Home / NT / Revelation / Chapter 8
THE REVELATION
OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE
CHAPTER 8

John sees fire and desolation poured out during the seventh seal and preceding the Second Coming.

[ Chapter 8 really follows chapter 6 as far as the chronology is concerned. In Chapter 6 we had the first 6 of the seven seals opened and in chapter 8 the 7th seal is opened. Chapter 7 comprises an interlude between the two chapters. The basic theme is the purging that will take place in order to make the earth ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb Rev 19. This was revealed in D&C 77:12 ""the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years [ This is a phrase which we seem to hear quite a bit these days from the leaders of the church. Which might help suggest that we are in the seventh thousand years and not the sixth seal. ] the preparing of the way before the time of his coming."

The chapter 8 text draws heavily on the rhetoric and imagery employed by various OT Prophets, while ch. 16 draws mainly on the Exodus account of the plagues cast out on Egypt (cf. Exod. 7:14-12:30). If you were to combine these two sets of imagery into one text you can better see they are meant to describe the punishment poured out on the wicked is intended to emphasize how bad it will be. Look at each of the verses 1-5 in chapter 8 of Revelations and compare them with verses 1-5 in chapter 16 of Revelations. ]

1 AND when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven [ Anciently there was to be profound silence during the burning of the incense during temple worship (see vs 4) Luke 1:10. This was a time when those present were expected to pray - hence the silence. In addition, it is Jewish custom that an ancient Jewish wedding procession would require that the bride and the wedding party would wait and wait for the bridegroom to make the call. At that point one person would run to the house and say something to the effect "The Brides groom is coming, you have 30 minutes." So they were give a very short window to prepare, a 30 minute warning which is about a half an hour. See Matthew 25 Parable of the Ten Virgins. Elder Bruce R McConkie says on page 382 of "The Millenial Messiah" "Could this be interpreted to mean that such a period of 1/2 hour of the Lord's time (20.8 earth years) will elapse after the commencement of the seventh thousand-year period and before the outpouring of the woes (last 3.5 years of the tribulation) about to be named?" “silence in heaven for about half an hour” is an introduction or summary of the Seven Trumpets, which take place during the “Time of Trouble”. The Time of Trouble is also called the “hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10). Exactly what the silence means, I don't know. But, the most obvious answer is that this is the beginning of the "tribulation period" the earth will go through before the Second Coming. This could mean that the Lord will no longer support or sustain, or a better word allow, wickedness on the earth, or especially on this the promised land. It means Satan's followers will be allowed to have their way with those who claim to be Christian (perhaps specifically members of the Church) who are not valiant in the cause of Christ, or meaning those who do not follow His commandments. Those are the ones who will not be prepared. Or could it mean that revelation will be ignored. Is it the calm before judgments of God are poured out upon the earth. Is it a time when the heavens just kind of quietly wait and observe to see where things are really at? This could be considered the hinge point maybe that President Nelson spoke of? ] about the space of half an hour. [ Not literal - denotes a very short period of time. Apparently there is a great deal of furious activity in heaven right up to the time the seventh seal is opened. The Priesthood of this dispensation are required to work at a tremendous pace to get ready for the Second Coming. This was explained to Wilford Woodruff the last time he was allowed to see Joseph Smith in the spirit world. He says: “Joseph Smith continued visiting myself and others up to a certain time and then it stopped. The last time I saw him was in heaven. In the night vision I saw him at the door of the temple in heaven. He came and spoke to me. He said he could not stop to talk with me because he was in a hurry. The next man I met was Father Smith; he could not talk with me because he was in a hurry. I met a half a dozen brethren who had held high positions on earth and none of them could stop to talk with me because they were in a hurry. I was much astonished. By and by I saw the Prophet again, and I got the privilege to ask him a question. ‘Now,’ said I, ‘I want to know why you’re in a hurry. I have been in a hurry all through my life but I expected my hurry would be over when I got into the kingdom of heaven, if I ever did.’ Joseph said, ‘I will tell you, Brother Woodruff, every dispensation that has had the Priesthood on the earth and has gone into the celestial kingdom, has had a certain amount of work to do to prepare to go to the earth with the Savior when He goes to reign on the earth. Each dispensation has had ample time to do this work. We have not. We are the last dispensation, and so much work has to be done and we need to be in a hurry in order to accomplish it.’ Of course, that was satisfactory with me, but it was a new doctrine to me.” 18 Joseph Smith made it plain to Wilford Woodruff that the Priesthood of this dispensation are working under a fantastic deadline to teach everyone who has died without the gospel since the apostolic times. This task has to be completed by the time of ‘the opening of the seventh seal when the hosts of heaven will have a new task connected with the final preparation and cleansing of the earth for the Second Coming. ]
