REVELATION 8 - 9

THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS BEGIN

Click to see the "Angels of the Seven Trumpets" picture

The interlude between the sixth and seventh seal is now over and chapter 8 opens with the breaking of the Seventh Seal. This introduces the Trumpet Judgments. Time-wise, they will cover all the rest of this present Earth's history. The events of the first five Seals took place during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation. They were indirect judgments and were preliminary to the Great Tribulation. At the end of the judgments of the Sixth Seal, we arrived at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. From that point on, God will begin to pour out direct judgments on the Earth. The Trumpet judgments, of which we are about to read, commence these direct judgments. They will increase in severity and punishment. The Trumpet Judgments will be the crown of God's supernatural interventions on planet Earth. With his Trumpet Judgments, God will completely put down the wicked while, at the same time, he extracts out of Satan’s dark kingdom every remaining soul who will respond to his free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. So, the breaking of the Seventh Seal will be a pivotal point in Earth's history. When the Trumpets that follow from it have run their course, Satan and his dark kingdom will have been brought to their knees. Psalm 46 prophesies of these impending interventions in graphic terms.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Come, behold the works of the LORD, who has made desolations in the earth." He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; he burns the chariot in the fire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!’ The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

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Rev 8:1-5

"When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake."

8:1-2

When the seventh Seal was broken, I suspect that John and all of the rest of Heaven who were looking on were caught flat- footed by what came next. Being the final Seal, they no doubt expected something immediate and spectacular to occur. What actually happened was ... nothing. John says, "there was silence in heaven for about half an hour". Now, so far in the book of Revelation you may have noticed that Heaven isn't exactly a quiet place. It is a realm filled with activity and sound. It is filled with noise, praise, voices, thunders, singing and, no doubt, laughter as well. We have heard the voices of people and angels, living creatures and awesome voices from God, noises from his throne and words from Christ. Back in chapter 5, we read that the Living Creatures never ceased to cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy", night and day. But, when the Lamb broke the seventh Seal on his scroll, all of Heaven grew absolutely silent. Why will this be, do you think? I believe it is because it is the calm before the storm. In light of our Lord’s long-suffering, gracious and merciful character, this great pause before his final judgments on the Earth is not only understandable, it is predictable. This great silence will occur because he whose mercy endures forever will be expressing one last time his reluctance to pour out his well deserved judgments on rebellious mankind. Lamentations 3:33-34 says...

"For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under one's feet all the prisoners of the earth,"

Peter says...

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

Although God is a long-suffering and merciful God, the day will come, however, when he will rise to crush under his nail scarred feet all the prisoners of the earth (Lamentations 3:34). Here in chapter 8, that day has arrived. Shortly, our loving and gracious God will arise and begin a systematic and decisive intervention on planet Earth. Over and over again, in his Word and through the preaching of his servants, the Lord has warned rebellious and wicked mankind that a day of reckoning is coming. At the breaking of the Seventh Seal and the sounding of the first Trumpet, that day will have arrived. This will be the beginning of God's strange work (Isaiah 28:21) upon the Earth.

Our text says that the silence lasted for thirty minutes. Not very long, actually. Yet, thirty minutes of total silence on such an occasion as this and in the midst of such an innumerable hosts of beings, will no doubt seem an eternity. Surely the air will be electric with anticipation and suspense as John, the Church and myriads of angels and other various created intelligences wait to see what God will do. I believe the silence will be so palpable that you could cut it with a knife. You can almost hear the angels thinking, "What will God do to man who has spurned his love and counted the sacrifice of his Son to be of no consequence"? All will wait. All will stand in utter silence for God Almighty is about to arise to shake terribly the earth (Isaiah 2:21b).

Finally, something begins to happen. John says, "I saw seven angels stand before God". The Greek word here for angels is enopion (enopion). I believe it refers to "angels of the presence", a special class of angelic beings who are closely associated with, and stand continuously before, the throne of the Almighty. Gabriel is such an angel. When he rebuked Zechariah for not believing his message, he said to him ... no doubt with with incredulity in his voice...

