. The first four trumpets have been devastating, but they are only the beginning of deeper woe.

¹³And 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!”

Section summaryThe seven trumpet angels prepare to sound, and with the first four trumpets judgment falls successively on the earth, sea, fresh waters, and heavenly lights. The first trumpet burns a third of the earth, trees, and all green grass with hail and fire mixed with blood. The second throws something like a blazing mountain into the sea so that a third of the sea becomes blood, sea creatures die, and ships are destroyed. The third sends a great burning star called Wormwood onto rivers and springs, turning waters bitter and bringing death. The fourth strikes a third of the sun, moon, and stars so that light is diminished in both day and night. The section ends with an eagle's cry of three woes, warning that the judgments ahead are even more severe.

Role in the chapterThis closing section shows the first trumpet judgments striking the created order in measured but escalating ways and warns that deeper woes are still coming.