Revelation 9:13-21
The 6th Trumpet – the
Army from the East
Read…
Eph. 5:14 Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
Eph. 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Eph. 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Introduction
√ Chapter 9 records the 5th and 6th trumpet judgments…
Wilber Smith writes...
"It is probable that, apart from the exact identification of Babylon in Rev. 17 & 18, the meaning of the two judgments in this chapter represents the most difficult major problem in the Revelation."
That is because few can agree as to whether the two armies described are literal, or symbolic, or both!
√ Two Armies
As we learned in our last study Rev. 9 records the release of two armies with the specific purpose of destroying unrepentant mankind.
The army from the pit = 5th Trumpet
The army from the East = 6th Trumpet
The army from the pit
A army of demons - "like" used 6 times to describe the “locust” in the army - our clue that John was describing demons not literal locusts.
This week - the army
from the East
Literal army? - "like" used only twice to describe the weapons of the soldiers, not the army itself!
Open to lots of speculation - let's do our best to discern what the Lord Jesus is communicating to us through His servant John.
Ap. Walk wisely!
This section of the Revelation would seem to indicate that we live at a time in which this prophecy could come to pass! Therefore, let’s discern the signs and redeem the time for the Lord’s glory.
6th Trumpet and a voice (vs. 13-15)
Rev 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Rev 9:14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
Rev 9:15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
√ The 6th Trumpet
The 6th Trumpet sounds signaling a command from the midst of the Golden Altar.
We've seen this altar before...
Chap. 6 - the Tribulation saints under the altar
Chap. 8 - the prayers of the saints offered to God
Now John tells us that as the 6th Trumpet sounds - a voice comes from the altar commanding 4 angels bound at the Euphrates to be released.
We’re not told who's voice...
...perhaps a clue in Rev. 14 & 16 where an angel is clearly identified giving commands from the midst of the altar.
However, who actually gives the command is not as important to us as what is commanded...
√ The judgment of the 6th Trumpet
"Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." Vs. 14
Who are these four
angels?
They must be demons, or wicked angels, for nowhere in scripture are holy angels ever bound.
The only angels who are bound are those who have rebelled against God and followed Satan.
Ex. Angels that are bound
Fallen angels - Jude 1:6
"Locusts" = demons - Rev. 9:1-3
Satan - Rev. 20:2
So, it would be best to interpret these as wicked angles – demons.
√ Spirit realm
We're not told why they are bound at the Euphrates, but this does give us additional insight into the Spirit world and what goes on there.
All angels, wicked and holy, are subject to the will of God.
Note that this group, the "fearsome four"? is bound by, and released by, the will of God as spoken from the Throne room of God.
Ap. I point that out because we have so little understanding of what goes on all around us beyond our physical senses.
Understand that there are spiritual forces at work that impact our physical world of which for the most part Man is completely ignorant!
Just look at what's happening in these 3 verses - unknown to man 4 monster-demons are being released which have the power to kill off a third of the population!
No one on earth even has a clue!
Ex. Today's population 6 billion
That would mean 2 billion people would be killed, 8 times the population of the USA!
Unprecedented since the Flood during Noah's life.
What's really interesting is to ask, when will these demons be released?
"...who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year,..."
Better translated...
"the appointed hour occurring in the appointed day, and that in the appointed month, and that in the appointed year."
God has a moment in time planned, known only to Him, sealed up in the scroll, in which He will call for this divine judgment upon the earth.
Man has an appointment with the wrath of God and no one knows that time.
Ap. Our life
For the most part we live like there will always be a tomorrow.
People race about following the lust of their heart, the pride of life and the lust of their flesh with no concern at all for God.
They live as if there will always be time to repent.
Putting off till tomorrow what God would have us do today!
But we all have an
appointment with God!
Luk 12:15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
Luk 12:16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
Luk 12:17 "And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'
Luk 12:18 "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
Luk 12:19 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." '
Luk 12:20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'
Luk 12:21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
He was preparing for a life of leisure on earth when he should have been preparing for his appointment with God.
And...
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Ex. DNA - pre-programed "cell death"!
The lesson for us as Christians is to use each day for the Lord so that we will find our treasure chest full if we're called home sooner than we had planned.
For the unbeliever - you don't know what God has on His calendar - take His gift of salvation while you still can!
The army from the East (vs. 16-19)
Rev 9:16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million, and I heard the number of them.
√ John now gives us details as to how these 4 wicked angels are going to kill a third of mankind.
Through the
instrument of a massive army.
John describes this army as consisting of 200 million soldiers!
By contrast...