"I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings." Luke 1:19

You can just about read Gabriel's mind by that statement. He must have been thinking, "How could someone not believe the word of an Angel of the Presence"??? These seven angels in our text are of that elite group. They are the same seven spirits who greeted us back in chapter one, by the way ... which was another indication of their continuous presence before the Father. In the Greek, the anarthrous use of the article here also indicates they are the same angels that greeted us back in chapter one. This principle of Greek grammar states that an article is used in conjunction with something that has already been previously mentioned to differentiate it from something new that is being introduced. In other words, these are not just seven angels but "the" seven angels of whom we have already been introduced in the text. To these seven angels were given seven trumpets.

8:3-4

Following the distribution of the seven trumpets, "another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar". It is important to note there are two altars in this scene. The brazen altar was the altar where sacrifices were laid and burned. It was located just outside the door of the Holy Place in the courtyard. We know this angel was standing at that altar because he took fire from it. The fire on the brazen altar was kept burning twenty-four hours a day. John saw the angel dip his golden censer into the fire of the brazen alter and then take it inside the Holy Place. Twice daily, earthly priests took fire from the brazen altar of sacrifice and took it inside the temple to the little four horned golden altar located before the veil of the Holy of Holies. There they mixed it with incense before the Lord. Here, however, you will notice that an additional ingredient is said to be mixed in. Our text says that the angel mingled the fire and incense with, the prayers of all the saints and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. This will be another very very significant event on the day when it actually occurs. Psalm 141:2 says...

"Let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

The angel's mingling in with his incense the prayers of all the saints is a strong indication that God’s judgments will come in answer to the prayers of all of God’s people of all time. Over the centuries, countless prayers have been sent up to God by his people ... prayers calling for deliverance, help, justice, vindication, intervention and vengeance. And, as with all yet unanswered prayers, they have been kept by God from the beginning of human history. Some of them are called imprecatory prayers, that is, prayers calling specifically for God's judgment and vengeance. The cries of the martyrs under the altar of sacrifice back at the breaking of the fifth Seal, was such a prayer. You will remembert they cried, "How long O Lord, Holy and True, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth"(6:10)? There have been many many prayers like this down through the ages. There are a good many of them in the Psalms. Here is an example of one from King David.

"For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be; and let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah" Psalm 59:12-13

All such prayers and more will waft up afresh before God in his holy temple on that day, just before the blowing of the first Trumpet, to be revisited and recalled afresh by the God to whom alone vengeance belongs.

8:5

As John continued to watch, the angel emerged from the Holy Place and its golden altar with his now empty censer. Then, once again, he went to the brazen altar and dipped his censor into its fiery coals. This time however, suddenly and unexpectedly, he turned and threw the fiery coals down upon the Earth. This is striking symbolism. The brazen altar was the place of sacrifice where, all down through ancient Jewish history, continuous offerings for sins were slain and burned. Over and over again these sacrifices pictured the sacrifice of God's Lamb-Son who would one day offer himself once and for all for the sins of the whole world. The angel's act is all too clear. Earth-dwellers, who have so long rejected the sacrifice of God's Son for their sins must now experience the fiery judgment of God at the hands of that same Sacrifice. The Lamb of God is about to become a Lion! After the smoke of the prayers of all the saints goes up, the fire of God’s judgments will begin to come down upon the Earth. As a result of this action by the angel, once again John sees and hears God's throne come alive with thunderings, flashes of lightening and ominous noises (should be voices) and, down on Earth, there was a worldwide earthquake. You will remember this is also what occurred just prior to the commencement of the Seal judgments (4:5).

[Note: I am at a loss as to why the NKJV translated the word fwnai (phonai) as noises here when it should be voices. It is the same word that was translated voices back in 4:5 in the same context.)

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Click here to see the "Trumpet Judgments" picture

THE FIRST TRUMPET

HAIL AND FIRE MINGLED WITH BLOOD

Rev 8:6 -7

"So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded: and hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. [Nu adds] and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up."

8:6

Our text says that the seven angels with the trumpets prepared themselves to sound. There is a very important prophecy in Micah that we should look before we look at these judgments. Micah said...

