Introduction: 

The 5^th Trumpet unleashed forces of destruction brought about by what looked like locusts.  The 6^th Trumpet is even more devastating.  Here a destruction of one-third of humanity is unleashed by four angels.  The locusts tormented, but these angels kill.  Remember from other examples, one-third is a large number but not the majority.  There is a stronger warning offered here and still they refuse to repent.  God is smacking them in the head with a 2x4, but they will not yield.  This vision is to be viewed in a similar way as the previous one, but now things have intensified.  We now have a mighty army mounted on horses rather than a bunch of locusts.

God is supreme.  He sends this plague or judgment not to harm but to lead them to repentance.  But, they do not repent.  This provokes the Lord’s anger against them.  Their arrogance has not prevailed against God!  He is sovereign and in supreme command.  Another major point to remember is that John is writing to the Christian Church and not to pagans.  The church should understand the situation.

 

The Sixth Trumpet

v. 13-14 – John “heard” a voice – divine or with divine approval.  Four angels of destruction – bound at the Euphrates River – the eastern border of the Holy Promised Land and the Roman Empire.  The river separated God’s people from their enemies on the outside. 

The Angel at the Golden Altar (8:3-5) – the altar of incense – prayers – we remember immediately.  An angel presented the prayers to God.  Then the voice speaks to the 6^th Trumpet Angel.

Prayers play an important and active role in the  drama.  (16:7) – The altar speaks – God’s judgments.

The 6^th Trumpet Angel is involved here – not just proclaiming.  He is told to release the four destroying angels that have been restrained until now!  The appointed time in detail (v. 15).

Four destroying angels – four again like four angels at the corners of the Earth – apocalyptic image of great destruction – coming four powers – from the four quarters of the Earth.  These four are in charge of  200,000,000 demonic horses and riders.  Like the king of the demonic locusts, the four angels disappear into the demonic forces they release.

 

Promise of the land – very important here (Gen. 15:18; Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:4).  Is. 8:5-8 – Assyrian armies – like flooding Euphrates.  Image rekindled here by John.  Invasion from this area would cause thoughts of Parthian warriors, numerous and devastating.  Demonic  Horsemen and riders – 200,000,000 strong.

 

v. 15 – The angels were released to kill one-third of unbelieving humanity.  This judgment, like the last one, is not against the church – (9:4,20-21).  Here one-third of humankind – elsewhere – “the inhabitants of the earth.”  Those still hostile toward God – unrepentant humanity.  Other apocalyptic writing – attack of foreign armies against God’s rebellious people – Here, divine judgment against pagans.

Four angels kept for just this exact point in time – this moment.  God has an exact moment for each historic event to take place.  God controls history – it’s His-Story!  He is Almighty and Sovereign.  At the exact right moment decreed by God, the destroying angels lead this demonic invasion upon humanity.

 

v. 16 – Suddenly – like out of nowhere – appear 200,000, 000 mounted troops – myriads and myriads, 10,000 x 10,000, and thousands of thousands – An exact number?  NO!  He heard their number – two myriads of myriads – Not the count, but the sheer volume.  The horses actually do the killing and not the angels.  This was an invasion of incalculable numbers of enemy troops.  They cover the land and there is nowhere to escape.  All of remaining humanity outside God’s sealed protection fall victim to this divine judgment.  Israel has always lived with the threat of enemy invasion.  The thought of the Parthian invasion helps intensify this image and fear.  We need to just grasp this vision as a whole – for what it is, and we need not analyze the details – This is not the intent!

 

v. 17 – “In my vision, I saw” – John plainly tells us here that this is a vision.  This reveals that we are dealing in symbolism as we try to interpret and decipher.  Riders are wearing breastplates of red, blue, and yellow to match the fire, smoke, and sulfur coming from the mouths of the horses.  Different translations embellish the description of the breastplates.  Do they have three colors each or maybe there are one-third of the riders wearing each color – Does it really matter? They do correspond to the horses mouths.  What part do the riders play in this slaughter?  NONE!  The horses do the deed.  Horse heads are like LION’S heads – like the locusts (9:8) – fiercely destructive.  Mouths – send out fire, smoke, and sulfur – They are not tanks, canons, or other modern weapons of mass destruction.

