"13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.
I have been asked a number of times, if I think that Covid-19 is in the Bible. While the terms Covid-19, Coronavirus or pandemic are not found in Scripture, the Bible does use Hebrew and Greek words for pestilence and plagues nearly 130 times. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a "pestilence" is, "a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating." And, the definition of a "plague" is, "an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality."
In Genesis 3, as a consequence of Adam and Eve's decision to be disobedient God said "Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Ever since, viruses and pestilences have been a part of living in a fallen world. After they sinned, creation was cursed, and disease and death became part and parcel of the human experience, for inhabitants of the earth.
In Romans 5, Paul wrote "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law."
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Today's Message: The Sixth Angel Sounded
It is with great joy we gather together, and return, once again, to our study of the book of Revelation. I encourage you to take your Bibles and open them to Revelation chapter nine. May we approach this prophetic text with a sense of awe and wonder. Every passage in Scripture gives us an increasing understanding of the character of God and of His many attributes. May we not overlook His unassailable sovereignty and His undeserved mercy as we study these wonderful truths.
Let us remember that in Matthew 24, Jesus Himself said that before He returns the world will live as like the days of Noah. They will eat and they will drink and marry and give in marriage. In other words, everything is going to go on as life as usual. All of those throughout history, who have ignored all the powerful warnings, the offers for grace, and the preachers pleas for mercy, will face the fierce and horrifying judgement that come upon them as never before.
Noah preached for 120 years and the people scoffed. And, it is no different today, because the unregenerate man is both self deceived as well as satanically deceived. Satan’s ingenious schemes are far too clever and his temptations far too irresistible for man to successfully contend with. Let us contemplate how effective Satan’s global campaign of deceit in our society today. For example, much of the Arab Muslim world contend that the Holocaust is merely a myth, and never actually happened. We see similar deceptions in some groups with Evangelicalism. And, according to the Roman Catholic Vatican II, Muslims are considered to be saved because "we worship the same God." God does not want anyone to be deceived. As Christians, we must pray for all those who are being deceived by Satan to come to the truth, that there is no salvation apart from our Lord Jesus Christ. He is their only hope for salvation.
In John 14:6, Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
As we continue in our study of Revelation 9, we will be looking at verses 13 through 21. I invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our minds as we prepare our hearts for what the Spirit of God is saying to us. Listen for the voice of our Lord. Revelation 9:13-21.
Allow me to begin by reading verse 12. "The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things."
"Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts."
We are now moving toward the end of that latter half of the seven years of the Tribulation. The seventh seal has been broken and we have seen the first five trumpet judgements. We are in the sixth trumpet judgement, and there is only one more and that trumpet contains the seven bowl judgments, which occur very rapidly. When the seventh bowl is poured out to end the seventh trumpet which is the consummation of the seventh seal, the Lord Jesus Christ then arrives to set up His glorious millennial kingdom on earth.
Let’s look at verses 13 and 14, "Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
The Euphrates River originates in eastern Turkey, flows through Syria and Iraq, then joins the Tigris river, and then empties into the Persian Gulf. In biblical history the Euphrates connoted a source of oppression and place of exile. Beyond the Euphrates River had stood ancient Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, and Babylon, which had carried Judah into captivity. This would have been in the mind of the reader of the book of Revelation living in 90 A.D.
After the sixth angel sounds his trumpet, notice the voice is coming from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God. In the Greek text, it is singular solitary voice that is emphasized. Since the Lamb is executing this takeover, perhaps it is His voice, as the time has come for Him to speak and to judge. However, only the details of the location from which it comes is identified. I believe the Holy Spirit is emphasizing the location that it comes from and the one of the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.You will remember we've already seen this golden alter back in chapter 6. And, again in chapter 8, we saw that same altar, and an angel at that altar filling up his censer with the incense.
In Exodus chapter 30, we have the description of original altar, "Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it. You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on opposite sides—and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you."
And, in verse 10 says, "And Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year” on the Day of Atonement." We don’t have the time to go through all of the details, but you can look that up and read it for yourself. The symbolic emphasis of the golden altar reminds us that sacrifice opens the way to God, based upon the fact that sins had been atoned for. In chapter 8, the angel has let us know already that this has become an altar of judgment. I believe that this text certainly does confirm that. This is when mercy is at its end.
Back to verse 14, the voice says "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." Interestingly enough, nowhere in Scripture does it say holy angels are ever bound. So the fact that they are bound should make it clear to anyone that these are fallen angels. They need to be bound because they are a part of Satan’s force. I believe that is reminding us that God controls all the demonic forces. Notice they are bound at the great river Euphrates.
In Jeremiah 46, Jeremiah in describing the day of the Lord said "For that day belongs to the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the sword will devour and be satiated and drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord God of hosts,in the land of the north by the river Euphrates."
