“Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow.” That was the warning given in Revelation 8:13. Previously, we spoke about the first woe, which is also the fifth trumpet judgment. It included the opening of the abyss and a swarm of stinging locusts being released in the world to torment the unbelieving for five months. The torment will be so bad people will seek death as if it were a great treasure, but death will not be allowed for them. After 5 months that fifth trumpet judgment concludes, only to give rise to another. That brings us to Revelation 9:13-21, which is the opening of the sixth trumpet judgment, and is also the second woe pronounced in Revelation 8:13.
I want us to begin in verse 13 by noticing that as the sixth angel blows his trumpet we see a voice calling from the altar that stands before the throne of Almighty God.
John writes, “Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God.” Now there are a couple that need to be understood here. First, the text does not really tell us who this voice belongs to that John is hearing. However, many believe, and I am of the same belief, that this voice is the voice of Jesus. The reason I believe that is because, as you will see in the next verse, when this voice speaks the angels listen and obey. Which tells us this voice belongs to someone who is of great authority.
Now, in regards to this altar. This is the same altar of incense we read about in Exodus 30:3, which was located in the Tent of Meeting. It was overlaid with pure gold and it had four horns on top of its four corners, and it would look like this. This is also the same altar we read about in Revelation 6:9 with souls of those who had been slain underneath it and the same altar we read about in Revelation 8:3-6. Remember, the two altars that Moses built in the Tent of Meeting were meant to resemble the one altar in heaven located in God’s temple.
The next observation we make is Jesus commanding the angel of the sixth trumpet to release four angels that are bound at the Euphrates river.
In verse 14 John writes, “Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” The Euphrates river is a significant river today. It rises in modern Turkey, flows across Syria, and through Iraq, and supplies each of them with water. So, it’s essential for these countries’ economies.
It is also significant in the Scriptures. For example, according to Genesis 1:14, the Euphrates river is one of the four rivers that flowed out of the garden of Eden. According to Genesis 15:18, God used the Euphrates river to mark the boundary of the promised land which God was giving to Abraham and his descendants, which is known as Israel today. According to Deuteronomy 1:7 & Joshua 1:4, the Euphrates river was also a boundary for Moses and Joshua as they waged war to conquer Canaan. And now we discover it is the location of four angels who have been bound and set to be released.
Who are these angels? These are the same four angels we read about in Revelation 7:1 who were told to hold back the four winds of judgment so that the 144,000 could be sealed. And it is believed that the four angels are fallen angels or demonic angels.
I also want to point out that these angels are “bound”.
That means they are not free. That implies something or someone who is more powerful than they imprisoned them. The question is: who imprisoned them? God did. That also means that only God can grant their release, which is why I believe Jesus is the voice giving the command to release them. This also means these four angels are under the authority of God. And if Jesus is calling for their release, it must be for a purpose.
In fact, John tells us in verse 15 that these four angels have been bound and are set to be released for such a time as this.
“So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released….” What does this tell us? This tells us there is a fixed point in time, a time that has been predetermined, foreordained and predestined for their release. It tells us there is a plan here. A specific and definitive plan. And according to this predetermined, specific plan, an hour is coming, a day is coming, a month is coming, and a year is coming when these four demonic angels will be released on the earth.
Now, if this day is prepared, it implies that someone or something of intellect did the preparation. Plans do not come together by themselves. The question is then: who prepared to have these demonic angels released for this very moment in time? Who’s plan is this? It’s God’s plan. I believe that before the foundation of the world, God had this plan already worked out for a specific hour, specific day, specific month, and specific year. Which further demonstrates who is in control of all these events.
And if God prepared to have these demonic angels bound in order to be released at a specific hour, on a specific day, during a specific month and year, it implies God has a unique purpose for them. The question becomes: what is their purpose?
According to verse 15, these demonic angels will be released in the world in an exact hour and day and month and year, in order “to kill a third of mankind.”
When the fifth trumpet was blown people were stung for 5 months and they were not allowed to die. But after five months, these demonic angels will be released, according to God’s foreordained plan, at a specific hour, specific day, specific month, and specific year to slay those who continue to refuse to repent of their sins and reject Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Notice that this is not an isolated event, this will be global. It will affect all of mankind. This means there will be no escaping this. Every man, woman, and child from the USA to China will be affected. There is no running from the judgment of God.
Can you imagine “a third of mankind” being slaughtered with one act of God’s judgment? I don’t know how many people will be left in the world after the rapture, but right now there are 7.9 Billion. If a third of the earth’s population was slain today it would equate to 2.6 million people. Which would mean 2.6 million people would die without Christ, and thus spend eternity in hell separated from God. That brings us to this question: how will these four demonic angels kill so many people?
According to verse 16, they will be leading an army of mounted troops.
John writes, “The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand time ten thousand; I heard their number.” These four demonic angels, which have been foreordained for such a time as this by God, will lead a literal supernatural demonic army of 200 million mounted troops, which are coming up from the abyss, being lead through the world to kill a third of mankind, specifically targeting those who continue to willfully sin and reject Jesus. And if we divide the 200 million mounted troops by the four fallen angels, it means each of the four fallen angels, as they lead this demonic army, will be able to slay 50 million people each.
This tells us another important fact: with such a mighty demonic army rising up from the abyss, it must mean “a third of mankind” equates to millions, and that means many millions will die. This also means many millions, and perhaps billions, will not be raptured. Among them will be those who deny the existence of God. Among them will be those who believe in God but reject Jesus, God’s only Son. And among them will be those who hypocritically claim to be a Christian with their mouth but are not in their heart.