"As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders. The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall put their hand over their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent; they shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of you." Micah 7:15 –17

This prophecy relates directly to the days of the Trumpet Judgments and tells us why they parallel the plagues that God sent upon the Egyptians in Moses' day. Wonders are scheduled for the Earth. Wonders of the nature of those when Israel was delivered from the hand of the Egyptians. Wonders before the nations because of God's covenants with and his great love for the Jews. May I say to you, if you don’t have a problem believing the literal historic and supernatural plagues of Exodus, you are not likely have a problem with the nature of the Trumpet judgments of which we are about to read. Many have tried to explain both away, however. As a youth at a certain church camp, I remember two preachers who took a great deal of time trying to explain away the miracles recorded in the Old Testament. For example, they ridiculed those who believed that "Jonah was swallowed by a whale! Ha! Ha!" They said that story was just a myth. Not only did these skeptics not believe in the historic miracles of the Bible, but they were ignorant of the Biblical presentation of them as well. The Bible says, "Now God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah" (Jonah 1:17), not a whale, as those two Biblical illiterates assumed. I can only imagine what they might say about the prophesies that we are about to read. J.B. Smith, one of the great Bible expositors of yesteryear commenting on these miraculous judgments warned, "One needs to be cautious how he regards the miracles in unfulfilled passages of divine prophecy lest he undermine his own faith in the miracles of divine history". His point is well taken.

8:7

When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire fell upon Earth once again. However, this time it was far more severe than its ancient counterpart in Egypt for it was worldwide and spattered Earth-dwellers with blood as well. How frightening that will be when it comes. Further, it will result in the destruction of a third of all the trees and grasses on Earth. It certainly will be difficult for men to separate this plague from the supernatural! It will be a direct slap in the face to man’s perceived understanding of nature. It is alluded to in other scriptures as well. Psalm 11:6 says...

"Upon the wicked he will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup."

And, Psalm 140:10 says...

"Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they rise not up again."

Joel prophesied about the effect that this judgment will have on cattle in that day.

"How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee ..." Joel 1:18-20a

The first Trumpet will be the beginning of an environmentalist’s nightmare for Earth. However, we need to understand that God has no great concern for his creation when man who is the crown of that creation persists in willful rebellion against him. To care about the creation when this is going on would be analogous to one’s son being killed while riding a bike and then being concerned about the bike! Make no mistake about it, God will not give a rats eyebrow for all the forests and grasses of Earth if, by means of burning them, just one man or woman could be saved. Notice that no human being was killed by the first Trumpet judgment. It is an alarm. Someone has said, "God always sounds an alarm before he judges". A third of the forests and grasses will perish, but only a third. God will still be exercising his long-suffering as well, you see. The God of all mercy is measured in his judgments and, even at this late hour, he will still be waiting for men and women to turn to his Son and be saved. The first Trumpet parallels the seventh plague of Egypt found in Exodus 9:23.

"And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt."

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THE SECOND TRUMPET

A FIERY OBJECT PLUNGES INTO THE SEA

Rev 8:8 -9

"Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed."

8:8-9

If the first Trumpet was an alarm, the second will be a disaster alert! You may have seen Hollywood’s movie, Deep Strike not too long ago. It is the fictional story of a comet’s impact on Earth. If you saw that movie, you will have seen a fictional depiction of something that may be strikingly similar to the future event of the judgment of the Second Trumpet. Unlike Hollywood's film, however, a comet will not cause this disaster. The description here is more in keeping with the impact of a great asteroid accompanied by added supernatural effects. Notice the text says it was thrown into the sea. What an impact that will make when it strikes the Earth! Yet again, notice the thirds. God limits the destruction caused by his flung mountain of fire. A third of the world’s ships will go down to Davie Jones Locker as the result of the  blowing of the Second Trumpet. This will doubtless occur due to giant tsunamis that this great hurled object will cause. A third of all sea life will perish and a third of the sea itself will be literally turned to blood. Again, please be reminded that these thirds continue to speak of the mercy and longsuffering of God in that day. Now, the question arises, is this real blood? Again, my mind goes back to those two pseudo-ministers I encountered at camp as a youth. I recall that they also spent a good deal of time attacking the blood mentioned in Moses' first plague on Egypt. The Bible says the waters of the Nile were turned to blood. They said that was absurd. They explained that probably, "a volcano had erupted up-river and red mud came down making the waters of the Nile just look like blood". May I say, you either believe what the scripture says or you don't. As far as I'm concerned, if the Bible says that it was blood it was blood. The second Trumpet, when it comes, will parallel the first plague in Egypt found in Exodus 7:20-21.

"And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt."