This judgment or plague is a direct taste of what eternal judgment awaits the devil (20:10), his demons (19:20), and all who take the mark of the beast – totally impenitent (14:10).  Fire breathing monsters were common mythological creatures and even used in cultic myths – Job 41 – Leviathan, for example.  Hab. 1:8 – Chaldean cavalry was to invade Judah with horses, swift and fierce.  John may be borrowing known imagery again.

 

v. 18 – Here the fire, smoke, and sulfur are called three separate plagues.  The result is that one-third of humanity is killed.  We can just imagine the sulfur that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah in that divine judgment (Gen. 19:24; Jude 7).  The first Woe brought torment – This Woe brings death.

 

v. 19 – Our eyes are directed from the horses’ heads and mouths to their tails.  The power to kill was in their mouths, but power to inflict injury is in their tails.  There is considerable speculation regarding this imagery and where John has borrowed it from.  We can link this vision of the horses tails with heads to inflict injury to the locusts’ tails that sting and inflict injury to humanity.   The judgment is the same only more intense.   What’s important is this invasion is demonic in origin.  In 12:9 we see a direct reference to the devil or Satan – that ancient serpent (Garden of Eden).  Snakes and demons are closely related in Scripture.  The demonic army from beyond the Euphrates (border) is necessary since the Roman world has tried to find security in that which is NOT God.  This is a plague of death by fire-breathing monsters from the underworld.

 

v. 20 – Those NOT killed by this plague judgment of fire, smoke, and sulfur still did not repent of idolatry (mind blowing, isn’t it?).  Wouldn’t you?  Have you?  People make their own idols to worship all through the ages.  God was constantly judging Israel for this idolatry.  What idols have you made with your own hands – dead objects that you hold above God?  Idols that can’t see, hear, or walk.  All the while God is desiring to have a living relationship with us, and we ignore Him (see: Deut. 4:28).  Deut. 32:17 – Israel said to be sacrificing to demons by worshipping idols.  1 Cor. 10:20 – same in the N.T. – Paul warns – sacrificing to demons and not to God alone.  One-third of humanity killed as judgment YET the people remain worshipping the very forces that bring their destruction.  The living God offers relationship, life and protection, but those who remain alive after this plague choose death – The delusion of SIN!  It just doesn’t even make sense – John’s point to the church.

 

v. 21 – Not only do they continue in idol worship, but they continue in the practices of heathen idolatry.  John lists four areas … Murder – magic arts (sorcery), very big today – sexual immorality – theft.

Three are fundamental vices and are forbidden in the 10 Commandments. 

 

Magic Arts, sorcery, witchcraft, magic potions, and pharmaceuticals (drugs).   These were and are a big part of heathen idol worship practices and idolatry.  Gal. 5:20 – calls these the works of the flesh.

Rev. 18:23 – the way Rome deceives the nations (Revelation speaks against Rome).

Rev. 22:15 – those who practice “magic arts, sexual immorality, and murder” – idolaters and liars are eternally condemned.  They will not be allowed to enter the New Jerusalem.

Rom. 1:18-32 – When people turn away from God, it is a sure thing they will be heading eventually toward idolatry unless they recognize this and repent.

 

God warns and warns and warns – by grace and mercy and love – not wanting to see any perish unnecessarily – BUT – people continue in sin and ignore the warnings of God.  He MUST execute judgment against sin.  We saw here a vision or image of such judgment against those who do not have the SEAL of God (the true church – believers who trust in Jesus).

 

The church may have to endure the attacks and persecution of evil in the world, but we will not experience the WRATH of God.  He WILL vindicate those who are His at the right time.  With this HOPE, the people of God face and persevere through the distressing prospect of impending persecution.

 

This is what they chose over repentance and relationship with the Living God of creation.  The focus here is on the refusal to repent, and John is writing to the persecuted church of Jesus Christ.  We (Christians) live in an evil and fallen world that will come under God’s judgment.  Most will not accept our message of life in Christ.  God continues to draw people to Himself to be saved from all this, but people choose sin that leads to death.  No matter how much we know or how much we want to have them accept, most will not and would rather continue persecuting believers.

 

The intensity of the judgments is building as we get closer to the end!  The world continues in their sins no matter how severe the judgments.  This is the  world we must live in – as believers – as Christians – yet it is an environment that is opposed to everything right, everything  good, and opposed to God Himself and all He stands for.  In general, apocalyptic pagan forces attack the people of God – John sees divine judgment against a corrupt civilization.