The Seventh Seal and the First Four Trumpet Judgments (Revelation 8:1-13)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Grace in Focus

Episode: The Seventh Seal and the First Four Trumpet Judgments (Revelation 8:1-13)

Hosts: Bob Wilkin and Phillipe Stirling
Date: December 15, 2025
Duration: 13 minutes

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Bob Wilkin and Phillipe Stirling continue their eschatology series by unpacking Revelation 8:1-13. The conversation centers around the opening of the seventh seal, the significance of the ensuing silence in heaven, the meaning behind the golden censer and the prayers of the saints, and a detailed look at the first four trumpet judgments. The hosts explore the literal and figurative elements of these prophetic events, connect them to both biblical history and plausible natural phenomena, and touch on interpretive nuances relevant to Free Grace Theology.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Seventh Seal and Silence in Heaven

• Scripture Focus: Revelation 8:1
• Upon opening the seventh seal, “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”
• The silence is interpreted as a profound pause because of the gravity and awesomeness of the judgments to follow.
• Quote:

  "Actually there's going to be silence because what's about to come is so awesome. Right. It's a fearful thing. It's a difficult thing because these judgments are going to be worse."
  – Phillipe Stirling (01:39)

2. The Golden Censer & Prayers of the Saints

• Scripture Focus: Revelation 8:3-4
• The golden censer, an object familiar from Old Testament temple imagery, contains incense representing “the prayers of all the saints.”
• Discussion on whether this is literal, figurative, or both:

  "The incense represents the prayers of the saints, but I think it's an actual scene in the heavenly tabernacle."
  – Bob Wilkin (03:09)

• The prayers referenced are interpreted broadly, including "believers of all time," not just tribulation martyrs.
• Connection drawn to the Lord’s Prayer (“Thy kingdom come”) as prayers preserved and presented at this moment (04:36–04:53).

3. The Seventh Seal Leading to the Seven Trumpets

• Scripture Focus: Revelation 8:2
• Seven angels are given seven trumpets, signifying successive judgments.

  "So they got progressively worse. And pause there in heaven as the seven angels who stand before God receive seven trumpets."
  – Bob Wilkin (01:51)

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Detailed Breakdown of the First Four Trumpet Judgments

1. First Trumpet Judgment (05:39)

• Scripture Focus: Revelation 8:7

• Hail and fire mixed with blood are thrown to earth, burning up a third of the trees and all the green grass (with a nuanced discussion about the scope of “all”).

  "So hell and fire. So if it is natural calamity, then we can see vast lightning storms take place where then a third of the trees are burned up in all the green grass."
  – Bob Wilkin (05:49)

• Phillipe raises debate over the phrase “all the green grass”—is it worldwide or regional?

  "It seems like a lot of people argue that this was only a third of the green grass. When it says all the green grass, that that means all the green grass within the region of the third of the trees. Or do you take the view that this means all the green grass on the entire planet?"
  – Phillipe Stirling (06:18)

2. Second Trumpet Judgment (07:22)

• Scripture Focus: Revelation 8:8–9
• “Something like a great mountain burning with fire” (possibly an asteroid or volcano) is cast into the sea. A third of the sea becomes blood, a third of sea creatures die, and a third of ships are destroyed.

  "It's at a third of sea life perishes. And that as a result of this, whether it's a massive volcano… we've had… Krakatoa… it killed a whole bunch of natural life and it darkened, you know, for a year or more."
  – Bob Wilkin (08:27–09:01)

3. Third Trumpet Judgment (09:20)

• Scripture Focus: Revelation 8:10–11
• “A great star… burning like a torch” (named Wormwood) falls, contaminating a third of the rivers and springs. Many die from the bitter water; this could be an asteroid contaminating freshwater sources, which would include springs and lakes.

  "So the seas involve salt water, the rivers involve fresh water. And you've got. Now this fresh water becomes spoiled… such that it's even killing people who drink from it."
  – Phillipe Stirling (09:51)

4. Fourth Trumpet Judgment (10:33)

• Scripture Focus: Revelation 8:12
• A third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck, resulting in a third less light on earth by day and night—possibly as a cumulative effect of prior disasters (volcanic ash, comet impact, etc.).

