Another angel, 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, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on 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 angel 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 huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third 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 on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
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 of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”
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Beyond the terrifying imagery of God's wrath, each time I read this chapter I discover something new. For instance, "a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up."
Then we have two trumpets heralding destruction of water, the second angel's trumpet destroyed a third of the sea, a third of the living creatures in the sea, and a third of all the ships were destroyed. Skip now to the third trumpet, ". . . a great star fell from the sky on a third of the rivers, and a third of the springs of water which turned bitter and many people died."
Finally, and I don't know how I missed this, we have a talking eagle, flying in mid-air, pronouncing the judgements that are about to be sounded by the other three angels. And what really struck me was the fact that God is giving a final warning after using plagues falling from the skies. One of the essential's of human existence is water, and here we see the partial destruction of oceans, rivers, and springs. But after the eagle's warning, the next three plagues will be even more terrifying . . .
