Book of Revelation – Chapter 9
Next, we begin the three woe trumpets, with the first four war trumpets sounding.
Fifth Trumpet – Woe #1, A Satanically Energized Belief
Humanity, already preconditioned, will look “to the occult for entertainment, enlightenment, and eventual enslavement.” John Phillips commentary, page 124. The star falling from heaven to earth is Satan. Given the key to the bottomless pit, opening the gate, he releases thousands of foul, evil spirits. Satan was given the key and had permission to release those terrible beings upon humanity. We cannot imagine what the earth will be like with the Church removed from the world.
John Phillips’s commentary stated that we are told 13-things about these released spirits.
(1) they are incarcerated in the bottomless pit. God mercifully chained them there for humanity’s sake but now lets them loose upon the earth for judgment upon man.
(2) these demons are infernal (hellish; diabolical). They are not ordinary locusts, for they are supernatural and are incapable of being killed.
(3) they are insatiable (impossible to satisfy). Locust-like in their appetites, they go after unregenerate, godless men, those who did not have the seal of God in their forehead. Those with the seal of God are not to be touched.
(4) they are intolerable. The sting of these locust-like demons brings great torment, so great that men scream for death but cannot find it. These tormented men cannot die yet are in anguish beyond words to describe. The torment lasts for 5-months.
(5) they are intrepid (fearless) like horses prepared for battle; defiant, eager to torment godless men.
(6) they are invincible. With golden crowns, these demons conquered all in their path. No weapons defeat them.
(7) they are intelligent as men’s faces, exercising rational thought with a diabolical cunning. This curse would be like an intellectual virus that chooses who and who not to attack, and there is no cure.
(8) they are insidious. “As the hair of women” means something is attractive about these locusts. The occult fascinates humanity, but it will lure men to their doom.
(9) they are inexorable (impossible to stop). These locusts have the teeth of lions. Nothing can pry them loose once these fearsome demons fasten to their human victims.
(10) they are insensitive. The locust-like demons have breastplates like iron. None of these monsters act with sympathy toward those suffering, crying, and in agony. Being unmoved, they are without heart, showing no mercy.
(11) they are inescapable. Demonic locust-like wings were like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. These attackers move like the wind, flying swiftly and surely toward their prey. Men have no place to hide, no refuge, none at all.
(12) they are injurious (causing damage or harm) with tails like a scorpion with stingers. Notice that this description is repeated twice in verse 10 and verse 3 for emphasis. Such a force has only one aim – to injure man for the next five months.
(13) they are indivisible. This destructive force has a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek language has his name Apollyon, meaning “the destroyer.” One woe is not past, but two more woes are coming.
Sixth Trumpet – A Satanically Energized Battle Altering History
The apostle John heard the voice say, “Release the four angels bound in the great river Euphrates.” We know of angelic princes existing from Daniel 10:13, 20-21. These four angels get released to carry out a predetermined plan that God planned long ago for this hour. The “four” are a unique four of significant influence and power because they can marshal their armies by the millions the moment they are released. John heard their number as 200 thousand-thousand or as 200 million. God gave the “four” thirteen months and one day to slay one-third of the remaining humans on earth. This event is under God’s control, and nothing happens without His approval.
Something that we need to note. These 200 million are not the 200 million in chapter 16 at the battle of Armageddon. “The chief feature of that battle (Armageddon) is the involvement of the hordes of the Far East. Here in chapter 9, there is no reference to ‘the kings of the East,’ nor Armageddon. This battle array is another battle altogether, but one that is only slightly less important.” John Phillips commentary pages 130-131.
This army of 200,000,000 are men driven by demonic forces. Driven mad, they march directly into battle with the latest modern weapons. The warfare will be gruesome as the carnage staggers the mind. This battle will leave more than 1 billion dead. At this point, the Beast is now in power and rapidly stepping forward to assume his role as this world’s god.
For more about this battle in chapter 9, we should refer to Ezekiel 38-39. Briefly, Russia invades Israel along with thousands and thousands of others. Joined with Russia are Libya, Iran, Ethiopia, to name a few. Who is the opposition? Only a few Western nations who wag their fingers and complain in front of a television camera. But the speed of the attack by Russia will leave them wondering how they missed this troop movement. When the smoke clears, Israel, left with a seven-year supply of captured fuel, will take over seven months to bury all the dead bodies of the invaders. Only 1 out of 6 Russians will make it out alive as they run home into Siberia, far away from the slaughter.