  "If it was a volcanic eruption and then an asteroid that may have broken up. And that's affecting then the visibility of the sun and the moon."
  – Bob Wilkin (10:56)
  "So during the day you've got one third less light. At night you've got one third less light."
  – Phillipe Stirling (11:18)

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The Pause: Angel (or Eagle) Crying “Woe” (11:36)

• Before the fifth trumpet sounds (Revelation 8:13), an angel (or eagle) flies through heaven proclaiming three woes for earth’s inhabitants, warning of even more severe judgments to come.

  "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound."
  – Phillipe Stirling reading the text (11:36)

• Phillipe briefly discusses textual variants (angel vs. eagle) (12:01–12:21).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the cumulative prayers of the saints:

  "When we say thy kingdom come, or even when we say come, Lord Jesus, our prayers are being preserved and will be presented at this point."
  – Bob Wilkin (04:36)

• On interpreting Revelation's vivid judgments:

  "Again, this is conjecture, but I wonder if it's an asteroid or a vast heavenly comet or something, you know, that comes in a third of the seas affected."
  – Bob Wilkin (07:48)

• Referring to real-world volcanic parallels:

  "I don't know if you ever heard of Krakatoa. And that vast eruption that occurred, I think was east of Java… it killed a whole bunch of natural life and darkened… the skies… all over the Earth."
  – Bob Wilkin (08:50)

• On the dramatic impact of the judgments:

  "Certainly this would cause fear among all the people on the planet, right?"
  – Phillipe Stirling (11:30)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Discussion of the Seventh Seal and Silence: 01:13–01:51
• Explaining the Golden Censer and Prayers: 02:05–04:53
• First Trumpet Judgment: 05:39–06:41
• Second Trumpet Judgment: 07:22–09:01
• Third Trumpet Judgment: 09:20–10:30
• Fourth Trumpet Judgment: 10:33–11:23
• Angel/Eagle Proclaims Woe: 11:36–12:21
• Wrap-up and Preview: 12:21–12:53

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Tone and Approach

The hosts adopt a conversational and accessible approach, merging biblical exegesis with practical illustration and theological reflection characteristic of Free Grace traditions. They invoke both scholarly and devotional perspectives, invite listeners to consider multiple interpretations where warranted, and consistently emphasize grace and hope amid the discussion of judgment.

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Next Episode Tease

The hosts promise to continue with the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments in the next episode, maintaining their methodical walk through Revelation and ongoing focus on eschatological clarity.

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Transcript

[Bob Wilkin]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.

[Narrator/Host]

Welcome to Grace in Focus and our eschatology series. We are in revelation at the seventh seal and the first four trumpet judgments. And as we begin in Revelation 8, 1:4, who is praying and why are they praying? How is the seventh seal related to the seven trumpets? Stay tuned, we'll talk about it today. So glad you've joined us, friend. This is Grace in Focus. It is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Our offices are in North Texas and you can find out more about us at our website, faithalone.org we have a free online seminary, we have a free subscription magazine and every year we host an annual national conference. Find out more about these [e-mail] and now with today's discussion, here are Bob Wilken and Phillipe Stirling.

[Phillipe Stirling]

We didn't actually get to the seventh seal last time, which opens up into the trumpets, right? Sterling seals. Trumpets. So let's look at the seventh seal. What verse is that?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yeah, we'll go to chapter 8 for that.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Revelation 8. Is that verse 1?

[Bob Wilkin]

Verse 1. When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Now don't give us the joke about this.

[Bob Wilkin]

Oh, I'm not. I won't bring it up because if Brenda listens to this, I'm in trouble.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Brenda would say you say this shows there's no women in heaven.

[Bob Wilkin]

Okay.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Actually there's going to be silence because what's about to come is so awesome. Right. It's a fearful thing. It's a difficult thing because these judgments are going to be worse.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. And so they got progressively worse. And pause there in heaven as the seven angels who stand before God receive seven trumpets.

[Phillipe Stirling]

All right, that's verse two.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Phillipe Stirling]

All right.

[Bob Wilkin]

And then the golden censer, which represents the prayers of all the sense.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Okay, Now a sensor. I grew up part of the time in the Serbian Orthodox Church and they would have a sensor that they would swing and it had incense in it. And this incense had a sweet smell to it and they'd shake it in my direction and somebody else's direction, etc. And that's what this is, right? This is an incense burning sensor.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right. And even goes back to the priests in the tabernacle and the incense that's before the curtains, before the holy of holies.

