By: Tom Lowe Date: 5-23-16
Lesson: III.C.8: Sixth Trumpet (Second Woe): Four Angels With an Army of Two Hundred Million, Killing A Third of Mankind (Revelation 9:13-21)
Revelation 9:13-21 (KJV)
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Introduction
The horror of the vision mounts. The demonic locusts were allowed to injure but not kill; but now come the squadrons of demonic cavalry to annihilate a third part of the human race.
Since the appearance of the eagle announcing the three woes in 8:13, the trumpets have been identified as woes (9:12). What is identified as the second woe here is also the six trumpet. This is a passage which is mysterious and whose details no one has ever been able to fully explain.
John’s conviction, though voiced as a lament, that idolatry has a hold on man so great that he will go on worshipping the works of his own hands even while the infinite power of the true God is displayed all about him. A subtle implication at the end of the passage is that the world is just this way. John wrote to Christians to encourage them to be faithful to God even though this evil world rejects Him. They must bear their witness in this world—as it exists.
Commentary
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13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
There were two alters in the ancient tabernacle, one stood without, in the court (the brazen alter; the alter of sacrifice)—and one stood within the Holy Place directly in front of the veil which covered the holy of holies (the “golden alter,” where incense was burned.). There is another “golden altar;” it is in heaven in front of the throne of God.
It is not known whether this was the voice of Christ or of an angel, one of His delegated messengers. The “horns of the golden altar,” refers to the heavenly altar and its four decorative projections, one at each corner (See Exodus 27:2). This is where the “voice”—one voice, instead of a symphony of the voices of all the martyrs (6:9, 10), and a voice of authority instead of an angel’s voice—seemed to emanate, and it is probably the same altar mentioned in 8:3, the place where the prayers of the saints have been expressed to God. According to 6:9, this altar was where the souls of all who had been martyred were waiting for God’s punishment to be executed on their enemies. Their prayers called for vengeance, and God was releasing it in these “woes”: “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” (8:13).
The voice is heard from the four horns of the golden altar. Why was the voice not from the altar itself, instead of from the four horns? In ancient religions the power of the deity was thought to reside in the horns of its altar. Therefore, this order comes directly from God. The fact that the angels are held ready for the exact date and time (9:15) also indicates that what is about to happen is completely under Gods control. The voice coming from the horns indicates power over all the universe (Psalm 118:27; Psalm 89:17-24; Psalm 92:10; Psalm 132:17; Revelation 5:6).
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
Peter and Jude both tell of certain angels who sinned much more than their comrades and who are, at present, kept imprisoned by God: “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4; See also, Jude 6). We do not know how many there are, but we know there are some. Four of these fallen angels are now loosed to carry out a predetermined plan. These angels are called “the four,” as though to intimate that they are a special four. Doubtless they are of great influence and power because they are able to marshal their armies by the millions the moment they are released. The voice told the angel who “had the trumpet” to set into motion the sixth trumpet judgment and the second “woe” that must be sent on the earth. This order may be in response to the prayers of the martyrs in 8:3 before the sounding of the first trumpet. The angel would “release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” The word “angels” here means fallen angels—those angels who followed Lucifer in his rebellion and revolt against God (Isaiah 14:12-14)—or demons, for in Scripture God’s angels are never bound. Good angels are not bound, but are free to serve God’s children. In this present age of grace certain demons that would torment and kill all men are kept bound by God. But after the Church has been raptured God will release four of them at the sounding of the sixth trumpet just as a host will be released when the fifth trumpet sounds. These four unidentified demons would be exceedingly evil and destructive. But note that they did not have the power to release themselves to do their evil work on earth. Instead, they were held back by God and would be released at a specific time, doing only what God allowed them to do. They had been kept ready for this very “hour, and day, and month, and year” (v. 15).
