Pain. That’s the word
that describes the world at this point in our story; or I should say, HIStory.
Never forget, Revelation is
HIStory, told in advance. It’s prophecy. It will happen. Actually, it is
happening right now at an accelerated rate. The current headlines reveal that
the trajectory of the universe is lining up exactly as the Bible predicts; for
the final fulfillment, of this final Book; Revelation.
As we walk through the
last half of chapter nine, we’re crossing into the last half of the tribulation
period.
The planet reeks of
rotting flesh, has suffered irreversible destruction from cosmic catastrophes. The
people are in pain, from a plague of demonic locusts that have fangs like lions
and stings like a scorpion. Most are on the verge of starvation. Wild animals (and
people) roam the streets hunting for meat.
You don’t want to be here
for this. But if you are, you’ll probably say for the millionth time, “It can’t
get any worse than this…”
Then it does.
Then 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 who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the
great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:13-14
The
sixth trumpet introduces four angels.
Do
you remember the four angels holding back the four winds in chapter seven? They
were good angels. Since they were good do you think these are good, as well?
No?
Correct.
These
four angels are bound. That’s not good. Demons are bound. Good angels are
not.
Think
about what that means. At this very moment, right now, there are four demons bound
at the great river Euphrates. Really. Right now, while we speak.
The
Bible is True. Revelation is prophecy. They’re there, right now; waiting to be
released.
But
I wonder where, exactly. I mean, saying, at the great river Euphrates
doesn’t really narrow it down too much.
The
Euphrates, is the most mentioned river in the Bible. It flows about 1,750
miles. Starts in Turkey, winds through Syria, into Iraq, snakes by Babylon, and
empties into the Persian Gulf. It’s one of the four rivers that flowed from the
river that came out of The Garden of Eden; Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, Euphrates,
Genesis
2:10-14.
Not
far from The Garden Eden, is Babylon; the infamous place of the tower of babel.
Where they worshipped the sun and moon and stars. It’s the birthplace of the
occult; devil worship and sorcery.
Revelation 18:2 is an
interesting verse:
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,
and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul
spirit…”
Could
this be the place?
Imagine,
at this very moment, if you were fishing, along the banks of the Euphrates,
about 55 miles south of Baghdad, you could be standing next to four evil
spirits, bound, since I don’t know when; perhaps before Noah’s flood.
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. Revelation
9:15.
One
day, at a prepared moment, they’ll be released. You won’t want to be
fishing by them on that day, no matter how good the fish are biting, because
their mission will be to kill one third of the population of the planet.
Now the number of the army of the
horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of
them. Revelation 9:16.
In
1965 China boasted they could muster a 200 million man army. (All the
soldiers in all of WW2 had 70million).
China
might’ve used a little creative math to come up with that number. Nevertheless,
that statement resulted in a lot of end time preachers proclaiming that this
verse is talking about China. However, let’s not be too quick to jump to that
conclusion.
And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had
breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads
of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths
came fire, smoke, and brimstone. Revelation 9:17.
What? Two hundred million fire breathing, lion headed horses. Whoa. We really don’t want to be here for this.
Notice that what comes out of their mouths
resembles what sits on them. Fire (fiery red), smoke (hyacinth blue),
brimstone (sulfur yellow).
Sulfur is synonymous with brimstone. Did
you know there are volcanoes, in Hawaii and Indonesia, that burn blue, due to
the sulfur.
The names of the colors are added for our
benefit. The original text reads more like this: breastplates of fiery hyacinth and
brimstone.
Is this describing a color coordinated, Chinese
cavalry, two hundred million strong?
Or, something more?
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. 19 For their
power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their
tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
Revelation 9:18-19.
Now
we add another feature to the creature. Two hundred million
fire breathing, lion headed horses, with tails like serpents.
Revelation
is clear about what is and isn’t. If it’s a comparison it tells us plainly by
using phrases such as: were like the heads of lions… and, tails are like
serpents.
So,
the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions, and the tails are like
serpents.
However,
when it comes to what shoots out of the horses’ mouths, it doesn’t say it is like,
fire, smoke and brimstone, it says, it is fire, smoke and brimstone.
…out
of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
…a
third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which
came out of their mouths.
Fire.
Smoke. Brimstone. Not bullets, bombs, missiles, laser beams, cannon balls, spit
balls or flaming arrows.
It appears that, the release of four
demons currently bound by the river Euphrates, will trigger the deployment of a
demonic horde of two hundred million, lion headed horses, with tails like serpents,
and mouths that spew fire, smoke and brimstone. Before they’re through, another
one third of the human race will be destroyed.
Which,
if you’re keeping track, the death toll half way through the tribulation, will
probably be over half of the population.
KILLED IN TRIBULATION SO FAR:
1. 4th seal 1/4th killed
(Pale Horse).
2.
Many Martyrs (5th seal chapter 6, and innumerable multitude before
throne, chapter 7).
3.
6th Trumpet 1/3rd killed (Euphrates “angels” and their demonic
army).
4.
Murders, famine, pestilence, dehydration, (wormwood water)
No
wonder Jesus said in Matthew
24:22, If days were not shortened, no flesh would survive.
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 21 And
they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or
their sexual immorality or their thefts. Revelation 9:20-21.
The
words, they did not repent, means that they could. Even this late
in the game, they still, could turn around their eternal destination.
Repent
(metanoeo), is mentioned twelve times in Revelation; more than any other
New Testament book. This reveals the heartbeat of the Book, of the Author—that
all come to repentance.
As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Ezekiel 33:11
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.
Let's pray:
Lord Jesus, thank You, for Your
Revelation. For revealing to us, what’s about to happen, and for telling us,
that we don’t need to be here when it does. Lord, we know, it’s not Your will
that any perish. That’s our will, too. So, if there’s anyone You’d like to
reach, through us; we raise our hand, here and now, and volunteer. Thank You
for using us, to reveal You to everyone we can. We love You. CQLJ. Amen.
PS: What we’ve been studying, all the catastrophes, all the death, the
suffering, the pain, the sorrow, may bring to the surface a nagging question: “Is
God mean?”
The following link is an answer to that
question: Is God Mean?
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