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; [ The same angels as in verse 6. These seven angels follow after the period of silence. Their mission is to complete the sanctification of man. The seven trumpets are the sounding and the finishing of Gods work. See D&C 77:12. Since the earth was created in 7 periods so to it will be sanctified by seven symbolic events, performed by the seven associated angels. ] and to them were given seven trumpets. [ The trumpets were given them but they did not blow them as they are respectful of the temple worship that is occurring. ]
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; [ Adam Clarke in his commentary explains the symbolism of the censer being gold, as follows: On other days it was the custom of the priest to take fire from the great altar in a silver censer, but on the day of expiation the high priest took the fire from the great altar in a golden censer; and when he was come down from the great altar, he took incense from one of the priests, who brought it to him, and went with it to the golden altar; and while he offered the incense the people prayed without in silence Thus, the gold censer was specifically associated with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, and was symbolic of the expiation of sins. ] and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar [ The term "golden altar" appears 6 times in the Bible, and each time it appears it references either soloman's temple or the tabernacle. ] which was before the throne. [ The temple altars are where we make covenants with God. So we see here that we have both the prayers of the saints and the saints making covenants before the throne of God. ]
4 And the smoke of the incense, [ The smoke from the incense was symbolic in that fact that it rose toward heaven; just as they expected their prayers to do. ] which came with the prayers of the saints, [ What were the saints praying for? For 1 thing See Rev 6:9-10 the saints of old have been praying and asking God how long we he allow those who killed them to go unpunished, how long must we wait? IN addition; those who would be on the earth during this time and expect that the Savior will return one day would be praying that he will hurry up and return. Get this all overwith so to speak as they cannot take the anxious life that they have been living, not knowing which calamity will happen next and how will it affect them. ] ascended 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: [ A stark contrast here between the smoke which is rising to heaven and the coals from the fire which are cast into the ground. The angel takes the censer (the prayers of the saints) and fills it with the fire of the altar (the symbol of the covenants of the Lord to gather and restore Israel ) and then casts them into the earth. ] and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. [ They have waited patiently until the incense curing ceremony has been completed. These angels have been summoned to execute judgement, but are waiting for the evidence to be presented. ]
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail [ Note at the end of this verse what the hail and fire do - they destroy the crops of the earth and all vegetation. If this were to happen then it would for sure lead to famine. "hail mingled with blood" suggests to me suffering and death by famine. ] and fire [ Lightning is often referred to as fire in the OT. Here we have the hail and fire consuming the crops and causing famine no doubt so what would only naturally follow would be death. President Gordon B. Hinckley stated in Conference after the attacks of September 11, 2001 that this prophecy of Joel was fulfilled. What was the prophecy of Joel? Joel’s VISION (Joel 2:31) gives us 2 of the 3 interpretations of hail, fire, and blood: “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.” Blood = death; Fire = destruction; Pillars of smoke = buildings (plural). Interpretation = Burning buildings (pillars of smoke) where there was death (blood) and destruction (fire). ] mingled with blood, [ Figurative of suffering and or death. See Rev 17:6; 19:2. "fire mingled with blood" suggests to me suffering and death by destruction (rioting and civil unrest possibly?) ] and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees [ Trees = people (as in Isaiah