PRAYERS OF GOD'S PEOPLE

Passage: Revelation 8:1-13

Key verse: 4

NIV

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When he opened the seventh seal,(A) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2 And I saw the seven angels(B) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.(C)

3 Another angel,(D) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,(E) on the golden altar(F) in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God(G) from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,(H) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,(I) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.(J)

The Trumpets

6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets(K) prepared to sound them.

7 The first angel(L) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire(M) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third(N) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.(O)

8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,(P) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third(Q) of the sea turned into blood,(R) 9 a third(S) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky(T) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water(U)— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third(V) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.(W)

12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third(X) of them turned dark.(Y) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.(Z)

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair(AA) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe(AB) to the inhabitants of the earth,(AC) because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

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Footnotes
  1. Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is a bitter substance.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When the Lamb opened (A)the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels (B)who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood (C)at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with (D)the prayers of all the saints on (E)the golden altar before the throne, 4 and (F)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 (G)filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and (H)there were peals of (I)thunder, rumblings,[a] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The Seven Trumpets

6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed (J)hail and (K)fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a (L)third of the earth was burned up, and a third of (M)the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like (N)a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea (O)became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of (P)the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and (Q)a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on (R)the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood.[b] A third of the waters (S)became wormwood, and many people died from the water, (T)because it had been made bitter.

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of (U)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.

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, (V)“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!”

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Footnotes
  1. Revelation 8:5 Or voices, or sounds
  2. Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is the name of a plant and of the bitter-tasting extract derived from it
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. God hears all our prayers (1-5) The opening of the seventh, and final, seal was marked with silence. But before carrying out the judgment contained within, an angel offered incense on the altar, with the prayers of all God's people. They went up before God, then the censer was hurled to earth, marking the dreadful beginning of horrible plagues. Often our prayers seem small, unheard, or insufficient. But the Almighty God who has power to destroy the earth does not ignore a single one. All the prayers of all God's people are heard by God. 2. Judgment hurled to the earth (6-13) God's judgment is carried out step by step, according to His own plan and will, not in one event. The first four trumpets signal cataclysmic events caused by things hurled down: destroying ? of the earth, the sea and its creatures, the rivers are poisoned, and celestial bodies destroyed. The worst is yet to come.

Prayer: Father, thank you for hearing my prayers. I pray for mercy today, in view of your judgments.

One Word: Trust God and keep praying