[Phillipe Stirling]

And this is figurative. Is it literal and figurative or is it just figurative? Talking about he sees an angel with a sensor, but what's in the sensor is not incense with smoke going on, but it's prayers with prayer.

[Bob Wilkin]

The incense represents the prayers of all the scents.

[Phillipe Stirling]

So is he actually seeing and smelling incense burning?

[Bob Wilkin]

I think it's both. It's both literal and figurative.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Okay.

[Bob Wilkin]

The incense represents the prayers of the saints, but I think it's an actual scene in the heavenly tabernacle. Oh, you're right, it's taking place.

[Phillipe Stirling]

And verse four does say the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angel's hand.

[Bob Wilkin]

So the idea that the incense is mixed in with the prayers, you know, and it's all ascending to God and to the Lamb.

[Phillipe Stirling]

You have something like this in Acts 10 where the angel tells Cornelius that.

[Bob Wilkin]

His prayers are descendants have ascended to God. Yes.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Okay, so when we pray, and you said in a previous episode that these prayers are probably not just saints from the Tribulation, but this is believers of all time.

[Bob Wilkin]

I think so. Previously, of course, with the seal that was those who had been martyred, I think, during the tribulation period, who ask how long. But here it seems to be generalized to the prayers of all the saints, I think of all the ages in this final period of judgment is in answer to.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Because they all want God's justice and righteousness to come and to reign. They want Jesus to rule and reign. In order for that to happen, you have to go through this seven years of tribulation, the outpouring of the wrath of the Lamb. And so this is the accumulation of prayers all the way from Adam and Eve through the tribulation.

[Bob Wilkin]

Believer. And I'm sure that you've probably prayed the Lord's so called Lord's prayer. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. So when we say thy kingdom come, or even when we say come, Lord Jesus, our prayers are being preserved and will be presented at this point so.

[Phillipe Stirling]

That all of our prayers will be part of this which is ascending to God at that time.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. So for the judgments to come, for the reclamation of the earth and the final rejection of the rebels of the earth, both angelic, I think, and human, which will take place in chapter 19 and in 20.

[Phillipe Stirling]

All right, so what's going on in verse five, verse five.

[Bob Wilkin]

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings on earthquake. So I think this is literal as well. You know, the sensors thrown to the earth and natural disturbances begin to take place. And then the sounding of the trumpets will take place beginning with verse six.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Okay, so they're all prepared and in verse seven, you've got the first angel that's tooting his trumpet.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Phillipe Stirling]

And what happens there?

[Bob Wilkin]

And there hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up. And all the green grass was burned up. So hell and fire. So if it is natural calamity, then we can see vast lightning storms take place where then a third of the trees are burned up in all the green grass. But there's a limit, though. It's only a third of the trees.

[Phillipe Stirling]

And it might be. I don't know. It seems like I recall when I've walked through Revelation before and taught through it before, it seems like a lot of people argue that this was only a third of the green grass. When it says all the green grass, that that means all the green grass within the region of the third of the trees. Or do you take the view that this means all the green grass on the entire planet?

[Bob Wilkin]

I haven't really analyzed it to be able to say it could be either one.

[Narrator/Host]

All right, we will rejoin in just a moment. But years ago, Zane Hodges wrote the Gospel Under Siege. Sadly, this is still true, and GES President Bob Wilkin has recently written its sequel. Bob's new book, the Gospel is Still Under Siege, is a book about theological clarity on the biblical teaching about eternal salvation. It is available now secure yours today at the Grace Evangelical Society's bookstore. Find [e-mail] store. That's faithalone.org store. Now back to today's content.

[Phillipe Stirling]

So that's the first of the trumpets. Yes, and then you go to the second angel.

[Bob Wilkin]

So it's seven trumpets, seven angels. So this is each different.

[Phillipe Stirling]

All right.

[Bob Wilkin]

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.

[Phillipe Stirling]

This sounds a lot like what happened with the ten plagues of Egypt. Wasn't the Nile turned to blood in one of the plagues?