and Ezekiel) Isaiah 2:13: "And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan." (Cedar and oak trees) Ezekiel 31:3: "Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs." NOTE: Trees here COULD also mean production, growth, strength since trees bring forth fruit and mean more famine, but famine is addressed in the burning of the green grass so is therefore redundant. It is more likely to mean "people". ] was burnt up, [ Destroyed Third part = not all, a lesser portion (ie, not all on earth are affected). So a lesser part of people die by this war and destruction. ] and all green grass [ The word for “grass” is translated from the word in Greek meaning: “growing grain, hay; a court or garden i.e. herbage or vegetation.” ALL = the entire world was affected Green grass = food supply, vegetation; Burnt up = destroyed, stopped, halted. In contrast to the trees above, ALL green grass is burnt up; meaning that ALL the world will be affected by a lack of food. ] was burnt up. [ Interesting that it says green grass was burnt up, not the old dead grass, to me suggesting the severity. Compare with Exod. 9:23-24, D&C 87:6 Just the start? 80% of Blue Mountains and 50% of Gondwana rainforests burn in bushfires in Australia in 2019-2020 source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/17/its-heart-wrenching-80-of-blue-mountains-and-50-of-gondwana-rainforests-burn-in-bushfires so, the 1st trumpet could mean war and famine that brings about death of a lesser part of people. Because of this, the entire earth experiences the effects of having the "grass burnt up", meaning the food supply is decimated (famine). ]
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain [ “As it were” meaning NOT a mountain, but LIKE a mountain. A “great mountain” in this context could mean “a strong and powerful kingdom” or “a great nation”. Also, a nation high in pride. Daniel 2:35: "the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." As it were a great mountain = a strong and powerful kingdom or great nation Volcanic activity? or a paraphrase of Jeremiah when he threatens Babylon see Jer 51:24-58. ] burning with fire [ Burning with fire (-ing is present tense) = in process of being destroyed. So do we have a “great nation” in process of being destroyed? ] was cast [ Cast = thrown into commotion/tribulation at this time. The “sea" designates origination, representing the realm of the earth. The sea, a body of water, symbolizes "peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues". Sea = people or multitudes as the meaning of "sea" was given to John. Revelation 17:15: "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes." ] into the sea: and the third part [ Lessor part, same as the percentage of hosts that were kicked out of the grand council in heaven. ] of the sea became blood; [ Again - death. ]
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. [ Ships often refers to Trade, commerce, wealth/riches and power of a nation. Associated with Rev 18:7? Did the same process that befall the fish - destroy the ships? so, the 2nd trumpet could mean a “great nation (USA) that is being destroyed (by the symbol of fire) has it’s inhabitants thrown into commotion, it’s inhabitants perish (sea became blood), and “the third part” of it’s commerce (economy, stock market, financial stability, value of the dollar, etc.) is destroyed." Since at the present time the world pretty much trades based on american currency - the result will be that all of the world will suffer as a result of the chaos. ]
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell [ "Fall" is taken as "fallen". The "star" can represent or refer to a prince, ruler, leader, or influential individual. "From heaven" could mean "by or from God". Fell a great star from heaven = a prince, ruler, or great leader who was put in place by "heaven" or God (ie, the King of Assyria) NOTE: With "fell", this COULD also mean a great leader who fell from "heaven" ("heaven" meaning "power" in this context) and that his fall caused Wormwood or bitter sorrow, troubles, and calamities. ] a great star from heaven, [ A star is sometimes used in the scriptures as a symbol of a great and important person. One star that fell from heaven is Satan, or Lucifer, as he was known in the pre-mortal existence. (Read Isaiah 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) We know stars from heaven can’t fall as they are larger than the earth. Orson Pratt and Heber C Kimball published a publication within the millennial star discussing this subject of stars spoken in revelations. According to them, Stars represent people. ] burning as it were a lamp, [ Or a torch. “As it were” meaning NOT a lamp, but LIKE a lamp. "Burning as it were a lamp” in this context could mean the light is not inherent, but borrowed. Burning as it were a lamp (or torch) = is shown direction or instruction; is being led or guided OR of rapidity of movement and execution; of splendor of appearance Also: of a warrior who has moved along in a brilliant but destructive path over the world; and who has been regarded as sent to