Now, when the day of the Lord hits, we see that too is going to involve some action associated with the location of the Euphrates River. I have been asked why these four fallen angels were bound at the Euphrates River. If you will remember, the original Euphrates was in the place of Satan’s deception of Adam and Eve. It was the place where sin was first known. In fact, it is where the first lie was told and where the first murder was committed. The Euphrates River was the place of the great apostasies, both before and after the Flood. It was also the place where the rise of those great world empires that oppressed God’s people, Babylon, Medo-Persia. As you can see, the Euphrates River has a very interesting history. By the way, the Euphrates is called great, not just for its size, but because of its prominence and importance in Scripture. And, today, it is without any Christian influence.
Now, verse 15, "And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind." The expression "For the hour and day and month and year" refers not to
the duration of their activity, but to exactly to the hour of God’s appointment. God, having known them from eternity past, raises them up in history to carry out His purpose even at the exact hour. Now death returns. "So that they would kill a third of mankind," reveals their purpose in the plans of God. One-third of the remaining population is now wiped out. Remember back in Matthew 24, Jesus said, "It’s not for you to know the day or the hour." God has His own timetable. More than half of the worlds population has now been killed, since chapter 6 and the opening of the fourth seal. The number is inconceivable!
Verse 16, "The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them." Our finite minds can become bewildered in the effort to comprehend such an army which for number surpasses anything ever seen on earth. This massive size army is overwhelming, one beyond human computation, and exceeding by far any before witnessed. The weapons of this army are fire, smoke, and brimstone which are weapons of hell and may further indicate that the army is made up of the inhabitants of Hell.
Many have said this is the Chinese army, at one time they numbered a few hundred million. But that doesn't happen until the seventh trumpet and the bowl judgements.
Let's look at verse 17, "And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone."
That's really an amazing description. Fire is of course red. Brimstone is sulfur gas and it therefore would emit this sulfurous hue of a light yellow color. Hyacinth, is a dark blue or black. Hell is hitting the earth with all its force. It's interesting to note, that the only place in the world where this mineral substance of brimstone can be found in golf ball size quantities is on the shores of the Dead Sea where Sodom and Gomorrha once stood.
Many believe that the fire, smoke, and brimstone could refer to any number of devices of modern warfare. I believe this is a spiritual war. At the end of the verse it says "and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone." God has to present the demons to John in a way that he can visually see them. These demons are fierce, strong, and determined to take their victims to slaughter.
Verse 18, "A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths." The devastating power that they carry in their mouths is horrifying. These demons are capable of killing people with fire, with asphyxiation due to the smoke and sulfuric gas. God's wrath is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger.
In verse 19, we see "For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm." They will be ferocious like lions and deadly like serpents. This is a foretaste of the eternal judgement of Hell. I must also mention, this a severe warning to those left upon the earth that they should repent of their sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ before it is too late.
It is important that you understand, this is not a nebulous nondescript place.What we are seeing is our world. The same world where we are going to work, school and church, raising our children, which will experience inconceivable destruction. I don't know about you, but if I were an unbeliever in this situation, I’d fall to my knees and be converted. I'd be begging for the gift of salvation. A gift most of them will again reject! If people don’t repent of sin, they will perish. Repentance is always the issue.
That brings us to verses 20 and 21, "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts." Here we see their defiant response, it is devastating what the hardness of heart will do. This is absolutely unimaginable to me. I mean, one would think by this time men would be crying out for God's mercy. Instead, they have confirmed their rebellion and the depravity ways. They will refuse to repent
Through humanism and a Christ-rejecting society, man has little to look forward to, specifically, the horrible conditions of these two verses. I hate to do this all the time but I must, idolatry is the worship of demons. Luke 24 tells us "Repentance for forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all the nations."
Paul writes in I Corinthians 10, "The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons."
We see it everyday, in these false religions: Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Scientology, Satanism, Mysticism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism in idolatry of the reinvented God. All of these are the doctrines of demons. They have blasphemed the God of heaven.
John 3 says "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
In Closing..
The world is going to descend into an abyss of anarchy and it will be every man for himself. Partaking of the satanic smorgasbord of idolatry and a full array of sexual sins.As we look around the world today, it's not hard to see mankind is buying into Satan's deception.
I am compelled to warn you, the day of vengeance has been fixed in the counsels of a holy and a sovereign God. Allow me to add, if this warning has no effect on you, I fear that your heart has already been hardened. And, unless you repent and deal with your sin, the Lord will judicially harden it forever.
For those of us who are in Christ, this warning should ignite and strengthen our calling to evangelize the lost of this world, that this Word is faithful and true.
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen