Charles Ellicott Commentary Revelation 8:5

"And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake." — Revelation 8:5 (ASV)

And the angel . . .—This can be translated: And the angel has taken (or, took) the censer, and he filled it from the fire of the altar, and cast it (that is, the fire or hot ashes which filled the censer) upon the earth.

The prayers have gone up, and the sprinkling of the ashes toward the earth is the symbol of the answer descending from heaven.

We may recall the similar action of Moses before Pharaoh, when he took ashes from the furnace and sprinkled it toward heaven, but it descended toward the earth as a symbol of the plague about to fall upon the land (Exodus 9:8–10).

The hot ashes are the tokens of the coming judgments.

As in the parallel vision in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 10:2), when the man clothed with linen is commanded to go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill his hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the doomed city; so here the ashes fall—the judgments are near.

And there were voices . . .—Alternatively, And there took place thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

There is some variety among the manuscripts in the order of the words used here. Some place “lightnings” before “voices.”

These signs and sounds herald the approach of judgments. God has arisen in answer to the cry of His people. The earth shook and trembled.

There went up a smoke and a fire: coals were kindled at it. At the brightness that was before Him His thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. Yea, He sent out His arrows, and scattered them: He shot out lightnings and discomfited them . . . He delivered me from my strong enemy (Psalms 18:4–19).

It is a solemn thought that we may send up prayers, and the answer may come down a judgment; for often it is only through judgment that true loving-kindness can make her way.