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THE THIRD TRUMPET

FRESH WATER CONTAMINATED

Rev 8:10 -11

"Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter."

8:10-11

The third Trumpet also parallels the first plague in Exodus. You will remember that during the exodus, God changed bitter water to sweet at Marrah (Exodus 7:20) so that Israel might have water to drink. Here, the opposite occurs. He will change sweet water to bitter by means of a great star. John saw it fall and strike the fresh waters of the Earth. He was told the star's name was Wormwood. This is a significant name in scripture and it helps us to understand God’s motive behind this judgment. In the Old Testament, wormwood is a word that is associated with idolatry. For example, we read in Deuteronomy 29:18...

"…so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;"

It is also a word used to describe man’s poor judgments (Amos 5:7) as well as calamities and sorrow (Jeremiah 9:15; 18:15). Putting together the pieces of the puzzle, the name of this great star suggests that this judgment will come because of man's poor choices in choosing to worship idols rather than the living God. It is emphasizing the injustice, sorrow and pain that man's idolatry and bogus religions have inflicted. The blowing of the third trumpet will initiate the most severe judgment yet. It will bring significant loss of human life. John says, "many men died from the water".

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THE FOURTH TRUMPET

A THIRD OF DAY AND NIGHT CHANGED TO UTTER DARKNESS

Rev 8:12

"Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night."

8:12

When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, all light sources in the heavens were stricken and utter darkness came upon the earth for a third of each day and night. I believe God will send this plague to give lost men and women a taste of what it will be like to be eternally separated from him in hell. Jesus said...

"'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" Matt. 25:29-30

The Lake of Fire is a place of utter darkness. Such darkness is a fearful thing in itself. When I was a youngster, my parents and I went on an excursion to the famous Carlsbad Caverns in southeastern New Mexico. After we hiked down into the cave, the tour guide sat us all down and informed us that he was going to turn out the lights so we could experience absolute darkness. He then proceeded to turn off the lights. Immediately, groans began to be heard. The darkness could almost be felt. He instructed us to hold our hands before our faces and see what we could see. We could see nothing. It was as if we had all gone blind. It was sobering and all were relieved when the light came back on after only a few seconds of that awful blackness. On another occasion, my family and I were out camping at Wall Lake in the Gila National Forest (pronounced "heela"). I awoke in the middle of the night to discover that the moon had gone down but, to my utter delight and amazement, the stars themselves were flooding our camp with soft light. Being a city dweller, this was something I hadn’t experienced before. During the judgment of the fourth Trumpet all lights from heavenly bodies will be quenched for a third of the nights and a third of each day. The implication here is that all other sources of light will fail to function as well. Electric lights, flashlights, matches ... nothing that gives light will function. For four hours of the daytime and four hours of the night, men will be confronted by absolute darkness, mirroring the condition of their souls without Christ. How terrifying that will be can only be imagined. We are not told how many days this judgment will last but, if it lasted for very long (apart from divine intervention), the Earth would freeze. This judgment will parallel the ninth plague of Exodus.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days." Exodus 10:2 –22

Both Isaiah and Jesus also predicted this coming judgment.

"For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine." Isaiah 13:10

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken." Luke 21:25-26 (Jesus' words)

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THE ANGEL WITH THE THREE WOES

Rev 8:13

"And I looked, and I heard an [NU omits "angel"] eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"

8:13

Before the fifth Trumpet sounded, John saw a prepared eagle go forth circumventing the earth. It cried out a fearful message and screeched a bone chilling warning, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" Lange, in his commentary, pictures this as a spirit being that soars at great altitude so that it is visible to the far meridian of Earth, but I take it for what it says. A talking eagle? Exactly. God sent a message to Balaam by the mouth of a jackass, did he not (Numbers 22:28)? God can use whatever instrument he pleases to get his Word out. What language will the eagle speak? We are not told. But, I suspect that it will be universally understood. Nevertheless, whatever language it uses, the news of its message will undoubtedly get out. The Greek words here for woe are Ouai, Ouai, Ouai. (Owiiiiiii! ... Owiiiiiii! ... Owiiiiiii!). The eagle's cry will pierce the skies of that day with this ominous onomatopoeia followed by his sobering prophecy. No doubt, this will be quite a jolt to Earth dwellers as they witness this macabre phenomena. Will any give heed to his cry? Perhaps, after all the eagle is speaking the Word of God.

