View source for Sounding the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets

===Demonic Locusts and Demonic Horsemen===
•	"1 <span style="color:darkred">And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from Heaven unto the Earth: and to him was given the key of the Bottomless Pit." </span style="color:darkred">
As the Second Half of the Tribulation Week progresses from the Seal Judgments to the Trumpet Judgments, the intensity of God's dealing increases by at least a third, i.e., the First Trumpet burns up 1/3 of trees and green grass (Revelation 8:7), the Second Trumpet turns 1/3 of the sea to blood (Rev 8:8), the Third Trumpet poisons 1/3 of fresh water (Rev 8:10-11), and the Fourth Trumpet darkens 1/3 of light from the sun, moon, and stars (Rev 8:12-13). I believe that the Fifth Trumpet Judgment sounds about 5 1/2 years into the prophetic week

This chapter begins with the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet Judgment, where a <span style="color:darkred">"star"</span style="color:darkred"> falls <span style="color:darkred">"from Heaven unto the Earth"</span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 9:1). Satan is that fallen star. In the Book of Job, the stars refer to the angels. <span style="color:darkred">"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" </span style="color:darkred"> (Job 38:7). Commentators point out that the Greek word for<span style="color:darkred"> "fall"</span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 9:1) is in the perfect tense, which signifies completed action. But, when was that action completed? At the Middle of the Tribulation Week. Why? Revelation 12 describes the Woman in the Wilderness-- elect-but-still-lost Israel-- during the last half (1,260 days) of the Tribulation Week, i.e., <span style="color:darkred">"where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days</span style="color:darkred"> [1,260 days]" (Rev 12:6). Israel is described, in the context of Revelation 12, immediately before Satan's final ejection from Heaven, i.e., <span style="color:darkred"> "neither was their place found any more in Heaven"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 12:8). Though the<span style="color:darkred"> "fall" </span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:1) will be completed 3 1/2 years into the Week, Satan will be <span style="color:darkred">"given the key of the Bottomless Pit"</span style="color:darkred"> (9:1), i.e., to have his cohorts released, about 2 years later-- at the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet.

Those 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6) begin-- after a war in the Heavens, where Satan is permanently banned from accusing the brethren-- with the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15) at the Middle of the Tribulation Week. "7 <span style="color:darkred">And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, </span style="color:darkred">8<span style="color:darkred"> And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven. </span style="color:darkred"> 9 <span style="color:darkred">And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him. </span style="color:darkred">10 <span style="color:darkred">And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, Now is come Salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the Power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night"</span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 12:7-10). Satan has historically accused all the Saints before God, as depicted in the ancient Book of Job. "6 <span style="color:darkred">Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. </span style="color:darkred"> 7 <span style="color:darkred">And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the Earth, and from walking up and down in it.. </span style="color:darkred">. 9 <span style="color:darkred">Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?" </span style="color:darkred"> (Job 1:6-7, 9).
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•	"2 <span style="color:darkred">And he opened the Bottomless Pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." </span style="color:darkred">
The <span style="color:darkred">"Bottomless Pit"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:2) is the Abyss. This place cannot be a physical confine, but a spiritual cage for demons. Legion, the collective name of the demons that possessed the man of the Gadarenes (Luke 8:30), begged Jesus Christ not to <span style="color:darkred">"command them to go out into the deep</span style="color:darkred"> [literally, the abyss]" (Rev 8:31). In other words, the demons asked permission of the Son of God to remain at large-- until their Final Judgment, i.e., <span style="color:darkred">"And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?" </span style="color:darkred"> (Matthew 8:29). May we forever remember the transcendent authority of our LORD Jesus Christ over all things-- especially Satan. <span style="color:darkred">"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All Power is given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth"</span style="color:darkred"> (Mt 28:18).

The "smoke out of the pit" (Rev 9:2) represents the vastness of the numbers of the demons, i.e., fallen angels, that darken the sky. A third of the angels of Heaven fell with Satan at the original rebellion. <span style="color:darkred"> "And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the Earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 12:4). We are revealed that there are more than 100 million angels thronging the Almighty's Heavenly Throne in a scene following the Pre-Tribulational Rapture-- described as the First <span style="color:darkred">"Come Up Hither" (Rev 4:1). "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the Throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 5:11). This meant that there must have been at least 150 million total angels before the rebellion.

