Revelation 8, A Burning Star

John saw the One of the Throne with a scroll that could not be opened, until the Lamb appeared to unseal this scroll.  Then (in chapter 6), six of the seven of the seals of the scroll were removed. Finally, in this chapter, the last seal is removed.  We now will see a repetition of the count to seven, representing either new events or a parallel description of the previous events.

Revelation 8: 1-6, The scroll opened

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.  And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.  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 the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.  The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, 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 scroll is finally opened, after removing seven seals. Now we have seven trumpets sounded by seven angels.

Why is there silence for a time?

Revelation 8: 7, The first trumpet is sounded

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon 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 trumpet played by the first angel brings hail and fire "mixed with blood", burning up a third of the earth. Something is "hurled down" upon the earth -- this image will be repeated.

Revelation 8: 8-9, The second trumpet is sounded

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 trumpet played by the second angel brings a blazing mountain into the sea and a third of the sea is destroyed, along with animals in it and ships sailing on it.

Revelation 8: 10-11, The third trumpet is sounded

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 third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. 

Again something falls from the sky and a third is destroyed. What is the significance of the name of the star? (It is given to us as if it had meaning; Wormwood means Bitterness, say the NIV footnotes.) Is this falling star an astronomical phenomena? Or a metaphor for an angelic event?

Revelation 8: 12-14, The fourth trumpet is sounded

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!"

Could these four trumpets all be explaining the same event?  In each case, one-third of something is destroyed: earth, sea, waters, stars.

There have been four trumpets.  Three more will be heard in the next chapter.