Study Desk

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

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

And I saw the seven angels^(b) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.^(c)

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.

The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God^(g) from the angel's hand.

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)

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets^(k) prepared to sound them.

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)

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)

a third^(s) of the living creatures in the sea 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^(t) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water^(u)—

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)

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)

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!"