Study Desk

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God; seven trumpets were given to them.

Another angel, with a gold incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the gold altar in front of the throne.

The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel's hand.

The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; there were rumblings of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The first angel^[a] blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea.^(a) So a third of the sea became blood,

a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven.^(b) It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water.

The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.

The fourth angel blew 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 of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light, and the night as well.^(c)

I looked again and heard an eagle^[b] flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, "Woe!^(d) Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound!"