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Revelation 8 · a question people ask

"then threw it on the earth" (8:5). Why does the angel throw the censer on the earth?

In the text

Here is what the chapter says. "The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar, then threw it on the earth." (8:5), and "Thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake followed." (8:5). The book doesn't say why he threw it, and these notes don't either.

The verses

“The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar, then threw it on the earth. Thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake followed.”
Revelation 8:5 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Revelation 8

Revelation 8: Silence in heaven

When the censer is thrown on the earth, "Thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake followed." (8:5). John used the same words of the throne: "Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders." (4:5). Here they come in the other order, with an earthquake.

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Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions