Bible ReadingRevelation 8:1-13 “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, ‘Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!’”
[39:49]Revelation 9:1-21 “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
[48:41]Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
[57:43]Ezekiel 22:30 “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.”
[57:32]Observation questions- In Revelation 8, what happens in heaven before the trumpets begin to sound, and what is placed together with the prayers of the saints at the altar? [36:50]
- Looking at Revelation 8:7-12, what parts of creation are struck by the first four trumpets, and how often does the phrase “a third” appear in those judgments? [39:49]
- In Revelation 9, who is harmed by the demonic locusts, who is spared, and how long is the torment allowed to last? [47:43]
- At the end of Revelation 9, what sins and false worship do the survivors refuse to repent of? [54:47]
Interpretation questions- If the silence in heaven is a moment of preparation rather than emptiness, what does that suggest about the seriousness of what is about to happen in Revelation 8? [35:31]
- The prayers of the saints rise before God and then fire from the altar is thrown to the earth. How does that picture help explain that prayer is joining God’s purposes rather than trying to force God’s hand? [34:48]
- In Revelation 9, people are tormented for five months but not killed, and they still refuse to repent afterward. How does that show both God’s mercy and the hardness of the human heart? [48:41]
- Ezekiel 22:30 speaks of standing in the breach, and Matthew 6:10 teaches believers to pray, “Your kingdom come.” How do those two passages help define what intercession is meant to be? [57:32]
Application questions- Many prayers feel delayed, forgotten, or shelved. Is there a prayer that has grown cold in this season of life? What would it look like to bring that request back before God without cynicism? [38:15]
- Prayer is not a way to get God’s attention like a child demanding more cake. When prayer becomes rushed, demanding, or casual, what usually drives that in the heart? What might reverent prayer look like this week? [34:48]
- Jesus teaches believers to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” In one specific area of life right now—family, work, health, finances, or a strained relationship—what would it mean to pray that honestly and submissively? [01:00:39]
- Intercessors stand in the gap between heaven and earth. Who is one lost neighbor, friend, coworker, or family member that especially needs that kind of prayer right now? What makes it hard to keep praying for that person? [01:02:40]
- Revelation 9 shows that suffering by itself does not soften every heart. When hardship comes, is the first instinct usually repentance, blame, numbness, or escape? What does that reveal about where the heart runs for refuge? [54:52]
- The survivors cling to idols that cannot see, hear, or walk. What are some modern idols that quietly compete for trust and affection—comfort, control, image, politics, money, pleasure? Which of those feels most persuasive right now? [55:22]
- Intercession is meant to be reverent, scriptural, confident, expectant, and submissive. Which one of those is weakest right now in personal prayer, and what practical change could help strengthen it this week? [58:05]