The last three Trumpet judgments of which God's eagle will be warning are called woes because they will bring unprecedented ruin to remaining, rebellious mankind. The fifth Trumpet is the First Woe, the sixth is the Second Woe, and the seventh is the Third and final Woe. Dr. McGee points out that there are over six hundred warnings about hell in the Bible. He asks, "If you were driving your car down the road and you read over six hundred signs that said, 'TURN BACK, THIS ROAD LEADS TO DESTRUCTION', would you keep on going down that road? Could you blame someone else or sue the Highway Department if you suddenly drove off a cliff?" Talk about no excuse. Earth-dwellers of this future day will have more opportunities to be saved and avoid disaster than any generation in human history! However, as we will shortly see, multitudes will simply harden their hearts the more and stiffen their necks in adamant unbelief at God's merciful warnings. Proverbs 29:1 will be fulfilled in spades on those people.

"He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

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THE FIFTH TRUMPET

THE FIRST WOE

DEMON LOCUSTS RELEASED FROM THE PIT

Rev 9:1-12

"Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things."

9:1

When the fifth angel blew his Trumpet, down on Earth the First Woe commenced. John says when he sounded he witnessed a star fallen from heaven. This symbol refers to a person. We know that because of the personal pronouns he and him that are used here. As we have all ready discussed, a star is sometimes used in the Bible to designate an angel. I believe that to be the case here. But who is this angel? There is a hint to his identity in the tense of the Greek word fallen used to refer to him here. It is in the present tense which denotes an action that was completed in the past but whose effect continues into the present. In other words this star has fallen, is fallen, and always will be fallen. Jesus said of Satan...

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Luke 10:18b

This fallen angel is Satan himself. At the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, he will be given the key to the bottomless pit to go down and release a multitude of other fallen angels (demonic beings) who have long been imprisoned there. The Greek word for bottomless pit here is aboussou (abousse), from which we get our English word abyss. This is the first of seven mentions of the Abyss in Revelation. We learn from Luke 8, Jude 6 and Second Peter 2 that the Abyss is the temporary holding place for a certain class of fallen angel. Based upon Peter's statement in Second Peter 2, I believe that demons who are loose upon the Earth today are of a different class of fallen angels. Nevertheless, all of them have a horror and an aversion to the abyss. We see that from Christ’s encounter with some of them in Luke 8:31. There, the demons that he cast out of the possessed man of Gadara begged him that he would not command them to go out into the abyss. Consider these scriptures also.

"For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment ... " 2 Peter 2:4

"And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day" Jude 1:6

The Abyss is a real place. Apparently, it is located somewhere in the bowels of the earth. At the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, Satan will be allowed to loose a certain number of these long incarcerated spirits who will come forth aching to do his bidding.

9:2-3

John says that when the Abyss was opened, "the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit". I was a first-hand witness to the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens in Washington state in 1980. As its ash and gasses exploded upward thousands of feet into the atmosphere I had the creepy feeling for all the world that the Abyss had been opened. How awesome it will be when it actually occurs on Earth one day. The Fifth Trumpet will be a terrifying and severe plague indeed. Notice that the vegetation will be exempt whereas in its parallel, the locusts of Exodus 10 ate all of the vegetation. These demons, when they come, will deal a much heavier blow than the locusts the Egyptians had to contend with. The fact that they are said to have been given authority to hurt men implies these cruel creatures will desire to torture Earth dwellers in that day. The question arises, "Why would Satan and his fallen angels help God carry out his judgments?". The answer, I believe, lies in the fact that Satan and his demons hate man. This is probably because man is made in the image of God and has been the object of God's love and purposes from the beginning. This is more than sufficient cause for Satan’s hatred and envy. Furthermore, every human being has the potential, through faith in Christ, to be exalted to the very right hand of God on High (Ephesians1). No doubt, Satan hates men for that potentiality as well. Frankly, Satan and his crowd would just as soon see mankind obliterated. During the days of the Fifth Trumpet however, they will have to settle for merely inflicting suffering on men, probably little realizing that by doing so God will be using them for his own purposes. This judgment of the fifth Trumpet is prophesied in Joel 2:1-11 so specifically that we need to look at it.