These four angels are not the same as the four angels in Revelation 7:1-3. In chapter seven the angels stand on the extremities of the earth. Here in chapter nine they are bound in the great river Euphrates, unable to act until God gives them permission. The angels in chapter 7 hold back the forces of evil. The four angels in chapter nine let loose the human and satanic instruments of destruction and judgment. Why they are bound at the Euphrates River is not explained. The Euphrates is usually spoken of as “the great river”; it is 1,780 miles long. It will be referred to in 16:12. It is the longest and most important river of Western Asia. It will be remembered that the river of Egypt (the Wadi el Arish) and the Euphrates are the bounds of the Promised Land (Genesis 15:18).
The “river Euphrates” was the eastern boundary of the land that God had promised to [1]Abraham (Genesis 15:18). In John’s day, it was the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire, the dividing line between the “civilized” peoples and the “barbarian” hordes (such as the Parthians whom the Romans had tried to conquer but could not. Throughout the Old Testament, the nations that had come to conquer Israel (Assyria, Babylonia) had crossed the “Euphrates” (See Isaiah 8:5-8; Jeremiah 2:18). The angels, therefore, came from the distant lands, from the alien and hostile places from which the Assyrians and the Babylonians had in time past descended with destruction upon Israel. The“Euphrates” has a long history. We know that the Euphrates was one of four tributaries which flowed from the river in Eden (Genesis 2:10-14). It was here that man first saw the light of day, and it was here that Satan began his first diabolical work against our first parents which resulted in our fallen human race. Here the first murder was committed (Genesis 4:8) and the first martyr was slain, and here man’s first organized rebellion against God took place (Genesis 11); here Babylon arose; and here four special angels of Satan rage in bonds.
At this point, I need to pass on to you another interpretation of verses 14 and 15—the four angels who are bound at the Euphrates River are the angels that God has set aside to pour out His wrath on the earth. They have not been able to perform their designed purpose until this moment in time. These angels are going to release an army on the earth to destroy a third of the population—millions of people.
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
The four “angels” (demons) seemed to be in command of a huge horde of demonic horsemen—mounted troops numbering 200,000,000. These angels were unbound and released to kill a third of mankind. During the first “woe,” the unbelievers were being tormented but could not die (9:6). In this woe, a third of all people on the earth were killed. How they are killed is described in 9:18: “A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.” Again, this affects only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (9:4, 20). As with the torture inflicted during the fifth trumpet, these demons were attacking their own followers.
We are told of the special period involved. John says, “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared (had been prepared) for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.” This rendering of the text suggests that the ministry of these four angels will extend over a period of thirteen months and one day. The exact moment of this terrible visitation is foreknown to God only and appointed by Him. “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). Nothing in the program of God is accidental. The precise moment of this invasion is fixed. God works according to His predetermined plan (24:36; Acts 1:7).
In any case, attention is drawn to a specific period. All events are under God’s control, and nothing happens without His approval. Not a speck of dust moves, not a blade of grass stirs, not an army can move, not a shot can be fired without His knowing all about it and granting His permission. He weaves all things into the overall pattern of His will.
This could correspond to the plague in Egypt that caused the death of the firstborn sons. In that final plague, the angel of death came and killed the firstborn sons of the Egyptian family’s but passed over the homes of the Israelites (Exodus 11). Many men died in Egypt that night, but that will not compare to the terror that will come upon the earth when these demotic mounted troops arrive. In 6:7-8, one-fourth of mankind had been killed; here, one-third more was killed. Thus, over one-half of the people in the world would have been killed by God’s great judgments. Even more would have been killed if God had not set limits on the destruction.
The most dreaded warriors in the world were the Parthian cavalry; and the Parthians dwelt beyond the Euphrates. It may well be that John was visualizing a terrible attack by the Parthian cavalry on mankind.