execute the vengeance of heaven. NOTE: Lamp can also mean succession of leadership. So the meaning COULD be that this leader came about by succession of the prior leader. (As in 1 Kings 15:4: "Nevertheless for David's sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem"). Could this lamp also be one of someone like Trump pointing out to the world the secret combinations and corruption that exist? ] and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of [ Living. The rivers and fountains feed the seas; they are the powers and influences which lead and provide for the "sea" (people/citizens) above. Sea = common people or population. Rivers = leaders, powers, influencers, government; also, dependence. Fountains = the source from which anything proceeds. These are smitten by the same fate as the "seas" in trumpet #2. So the 3rd trumpet could be "a great leader guided by God to bring bitter sorrow, troubles, and calamities upon the leadership of the great nation (USA) and there was brought about death and calamities." An invasion of a foreign army led by the King of Assyria into the United States to overthrow it's leadership and take over? Could this represent the corrupt leaders that are in power, the Deep State from which the corruption is sourced? ] waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: [ Bitter sorrow, troubles, and calamities. The term describes something undrinkable, extremely unpleasant to the taste, bitter, or grievous. Wormwood was a plant with an extremely bitter taste and often toxic. To use it for food or drink was to eat that which brought about death. In the case of Satan, all who follow his evil ways perish in spiritual death. ] and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, [ Many men died of the waters because they were made bitter. The people were first smitten in trumpet #2 and now the leaders of those people (government) are brought to death as well. If we take the quote in verse 10 by Heber C. Kimball it suggests that stars represent people. So here we see the result that 1/3 of Men die ( die either mortally or spiritually? ) of waters because the water is made bitter because of wormwood. We know a large amount of people including members of the church will be deceived by the Anti Christ. Suggesting that these people will become “bitter”. ] because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part [ The lesser part. Not all the earth is effected? ] of the sun [ Greatest light in the firmament. ] was smitten, and the third part [ The lesser part. Not all the earth is effected? It is not to be total. It is not as if the sun, the moon, and the stars were entirely blotted out, for there was still some remaining light; that is, there was a continuance of the existing state of things - as if these heavenly bodies should still give an obscure and partial light. OR it may also mean that there would be light again. ] of the moon, [ Second greatest light in the firmament. ] , and the third part [ The lesser part. Not all the earth is effected? ] of the stars; [ Light in the firmament. ] ; so as the third part [ The lesser part. Not all the earth is effected? ] of them was darkened, [ Dimmed, doom, gloom. It COULD mean that "the sun, moon, and stars and the men that live under them, who are so overwhelmed with calamities in those days of darkness, that they can no longer enjoy the light of heaven." This may also denote the utter extinction of the light of prosperity and privilege to the Gentile nations. ] , and the day shone not for a third part [ The lesser part. Not all the earth is effected? ] of it, and the night likewise. [ Could this be the result of verse 8? The Smoke, dust, or some other particulate matter obscures all light over a major portion of the earth’s surface, cp. 3 Ne. 8:20-22, which was probably a result of volcanic ash. The calamities of the first 3 trumpets would come as if darkness should spread over the sun, the moon, and the stars, leaving the world in darkness and gloom. This parallels 3 Nephi 8 where destructions occur "and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land." "And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; "And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all; "And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land. "And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them." ]
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, [ Could also be translated "eagle" which could perhaps be the same eagle as found in Rev 5:7 & 6:7. Here we see that there is a possible separation or a break/pause in time between the first 4 trumpets and the next 2, which next 2 are described in much more detail and sound much much worse than the first 4. There is then another pause between trumpet 6 and the final trumpet 7. ] saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, [ Repeating 3 times to signify the most - this is the last sounds from the angels. ] to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! [ The three remaining angels hold the last three woes which are referenced in Rev 9:1, Rev 9:13 and Rev 11:15. ]