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand: a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; surely nothing shall escape them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like swift steeds, so they run. With a noise like chariots over mountaintops they leap, like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. Before them the people writhe in pain; all faces are drained of color. They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The LORD gives voice before his army, for his camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes his word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it?"

Joel's prophecy above is a good example of a prophecy that has a double fulfillment. Many prophecies in the Bible have more than one fulfillment. One is usually a near fulfillment and the other is a far fulfillment. Although the prophet Joel was describing a local locust plague that would come upon Israel in his own day (the near fulfillment), his words far exceeded what took place at that time. That's because they also referred to a second and far greater fulfillment during the days of the Fifth Trumpet (the far fulfillment).

9:4

Coming back to our text, notice here it says that the 144,000 servants of Christ were exempt from this plague due to God’s protective seal on their foreheads. This is important information in that it clues us in to the fact that the 144,000 will still be alive during the days of the Fifth Trumpet which will be well into the Great Tribulation.

9:5-6

John continues, "And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months, their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man". We cannot be certain whether these demonic beings will be visible or not, but they certainly will be felt. Joel's says they will, "lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down". This a vivid picture of men trying to fight them. Our text continues, "In those days, men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them". For five months man will seek to die because of this plague, but will not be allowed to do so. A shocking statement. Just how they will be prevented from dying we are not told. Apparently, those who attempt suicide will only add to their miseries. Men often brag that they are the captain of their fate. I am reminded of that popular and smug song, I Did It My Way! The judgment of the Fifth Trumpet will put the lie to that boast. At that time, men and women will not even be able to kill themselves. Why do you think God will not allow men to die during those days? Would it surprise you if it was because of his mercy? That is exactly what this Fifth Trumpet is about. It is about the grace and mercy of God. Think how many poor lost sinner will repent and be saved during those days. That being the case, bring it on, aye? Furthermore during those days, if people were allowed to kill themselves they would simply be hastening their transfer into far greater misery in hell than they were experiencing under the Fifth Trumpet. And, that misery would last forever. What we've been talking about here is precisely the reason it is such a tragedy when states or countries utilize euthanasia to allieviate people's suffering. How sad that those who think they are being kind by providing relief from suffering for unsaved people are in fact multiplying their awful suffering a thousand fold by sending them immediately to hell. If they had not prematurely taken their lives, who knows if they might have been saved? Make no mistake about it, the judgment of the Fifth Trumpet is rooted in the grace and mercy of God. It is aimed at remedy of life. No one will be allowed to die during its days.

9:7-10

Before we leave this passage, it would be profitable to take a look at the description given of these demon tormentors of mankind. They stand before us here in all their strutting, proud and monstrous demeanor. Remember however, they are actually spirits ... fallen angels. As spirit beings, like their demon comrades today, they are normally invisible. However, if they actually manifest themselves in that day as they are described here, they will surely add greatly to men’s terrors. All eight aspects of their appearance seem to point to self design and smack of unmitigated pride. John says:

Someone has said, "a camel is a race horse put together by a Baptist committee!". I can’t help but think of that jocular truism here. Surely these demons must have concocted their own appearance by means of a committee. No doubt they will be very proud of the result ... scarcely realizing what monstrosities they really are!

9:11

I don't believe you can find a clearer picture of our enemy, Satan, than is described to us here in Revelation 9. He hurts simply because it is his nature to do so. The destruction and torment of human beings is his sheer pleasure. Here in verse 11, he is called the Destroyer by both the Hebrew word, Abaddon, and Greek, Apollyon. That just about says it all.

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THE SIXTH TRUMPET

THE SECOND WOE

A SECOND DEMONIC INVASION

Rev 9:13-16

"Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. 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. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. "

Before we begin, let's remind ourselves of two things that will be happening on Earth during the days of these final judgments. First, God will be continuing to refine his people and seek the redemption of all who will call upon his Son in faith and be saved. And, second, he will steadily and increasingly be pouring out his wrath upon the unrepentant wicked. As you have it in Psalm 94:23 ...

"He has brought on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The LORD our God shall cut them off."

And again in Psalm 37:10 -11...

