Chapter 8 (pdf)
Download1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Starting from the end of chapter 6, we are at the time of Constantine. Complete amnesty and freedom were attained with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD by which Christians were guaranteed the fullest liberty in the practice of their religion. In addition to removing the ban from the Christians, Constantine ordered that the property of which they had been deprived during the persecutions by seizure or confiscation should be returned to them at the expense of the State. Christians were allowed to worship freely and peace was enjoyed for 24 years until his death. See the Roman coin issued in 322 - "Beata Tranquillitas" meaning Blessed Tranquility. About half an hour would be the 24 years from 313 – 327 AD
2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
In prophetic books, trumpets were used to unite troops to battle to exact God's judgement.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Verse 4 needs clarification after reading Strong's interpretation. "The smoke of the incense moreover, the prayers of the saints" shows that the incense is the prayers of the saints before God. In the Old Testament, the incense was in the temple, and it signified prayers of the temple priests. Now we have access to the throne of God through our prayers (Hebrews 4:16).
Biblehub.com - Joseph Benson commentary: "And the smoke of the incense ascended before God — In an odoriferous cloud, with the prayers of the saints — A testimony of God’s gracious acceptance, both of the intercession of the great High-Priest, and of the prayers of his believing people, proceeding from devout hearts; and consequently of the continuance of his protection and blessing to his faithful worshippers. And when the angel had performed this office, in order to show the awful manner in which God would avenge the injury which his praying people upon earth had received from its tyrannical and oppressive powers, he took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar — Not of the golden altar, upon which there was no fire, (except that which was in the censer, and which burned the incense,) but from the brazen altar of burnt-offerings; and cast it into the earth — To denote the judgments about to be executed upon the earth, as in Ezekiel 10:2 coals of fire are taken from between the cherubim and scattered over Jerusalem, to denote the judgments of God about to be executed upon that city;"
An interesting word in Greek is holocaust - which means "burnt offering." Martyrs in all forms are the burnt offerings that God is avenging. Consider also that Jesus was the lamb that was slain on Passover. Any part of the lamb that was left to the next day was burned by fire, he is also part of the coals on the brazen altar. Starting with the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), His name (character) is being desecrated. One, by changing his name to Iesous Kristus, and another, by changing his identity to an incarnate God. At the time of Constantine, there was the Arian Controversy, Christians who opposed the trinity. The papacy went so far as to burn the books of Arius and his followers after the Council. Emperors Constantine, Honorius and Theodosius I published edicts that would make the Arian Christians heretics.
Thunder is the noise, or voice, that preceeds the storm. It is given as a warning. The Council of Nicaea put the Roman Church on a trajectory that wasn't decided peacefully. The church in Ephesus in chapter 2 coincides with these verses. Lightning is a quick bolt of judgement that strikes, it is quick and all will see it (Matthew 24:27). Here's the fulfillment from Wikipedia "Cecropius of Nicomedia" In 358 Constantius had proposed to hold an ecumenical council in the cathedral of Nicomedia; however days before the Council was to be held an earthquake struck the city, destroying the venue. The earthquake struck on 24 August 358AD and the city of Nicomedia was devastated. The cathedral was destroyed. Cecropius of Nicomedia was killed in the earthquake. Sozomen held that only Cecropius and an unnamed Bishop of Bosphorus were killed. Philostorgius claimed the number killed was fifteen. Opponents of Arianism held the earthquake to be divine judgment and that fifteen bishops who had arrived for the Council were killed. Another note, Nicomedia was the capital city chosen by Diocletian.
Go also to Daniel's prophecy in chapter 7 ...and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. 25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law;...20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
The description above that God gives the papacy is not a favorable one. Here is and example how the papacy, with the leadership of Constantine, changed the times and wore out the saints. Instead of honoring Passover (Jesus said, do this in memory of me), the Councils institute Easter, a holy day to Ishtar, the queen of heaven. This is the same "trinity" diety worshipped in the Old Testament under Baal, Ashtorah and Tammuz. The Jews paid a terrible price for thinking to worship this perversion that resulted in the destruction of the land and the exile to Babylon. There is a penalty for perverting the true word, whether done by an individual (Revelation 22:18-19) or by an entire church. The warnings in verses 1-5 were not heeded, therefore the trumpets of judgement were to begin.