In other words, they are not truly born again. I am talking about those who claim to be a follower of Jesus and at the same time are willfully living according to the desires of their flesh. We cannot claim to be with Christ and continue to intentionally live according to our sin nature, and expect to be raptured with the church. And so I ask you: Are you really saved? Or, are you claiming to be something that you are not? If this is you: repent and turn to Jesus Christ.
Next John records what these mounted troops look like in verse 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.” These are not your normal horses. These are armor wearing, fire breathing horses. Now your translation may use the word “brimstone” rather than “sulfur”. The reason why is because the Greek word for “sulfur” here means burning rocks, which is meant to resemble the same plague that God launched on Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. Which brings us to this question: how does the 200 million mounted troops kill a third of mankind? What is their means of killing?
Observation #8) According to verses 18 & 19, a third of mankind will be wounded by the tail of the horse and slain by their mouths.
“By these plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tales, for their tales are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.”
So we discover it’s not the riders of these horses doing the slaying but the horses themselves. We discover a third of mankind will die in one of three ways: fire or smoke or sulfur; all of which comes from the mouth of the horse. And we discover these horses have serpents for a tail, which can cause harm and pain and torment. But it is by the mouth of the horse that kills.
Now you may wonder, why will they not slay all of mankind? It’s because God is not allowing them. Even though this is a demonic army of 200 million mounted troops led by four demonic angels, we must remember that God is in control here. That God is sovereign over evil and uses evil forces to accomplish His divine purposes. This army can do no more and no less than what God permits.
But that raises the question: why is God limiting them to only a third of mankind? I believe God limits the death toll to a third of mankind, so that the remaining fraction of mankind will open their eyes to see there is a God in heaven, repent of their sins, turn to Christ, trust Jesus for their salvation, and surrender to his Lordship. In fact, while it is true God is pouring out His wrath on the unbelieving because of their sinfulness and rejection of Him, I also believe that repentance is part of the goal here.
You may question, if repentance is part of the goal, why is God allowing this army of 200 million demonic beings slay a third of mankind? We must be careful with this question, because there are a lot of assumptions that could be made. Keep in mind that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, so we cannot pretend to understand everything that God does and allows. But perhaps God, in His foreknowledge, knew the third of mankind that He allowed to be slain were so hard-hearted, they would never repent. Which means, I don’t think the third that is slain, is slain at random.
And by the way, it’s not like the third of mankind that He allowed to be slain didn’t have a chance to repent. Since the world began, before the rapture, before the tribulation ever began, and throughout the tribulation God has made Himself plain, it was they who refused God, not God refusing them. And keep in mind, repentance isn’t the only goal here, this is also God’s wrath on the unbelieving and the kingdom of the Antichrist for their rejection of Him.
What I can tell you is that it brings no pleasure or joy to God for any person to die without Christ. God wants the wicked man to repent and live. Ezekiel 18:23 says, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” But because God is a God of justice, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished.
Observation #9) Now notice how the remainder of mankind responds in verses 20 and 21.
“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, nor did they repent of theri murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
This tells us that the works of the flesh will still be very present during the days after the Rapture. In fact, many scholars believe the sins of these days will be as bad as the days of Noah and of Sodom & Gomorrah. And to give you some idea of that, scholars teach that the people during the days of Noah were the worst immoral people that ever existed on the planet; there has never been a more wicked generation that existed as did during the days of Noah, hence the flood. And if the days are to return to that during the tribulation period, by the leadership of the Antichrist, the days during the Tribulation will be incredibly sinful; much worse than what we have ever seen, and likely worse than we can possibly imagine.
What’s amazing to me is the hard-heartedness of mankind’s heart. That’s what this verse is showing us here. Consider all that has occurred up to this point. We have had the seven seal judgments. We’ve had the first four trumpet judgments that targeted creation. We’ve had the fifth trumpet judgment that afflicted humanity with stinging locusts for five months. Now we have a demonic army of 200 million mounted troops having slain a third of all mankind. And yet, the remainder of mankind, despite seeing God’s supernatural acts of judgment, still refuses to repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ. One could not ask for a more convincing sign that God exists.
What’s worse is that mankind is so spiritually blind and so hard-hearted, they don’t see that what they are worshiping are the things doing them harm. For example, they worshiped demons by worshiping their idols, not seeing it is a demonic army of mounted troops slaying them. Why would they still not repent given all they have witnessed?
The reason they refuse to repent is because they love their sin more than they love God, and it shows in their conduct. I think of what Jesus said in John 3:19, “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” In other words, they refused to repent of their worship of demons because they loved the demons more than God. They refused to repent of their gold and silver and bronze, because they loved their wealth more than God. They refused to repent of ther sexual immorality, because they loved their porn and sex outside marriage more than God. They refused to repent of their murder, sorcery, and theft because they loved their sin more than God. This has always been mankind’s problem and it appears it will always be mankind’s problem, even into the tribulation period.
This concludes the second woe.
I want to remind you that although God is pouring out His wrath of judgment on the unbelieving, God is also reaching out to the unbelieving through supernatural acts of wrath so that they will turn from their sins and be saved. Rather than slay all of mankind, God limits this demonic army of mounted troops to killing only a third of mankind, in the hope that the remainder of mankind will repent and put their hope in His only Son, Jesus Christ, so that they will not die without Christ and spend an eternity separated from God in hell. However, despite God making Himself plain to them through His wrath, the Scripture shows us that humanity will continue to reject God’s free offer of salvation, just as humanity does today.