Wednesday Bible Study: the Sixth trumpet blown; and the seventh

 

Rev 9:13  Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar 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, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 

Rev 9:16  The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 

Rev 9:17  And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 

Rev 9:18  By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 

Rev 9:19  For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. 

Rev 9:20  The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 

Rev 9:21  nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. 

In The Late Great Planet Earth, Hal Lindsey got stuck on the number in v16- 200 million, as we write it- and assumed that this was the Chinese Army coming into the picture- but he was a few bowls early.  I just wanted right off the bat to clear that misconception out- this is not an army of men.  Who are they, then? I think there is a clue in v21, but let's go back to the beginning.

 a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God

Okay, we know that the golden altar was the altar of man's prayers for mercy;  horns represent power.  And the voice- the voice of prayers- is no longer calling for mercy.  No, now the prayers are united in calling for judgment.  Remember the great angel from last time?

Rev 10:5  And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 

Rev 10:6  and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay...

And so, the judgments that no man could stand against were about to begin.  The first of those was the release of these angels, bound at the Euphrates.

Release the four angels 

Who were these angels?  Perhaps we know.  Look here in Daniel:

Dan 10:20  Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 

Daniel had had a vision of these same times, and he prayed for 30 days for explanation.  At length, the angel Gabriel came to him, explaining that the "Prince of Persia" had delayed him, and he couldn't proceed till the Protector of Israel- the angel Michael- took up this battle.  Thus, we know that this "prince" was in fact an evil angel given charge over Persia- and he would have to go back and help Michael defeat him, because the "Prince of Greece" was coming.  We also know that in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, he saw four kingdoms coming in succession- Babylon (which had fallen by then), Persia, Greece (Alexander the Great's kingdom), and Rome.  Might it be that, as they fell, their angels were bound?  Keep in mind:  Babylon fell by the lowering of the Euphrates; after Alexander defeated Darius for the last time, he then came down and took Babylon; Babylon was where Alexander died, and his kingdom split; and Rome suffered its most humiliating defeat near the Euphrates at Carrhae.  All four of those angels MIGHT have been bound then; we don't know.   

who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year

Why the exactness, and again when the number of the horsemen ( I heard their number...)?  I believe this is what I mentioned last time:  The remaining Jews are searching for answers, and they are finding them in Daniel and Revelation (and who knows? Maybe one day they'll read my blog?)  They are beginning to see God- a God they ignored so long while He showed His mercy- in His wrath.

were released to kill a third of mankind

So the last time we took a census (and adjusted it to today's population estimates), we saw a population of 10 billion cut by a quarter, 2 billion people.  And during the last trumpet, NONE could die, though they wanted to.  That restriction is lifted, and another 2.3 billion die in this judgment, cutting the world down to about 5.7 billion.  This is a terrible judgment; but what is it?

 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths

We might speculate, this sounds like an army with tanks; and maybe it is.  But after what we learned about the locusts a few weeks ago, and the fact that they are led by angels, I'm going to say they are demonic in nature.  Demon horses, ridden by 200 million... what?  WE HAVE NO IDEA, and maybe their identity is bound up in the silence of the seven thunders.  It strikes me that our only real clue lies in v20...

 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent 

If you will note, this and v21 are a LIST of the crimes that mankind is still committing, even after the slaughter; and John puts great detail into they fact that they were WORSHIPING IDOLS.  So my thought is: God said, you want to worship demons? SEE what you worship!  A demonic horde, including the demons that man has worshiped throughout time- Baal, Milcom, Odin, Zeus, etc.- and man gets a taste of that which he worships.  

The studier of Norse Mythology in me says, 'and might these not be inhabiting the dead bodies of the soldiery of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome- brought back to a terrifying false life by these demons?'  But, that is idle speculation.  What we do know is just this: There are 200 million of them, they wield fire, sulphur, and smoke, they are led by 4 angels, and they kill over 2 billion people.

But now, the second woe has passed, and the third is to come- the seven bowl judgments.  And like the seal judgments ended with reflection in heaven (there was silence for half an hour), so too, the seventh trumpet:

Rev 11:15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." 

Rev 11:16  And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 

Rev 11:17  saying, "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 

Rev 11:18  The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth." 

Rev 11:19  Then God's temple in heaven was opened,. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. 

The seventh trumpet, like the seventh seal, gives a look at Heaven at the end of judgment.  Just one thing I'm going to note here:

 and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple

The Ark was the symbol of God-with-Man, and had not been seen anywhere since Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar.  But now it re-appears in heaven- a sign of hope to the Jews who remain and still seek God.  God's temple in Heaven, opened for all to see!  But most will still choose sin and defiance.

Next:  The History of the Whole World, God's perspective- no kidding!