The survivors remained unrepented. Nor did they repent of their murders, sorceries, fornications, or thefts. They continued to worship devils, idols of precious metals, stone, and wood.
Next, another parenthesis occurs in Chapter 10 with the Lord Jesus Christ placing His claim to the earth.
Book of Revelation – Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is God’s parenthesis or pause until the opening of the last seal. He is informing us of what lies ahead for His people (Israelites and Gentiles) in the terrible period of trial that follows the Rapture of the Church. This chapter may be divided into two portions dealing with two groups and portrays God as compassionate, merciful, and loving. These saved and sealed multitudes are probably the fruit of the ministry of the two mysterious witnesses (to be discussed later).
In verses 1 through 8, four angels hold back the four winds. This pause gives time for a great revival on earth after the Church is gone. These servant multitudes are sealed by God in their foreheads. Also, during this stillness, 144,000 Jews are sealed. There are 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. As God lays claim to His own, that does not mean they necessarily escape the everyday disasters of earth. It does mean that God watches over them and takes careful note of their affairs. Notice there are two very different groups of people in chapter 7. “One company is Jewish (144,000); the other is Gentile. One passes unscathed through the fiery furnace of the Tribulation; the other is martyred to the very last man.” (John Phillips commentary, page 110). The sealed 144,000 defy the totality of Satan’s secular dominion. The sealed multitude of Gentiles saved during the Tribulation will close their testimony with their blood.
During the Tribulation hour, the presence of the Holy Spirit exists. In the passage of 1 Thessalonians 2:6-7, the Holy Spirit is the Hinderer. Since the Holy Spirit lives within all believers in Christ and He is everywhere, only His restraining influence over sin is removed during the Tribulation hour when the Church is Raptured home to heaven. His continued presence on earth produces one of the greatest revivals in the history of humanity. While we (believers) remain on earth, we are the salt of the earth and the world’s light, as stated in Matthew 5:13-16.
In verses 9 through 17, John sees a multitude of new believers standing before the throne of GOD. He doesn’t know who they are since they came after the Church went to heaven. This multitude comes out of the Great Tribulation. These glorious martyrs have not died yet; they may not even have been born, but God wants the saints of all ages to know about them. Hence, the reason for revealing them now.
Each group of believers saved during different dispensations of time has various duties to perform.
(1) The Church is the bride of Christ and enjoys the 1,000-year honeymoon upon the earth (chapter 20, verse 4), reigning with Christ as rulers, kings, and priests (1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6).
(2) The 144,000 serve as bodyguards of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ) and His bride (the Church) – see chapter 14, verse 4.
(3) The Gentiles saved during the Tribulation will be Temple servants, waiting on Christ and His bride. They serve in the glorious Temple described in Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48.
Man’s wickedness, rebellion, and sin produce these judgments. “They that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same” (Job 4:8). God, in love, creates a lull before the storm to call men to salvation and revival.
Now, Chapter 8 and the subsequent and final seal judgment.
Book of Revelation – Chapter 8
Seventh Seal
With the opening of the seventh seal comes seven angels. Their role is to blast a warning of each subsequent judgment. We have seen the release of the four-horse riders. Conditions on earth are worsening rapidly. But we are told that this is just the beginning of sorrows. Satan is cast out of heaven and thrown to earth during these trumpet judgments in this chapter.
“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about half an hour.” This silence gives time to contemplate what was coming next in the trumpet blasts. Also, God uses this time to receive and weigh the prayers of His Tribulation saints. He waits while His tormented and terrified people on earth pray.
Trumpets blown do not act as a siren of impending danger but to summon attention to what will happen next. These blasts call for the advancement of God’s judgment upon the earth’s inhabitants. Seven trumpets go to the seven angels. They prepare to blast their trumpets as another angel cast the “fire of the altar” to earth. Notice that the first four trumpets are war trumpets. The last three trumpets are woe trumpets. The angel standing at the altar is the Lord Jesus Christ himself because of His ministry to GOD and man (1 Timothy 2:5). He adds incense (effectiveness) to the prayers offered by the saints of GOD on earth. These prayers are for vengeance and answered judgment. The silence ends! “The prayers of God’s people have tipped the balance in favor of heaven’s immediate resumption of hostilities” John Phillips commentary, page 118.
First Trumpet – The Brewing Storm
Hail and fire mixed with blood fall upon the earth. One-third of all trees and 100% of all grass burned; an ecological disaster without parallel in history. Mass destruction like this can toss people in leadership out and lead to a mass depopulation of the globe.