"For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

9:13-16

When John heard the Sixth Trumpet sound, immediately a voice spoke from the four horns of the golden altar. This is the little altar that was inside the Holy Place. It was where the angel mixed the prayers of the saints with incense and offered them up to God back in 8:3. This altar is a square box in design and it has an upward hooked horn at each of its corners. In Old Testament times, once a year on the Great Day of Atonement, the blood of a sacrificial lamb was applied to each of these horns by the High Priest for the sins of the people. This pictured yearly God’s pleasure at the coming mercy of Christ. The fact that the voice that initiated the judgment of the Sixth Trumpet called out from these horns indicates it was that built up blood from ages past that was speaking emphasizing that Earth-dwellers were still rejecting the blood of God’s Lamb and thereby cementing their own fate at the hands of the very One who died to set them free. As you have it in Hebrews 10:26-27...

"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries."

The voice from the horns of the golden altar said, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates". Who might they be? Well, lets see what we can glean about them from the text.

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Rev. 9:17-19

"And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfer yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 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. For [NU omits "their"] the power [NU adds] of the horses is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads and with them they do harm."

9:17-19

The judgment of the Sixth Trumpet will involve a second outpouring of demonic beings from the now unlocked abyss led by four fallen principalities out of the Euphrates river. This time around, however, the result will be far more devastating than the previous release of demons. These will go forth with the authority to kill a third of humanity from off the earth. You will remember that a quarter of Earth's population perished at the breaking of the Fourth Seal back in 6:8. After the Sixth Trumpet has run its course, over half of the world's population will have perished.

Lets look at John's description of these two hundred million demons for a minute. He saw them come forth as mounted riders armed with breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfer yellow. These colors seem to reflect their fiery origin in the Abyss. Their horses' heads were like the heads of lions and their tails like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. When they come, they will come murdering and tormenting with a vengeance. Many have attempted to water this passage down. Some, using Augustine's allegorical method of interpretation, have said this is actually a picture of World War III with its armies and tanks and helicopters. The human heart has a very difficult time accepting that such a judgment could or would be sent from God. Yet, the scripture says,

"The LORD has made all for himself, yes, even the wicked for the day of doom." Proverbs 16:4

Again, the difficulty with Revelation is not so much in interpreting it as it is in believing it. Dr. Newel says of the Sixth Trumpet, "believe and you scarcely need comment". This judgment parallels the eighth plague of Exodus.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land; all that the hail has left.’ So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt." Exodus 10:12-15

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Rev. 9:20-21

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. And they did not repent of their murders or their [NU changes "sorceries"] drugs or their sexual immorality or their thefts."

9:20-21

This certainly tags down the hardness of heart that will be the hallmark of the people who are left on Earth in those last days, does it not? It is significant that their sins, as listed here, read like today’s newspaper. This is yet another indicator that you and I are living very close to the days being described here. John says they did not repent. Again, this demonstrates that God's purpose, even at this very late hour, is still aimed at remedy of life. He is still holding out his arms to lost men and women. He will still be desiring that men and women repent, turn to Jesus, and be saved. In that day, Ezekiel 33:11 will be more poignant and relevant than ever.

"Say to them" 'As I live," says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?"

Ezekiel's words will have a direct application to wicked Israelites who still refuse to turn to Christ and be saved in that day. Now, although they are not mentioned here, it seem apparent that by this time most of the 144,000 will no longer be alive on Earth. I say that because the most important factor in the changing of a human heart is the Word of God. But our text here, says that the men who were left did not repent. This is a strong indicator that the Word of God is no longer being preached. You know, miracles, signs and even direct interventions by God cannot change one human heart. Those things may get people's attention, but there must be preaching or reading of the Word of God if lives are going to be changed. The power is in the Word. Salvation cannot and does not take place apart from it. As you have it in Romans 10:13-14...

"For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.' How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"

And, again in First Peter 1:23 (KJV)...

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, with liveth and abideth forever."

The fact that after the Sixth Trumpet those who were left did not repent leads me to believe they have killed off most or all of the 144,000 and others who were preaching to them and by doing so have unwittingly sealed their own fate. Now, let's look briefly at the list of sins they are doggedly refusing to turn from.

"Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man; and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves."

Well, there we have it, the Second Woe which is the Sixth Trumpet, is past. It will result in the death of one third of Earth's remaining sin hardened peoples and those who are left will adamantly refuse to turn from their wickedness and ... there is one Woe yet to come.

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