Revelation 8:1-13
The Seventh Seal and the Gold Cup
The Lamb opened the seventh seal. Then there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
I saw the seven angels who stand in front of God. Seven trumpets were given to them.
Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a shallow gold cup for burning incense. He was given a lot of incense to offer on the golden altar. The altar was in front of the throne. With the incense he offered the prayers of all God’s people. The smoke of the incense rose up from the angel’s hand. The prayers of God’s people rose up together with it. The smoke and the prayers went up in front of God. Then the angel took the gold cup and filled it with fire from the altar. He threw it down on the earth. There were rumblings and thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
The Trumpets
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them.
The first angel blew his trumpet. Hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up. A third of the trees were burned up. All the green grass was burned up.
The second angel blew his trumpet. Something that looked like a huge mountain on fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died. A third of the ships were destroyed.
The third angel blew his trumpet. Then a great star fell from the sky. It looked like a blazing torch. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter. Many people died from it.
The fourth angel blew his trumpet. Then a third of the sun was struck. A third of the moon was struck. A third of the stars were struck. So a third of each of them turned dark. Then a third of the day had no light. The same thing happened to a third of the night.
As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air. It called out in a loud voice, “How terrible! How terrible it will be for those living on the earth! How terrible! They will suffer as soon as the next three angels blow their trumpets!”
Revelation 9:1-12
The fifth angel blew his trumpet. Then I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the tunnel leading down into a bottomless pit. The pit was called the Abyss. The star opened the Abyss. Then smoke rose up from it like the smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. Out of the smoke came locusts. They came down on the earth. They were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree. They were supposed to harm only the people without God’s official seal on their foreheads. The locusts were not allowed to kill these people. But the locusts could hurt them over and over for five months. The pain the people suffered was like the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. In those days, people will look for a way to die but won’t find it. They will want to die, but death will escape them.
The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold. Their faces looked like human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth. Their chests were covered with something that looked like armor made out of iron. The sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails that could sting people like scorpions do. And in their tails they had power to hurt people over and over for five months. Their king was the angel of the Abyss. In the Hebrew language his name is Abaddon. In Greek it is Apollyon. His name means Destroyer.
The first terrible judgment is past. Two others are still coming.
