hurled it on the earth

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.

Revelation 8: 5️

Hurled on the earth, verse 5 describes one act, yet from it comes seven trumpets of judgement!

As each trumpet blast sounds, a fresh sphere of creation is struck by what is essentially the same alter fire.

1 land, 2 Sea, 3 Rivers, 4 Sky, 5 Abyss, 6 Euphrates, and finally, 7 the whole world! rising in increasing severity. (Trumpets 5 -7 are recorded for us in Rev 9 onwards)

A change of purpose!

The censer used to carry coals to the golden alter now becomes the agent of God's wrath. As the Angel hurles the fire down on the earth, the trumpets blasts that follow herald the shock-waves of judement that is to follow.

The golden alter, the locus of mercy and the place where our prayers rise with heavenly incence becomes the launcher of God's wrath on an unholy and unrepentant world!

God bless,

Trev.