The prophetic fulfillment of the earthquake, the splitting of the empire, was fulfilled later in 395 AD.
6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Verses showing hail and fire:
Job 38:22-23 Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?
Isaiah 28:2 Behold, God has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
A third of the earth speaks to a third of the Roman Empire. The 3 parts of the "earth" are Western Europe, Eastern Europe, (both the western Roman Empire) and the Byzantine Empire/Eastern Roman Empire. We see the first four trumpets affecting the eastern portion of the western empire, which would be the third of the earth. As part of the Gothic War of 376–382, the battle is often considered the start of the events which led to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. The Visigoths were the eastern branch of the "pagan" or "barbarian" Goth tribes. They were actually Arian Christians, who were considered heretics according to the Nicene papal Catholic Church.
Hail is part of the storm that destroys (Job 38:22-23 and Isaiah 28:2) and if mixed with blood it speaks of death. Hail would be similar to the attack of arrows, and the Goths were proficient at the bow and arrow. The military tactics of the Goths also included burning fields and pastures to smoke out the Roman army. The Roman Army suffered substantial casualties in 378 AD at the battle at Hadrianople. Between 10,000-20,000 men were killed, or an estimate of 2/3 of the army. “The whole field was one dark pool of blood and [the survivors] could see nothing but heaps of slain wherever they turned their eyes,” wrote Ammianus Marcellinus. “At last a moonless night brought an end to these irreparable losses, which cost Rome so dear.”
Just as God used Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the Jews and to take them into exile, God uses other political leaders to exact his judgements. This perspective is critical in understanding both prophecy and the nature of God.
Prophetically, trees are considered leaders, (Psalm 1 and Ezekiel 17:23) and most notably the prophecy in 2 Baruch. The trees can be considered as leaders of towns or provinces, but not as high ranking as the sun, moon or stars. Grass is the food for an animal, and can be considered like the farm workers out tending the fields or just commoners, see Psalm 90:5-6. This shows attacks primarily in the countryside. The Goths, followed by the Visigoths sent raids throughout the countryside because they were pressured by the Huns to the east, they were plundering food and goods, and wanted to pay back the Roman military for the mistreatment they received.
In 401 AD, Alaric I would plunder Italy, and besiege its cities and towns. They reached Rome in 410 and imposed a strict blockade, with no bloodshed at this time. He tried using hunger as a force for negotiations to surrender, but that did not succeed and he sacked Rome.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Jeremiah 51:24 Before your very eyes I will repay Babylon and all the dwellers of Chaldea for all the evil they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD. 25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain (Babylon/Chaldea), says God, which destroys all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
The Vandals were the next judgement against Rome. From Wikipedia "The Vandal Kingdom" The Vandal Kingdom…was a confederation of Vandals and Alans, which was a barbarian kingdom established under Gaiseric, a Vandalic warlord. It ruled parts of North Africa and the Mediterranean for 99 years from 435 to 534 AD. Gaiseric was also known as “The Tyrant of the Seas” and attacked the Mediterranean coastline of the Roman Empire. They eventually sacked Rome, and the western Roman Empire declined significantly. The great mountain is the city of Rome, already burning from the attack from the Visigoths. It was thrown down into the sea, an estimated 300,000 people died in the sieges and many more were taken as captives to Africa. In addition, the destruction of the city and famine caused the downfall to Rome and the population dropped by half or more. Gaiseric was also known as "The Tyrant of the Seas" and attacked the Mediterranean coastline of the Roman Empire. During the Battle of Cape Bon (468), over 100 Roman ships were sunk, and after the Vandal War (461 - 468) they conquered the coastlands of northern Africa and the islands in between there and Italy.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell 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 became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.