Second Trumpet – The Boiling Sea
“As it were,” a great mountain burning with fire was in the sea, cast. Since “as it were” was used, we understand it as symbolic and not literal. Yet ships seem literal enough. One-third of the sea becomes blood, one-third of the sea creatures die, and one-third of the ships become sunk or damaged. If the description is symbolic, the sea is well-known as godless humanity. A mountain frequently symbolizes a great nation. “The mountain mentioned here in the Apocalypse is a volcano, a burning mountain” John Phillips commentary, page 120. Besides a volcano, the mountain crashing into the oceans could be a giant meteor—much damage results.
Third Trumpet – The Banished Star
Now a giant step forward in the judgment process is taken. A colossal star falls from heaven. It burned brightly like a lamp. “Wormwood” was its name because it causes the lakes, rivers, and water sources to become bitter, poisonous, and cause death. The effect will be to embitter the earth’s waters so that the water is undrinkable. It’s easy to see how chaos and terror will result. Humans can only survive a couple of days without water. Those people in the affected water areas will become so desperate they will drink the bitter waters and die by the thousands, if not millions.
This star is Satan himself, cast out of heaven to earth in a symbolic sense. He is bitter since he knows that his time is short. Bitterness in men causes many people to die. Strong support for this view comes from Revelation chapter 13. The Beast will already be here in the world, as yet benign. But now Satan arrives. Satan’s plans for the planet are only a step or two away from maturity.
Fourth Trumpet – The Blackened Sky
The fourth trumpet brings significant changes everywhere. The sun darkens, giving off less light, and the moon, therefore, reflects much less sunlight at night. But even one-third of the stars darken and can not be seen. An angel loudly said, “Woe, woe, woe,” to earth’s inhabitants because of the other trumpets yet to sound. Now we see that the old natural order is breaking apart. Convulsions seem to break out everywhere with the true Church gone. With the gradual removal of restraints completed, Satan with his fallen angels are on earth, and all traditional guiding lights are gone. The worst is yet ahead! The first 3.5 years of the Tribulation are not nearly as severe as the final 3.5 years. Matthew 24:8 describes this first half as the beginning of sorrows, with the last half described as the Great Tribulation. As the Tribulation hour approaches its climax, the judgments become more severe and the loss of life more significant.
Book of Revelation – Chapter 5
John sees a book or a scroll with seven seals. God holds it up for someone worthy to take the scroll and open the seals. But no one is worthy; no man, no angel, none who rule, none of all God’s creatures. What does the scroll represent? The scroll represents the title deed to the earth and coming judgments. But silence follows with no one worthy. At this point, there has been no sign of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ). But at that moment, He steps forward into the spotlight, filling the universe’s stage with His presence, every eye on Him with endless applause erupting throughout heaven. Christ takes the scroll. As long as it remains sealed, Satan will completely control the planet.
Jesus stands as a Lamb as having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, representing the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. The seven horns speak of powerfulness, and the seven eyes represent knowing everything. The Lamb of God (John 1:29) earned the right by redemption to the earth’s title deed and is the only One worthy to open the seals. He is worthy of being praised for time and eternity because of His sacrifice. Everyone in heaven breaks out in praise and singing and amens!
Next, opened seals and revealed judgments get discussed in Chapter 6.
Book of Revelation – Chapter 6
Jesus Christ has the right to judge and rule the world. Under the seal judgments, we see man ruin the world. Meanwhile, on earth, evil men are growing worse and worse. With the denial of all authority, wicked things invented, with the destruction of the globe at stake, it is time for God to intervene in human affairs. With seals broken one by one, we see any restraint increasingly removed from the earth. Events recorded under these seals are extensions of things that are very evident in today’s world. The chief difference is that the Church will be gone.
First Seal
Release of the rider on the white horse believed to be the Antichrist. He has a crown, a bow without arrows, and goes to conquer. He is all-victorious and wins his victories relatively peacefully through deception. This rider represents the blasphemous philosophies of the last days, those anti-Christian ideologies that prepare men’s minds for the devil’s gospel and the ultimate reception of the strong delusion, the great lie of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. (John Phillips commentary, page 96). By the hand of the Antichrist, misery occurs during the four seal judgments. Those coming afterward are not. The one on the red horse breaks any peace that the Antichrist previously brokered. Keep in mind that coming events always cast their shadows before them. The white horse rider is not yet abroad, for the great Restrainer is still here, the book (scroll) is still sealed, and the Church is still on earth.