Notice that the<span style="color:darkred"> "sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:2). Angels and demons are not normally visible to human physical perception, except as allowed by God. <span style="color:darkred">"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the Earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" </span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 14:6). Even when men are allowed to see angels, it is not always apparent that they are angels. "16 <span style="color:darkred">And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD... </span style="color:darkred">20<span style="color:darkred"> For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward Heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground"</span style="color:darkred"> (Judges 13:16, 20). Just as the Almighty gave permission to Legion (Matthew 8:29) to not be confined in the Abyss, the Omnipotent God orders these demons to be unleashed in a visible form upon deserving humanity. <span style="color:darkred">"Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 76:10).
 
•	"3 <span style="color:darkred">And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the Earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the Earth have power." </span style="color:darkred">
Ants, bees, and termites are the most numerous and prevalent of insects upon the planet; but, possibly, the locusts are best known for their destructive plagues. <span style="color:darkred">"And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left"</span style="color:darkred"> (Exodus 10:12). The locust is a species of short-horned grasshopper found throughout the world, known to increase greatly in number and migrate long distances. Periodically, swarms appear, then disappear. In 1869, desert locust swarms reached England from probably West Africa. In 1889, a swarm of locust crossed the Red Sea-- whose flight was estimated to cover a 2,000 square mile area. Swarms are known to fly as high as 5,000 feet. A developed locust plague is almost impossible to control with even modern measures. <span style="color:darkred">"And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 10:19).

The scorpion is a species of arachnids with a segmented tail, tipped with a venomous stinger. Possessing six pairs of appendages-- four for walking, two for grasping, and two for tearing apart their prey-- this "lobster-like" insect usually paralyzes its large prey with a venomous neurotoxin before feeding upon them. <span style="color:darkred">"I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, LORD, '''only''' makest me dwell in safety"<span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 4:8). A milder hemotoxin is also injected by scorpions, resulting in great pain. <span style="color:darkred">"Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked"</span style="color:darkred"> (Jeremiah 30:23). These are more than a mutant locust-scorpion. They are the demons that God has divinely appointed to terrorize godless, rebellious man. <span style="color:darkred">"Thine heart shall meditate terror" (Isaiah 33:18). While to the righteous, the LORD promises, "In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee"</span style="color:darkred"> (Isa 54:14).
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•	"4 <span style="color:darkred">And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the Earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." </span style="color:darkred">
<span style="color:darkred">"It was commanded them" </span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:4) by the Judge of the Tribulation Week that they should not hurt the grass or trees, but only the ungodly, i.e., <span style="color:darkred">"which have not the seal of God in their foreheads"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:4). Why would the demons torment their own? We know that Satan hates the godly and can receive permission for limited tempting of the Righteous. "4 <span style="color:darkred">And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. </span style="color:darkred"> 5 <span style="color:darkred">But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face. </span style="color:darkred"> 6 <span style="color:darkred">And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life"</span style="color:darkred"> (Job 2:4-6). The demons torment the ungodly, because:
(1) God has commanded it, i.e., <span style="color:darkred">"That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth"</span style="color:darkred"> (Philippians 2:10), and

(2) the fear that torments them causes them to torment others, i.e., <span style="color:darkred">"fear hath torment"</span style="color:darkred"> (1John 4:18) and "19 <span style="color:darkred">Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, </span style="color:darkred">20 <span style="color:darkred">Idolatry, witchcraft, '''hatred''', variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, </span style="color:darkred"> 21 <span style="color:darkred">Envyings, '''murders''', drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God"</span style="color:darkred"> (Galatians 5:19-21).
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•	"5 <span style="color:darkred">And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." </span style="color:darkred">
Torment without death would include the classic symptoms of scorpion bites, i.e., edema (swelling), discoloration, pain, convulsions, paralysis, and cardiac irregularities. <span style="color:darkred">"There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked"</span style="color:darkred"> (Isaiah 57:21). Ice compresses and limited antivenins may have proven beneficial to conventional scorpion bites, but these are unconventional. The Holy Spirit designates a five month window of affliction for these Demonic Locusts, which means that the pain of one scorpion bite may give way to the next bite, until the five months have elapsed. <span style="color:darkred">"When He slew them, then they sought Him"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 78:34).
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•	"6<span style="color:darkred"> "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." </span style="color:darkred">
To these, suicide is preferable to the pain of living; but, God does not allow the afflicted rebels the luxury of death--<span style="color:darkred"> "death shall flee from them" </span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:6). Both temporal punishment, as well as possible repentance, are reasons for the All Wise God to prevent success to the rebels' desired suicide. Sin will be punished. <span style="color:darkred">"Behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out"</span style="color:darkred"> (Numbers 32:23). But, repentance will be visited with mercy. <span style="color:darkred"> "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance"</span style="color:darkred"> (Matthew 9:13).
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•	"7 <span style="color:darkred">And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men." </span style="color:darkred">
This will be the Fifth Trumpet Judgment, not conventional times. <span style="color:darkred"> "Howl ye; for the Day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty"</span style="color:darkred"> (Isaiah 13:6). At this point, it is obvious that these are not ordinary locusts; but, in fact, they are Demonic Locusts.
(1) They are shaped like <span style="color:darkred">"horses prepared unto battle"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:7), but they may be only the size of your thumb (2 1/2 inches or 65 mm).