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
In John’s day, [3]200,000,000 mounted troops in an army was inconceivable. Most interpreters do not take the number literally, though there is good evidence that all other numbers in Revelation are literal. Even if taken symbolically, this figure clearly represents an overwhelming military force. The fact that John heard the number, since obviously he could not visually count 200,000,000 men, seems to lend credence to the concept that this is literal and predicts that an army will come from the East crossing the dried up Euphrates River (16:12). A large invasion from the East and North in the end times is predicted in Daniel 11:44. Years ago Read China claimed to have an army of 200,000,000. In the census taken in the Roman Empire the number of people in the entire Empire totaled around [2]200,000,000. So for the people of that day, that meant one demonic horsemen for every person in the Empire. At the height of World War II, all soldiers on both sides numbered about 70,000,000. It is said that the largest army ever to go on the field of battle was under Xerxes when he invaded Greece. He led one and a half million (1,500,000) troops against Greece.
This huge army, led by the four demons, killed one-third of the earth’s population. But the judgment was still not complete. 200,000,000 horsemen represent the combined power of the devil and men acting in their own interest, and yet, at the same time, they are ignorantly carrying out God’s judicial will. Everything is under Satan’s control, but God is behind the scenes moving these various scenes along. There is no power on earth able to restrain these hellish horsemen. I believe that what we have here is the invasion by the demon world, which is a further result of Satan’s opening the door of the shaft of the bottomless pit.
The deathless torment of the locusts (lesson III.C.7) gives way to an unmatched slaughter of human lives. Throughout history, plagues have caused the death of millions, often striking a high percentage of the population. But this disaster surpasses them all. The sixth trumpet announces the death of one-third of humanity. The math itself should have shocked the people into realizing that this is more than a natural disaster. But so hardened are the surviving two-thirds of earth’s inhabitants that they remained unrepentant (9:21). God did not spare them because they deserved to be spared, but because in wrath He remembers mercy. God has never delighted in the death of the wicked. In the midst of His visitations of severest judgments, he delights to be gracious to the guilty. But regrettably, the death of one billion people on the earth, with the accompanying grief and the confusion which must follow such a disaster, finds the residue of people not willing to repent. Such is the human heart, deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. After two world wars, and 100 lesser wars in the past 50 years, the world is more wicked than ever. Instead of repentance, sin increases.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
John describes his vision in verses 17-19. He saw this army of 200,000,000 mounted troops as horses and riders with brightly colored [4]breastplates. The fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur (brimstone) indicate their “colors”—to show that they are identified with the army of destruction. They seem to be armored in flame, for their breastplates are fiery red like the glow of a blazing furnace, smoking blue like the smoke rising from a fire and sulfurous yellow like the [5]brimstone from the pit of hell. The fire will burn, and the smoke and brimstone (sulfur) will choke and stifle to death. The combination here has been called the “defensive armor of hell.” Jacinth (hyacinth) is a deep blue like that of a flame, but it is the blue of the pit and not the blue of heaven (See Genesis 19:24 for fire and brimstone in judgment).
The horses have heads like Lions and tails like serpents; with their mouths they cause the death of millions by breathing out destructive fire and smoke and brimstone, and their serpent-tails (9:19) deal out hurt and harm, but not death. These are warriors bent on total destruction. Mankind has been living in the nuclear age sense 1945 when America dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima. Ever since then, there has been a lot of talk about the total decimation of earth’s inhabitants. But the Lord Jesus said that he will not permit it: “. . . except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved . . .” (Matthew 24:22)—and the human race would commit suicide if it could.
The riders undoubtedly will be super-human, and probably demented . . . a great army of demons out of hell. The riders are mounted upon horses that cannot be stopped, cannot be conquered. I believe these are literal horses, demented—and that the riders are demon monstrosities.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
They were released to kill a third of mankind through fire, smoke and sulfur that comes out of their mouths. Since a forth of mankind has already been killed (Revelation 6:8), this means that half of the world’s population will be dead by the time the sixth trumpet judgment is completed. (The fire, smoke, and sulfur may represent three different, yet destructive, plagues.) This sort of destruction had fallen on the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (See Genesis 19:24). Sulfur, or brimstone, was found near regions with volcanic activity and, in the Bible, it represents the wrath of God (See 14:10; Isaiah 30:33; 34:9). Many interpreters see modern cannons or tanks in this picture. John reminds us that these monstrosities (horses with riders) were in my vision and, most likely, are symbolic representations of demonic hordes, not descriptions of the actual human armies. The figure of the horse is more like the description of the Leviathan in Job 41:19-21, “Fire and sparks leap from its mouth. Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a boiling pot on a fire of dry grass. Yes, its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth” (NLT).
