A Very Pregnant Pause | Rev 8

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Europe lay in ruins. Cities were reduced to rubble. Millions were dead. The Nazi regime had fallen, and its top leaders—those who had orchestrated genocide and global war—were in custody.

But one agonizing question loomed: Would there be justice? The world stood at a moral crossroads. The answer wasn’t obvious.

The Allied powers—Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France—could not agree on how to respond to the unspeakable crimes of the Nazi high command. Some proposed summary executions. Others wanted trials. Some questioned whether international law even had categories to prosecute crimes against humanity. These atrocities—like the Holocaust—had no precedent in modern legal systems.

There was no clear roadmap, no shared strategy, and no guarantee that justice would prevail. In fact, some initially supported lining up the captured Nazi leaders and shooting them without trial. Others feared prolonged trials would re-traumatize the victims or turn war criminals into political martyrs.

The world teetered on the edge of either justice or silence, of either accountability or impunity.

But after months of wrangling, the Allies agreed. A trial would be held—not in vengeance, but in principle. A tribunal would be established. Justice would speak.

On November 20, 1945, in the city of Nuremberg—a symbolic place where many of the Nazi race laws had once been declared and rallies held —the trials began. For the first time in human history, world powers united—not to conquer—but to prosecute. Twenty-four of the most powerful surviving leaders of the Third Reich were charged with war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity.

German aggression was accompanied by immense brutality in occupied areas. War loses in the Soviet Union alone included over 27 Million dead, most of which were civilians, killing approx 1/7 of the prewar population.

The Holocaust further revealed the depths of human depravity. Six million Jews, along with millions of others—political dissidents, the disabled, Roma, and countless civilians—had been systematically exterminated by a government that weaponized its bureaucracy for genocide. These were not spontaneous crimes of war. These were administrative. Calculated. Coded in policy and carried out with ruthless efficiency.

For nearly a year, harrowing evidence was presented—

Testimony after testimony recounted horrors that defied comprehension. Prisoners starved to death in camps. Families torn from their homes, never to return. Children experimented on like lab animals. Entire villages exterminated. Films of emaciated bodies in liberated concentration camps.

The prosecution didn’t rely on rumor—it relied on Nazi documentation. Paper trails, signatures, blueprints of gas chambers. One by one, the evidence was presented. Evil had a name. It had faces. It had architects. It had not been chaotic, but organized, methodical, and intentional. The crimes were undeniable. The world was watching. Justice demanded a verdict.

On October 1, 1946, the courtroom filled to capacity. Hundreds packed the Palace of Justice—journalists, diplomats, surviving victims, and representatives of the Allied powers. Armed guards lined the perimeter. Judges from the U.S., Britian, France, the USSR sat at the bench.

The air was thick with tension.

Reporters described the silence in the room as nearly unbearable. No one shuffled. No one coughed. The stillness was palpable—as if history itself were waiting to exhale.

A world that had wept, bled, and grieved now waited—not just for a ruling, but for vindication.

One by one, the judgments were pronounced.

Some trembled. Some wept. Others stared blankly forward. But the room remained still. Reporters said you could hear the scratch of pens on paper. No one moved. No one dared to speak. It was the kind of silence only judgment can command.

The verdicts didn’t undo the past. But they made this clear: the cries of the victims had been heard. The blood of the innocent had not been ignored. There was, finally, a reckoning.

This is the kind of anticipation we find in today's text in Revelation 8.

As we have been moving through Revelation chapter by chapter and verse by verse, we have been confronted with challenges and encouragements, pictures of awe and beauty and also unparalleled destruction.

And in a sense, we are only just getting started.

Back in chapter 5 we were confronted with heartbreaking reality that no one was found to open the scroll, and since the scroll contained God’s plan to vindicate his people and bring justice to the earth, that mean that justice was to be withheld, causing John to weep bitterly.

but then Jesus Christ stepped forward, he is worth to open the scroll.