(2) They appear, as it were, wearing <span style="color:darkred">"crowns like gold"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:7), just as the gregarious locusts may appear golden when they swarm-- from their previously green coloration in their solitary phase. And,

(3) They appear-- to the horror of the Tribulation Week ungodly-- with the<span style="color:darkred"> "faces of men" </span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:7), but they may be capable of traveling as far as 30 miles (48 km) in one day's time-- if they are restricted to the range of conventional locusts. <span style="color:darkred">"Horror shall cover them"</span style="color:darkred"> (Ezekiel 7:18).
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•	"8 <span style="color:darkred">And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions." </span style="color:darkred">
A woman's glory is her hair. <span style="color:darkred"> "If a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering"</span style="color:darkred"> (1Corinthians 11:15). But, Demonic Locusts-- having human-like faces-- with the <span style="color:darkred">"hair of a women"</span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 9:8), are nightmarish! The sleep of the Righteous is blessed, for <span style="color:darkred">"He giveth His beloved sleep"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 127:2). But, the impenitent of the Tribulation Week will experience the nightmare of these Demonic Locusts, whose teeth will be <span style="color:darkred">"as the teeth of lions" </span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 9:8). The plague of demonic, nightmarish Hollywood movies is an effort of Satan to desensitize the world to the upcoming Tribulation plagues; thus, making it less probable that the hardened Earth dwellers will repent. <span style="color:darkred">"Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things"</span style="color:darkred"> (Philippians 3:19).
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•	"9 <span style="color:darkred">And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle." </span style="color:darkred">
The Christian puts on the <span style="color:darkred">"breastplate of righteousness" </span style="color:darkred"> (Ephesians 6:14) as defensive armour in the spiritual battle against our <span style="color:darkred">"adversary the devil"</span style="color:darkred"> (1Peter 5:8). Just so, these Demonic Locusts have<span style="color:darkred"> "breastplates of iron" </span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 9:9), indicating that these "hoppers" will not be defeated like a grasshopper under a gardener's shoe. Sound will first assault the Tribulation Week impenitents, who <span style="color:darkred">"have not the seal of God in their foreheads"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:4). The horrific sound of <span style="color:darkred">"many horses running to battle"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:9) will be the sound of the tormentors' wings approaching their victims. And, the only thing that will stop the torment of these Demonic Locusts will be the penitent's cry for God's mercy. <span style="color:darkred">"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner"</span style="color:darkred"> (Luke 18:13).
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•	"10 <span style="color:darkred">And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months." </span style="color:darkred">
Ever since the Fall of Man, pain has been the LORD God's means of attracting man's attention so that we might be turned to righteousness. "17 <span style="color:darkred">And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; </span style="color:darkred">18 <span style="color:darkred">Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; </span style="color:darkred"> 19 <span style="color:darkred">In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" </span style="color:darkred"> (Genesis 3:17-19). Likewise, pain from the tails of these Demonic Locusts will punish or convert men for "five months" (Revelation 9:10). What an imagination the Creator has, to produce such judgments! <span style="color:darkred">"And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD"</span style="color:darkred"> (Ezekiel 25:11).
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•	"11 <span style="color:darkred">And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the Bottomless Pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." </span style="color:darkred">
"Abaddon" (Rev 9:11), in the Hebrew, means destruction. "Apollyon" (Rev 9:11), in the Greek, means destroyer. Satan is that destroyer, who is the<span style="color:darkred"> "angel of the Bottomless Pit"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:11). The Almighty is alone, the True Creator. <span style="color:darkred">"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the Ends of the Earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding"</span style="color:darkred"> (Isaiah 40:28). Satan cannot truly create, so he must resort to destroying God's creation. "8<span style="color:darkred"> Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: </span style="color:darkred">9 <span style="color:darkred">Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world"</span style="color:darkred"> (1Peter 5:8-9). The Saints do now and will then overcome Satan by faith. <span style="color:darkred">"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" </span style="color:darkred"> (1John 5:4).
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•	"12 <span style="color:darkred">One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter." </span style="color:darkred">
The Fifth Trumpet Judgment is the first of the last three woes pronounced by the angel previously. <span style="color:darkred">"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the Earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 8:13). The <span style="color:darkred">"two woes more hereafter"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:12) are the Sixth and Seventh Trumpet Judgments (Rev 9:13-21; 11:15-19). "11 <span style="color:darkred">Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him... </span style="color:darkred"> 20 <span style="color:darkred">Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! </span style="color:darkred"> 21 <span style="color:darkred">Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" </span style="color:darkred"> (Isaiah 3:11; 5:20-21).
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•	"13 <span style="color:darkred">And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," </span style="color:darkred">
At the sounding of the Second Woe (Rev 8:13) or the Sixth Trumpet Judgment (Rev 9:13), the very voice of the Living God comes forth <span style="color:darkred">"from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:13). This verse speaks of the Presence of God, without saying it outright. <span style="color:darkred">"Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Thy Name: the upright shall dwell in Thy presence" </span style="color:darkred"> (Psalms 140:13). And, <span style="color:darkred">"God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 89:7). The <span style="color:darkred">"golden altar"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:13) indicates that the <span style="color:darkred">"sacrifice of praise" </span style="color:darkred"> (Hebrews 13:15) is offered in the presence of God, and that the <span style="color:darkred">"prayers of all Saints"</span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 8:3) are mixed with praise before the throne of God. The <span style="color:darkred">"four horns of the golden altar"</span style="color:darkred"> (9:13) are the fixtures to which the sacrifices of prayer and praise are bound. <span style="color:darkred">"God is the LORD, which hath shewed us Light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 118:27).
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•	"14 <span style="color:darkred">Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates." </span style="color:darkred">
The angel, who sounds the Sixth Trumpet Judgment, is divinely commanded to set free <span style="color:darkred">"four angels"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:14). These four angels must be evil angels, because God never imprisons the righteous angels-- only the evil. <span style="color:darkred">"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the Great Day"</span style="color:darkred"> (Jude 6). Just as there are righteous angels, who were assigned to each of the Seven Churches of Revelation 2 and 3, i.e., the <span style="color:darkred">"angel of the church in Philadelphia" </span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 3:7), there are evil angels confined to significant locations, i.e., <span style="color:darkred">"which are bound in the great river Euphrates"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:14) for the very purpose of fulfilling these prophetic functions. <span style="color:darkred"> "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 76:10). 