Second Seal
The second rider is released. He has the power to take peace from the earth, rides a red horse, and carries a great sword. The rider symbolizes the belligerent policies of the last days. He personifies world war on a scale never before known on earth, a war that will make the conflicts of this century seem like scenes in a stilted (unnaturally formal) play. Until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back in power, war must go on and on until at last war itself is personified, mounted on a blood-red horse, and sent forth with a great sword to summon men to the Apocalypse terrible battles. There is a belief that at this time, RUSSIA will attack Israel before Armageddon in Ezekiel 38 and 39. This war of Ezekiel occurs close to or during the Tribulation hour because the facts presented in Revelation tie in harmoniously with Ezekiel’s prophecy.
Third Seal
With the third seal opened, a black horse appears. The rider carries a pair of balances in his hand, symbolizing the blighted prosperity of the last days. After the war of Revelation chapter 6, verses 3 and 4 will come famine and inflation, which usually follow any conflict. Ezekiel 4:10, 11, 16 refer to this. The oil and the wine are luxuries of the rich. Untouchable, the black horse rider proceeds to the staples of the poor, the wheat and barley. These are to be measured out a pinch at a time. This rider symbolizes the blighted prosperity of the last days. We hear the price for wheat and barley. A single loaf of bread will cost an entire day’s wages. Yet hunger will not be satisfied. People will spend everything they have just for the necessities of life. As the Tribulation continues, precious metals will become worthless. A digital system implemented by the Antichrist will replace gold, silver, paper money, and crypto-currencies. Today, the average American dog has a higher protein diet than most people worldwide. Another shortage is firewood along the fringes of the world’s deserts as people search for something to heat what little food they find. This dreaded rider is not yet abroad, but we see his shadow.
Fourth Seal
Now a pale horse appears. The name of the rider is DEATH, and HELL follows with him. This rider is the deadliest. Death destroys the body then Hell swallows up the souls and spirits of those he kills. He has power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, hunger, death, and pestilence or beasts. As this rider moves forth, war and famine continue to plague humanity. Pestilence rise as war and famine move through an area. Epidemics rage the world’s population. Rats carry as many as thirty-five different diseases. A quarter of the world’s population dies through this fourth rider’s brutality taking nearly 1.98 billion people.
Fifth Seal
With our attention drawn to the brazen (or brass) altar, we see the souls of those slain for the Word of God. In verses 9 and 10, they cried loudly, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, do you not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” Those crying with a loud voice are Tribulation saints composed of elected Israelites and Gentiles converted by the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. These persecuted saints and martyrs are not part of the Church, already in heaven. You will notice that souls are saved during the Tribulation hour the same way souls are saved today – through the precious shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the believers of the Tribulation hour proclaim Christ crucified, they lose their lives. These Tribulation saints cry for vengeance because they are not under grace, which will be appropriate once the age of grace is over and conditions revert to a pre-Christian era. Instead, they want blood. Seeing fulfilled prophecy, this group of saints wonders how much longer their loved ones, still alive, must suffer. The Lord speaks to them about having a little more patience. There will be one more wave of persecution in chapter 20, verse 4. Here is only a preview of the terrible persecutions that will engulf the globe in the coming days of the Tribulation hour.
Sixth Seal
What follows next is a blind panic and chaos on earth. Why? With the opening of the sixth seal comes a great earthquake. Is this a “great earthquake” Yellowstone or some combination of volcanic eruptions? This earthquake is so vast and destructive that mountains and islands move out of their usual places, a very tectonic movement. So much ash rises, there is a reduction of sunlight, temperatures plunge, and boulders and rocks from the explosion thrown high into the atmosphere now fall back to earth. The earthquake shakes everything stable, including society. With damaged infrastructure, travel stops and utilities quit working. It is so wide-ranging that there is complete panic. Men lose all hope and can find no place to hide from the anarchy that grips the globe. Notice there are four earthquakes in the Book of Revelation:
- Here in chapter 6, verse 12
- chapter 8, verse 5
- chapter 11, verse 3
- chapter 16, verses 18 and 19
The first four seals have been under the administration of the Antichrist. The 6th seal begins the judgments from heaven. But we remember that the Church is in heaven during this hour! No wonder half of the world’s population dies through the manifold (many & various) catastrophes that bombard the earth thus far.
The above is a lot to absorb as the scenes of punishment occur. Yet humanity continues to blame God and refuses to repent. If you are willing, join me next in Chapter 7, a parenthesis or pause about the seals.
Bill Wyler
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