UppenbarelsebokenKapitel 8

Detta kapitel finns ännu inte på svenska — visar originaltexten.

+ Sekundärtext Grundtext ← Föregående Nästa →Bidra

Show the Seven TrumpetsThe angels blow

When the seventh seal is opened, seven angels with trumpets appear. Each trumpet announces a judgment upon the earth.

Hail and Fire

Hail and fire mixed with blood are thrown to the earth. A third of the trees are burned up.

v.7

Burning Mountain

A burning mountain is thrown into the sea. A third of the sea becomes blood.

v.8, 9

Star Wormwood

A star falls and poisons a third of the rivers. Many die.

v.10, 11

Darkness

A third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened.

v.12

Locusts from the Abyss

Locusts with scorpion stings torment people for five months.

Army of 200 Million

Four angels are released. A third of mankind is killed.

God's Kingdom Comes

Loud voices in heaven: "The kingdom of the world has become our Lord!"

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

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding 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.

And the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the angel's hand before God.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

The first sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. 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 sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,

a third of the creatures in the sea, those that had life, died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky. 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 waters turned bitter as wormwood, and many people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.

The fourth angel sounded 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 them turned dark, and a third of the day had no light, and a third of the night as well.

Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying high overhead call out with a loud voice: "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the blasts of the trumpets about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

Uppslag

Sammanfattning2

Kapitel 8

Main Theme: The seventh seal is opened, initiating the first four trumpet judgments that affect the earth.

Content: When the seventh seal is broken, there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. Seven angels receive seven trumpets, while another angel carries the prayers of the saints up to God with incense, before casting fire from the altar onto the earth. The first four trumpets each strike one-third of creation: land and vegetation, sea and marine life, fresh water (poisoned by the star Wormwood), and heavenly bodies. An eagle flies across the sky and cries out three "woe" warnings as a foretelling of the remaining three trumpets.

Key Words/Images:

Silence in heaven: A half-hour silence marks a solemn pause before judgment begins.
The altar of incense: Symbolizes the prayers of the saints rising to God, followed by God's response in judgment.
One-third: A recurring motif showing that the judgments are severe yet still limited.
Wormwood (Ἄψινθος): The star that poisons fresh water and causes death among people.
The eagle with woe cries: Warns that the three coming trumpets will bring even greater suffering.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Revelation 8

Events and Customs

The Incense Offering in the Temple

The scene with the angel at the altar (vv. 3–5) reflects the daily incense offering in the Jerusalem temple. The priest carried a golden censer (λιβανωτόν) into the Holy Place and placed incense on the gold altar before the veil. This occurred morning and evening, and while the smoke of the incense rose, the people stood outside praying (cf. Luke 1:9–10). In Jewish tradition, the rising smoke of the incense was understood as a symbol of prayers ascending to God. The golden altar in this chapter corresponds to the altar of incense that stood before the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle and later in the temple.

The Trumpets and Their Function

The seven trumpets (σάλπιγγες) had several functions in Jewish culture: they called people to war, announced festivals, and signaled God’s coming. Particularly relevant are the trumpets at the fall of Jericho (Josh 6) and the trumpet blasts during the New Moon festival and the Feast of Tabernacles. In Jewish tradition, trumpet blasts were also associated with the revelation at Sinai and the future resurrection. The Jewish festival of Rosh Hashanah (the New Year feast) was known as "the feast of trumpets", where the shofar horn was blown to call people to repentance.

The Plagues of Egypt as Background

The trumpet plagues have clear parallels with the plagues in Egypt: hail and fire mixed with blood (v. 7; cf. Exod 9:23–24), water turned into blood (v. 8; cf. Exod 7:20–21), and darkness over the heavenly bodies (v. 12; cf. Exod 10:21–23). For early Christian readers, this signaled that God was again intervening to deliver His people and judge their oppressors. The Jewish Passover liturgy, which many Christians knew, kept the memory of these plagues alive.

Key Terms

Οἱ ἑπτὰ ἄγγελοι (The Seven Angels)

The seven angels who stand before God’s face (v. 2) reflect a Jewish tradition about seven archangels who serve in God’s presence (cf. Tobit 12:15). These angels hold a particularly high rank and function as God’s messengers and executors of His will.

Ἄψινθος (Wormwood) – Wormwood

The word ἄψινθος (v. 11) refers to the wormwood plant (Artemisia), known for its intense bitterness. In the Old Testament, wormwood is used as a symbol of God’s judgment and suffering (Jer 9:15; 23:15; Amos 5:7). The plant itself is not deadly, but its bitterness symbolizes the poisoning and destruction of life-giving water. For readers in Asia Minor, wormwood was a well-known plant that grew in the region.

Σιγὴ ὡς ἡμιώριον (Silence for About Half an Hour)

The solemn silence in heaven (v. 1) has parallels in Jewish apocalyptic literature and temple liturgy. In the temple service, there was a moment of silence while the priest burned incense, and the people prayed in quietness. Several Jewish apocalyptic texts (4 Ezra 7:30) describe a cosmic silence before creation or judgment. This silence creates tension and marks the transition to a new phase of judgment.

Τὸ τρίτον (A Third)

The repetition of "a third" (vv. 7–12) indicates partial judgment, not total destruction. This pattern is also found in Ezekiel 5:2–12 and Zechariah 13:8–9. The number signals that the judgment is limited and leaves room for repentance, unlike the total destruction that comes later in Revelation.

Ἀετός (Eagle)

The eagle flying in midheaven (v. 13), crying out three times "Woe!", serves as a heavenly herald warning the inhabitants of the earth about the coming plagues. In antiquity, the eagle was associated with divine messages and could also symbolize swift and unavoidable judgments (cf. Hos 8:1; Hab 1:8).

Personer

Inga kända personer i detta kapitel.

Nyckelord

Inga nyckelord ännu för detta kapitel.

Tidslinje1