The <span style="color:darkred">"great river Euphrates"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:14) is the largest river of western Asia, and it was one of the four chief principal rivers that flowed from Paradise. "10 <span style="color:darkred">And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads... </span style="color:darkred"> 14 <span style="color:darkred">And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates"</span style="color:darkred"> (Genesis 2:10, 14). Originating in the Armenian plateau of Turkey, it flows 1,700 miles (2,700 km) through Syria and southern Iraq, joining with the Tigris River, before it empties into the Persian Gulf. <span style="color:darkred">"In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 15:18). Jehovah appointed it as Israel's northeasterly boundary. <span style="color:darkred">"Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be"</span style="color:darkred"> (Deuteronomy 11:24). The Euphrates was regarded as the eastern limit of the Roman Empire; and thus, it identified the powers from the East. <span style="color:darkred">"After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him"</span style="color:darkred"> (2Chronicles 35:20).
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•	"15 <span style="color:darkred">And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." </span style="color:darkred">
The <span style="color:darkred">"four angels were loosed"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:15), who <span style="color:darkred">"were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:15), or for a period of 391.042 days in duration. Certainly, the preparation for the appropriate moment is indicated, but it seems more appropriate that the period of 391.042 days may be required for terrorizing and slaying the <span style="color:darkred">"third part of men"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:15). The combination of the Fourth Seal Judgment (Rev 6:7-8) and the Sixth Trumpet judgment would accomplish the deaths of a half of mankind. If the Tribulation Week began with 6 billion people, then the Fourth Seal Judgment would slay a <span style="color:darkred">"fourth part of the Earth"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 6:8)-- or, 1.5 billion dead-- leaving 4.5 billion. A <span style="color:darkred">"third part of men"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:15)-- or, 1.5 billion men-- are slain in the Sixth Trumpet Judgment. The combination of both judgments yields 3 billion dead, which is half of the initial number to enter the Tribulation Week. <span style="color:darkred"> "For by fire and by His sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many"</span style="color:darkred"> (Isaiah 66:16).
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•	"16 <span style="color:darkred">And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them." </span style="color:darkred">
An army of 200 million-- <span style="color:darkred">"two hundred thousand thousand"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:16)-- horsemen are described. It can be seen that these are not mere human soldiers, but Demonic Horsemen, because they are released from confinement, just as the Demonic Locusts of the previous Trumpet Judgment (Rev 9:1-2). Also, it would be a mistake to confuse the Sixth Vial Judgment's invading army of the <span style="color:darkred">"kings of the east"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 16:12) with the events of this Sixth Trumpet Judgment. Since these are demons and not humans, it is unnecessary to speculate where such a sizable army could be presently found. But still, it is interesting to note that the People's Republic of China (PRC) claimed to have had a man-and-woman militia of 200 million, as far back as 1965 (from "Time" magazine, May 21, 1965, p. 35).
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•	"17 <span style="color:darkred">And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone." </span style="color:darkred">
The Apostle John reminds us that we are receiving a faithful account of the <span style="color:darkred">"vision"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:17), which he received on the Isle of Patmos (Rev 1:9). God bless him! <span style="color:darkred">"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips" </span style="color:darkred"> (Proverbs 27:2). With the horses, he saw their riders. His only description of the riders is that they had <span style="color:darkred">"breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:17). Armoured with protective breastplates with a fiery appearance ("fire"), having a red color bordering on black (<span style="color:darkred">"jacinth"</span style="color:darkred">), and smelling like burning sulfur (<span style="color:darkred">"brimstone"</span style="color:darkred">), these riders appear as Horsemen from Hell. <span style="color:darkred">"But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all"</span style="color:darkred"> (Luke 17:29). The demons and the damned are characterized by the filling of their cup with fire and brimstone. <span style="color:darkred">"Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 11:6).