And as the scroll is opened we learn of the horrors that await the last days.

The first six seals were opened. Judgment began to befall the earth. War. Famine. Plague. 1/4 of the world population dies.

We were reminded, however, of God’s purposes in this time on the earth. Yes, it is judgment, but it also designed to purify and refine His people, as we saw from various texts.

In chapter Seven, Jim walked us through the interlude in the chronology that shows us God’s great mercy. He has preserved 144,000 Jewish witness, that they might fulfill their original intent: bring light to the nations. We saw that this results in a great multitude of people from every nation and tribe and tongue praising God.

Many will die during the tribulation.

Many will come to faith!

Mercy in the midst of judgment.

As we come into chapter 8, we find the chronology left off in chapter 6 resumed. Chapter 6 stopped with the 6th seal. Here, we resume with the seventh seal.

Chapter eight contained the seventh seal with contains the seven trumpet judgments, but it kicks off with silence as the prayers of the saints are given special attention.

The saints have prayed. In Revelation 6, they cry out: “How long, O Lord, before You judge and avenge our blood?” Now their prayers rise like incense before the throne (Rev. 8:4). God hears. God acts.

Just like the silence in Germany in 1946 as the world waited with baited breath, there was silence in heaven as the universe anticipates what God will do.

The Judge of all the earth is about to render His verdict—not just on a regime, but on a rebellious world. And when the censer filled with holy fire is hurled to the earth, the trumpets sound, and judgment begins.

This is the solemn truth Revelation 8 brings to bear: God is not indifferent to evil. He has heard every cry. He sees every injustice. And when His moment comes, He will answer with a justice far weightier, far holier, than anything ever witnessed at Nuremberg.

Let’s read our text this morning.

Revelation 8 LSB

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints, out of the angel’s hand, before God. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. And the first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea—those which had life—died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

God hears the prayers of his saints.

Silence in heaven = God giving special attention to the saints. Preparation for the judgment to come.

Incense = Old Testament symbol of prayer.

here a prayer for vindication. Revelation 6:10 “and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, holy and true? Will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?””

censor - firepan. utensil used to move burning coals.

Thrown to earth = a dramatic picture of judgment

thunder and lightening - God’s presence and judgment come.

God vindicates his saints

first trumpet -

hail fire mixed with blood. reminds us of the plagues of egypt.

1/3 of earth/grass/trees. likey refers to crops and agricultural destruction. that it is mixed with blood refers to the damage it caused.

Second trumpet

great mountain burning with fire cast into sea.

some say this is symbolic of the governmental overthrow. Some say it is a literal something cast into the sea. I’m inclined more toward the literal understanding, but in either case, interprets generally agree on the result

a thrid of the sea became blood, 1/3 fish die 1/3 ships destroyed.

Reminds us again of Egypt. The destruction of the ships is huge for supply chain and distribution of goods. Many of us remember the supply chain issues faced during Covid. Amplify that 100fold and the effect that would have.

Third trumpet

Wormwood. Wormwood is a shrub or herb. In small doses has a medicinal use to treat parasites, but is very bitter. In large doses is quite toxic and known to cause fatal seizures. Here it poisons the fresh waters and many die from it.

fourth trumpet

Darkened lights from heaven. Dimmed.

Clearly a supernatural work of God. Can no longer say that these are freak natural disasters.

Warning of additional woes.

This serves as yet another call to repentance while there is still time.

While there is considerable debate about just how literal one should read this chapter and if the stars, mountains, and hail fire should we understood as that or as symbolic of world governments, etc, there is remarkable agreement about the effects of these things.

Food (agriculture), shipping/commerce/distribution, water sources, daylight

Many have noted that the judgments here parallel the Plagues of Egypt. Historically, we also know that the 10 plagues of Egypt targeted specifically to the gods of Egypt.

