Revelation 8:7

“The first angel sounded, etc.] Or blew his trumpet: and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood; somewhat like one of the plagues of Egypt, (<020923>Exodus 9:23-25); in which was hail mingled with fire, only no blood, but what was caused by its fall on man and beast. Some have thought the Arian heresy is here intended, which may well enough agree with the time; and which may be compared to “hail”, for the mischief it did to the vines, the churches; and because of the violence with which it came, and the chillness of affection to Christ and his people, which it brought on professors of religion; and the barrenness which followed upon it, it making men barren and unfruitful in the…”

“The common feature of the first four trumpets is, the judgments under them affect natural objects, the accessories of life, the earth, trees, grass, the sea, rivers, fountains, the light of the sun, moon, and stars. The last three, the woe-trumpets (Rev 8:13), affect men's life with pain, death, and hell. The language is evidently drawn from the plagues of Egypt, five or six out of the ten exactly corresponding: the hail, the fire (Exo 9:24), the WATER turned to blood (Exo 7:19), the darkness (Exo 10:21), the locusts (Exo 10:12), and perhaps the death (Rev 9:18). Judicial retribution in kind characterizes the inflictions of the first four, those elements which had been abused punishing their…”

“The first angel sounded - The first in order, and indicating the first in the series of events that were to follow. And there followed hail - Hail is usually a symbol of the divine vengeance, as it has often been employed to accomplish the divine purposes of punishment. Thus, in Exodus 9:23, “And the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.” So in Psalms 105:32, referring to the plagues upon Egypt, it is said, “He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.” So again, Psalms 78:48, “He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.” As early as the time of Job hail was understood…”

“And the first sounded - And every angel continued to sound, till all which his trumpet brought was fulfilled and till the next began. There are intervals between the three woes, but not between the four first trumpets. And there was hail and fire mingled with blood, and there were cast upon the earth - The earth seems to mean Asia; Palestine, in particular. Quickly after the Revelation was given, the Jewish calamities under Adrian began: yea, before the reign of Trajan was ended. And here the trumpets begin. Even under Trajan, in the year 114, the Jews made an insurrection with a most dreadful fury; and in the parts about Cyrene, in Egypt, and in Cyprus, destroyed four hundred and sixty…”

“8:7-12 Each of the first four trumpets affects one-third of its target (see Ezek 5:1-4, 12; Zech 13:8). The point is not to convey an exact measurement; instead, it indicates that God’s judgment on the earth is beginning but has not reached its zenith. Together, the first four trumpets form a unified message of judgment on the whole physical world (as with Rev 6:1-8). 8:7 Hail and fire mixed with blood signal the destruction of plant life, as did the seventh plague on Egypt (see Exod 9:13-35; Joel 2:31; Acts 2:19). • all the green grass was burned: Nothing escapes God’s judgment. • This vision need not be harmonized with Rev 9:4 because each scene is self-contained and communicates its own…”

“hail: Rev 16:21; Exo 9:23-25, Exo 9:33; Jos 10:11; Psa 11:5, Psa 11:6, Psa 18:12, Psa 18:13, Psa 78:47, Psa 78:48; Psa 105:32; Isa 28:2, Isa 29:6, Isa 30:30, Isa 32:19; Eze 13:10-15, Eze 38:22; Mat 7:25-27 cast: Rev 16:2 the third: Rev 8:9, Rev 8:10, Rev 8:12, Rev 6:8, Rev 9:4; Isa 2:12, Isa 2:13, Isa 10:17, Isa 10:18; Jam 1:11; Pe1 1:24 Revelation 8:8”