Xerxes I of Persia invaded Greece with 25 million
WW I was fought with 53 million soldiers
WW II was fought with 93 million soldiers
...when John wrote the Revelation there were not 200 million people on the planet!
Because it is such a massive number, Bible students for the first 1900 years following the writing of the Revelation, have always spiritualized the size of this army interpreting it to mean…
“an innumerable host”
Therefore, most have taken this army to represent another demonic host of massive proportion - but not as a literal army of men.
Until - the population explosion in the last 150 years.
To 1850 - 1 billion
1930 - 2 billion
1961 - 3 billion
1976 - 4 billion
Today - 6 billion people!
√ Evidence to suggest a literal army
1) John doesn’t employ symbolic language
John doesn't say "like" – rather, he says "I heard their number" to describe this massive army.
2) Parallel scripture suggests a physical army
In Rev. 16 we're told that demons are sent out for the specific purpose of gathering an army from the East that will cross over the Euphrates as they invade the Middle East.
Rev. 16:12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.
Rev. 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Only an army of men (not demons) would need the physical river dried up so that they could cross over.
3) The Euphrates river can be dried up TODAY!
On January 13, 1990 Turkey completed a system of hydroelectric dams and can now literally can shut off the flow of the Euphrates river!
4) Note that the demon army of the first half of chapter 9 could only torment men, not kill them.
This army, however, kills men!
In fact, of the 73 times the Bible speaks of demons, not once do we find them killing people!
They torment, they inflict disease, they influence & manipulate people to hurt themselves, and they make people insane.
But when it comes to killing people - we don't find demons doing it themselves…
…instead they influence people to kill people (Rev. 16).
5) Finally, China has an army of 200 million TODAY
Newsweek magazine reported that as of the early 70's China could field an army of 200 million! Not 198 million, or 201 million - but 200 million.
Forced a lot of Bible scholars to rethink this second army of chapter 9.
Also, China is today actively seeking to become a superpower able to compete with the USA.
Ex. Expanding military budget
China is currently funding more money into upgrading their military than at any time in their modern history.
Purchasing advanced Soviet aircraft
Launched a new attack submarine
Currently practicing a mock invasion of Taiwan
How serious a threat is China? The USA recently conducted the largest navel exercise in history just 100 miles from the Chinese war games!
Including…
7 Carrier battle groups
600 aircraft
150,000 troops
The USA has never had 7 Carrier groups in the same theatre of operation – including times of war! Obviously the USA takes the Chinese threat very seriously.
Ap. What’s it all mean to you and me?
The point is that we are now living at a time in which the prophecy of Revelation 9 can literally be fulfilled…
…which would indicate to me that we are living at the very end of the Age of Grace and standing on the door step of the Great Tribulation!
Christian; are you living for Jesus and His kingdom? Are you wasting your time and the talents that He gave you?
Non-Christian; are you willing to bet your life that the prophecies of the Bible and their fulfillment are coincidence rather than divine?
Recognize the signs of the times and use what time we have wisely.
√ So, how does this army kill a third of the world's population?
Rev 9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth (hi-a-sineth) blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
Rev 9:18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed--by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.
Rev 9:19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
John tells us that this army rides on "horses" and that they kill with their "mouths".
Here's the interesting thing - up to this point John has described the army without using our watch word - "like".
Now, as he describes the "horses" the army advances on he uses "like" to describe the weapons with which they kill.
"like" tells us that John has moved from the literal to symbolic descriptions.
Note…
Vs. 17 - "heads like lions" - lions speak of power and victory.
Vs. 19 - "tails are like serpents” - having heads - harm" –
serpents associated with death.
Many have suggested that John is describing modern weaponry from a 1st century perspective.
Certainly modern tanks, personal carriers and mobile rocket launchers fit the descriptions here.
Fire
Smoke
Brimstone - literally "sulfur" key ingredient in gunpowder.
So, I would suggest that this 2nd Army of Revelation 9 is a literal Army from China.
Unchanged hearts (vs. 20-21)
Rev 9:20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;
Rev 9:21 and they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
√ In spite of the dramatic judgment inflicted by the invading army, we're told that those left alive are still unrepentant!
Note their behavior;
Worship demons - idolatry (I Cor. 10:20)
They are murders and thieves
They practice sexual immorality
They are given over to ritual drug abuse (sorceries - vs. 21)
How can that be?
Romans 1:18-32 reveals that once a person makes a conscience decision to reject God that He turns them over to believe the lie of Satan.
It's like they become incapable of turning from their evil behavior; so trapped in their sin that they will not turn from it.
Close
√ We all have God ordained appointments - are you ready?
Use the time that you’ve been given wisely – redeem it for the Lord!