What occurs in heaven upon the opening of the seventh seal, and what judgments follow the first four trumpet blasts?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The opening of the seventh seal produces sacred silence in heaven and the offering of the saints' prayers with incense before God, followed by the first four trumpet blasts that inflict devastating judgments upon the earth, seas, fresh waters, and celestial lights.

Chapter breakdown

When the Lamb breaks the seventh seal, an awe-inspiring silence envelops the celestial courts for approximately half an hour. The prophet then sees the seven angels standing in the presence of God, each receiving a trumpet of judgment. Another angel steps forward and stands beside the celestial altar, bearing a golden censer; he is provided with abundant fragrant incense to present alongside the supplications of all the saints upon the golden altar before the divine throne. The billowing smoke of this incense, carrying the holy prayers of the faithful, ascends straight from the angel's hand into the presence of God. The angel then fills the censer with fire of the altar and casts them down upon the earth, provoking violent thunderclaps, roaring voices, vivid flashes of lightning, and a tremendous earthquake.

With the heavenly liturgy concluded, the seven angels holding the trumpets prepare to sound their alarms in succession. The first angel sounds his trumpet, and immediately hail and fire mixed with blood are hurled across the globe, consuming a third of the earth, burning a third of all trees, and scorching all green grass. When the second angel sounds, an enormous mass resembling a colossal mountain engulfed in blazing fire is cast into the ocean; consequently, a third of the sea turns to blood, a third of all living marine organisms perish, and a third of all seafaring vessels are shattered.

Upon the sounding of the third trumpet, a massive star blazing like a torch plummets from the heavens, crashing into a third of the rivers and fountains of waters. This fallen star is called Wormwood, and it infuses a third of the waters with fatal bitterness, causing many people to die from consuming the poisoned streams. The fourth angel then sounds his trumpet, and a third part of the sun, moon, and stars is smitten, extinguishing a third of their radiance so that a third of the day is stripped of light, with the night darkened in like manner. Finally, John beholds an eagle soaring through the midst of heaven, crying out with a piercing voice to pronounce triple woes upon the inhabitants of the earth on account of the remaining trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the last three angels.

The story inside

Context: Opening the seventh seal brings silence in heaven as for half an hour. Stakes: Seven angels receive trumpets, and three woes are still to come after the first four sound. Action: Another angel offers incense of saints’ prayers, then casts a censer filled with altar fire on earth. Consequence: Thunders, voices, lightnings and earthquake follow; four trumpets bring hail and fire with blood, a burning mountain-like object, Wormwood and darkened lights. Limits: All green grass burns; the repeated thirds do not cover every effect. No explicit prayer-to-judgment causal explanation is given.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The second trumpet turns a third of sea to blood, kills a third of its living creatures and destroys a third of ships.
2
Wormwood makes a third of waters bitter, and many die of them.
3
A third of the sun, moon and stars is smitten; an eagle in the midst of heaven warns of the remaining three trumpet voices.

Test your recall

What follows the angel casting the censer filled with altar fire on the earth?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 139034–139050
8:1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven, as it were for half an hour. 8:2. And I saw seven angels standing in the presence of God: and there were given to them seven trumpets. 8:3. And another angel came and stood before the altar, having a golden censer: and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints, upon the golden altar which is before the throne of God. 8:4. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel. 8:5. And the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and cast it on the earth: and there were thunders and voices and lightnings and a great earthquake.
Lines 139055–139065
8:7. And the first angel sounded the trumpet: and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood: and it was cast on the earth. And the third part of the earth was burnt up: and the third part of the trees was burnt up: and all green grass was burnt up. 8:8. And the second angel sounded the trumpet: and, as it were, a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast into the sea. And the third part of the sea became blood. 8:9. And the third part of those creatures died which had life in the sea: and the third part of the ships was destroyed.
Lines 139067–139083
8:10. And the third angel sounded the trumpet: and a great star fell from heaven, burning as it were a torch. And it fell on the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters: 8:11. And the name of the star is called Wormwood. And the third part of the waters became wormwood. And many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 8:12. And the fourth angel sounded the trumpet: and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened. And the day did not shine for a third part of it: and the night in like manner. 8:13. And I beheld: and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, Woe, Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the rest of the voices of the three angels, who are yet to sound the trumpet!