These three plagues mentioned here are literal plagues. The fire is literal, the smoke is literal, and the brimstone is literal. The same thing took place at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I believe this world during the Great Tribulation Period will actually be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. People talk about homosexuality attaining respectability in our day. Well, it was the accepted life-style in Sodom and Gomorrah, but homosexuals went out of business—God put them out of business. If you think God is going to permit mankind to go into eternity as an unnatural creature, you are wrong.
The consequence of this massacre is that a third of mankind is wiped out. If the figure is to be taken literally, then a third part of the earth’s population is killed in this war. The earth becomes the graveyard for a billion people, indicating that far more are affected than the number enrolled in the actual army, vast as that was.
I believe I can truthfully say that in our day most people (even Christians) do not read Revelation, because they say it is too hard to understand. They pass over it and hope that someday the preacher will explain it; but, the actual problem is not with the language or the interpretation of John’s vision. The problem is with men who come to Revelation saying that it is difficult to understand and impossible to interpret, and that they do not believe it. If you simply believe it and read it, it is very clear. Hellish forces will be at work during this period.
19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
This destruction came from the mouths of the millions of horses with their heads of Lions. This was demonic power, a huge army sent out to destroy. But the destruction came not from the riders but from the horses. They had power to kill in their mouths and with their tails they inflicted injury. Their tails were like snakes and had heads, that is, they are intelligently guided. Throughout history, snakes have often been closely associated with demons (12:9; Genesis 3:1). John’s description pictures the demon’s ability to vent their destructive power in both directions.
The entire depiction in this vision is horrifying. What a ghastly place this earth will become when hell is let loose! However it is but a sample of the torment that believers must endure in hell forever. There is much symbolism in these descriptions. The main point to remember is that God released these demonic hordes to kill their own followers. This should warn those who refuse to repent.
Demon worship and idolatry are twins and have been the prevalent form of worship among men since the days of Nimrod. Under the reign of the beast, idolatry will become the only legitimate form of worship, since the various forms of idolatry practiced around the globe will fit hand in glove with the worship of demons and the beast. Paul had suggested that pagans worship demons instead of God (1 Corinthians 10:20). The difference between demon worship and idolatry is that in the former, one worships an evil spirit or an imaginary one, and in the latter he worships his own handiwork.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Verse 20 transitions from the plight of the cavalry to a description of those who survived the plagues. The fire, smoke, and brimstone are so deadly that they are now called plagues. This outpouring of judgment upon the earth was a final attempt by God to bring people to repentance. You would think that after this terrible slaughter there would have been a period of repentance and turning to God; but if you will carefully read 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 you will learn that people who have had the opportunity to be saved before the Rapture will be sent a strong delusion, they will believe “the lie,” and they all will be damned. They had the chance to turn from their evil deeds but, unfortunately, they did not. They saw what was occurring but still refused to turn to God, desiring instead to continue to worship demons and idols. So they were completely given over to the devil. These people were spiritually blind . . . they could not see. They were sent strong delusion, they did believe the lie. They had reached the perfect standard of ungodly living. Their cup of sin was full and running over.