If these trumpets follow in the mold of the egyptian plagues, could it be that they target modern objects of false worship for our “developed” world?

God’s judgment on the earth, vegetation, and agriculture reveals that our reliance on environmental control and ecological security is ill-founded. There are some today who will go so far to protect the environment, will advocate for so much in order to preserve planet earth. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it is fitting for us to be good stewards of the earth God has given us. But many take things to so far that they end up worshiping the earth, and caring for the earth as good stewards gets turning into an obsessive environmentalism that distorts the purpose. God judges that false god.

The second trumpet wrecks the sea and ships. We rely on the sea for trade and transport of good. So much commerce and economic power arises from trade that largely takes place over the seas. Our comfortable lifestyles are fueled by shipping routes. The false god of comfort is judged.

The third trumpet destroys the fresh water. One of the key differences between developed first world countries and underdeveloped third world nations is access to fresh drinking water. Public health is so dependent on having clean water, and any time there is an issue with the public water supply, it translates into a public health crisis. We so highly value the technological advancements that allow us to have clean water and good public health, and now here God strips that away.

There are those who believe that we are on the brink of technological advancement that will give us virtual immortality because we will have hacked the human genome and fixed everything wrong with our DNA. Some people are so obsessed with this it reveals that their faith is in the science instead of the God who has numbered our days. The false God’s of science, technology, and health are judged.

Finally, the fourth trumpet dims the sun moon and stars. If there has been anything stable over the last 6000 years, it has been the daily cycle of the Sun, moon, and stars. They are always there. The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar, tomorrow they’ll be sun. Until it doesn’t.

This directly attacks the false security of the scoffers from 2 Pet 3 2 Pet 3:3-4

2 Peter 3:3–4 LSB

knowing this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

They willfully forget that God intervened in human history once with the flood. They relied on the consistency of the world. Suddenly cosmic stability and predictability are gone.

The gods of science, progress, economy and control cannot save you. Worship of comfort, consumption, and self-reliance is hallow.

As God hears the prayers of his saints and vindicates them through just judgment on the earth, He attacks the very objects of worship with which we have blinded ourselves for generations.

This text reminds us of key truths.

God is a righteous judge who vindicates his people. The judgment poured out on earth in these trumpet judgments is a direct answer to the prayers of the saints for vindication.

2 Thessalonians 1:5–10 LSB

This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. Since it is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give rest to you who are afflicted and to us as well at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, executing vengeance on those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our witness to you was believed.

2. God’s gracious warning. Three woes to come. We cover these over the next several chapters. Here there is a warning that they are to come. God’s warnings throughout Scripture are always opportunity for repentance.

3. This is judgment that you and I deserve. We must never go about our lives thinking that we are somehow better than other people because we have believed in God. We are certainly better off, and by Grace I hope we are pursuing holiness as we’ve been covering in our Sunday School hour, but we are sinners just like the rest of mankind, and if it were not for the grace of God we too would be cowering in the hills begging for the mountains to fall on our heads when the wrath of God is revealed.

I don’t know about you, but texts like this challenge me. On the one hand, there is hope. The prayers of the saints are heard. God will vindicate his people. The cries of the innocent will not just echo into the void, they are heard, they are answered.

On the other hand. There is sorrow. Sorrow for the unbelieving world that has persisted in false worship, rejected the one true God, and spurned the grace made available to them. God’s justice which ends in hope for me end in death for others.

Finally, there is gratitude. Wrath is the fate I deserve. It’s a sobering reminder of the seriousness of my own sin. It’s solemn sign of crimes against the creator. Your sin and my sin are closer to the sins of Nazi Germany than we would ever want to admit.

And yet, in Christ we are forgiven, transformed, redeemed, renewed, adopted, emancipated, sanctified, and will be glorified.

Are you trusting in this Christ today? He died for this.

Are you seeking to lead others to this same faith before its too late?

Psalm 2 NKJV

Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ” Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.