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1. The seventh seal being opened, there appear Angels with trumpets: 6. And when another Angel poured out fire taken from the altar, upon the earth, there follow divers tempests. 7. In like manner, while four Angels, of the seven, sound their trumpets, there fall sundry plagues.
1 AND when he had opened the seventh seal, there was made silence in heaven, as it were half an hour.
2 And I saw seven Angels standing in the sight of God: and there were given to them seven trumpets.
3
And an other Angel came, and stood before the altar, hailing a golden
censer: and there were given to him many incenses, that he should give
of the prayers of all saints upon the altar of gold, which is before the
throne of God.
4 And the smoke of the incenses of the prayers of the saints ascended from the hand of the Angel before God.
5
And the Angel took the censer, and filled it of the fire of the altar,
and cast it on the earth, and there were made thunders and voices and
lightnings, and a great earthquake.
6 And the seven Angels which had the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound with the trumpet.
7
And the first Angel sounded with the trumpet, and there was made hail
and fire, mingled in blood, and it was cast on the earth, and the third
part of the earth was burnt, and the third part of trees was burnt, and
all green grass was burnt.
8 And the second Angel sounded with
the trumpet: and as it were a great mountain burning with fire, was cast
into the sea, and the third part of the sea was made blood:
9 and the third part of those creatures died, which had lives in the sea, and the third part of the ships perished.
10
And the third Angel sounded with the trumpet, and a great star fell
from heaven, burning as it were a torch, and it fell on the third part
of the floods, and on the fountains of waters:
11 and the name
of the star is called Wormwood. And the third part of the waters was
made into Wormwood: and many men died of the waters, because they were
made bitter.
12 And the fourth Angel sounded with 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 of the day there shined not the third part, and of the
night in like manner.
13 And I looked, and heard the voice of
one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice,
Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants on the earth: because of the rest of
the voices of the three Angels which were to sound with the trumpet.
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8:3 before the altar: The Priest standing at the altar praying and offering for the people in the time of the high mysteries, Christ himself also being present upon the altar, is a figure of this thing, and thereunto he alludes.
8:4 prayers of the saints: If this be St. Michael or any Angel, and not Christ himself, as some take it, Angels offer up the prayers of the faithful, and the 24 Elders did in chapter 5, for this word 'saints' is taken here for the holy persons on earth, as often in the Scripture: though it be not against the Scriptures, that the inferior Saint or Angel in heaven should offer their prayers to God by their superiors there. But thereby we conclude against the Protestants, that it not play-down from Christ, that Angels or Saints offer our prayers to God, as also it is plain of Raphael Tobit 12:12.
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