Wormwood suggests a severe drought and suffering/death.
Jeremiah 23:15 Therefore thus said the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink.
Lamentations 3:19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!
In Jeremiah 9:15 there a reference to wormwood. It is the judgement against the church that ...are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people. 3 “They bend their tongues like bows;
lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account, 4 “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. 5 Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity. 6 You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,”
Here are some of the descriptions Jeremiah gives to the "church" or the land of Judah, the city of Zion, God's holy hill: adulterers, treacherous, falsehood, deceiver, slanderer, tongues that speak lies, tongue is a deadly arrow, and a mouth that speaks peace while the heart plans an ambush. The judgement for these spiritual leaders is shown in verse 15, that God will fill their mouth with bitter food and poisonous water. After that they would be scattered and the sword will consume them, so much death that the dead bodies would fall like dung upon the open field with none to gather them.
The Roman church at this time was continuing on it's stance of the Nicaean Creed, even adding to it that Mary was the mother of God. A quick study in the Old Testament shows that to not be the case. The problem was that ordinary people were not only illiterate, but didn't have ready access to the Word to read for themselves. For a council to make these claims then teach them to the masses is the kind of leadership Jeremiah refers to. These lies were told so well that they are defended to this day.
A great star and not sun shows that the next attacking force would come from a powerful empire, but will not be in leadership so an offspring or general will attack, and will have the blessing of God. The next mighty force against Rome would be Attila, a nephew to the leaders of the Huns that stretched from modern-day China to Eastern Europe. Attila is also commonly known as the “scourge of God.” The Huns attack Eastern Europe following the path of the many rivers in that area. See the Wikipedia page “Attila” to view the map. The phrase "blazing like a torch" should read "burning as a lamp" or a clay vessel with a wick like what was used in the parable of the 10 virgins. There is a legend that the Hungarians were direct descendants of Attila, and there is a strong connection to their name as being Arian Christians, similar to the Barb-arians being Arian Christians. This might explain the reference to the clay pot.
Two key losses to Attila were the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (451 AD) which was exceptionally bloody with hundreds of thousands of casualties, including many Romans and their allies, and the Italian Invasion (452 AD) which attacked cities, crippling the empire.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.
There is a final conquest of Rome and Italy by Odoacer, and later jointly by him and Theodoric from 476 – 490 AD where the sun and moon is struck. The sun, Romulus Augustus, was deposed in 476 AD by Odoacer. He took control of Italy and the Roman Senate had little real authority, and declined in their influence. Concerning the stars, that their light might not shine would be the conflict between the Roman and Byzantine churches. The popes of Rome and the bishops of Byzantine created a controversy which culminated to the Acacian Schism in 484 AD. The conflict was between the single-nature of Jesus or the divine nature of Jesus. In 551AD at the Council of Chalcedon, the head of the church in Constantinople was declared to be the head of the Eastern branch of the church, equal in authority to the Pope. This effectively was the start of the division of the church into the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic branches. The popes in Rome were kept from shining and the evidence of that flows to to chapter 11 with the Inquisitions. The
Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) had their light darkened, shown in chapter 9 with the influence from the smoke from the pit, coming as Abaddon.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”
Woe is destruction. From biblehub.com under Topical The term "woe" is a strong expression of grief, distress, or lamentation, often used in the Bible to denote impending judgment or calamity. It serves as a prophetic warning or denunciation, highlighting the seriousness of sin and the consequences that follow. Jesus pronounced woe to the Pharisees seven times and 40 years later was the siege of Jerusalem and the temple destroyed.
The Roman eagle was a talisman of strength to the Roman military. It was carried by a revered soldier and if it was lost, it was considered a catastrophic disgrace. God uses the imagery of an eagle calling out woe to Rome, the very force of military might that established this empire would cry out the devastation to come.