God proved to them His awesome power and authority over their idols that neither see nor hear nor walk. The uselessness of idols is a common theme in the Bible, but idols were a constant problem and temptation for God’s people (see also Deuteronomy 4:28; psalms 115: 5-7; 135:17). Idolatry is demonic; it is worship of Satan: “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1 Corinthians 10:20). Demons hate the very people who worship them, torturing and killing them, yet people still prefer those demons over God. They did not [7]repent and turn to God. For example, in the occult today, people worship demons. Their practices include sacrifices of babies, murder, mutilation, and sacrifices of animals. These people are worshipping very destructive powers. With the popularity of the occult in books and movies, the church must strongly teach about the destructive and hateful power of demons.
It is the conviction of the Biblical writers that the worship of idols was nothing less than devil worship and that it was bound to emerge in evil and immorality. Mankind will be breaking the first two Mosaic commandments by making and worshipping idols. In their murders, they will violate the sixth commandment, and in their thefts, the eighth. By their fornication, they will break the seventh commandment. It will be and age of lawlessness with “every man doing that which is right in his own eyes” (see Judges 21:25). The most frightening thing about Revelation 9 is not the judgments that God sends but the sins that men persist in committing even while God is judging them.
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
In those last days immediately preceding the second coming of Christ to earth, punishment will not of itself lead men to repent. The severest of God’s judgments upon guilty men do not soften rebellious hearts. Even in hell itself men and women will manifest bitter defiance against all that is holy. While it is true that in hell there will be “whaling” (Matthew 13:42, 50) and “weeping” (Matthew 22:23; 24:51; 25:30), there shall also be “gnashing of teeth,” an expression of the hatred of the unregenerate heart of man. God’s judgments upon Pharaoh did not soften his heart, it only made the Egyptian monarch become more defiant.
This is why there has to be eternal punishment. God does everything He can do to draw people to Himself, but these people want to continue in their idol worship and live out what that worship leads to—murders, witchcraft, immorality, and thefts. They have chosen their side and so must remain there. God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9); however, when God’s call is consistently rejected, then judgment must fall. There is no wonder that all hell literally breaks out on earth—but thank God, those of us who are born again will not be here. We will not go through this terrible time of suffering and chaos. But if you are not a believer, you may be here! You may witness the invasion of the 200,000,000 demon monstrosities.
There is a lack of repentance among bad men. John tells us, “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” What a picture of a crime-oriented culture! Man has finally arrived at his goal—a government and culture in which permissiveness is the accepted norm and where all kinds of deviation and misbehavior are applauded and encouraged, a government presided over by a fascinating but foul individual called the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
The word rendered [6]“sorceries,” incidentally, literally means “use of drugs” and it is derived from the Greek word from which we get our English word “pharmacy.” The word is primarily used to signify medicine, drugs, spells, then poisoning and sorcery. Drugs were used in sorcery, generally accompanied by incantations and the use of various charms. Today’s world is fast becoming a drug-and demon-oriented world.
The failure of the survivors to repent is astonishing to John. The power of idolatry is illustrated both to John’s readers in the first century and in the twentieth. The world crumbles because of internal decadence, wars, and the judgment of God. Man clings to his idols, his modern version of demon worship, and his sophisticated techniques for murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and legal or illegal stealing. He still does not repent!
Special Notes:
[1]God’s promise to Abraham: “ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—“ (Genesis 15:18)
[2]200,000,000 is a number that may be strictly symbolic, i.e., the idea being that the number of the hosts of this terrible cavalry were beyond all numbering, like the chariots of God (Psalm 68:17).
[3]200,000,000 mounted troops may well be an actual number—John is not estimating if he had been told the number.
[4]It is not certain whether John is describing three different colors of breastplates or breastplates that are each three colors.
[5]Brimstone is a gas with a sulfurous smell. It is common in the Dead Sea region, when ignited such deposits melt and produce burning streams and suffocating gas. It was this stifling and strangling gas that God sent down from Heaven upon the city of Sodom when He destroyed it (Luke 17:29).
[6]“Sorcery” was a form of magic, trickery, or deception into evil.
[7]Repent means to change one’s mind about ungodly works and to turn to the Lord (See Luke 24:47; Acts 26:20).
