What happensPermalink
When the Lamb opens the seventh seal, heaven falls silent for half an hour. Seven angels receive seven trumpets, and another angel offers incense, mixed with the prayers of the saints, before hurling fire from the altar onto the earth. As the first four trumpets sound, a third of the land is burned, a fiery mountain devastates the sea, a blazing star poisons rivers, and the heavens darken. An eagle cries out, warning that the final three trumpets will bring even greater woes.
Why it mattersPermalink
The seventh seal introduces the next cycle of judgments, framed by a solemn heavenly silence. As with the seal judgments, the first four trumpets strike the natural world and its inhabitants. The angel offering incense shows that these judgments answer the cries of God’s people for justice. Trumpet by trumpet, creation itself becomes the stage on which God warns the world and upholds His saints.
Key versePermalink
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.