Revelation 9:16-21
The Worst Yet (2)
Rev 9:13 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.
I started the message about this judgment and woe last Sunday
morning. We saw that the sixth of the seven angels which stand before
the throne of God sounded his trumpet. When the angel sounded the
Sixth Trumpet, the second woe began. They are the same judgment. The
effects, after-effects, and co-effects of this judgment will continue
through \\Revelation 11:14\\.Before the judgment is complete, 1/3
more of the world’s population will die.
There were two reasons why I divided this message into two parts.
1. Lack of Time - There is only so much I can say within what most
people consider a church hour. I am trying to give more details
and connect the text to more of today’s world. That takes
more time.
2. Lack of Understanding
a. Most all of the book of Revelation is symbols, images, and
signs. We might even call them heavenly riddles.
b. They are filled with truth about the Tribulation but they are
hard to understand, and we do not know for certain that we
are correct in our interpretations. The best we can do is to
make educated guesses.
c. Some sections of the Revelation are even more uncertain since
everyone seems to believe it means something totally
different.
d. All I can do is give you what I think and tell you that up
front.
We will pick up on the outline where we left off last week. I told
you there are two points to the outline.
I. \\#13-15\\ A View in Heaven
A. When the angel sounds, a voice will be heard.
1. We do not know whose voice it is.
2. We do know from where the voice originated, the four horns
of the Golden Altar.
B. When the voice speaks, a command is obeyed.
1. Four angels are loosed from the River Euphrates.
2. There are some things that we have to guess about.
a. We surmise those angels are demons, not because of
what the text says about them but because of what it
says they do.
b. Why were they bound in the Euphrates and not in the
bottomless pit \\#Rev 9:1-12\\?
(1) We don’t know.
(a) Maybe because they are more evil than those
demons.
(b) Maybe because they are more powerful than
those demons.
(c) Maybe because they have a different purpose
than those demons.
(2) Maybe all three.
c. Why the River Euphrates?
(1) We don’t know however it is the oldest landmark
on the earth, dating back to before the fall of
mankind and is given in describing the location
of the Garden of Eden.
(2) I am guessing that God started mankind in that
area of the world and that He intends to finish
what He started where He started it at.
3. However, there are some things that we know.
a. We know the time they have.
(1) \\#15\\ They wiill have an hour, a day, a month,
and a year to carry out their mission.
(2) That is a strange time period.
(3) If it is literal—and there is nothing to suggest
it is not—then this judgment could be measured
with a calendar and a reliable wrist watch.
(4) I suggested to you that the time period of this
judgment could take us either to or across the
middle of the Tribulation, putting us and the
world into the Great Tribulation before this
judgment completes its course.
b. And we noted that the mission of the four angels is to
kill 1/3 MORE of the world’s remaining population.
(1) As 1/4 of the world’s population had already been
marked for death by the Seal Judgments
\\#Rev 6:8\\, 1/3 of the remaining 3/4’s
population would mean that a total of 1/2 of the
world’s population will die in these two
judgments.
(2) That is 1 out of every 2.
C. The question becomes, how will these angels accomplish this?
To find that answer, we have to see…
II. \\#16-21\\ An Effect on Earth
A. When the command is obeyed, an army is amassed.
Rev 9:16 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.
1. So few of this army’s details are given, that there is
little we can know for certain.
2. The Facts:
a. The number - The number given is "two hundred thousand
thousand."
(1) If you will write 200,000 on a sheet of paper and
then put another thousand behind it (3 zeroes)
you will see that equals 200,000,000 (two
hundred million) horsemen in this army.
(2) That is large, large army.
(3) The largest army in the world in 2019 was China’s
at 2,035,000, approximately 1/10 of this army.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/29-largest-armies-in-the-
world.html
b. Their Control - Although we are never told for certain,
since the army is mentioned in conjunction with the
four angels which were loosed out of the Euphrates, I
suppose the army is under their control.
(1) I believe those angels are powerful, wicked
demons.
(2) That would mean this army will be under the
control of demonic powers.
c. The Description - Two thoughs:
(1) What is NOT being described: the horsemen.
(a) Only once are the "horsemen" even mentioned
\\#16\\.
(b) Strangely, the deaths that will occur are
not credited to the horsemen but to the
horses!
(c) The Greek word for "horsemen" is only used
once in our Bible but is often translated
"calvary" in other works.
(d) Is is possible that the word used here is
not actually referring to a rider on the
back of this creature but someone who is
steering or directing it like a rider would
a horse?
(2) Most of the text is describing the horses.
(a) \\#17\\ They have heads like lions,
breastplates of fire and jacinth, a mouth
that spews out fire, smoke, and brimstone,
and \\#19\\ tails like serpents.
(b) \\#18\\ It is the fire, smoke, and brimstone
coming out of the mouths of the horses that
kills 1/3 of the people.
(c) That is some kind of description.
(d) \\#17\\ uses the word "as" and \\#19\\ uses
the word "like" but only once each.
(e) Even so, I am going to suppose that the
description of this army is more symbolic.
3. My Guess: Whose army is this? I have two guesses, one
more symbolic and one more literal.
a. If it is a symbolic army, it could be an army of
missiles.
(1) I told you up front that I am guessing.
(2) By the description given in verses 17 & 19, they
will not be like any horse we have ever seen,
and it is the horses that do the killing, not
the horsemen.
(a) Again, these creatures may not have any
riders.
(b) The word for horsemen means a cavalry which
might indicate that this army is being
guided, like one of our modern day
missiles.
