Revelation 8:7 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

The first angel sounded; the first of the seven angels to whom the seven trumpets were given, Revelation 8:2, began to execute his commission; the consequents of which were hail and fire mingled with blood, cast upon the earth: by which some understand the primitive church's persecutions by the Jews and the heathen emperors; but these were over. Some understand God's revenge upon the Jews; but this also was taken some hundreds of years since. Some understand unseasonable weather in many parts of the world; but we read nothing like this in history. Some understand contests happening in the church; others understand heresies. But I cannot but rather agree with the reverend Mr. Mede, who expounds it of great troubles, and blood, and slaughter which should happen; and thinks that this prophecy began to be fulfilled about the death of Theodosius, Anno 395. For in this very year (saith he) Alaricus the king of the Goths brake into Macedonia, with a great army went into Thessalia, and so into Achaia, Peloponnesus, Corinth, Argos, Sparta, burning, wasting, and ruining all places; and so went on till the year 400; then fell upon the eastern empire, and committed the same outrages in Dalmatia and Hungary; then went into Stiria and Bavaria, thence into Italy and to Venice. After this, in the year 404, these barbarous nations invaded Italy, and took divers places. In the year 406 the Vandals and Alans, with many others, invaded France, Spain, and Africa: all which he proveth from the testimony of Jerome, Ep. 3. 11. This he judgeth the effect of the first angel's sounding, and to have been signified by the hail and fire mingled with blood, consonant to other scriptures. Isaiah, Isaiah 28:2, compareth Shalmaneser to a storm of hail; and, Isaiah 30:30, he so likeneth the ruin to come upon the Assyrians. By the trees burnt up, are (saith he) the great and rich men to be understood, ordinarily in Scripture compared to trees, Isaiah 2:13, Isaiah 14:8 Malachi 11:2; and by the green grass, the ordinary common people. Thus he judgeth the effects of this first trumpet's sounding to have been determined in fifteen years, viz. from the year 395 to 410.