[Bob Wilkin]

The Nile was turned to blood. And of course, there was a hail with fire, and fire representing lightning with one of the plagues. And here a great mountain burning where fire was thrown into the sea. Again, this is conjecture, but I wonder if it's an asteroid or a vast heavenly comet or something, you know, that comes in a third of the seas affected.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Now you had a third of the trees. Now you get a third of the seas. And does that mean then that a third of the life in the sea died? In other words, a third of the fish, a third of the Mammals, you know, a third of the whales, a third of the dogs, dolphins and the porpoises.

[Bob Wilkin]

And that's how it seems to me. Just a plain understanding of the text is, is indicating. So it's at a third of sea life perishes. And that as a result of this, whether it's a massive volcano and of course we've had, I don't know if you ever heard of Krakatoa. And that vast eruption that occurred, I think was east of Java. East of Java, yeah. 1890s or thereabouts.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Right.

[Bob Wilkin]

It killed a whole bunch of natural life and it darkened, you know, for a year or more. There was a significant darkening of the skies that occurred all over the Earth.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Well, you know, the ash that comes out from volcanoes can travel around the world. You know, it's amazing. In our time we've had volcanic activity where the ash was spreading across continents. And so what we envision here is a really terrible situation.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. And that's only the second trumpet. And then verse 10 is the third. The third angel sounded and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch. It fell on a third of the rivers, on the springs of water. And the name of the star is wormwood. And here, this might be an asteroid. And a third of the waters became wormwood. And many men died from the water because it was made bitter.

[Phillipe Stirling]

So you've got again a third.

[Bob Wilkin]

This is inland waterways as compared to the seas.

[Phillipe Stirling]

So the seas involve salt water, the rivers involve fresh water. And you've got. Now this fresh water becomes spoiled or polluted or bitter such that it's even killing people who drink from it. And of course, there are lots of people around the planet who don't have treatment centers for their water and they're drinking right from the rivers. Or would this include lakes? Or would this just literally be rivers?

[Bob Wilkin]

Well, again, it says the springs of water, most lakes, many of them are.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Spring fed, so it would involve those as well.

[Bob Wilkin]

And that's the third angel, the third trumpet.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Okay.

[Bob Wilkin]

And then the fourth trumpet sounded and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Now what does that mean? That has always puzzled me as to what this literally mean. That we're knocking out a chunk of the sun or a chunk of the moon.

[Bob Wilkin]

Does it again, if we follow a cause and effect chronologically, maybe what's affected by. If it was a volcanic eruption and then an asteroid that may have broken up. And that's affecting then the visibility of the sun and the moon.

[Phillipe Stirling]

It's cutting down a third of the light from the sun, the moon and the stars.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Phillipe Stirling]

So during the day you've got one third less light. At night you've got one third less light.

[Bob Wilkin]

I mentioned Krakatoa. I had where that's literally what happened all around the world. Okay, so this is more massive than that.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Right. And this, certainly this would cause fear among all the people on the planet, right?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. And then there was an angel. And there's a pause that occurs before the fifth angel will sound in chapter nine. But there's an eagle or an angel, it says here, flying through the midst of the heavens, saying with a loud voice, woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Yes. Now there's a lot of textual issues here. If you have a new King James version, you can look at the bottom and see where the majority text differs with the critical text. And sometimes where the majority text differs from the tr, the text is receptive.

[Bob Wilkin]

Some say that it's eagle, but here it says an angel, I think in the majority text.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Right, okay. Well, we're out of time, Philippe. I don't know how these things happen, but we've gone through the seventh seal and the first five of the trumpet judgments.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right, first four. So we got three more trumpets. On the seventh trumpet, we'll be introducing the seven bowls.

[Phillipe Stirling]

Right, so 12 and following is about the fourth. Fifth starts in chapter nine.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Phillipe Stirling]

All right, well, we'll pick up there next time. And in the meantime, let's keep grace in focus.

[Narrator/Host]

Be sure to check out our daily [e-mail] they are short and full of great teaching, just like what you've heard today. Find [e-mail] resources blog. We would love to hear from you. Maybe you've got a question, comment or some feedback. If you do, please don't hesitate to send us a message. Here's our email address. It's radioaithalone.org that's radioaithalone.org and when you do very important. Please let us know your radio station call letters and the city of your location. And on our next episode, join us. We will be talking about the fifth and sixth trumpets. And until then, let's keep grace in focus.

[Bob Wilkin]

The proceeding has been a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.