(3) I could see a missile being described as an
being with breastplates of fire and jacinth,
both are a red to orange color.
(4) I could see them spewing out fire, smoke, and
brimstone.
(5) I could understand how the sound of a missile
coming in might sound like the roar of a lion.
(6) And I could see where they would have a smoke
trail like the tail of a serpent.
(7) I could see how them being riden or directed like
a horse in the calvary.
(8) And I could see how 200 million of them could
kill 1/3 of the world’s population.
b. If it is a literal army, I believe it would be army
of the anti-Christ starting to move.
(1) Again, I am just guessing.
(2) But if we are talking about an army, this would
likely be a union of armies, and if we are as
close to the middle of the Tribulation as I
think, the anti-Christ will have his army up and
running.
(3) So this MIGHT be the anti-Christ’s army.
4. One thing I feel fairly certain of is that the anti-Christ
will have an army, and it will be fighting at this time
in the Tribulation.
a. That thought does not come from the New Testament but
from the Old.
(1) Daniel 11.
(2) This chapter is another one of those that is very
difficult.
(3) It was a prophecy by Daniel of the war between
the kings of the Greek Empire.
(4) This all happened in-between the Old and New
Testaments.
(5) I will not bore or confuse you with too many
details except to say that one of the those
Greek kings was named Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
(6) He is prophesied beginning in
\\Daniel 11:21-35\\, and Antiochus IV Epiphanes
is considered by many to be a type of the anti-
Christ.
(a) A type means that he was a real person, but
what he did, another will do after him.
(b) The fact that he is believed to be a type
of the anti-Christ means that the one who
will repeat this man’s deeds—and do them
on a much larger scale—will be the anti-
Christ.
(c) As with all prophecies and prophetic
devices, we do not know how correct we are
in making this man a type of the anti-
Christ and we do not know how much of the
Antiochus IV Epiphanes deeds the anti-
Christ will repeat; but many many, many
smarter Bible students than I believe
Antiochus IV Epiphanes is a type of the
anti-Christ.
b. Who was Antiochus IV Epiphanes?
(1) Antiochus IV was a Greek king left after
Alexander the Great’s empire fell apart.
(2) He fought against Egypt and suffered a loss
around 168 BC.
(3) When he did, he turned into Israel and utterly
devastated it, creating at that time the first
abomination of desolation which the anti-Christ
will commit at the half-way point in the
Tribulation.
c. Notice what happened after Israel was assalted.
Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand
up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people: and there shall be a time
of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation even to that same time: and at that time
thy people shall be delivered, every one that
shall be found written in the book.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and
some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 And they that be wise shall shine as the
brightness of the firmament; and they that turn
many to righteousness as the stars for ever and
ever.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and
seal the book, even to the time of the end: many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased.
(1) You can tell from the text that this is future.
(a) \\#2\\ is talking about an end-time
resurrection and a judgment.
(b) \\#1\\ speaks about "a time of trouble: for
Israel. That is the Great Tribulation.
(2) We believe that Michael is Israel’s guardian
angel.
(3) But Michael has not been standing up much for
Israel the last few thousand years.
(a) Why not?
(b) Because Israel rejected God’s Son and so
God has removed their protection.
(c) When will God start protecting Israel again?
(d) I believe it will be when Israel accepts
God’s Son.
(e) That would be at the middle of the
Tribulation, which is also the time when
the "time of trouble," the Great
Tribulation, begins for Israel.
(f) If I am correct, these verses are indicating
that at the middle of the tribulation,
Michael, God’s archangel, will stand up for
Israel.
(4) What was happening just before this, in chapter
11?
(a) That is where the type of the anti-Christ
comes in.
(b) Antiochus IV Epiphanes, with his strong
world army was attacking—not Israel, but
south of Israel, Egypt.
(d) Then Antiochus IV, because of a military set
back, moved into Israel, and because they
did not do what he wanted them to do, he
turned against Israel.
(d) From other texts, we know that at the middle
of the Tribulation, the anti-Christ will go
into Israel’s temple and proclaim himself
to be god.
i. Israel will reject him.
ii. Because they will reject the anti-
Christ, he will turn against Israel.
(e) It is possible, that the anti-Christ will be
doing pretty much the same thing that
Antiochus IV Epiphanes was doing?
frightening with nations around Israel,
perhaps even Egypt itself? I think it is
very possible.
(f) Is it possible that the huge army mentioned
in Revelation 9:16-21 is that army or even
both opposing armies? I think it is.
(g) Is it possible that before the bloodshed
stops from this war, 1/3 of the world will
die? I believe it is.
(h) Is it possible that this conflict might last
for an hour, a day, a month, and year? I
believe it is.
(i) Is it possible that demons may instigate all
of this? I believe they will.
5. Of course, these are just possibilities.
Revelation 9:13-21 does make it very clear that some
type of extremely large force of one kind or another
will slay 1/3 of the population during the Tribulation.
B. When the army is done, the people will still be lost.
Rev 9:20 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.
1. It is strange how many believe that mankind is advancing
in ability, knowledge, and intellect.
2. It does not seem so.
3. With each passing day, man’s heart grows increasingly
darker, his mind grows increasingly slower, and his soul
moves steadily down the darkened hallways to hell.
a. Most will not turn to Christ today.
b. Most will not turn to Christ then.
What about you? Jesus died for your sins. He wants to give you the
life He created you to have. If you will turn to Him today, you will
have a blessed tomorrow.
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