1. The evil will be overcome with evil.
2. And we see this again this week as we see what happens when the sixth trumpet is sounded and the second woe takes place.
3. What we are seeing are the events that many believe will occur at the end times. The first 4 trumpets inflicted the earth. The fifth and sixth trumpets bring infliction directly upon mankind.
4. The evil will be overcome by evil. Last week we saw what occurred when the fifth trumpet was sounded. We saw demonic forces were released that tormented mankind so much that they cried up to be killed. And yet for fifth months they could not escape the torment, not even through death.
5. And this torment was only upon those who did not have the mark of God upon them.
6. Some say these events symbolize what has be happening and will happen on earth between the first and second coming of Christ, rather than being specific end-time events. Time will tell.
7. But regardless of the timing we do learn certain things from how god’s judgements are carried out. We see in the fifth and sixth trumpet that those people who chose sin and evil, the way of the devil and his demons, will be tormented and killed by the very forces and lifestyles they chose. The evil will be overcome with evil.
8. It is something we see already today. Those whose lifestyles are mired in homosexuality or drug use suffer from aids. The very things in which they delight bring them misery.
9. The lesson for us is that we need to know that when we choose the way of sin, we ourselves will even suffer the consequences of sin in our own lives. Whether medical consequences for abusing our bodies, economic consequences for indulging in addictions, or social consequences for the sins we commit toward one another.
10. We would think that we would learn. We would think that the world would learn. And yet we seldom do.
11. And those who chose to live in sin fail to see where their hope lies only in repentance. We see this again in the sounding of the sixth trumpet.
12. In verse 13, we read that John hears a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God. This altar is the altar of 8:3 which symbolizes the prayers of the saints who have been martyred. They cry out for vindication of God’s judgement.
13. The voice from the horns is really a voice from the altar. The voice is either the combined cries of the saints or else the angel priest who fills the censer with coals from the altar. But again, as we have read before, God’s judgement is a response to the prayers of these saints.
14. The voice said to the angel who had the sixth trumpet:
"Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
15. These four angels are not the same as the 4 angels who had stood at the four corners of the earth in 7:1. These are abound at the great river Euphrates. The fact that they were bound indicates that they were evil angels who could not carry out their mission until they were released. And since they share in the mission of demonic horses we could say that they are the supernatural leaders of these evil hosts.
16. As we said they were bound at the great river Euphrates. The Euphrates was the ideal limit of the promised land to the east.
Gen 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates
17. Beyond the Euphrates were many heathen kingdoms, including Assyria. And so the river became a symbol of the enemies of Israel and God. Remember the symbolism that is used in Revelation. And so the location of the angels need not be literal, but could refer to the enemies of God and His kingdom.
18. The Euphrates was also the Eastern boundary of the Roman Empire. And so some early readers of this book would have thought that these forces were the Parthians, who were feared by the Romans. In our day, some have thought these forces are the Chinese - because of their large number.
19. The angels were released. They held been held for the hour, day, month and year. Although they were demonic forces, they could not act until the very hour designated by God. God’s timing is not subject to world events but world events are subject to God’s timing.
20. These evil forces themselves were God’s instruments of divine judgement. Just as we said, evil itself today can be used by God to judge the wicked.
21. These angels led massive troops.
Rev 9:16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
This number should not be taken as exact but rather to see that their number could not be counted.
22. Their mission was to kill a third of mankind. Not to utterly destroy mankind but to warn the majority of mankind of the terrible judgement that awaits them all. Remember that the people of God are not included amongst those to be killed.
23. John goes on to describe the troops. But as he does he reminds us that all that he saw he saw in a vision. And we must not take the description too literally.
24. The grammar seems to say that both the riders and the horses wore breastplates, but it probably refers only to the riders. Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. Whether each breastplate had all three colours or whether there were breastplates of each of the three colours is hard to know. But the colours represented the fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of the mouths of the horses.
25. The riders had no offensive weapons but only the defensive breastplates. They had no active part in carrying out the plague. That was done by the horses.
26. The description of the horses is quite grotesque. They are unlike anything ever seen on earth before. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions. This symbolizes their cruelty and destruction.
27. As we said fire, smoke and sulphur come forth from out of their mouths. The fire and sulphur remind us of their hellish nature. The fire, smoke and sulphur are three separate plagues that bring death upon 1/3 of mankind.
28. The power to kill was in their mouths.
29. But their was also power in their tails, although their tails did not have power to kill but rather they had power to inflict injury.
Rev 9:19 - for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
This reminds us of the locust of the fifth trumpet which had tails like scorpions.
30. There are different views as to what these plagues are.
a. We can take them as symbolic and representing what will happen in the end time.
b. William Hendriksen, says that the sixth trumpet describes war. Not a particular war, but all wars past, present and future. He does said that the most frightful wars will occur toward the end of this age. He believes these horses symbolize war engines, war-tools of every description. Tanks, cannons, battle ships. And throughout history, God will inflict those who persecute the church with wars, plagues and death. Every time His saints cry from the altar, he hears them and He vindicates His cause. He knows about our suffering and takes action.
31. In verse 20, John tells us that the rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands. Despite what they saw happening, they continue in their evil ways. They could have repented but they would not.
32. They continued in their idolatries. They did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. They worshipped false gods.
33. Could this mean the false gods of other religions are really demons? Is that why people of other religions can perform miracles or see the power of supernatural powers. Or we could say that whenever people worship false gods, Satan is behind it an din effect they are worshiping Satan.
34. It seems hard to believe they would not repent and continue to worship inanimate objects. And yet there are many bizarre things that people worship today. Their defiance was not just in idolatry but also in immorality.
Rev 9:21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
35. Is this not the world we live in today? Murder is rampant - guns and killings in schools. Magic arts - sorceries or degraded religious practices. It is hard to believe how popular psychic hotlines and telecommercial are? Sexuality immorality is accepted as normal, often with the so-called church.
36. And theft? Reminds me of what I recently read in Jeremiah:
Jer 22:13-4 "Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. He says, 'I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.' So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.
When I think of how rich we are in the Western world and how little wages are paid to those who make many of our products, I wonder how God looks upon us.
37. God is warning the world even now. But the world continues in sin. Seeing no connection between our woes and our conduct.
38. W think we can correct things by making new laws, new medicines, new education. But the only thing that will prevent God’s righteous judgement will be genuine repentance
39. May that be our prayer for this world.