Though the riders are Demonic Horsemen, it is their horses that receive the Apostle John's attention, i.e., the <span style="color:darkred">"heads of the horses were as the heads of lions"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:17). The ferocity of the horses' heads compounds the frightfulness of the riders. <span style="color:darkred">"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"</span style="color:darkred"> (1Peter 5:8). With<span style="color:darkred"> "fire and smoke and brimstone"</span style="color:darkred"> (9:17) issuing forth from the horses' mouths, they act like the dragon that their master is. <span style="color:darkred"> "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years"</span style="color:darkred"> (Revelation 20:2). The Demonic Horsemen guide their steeds, much like a fighter pilot guides his craft, with the attack issuing forth from their mounts, i.e., from their fire-breathing horses with lions' heads. <span style="color:darkred">"The LORD knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished"</span style="color:darkred"> (2Peter 2:9).
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•	"18 <span style="color:darkred">By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths." </span style="color:darkred">
Every third person that remains alive on planet Earth will be killed by these Demonic Horsemen, or more specifically, will be killed by their horses. And, <span style="color:darkred"> "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God"</span style="color:darkred"> (Hebrews 10:31). Scripture specifies the "fire", "smoke", and <span style="color:darkred">"brimstone"</span style="color:darkred"> as <span style="color:darkred">"these three"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:18) by which a third of mankind is killed. <span style="color:darkred"> "Shall not the Judge of All the Earth do right?" </span style="color:darkred"> (Genesis 18:25). Essentially, '''every third person in the world will be burned alive.''' The <span style="color:darkred">"brimstone"</span style="color:darkred"> is the fuel, the "fire" is the combustion process, and the<span style="color:darkred"> "smoke"</span style="color:darkred"> is the exhaust; but, wicked men are the targets of the flame. <span style="color:darkred">"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" </span style="color:darkred"> (Matthew 10:28). How significant that the LORD speaks of plucking the brands from the burning, when describing rescuing men from hell by the power of the Gospel! "22<span style="color:darkred"> And of some have compassion, making a difference: </span style="color:darkred"> 23 <span style="color:darkred">And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh"</span style="color:darkred"> (Jude 22-23).
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•	"19 <span style="color:darkred">For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt." </span style="color:darkred">
And, lest we conclude that these horses are vulnerable from behind, <span style="color:darkred">"their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:19). Greek mythology proposed its own monster figure of a winged woman with a head of hair consisting of snakes-- Medusa-- and, we understand such descriptions to be that of demons. <span style="color:darkred">"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He</span style="color:darkred"> [the Holy Spirit] <span style="color:darkred">that is in you, than he</span style="color:darkred"> [Satan] <span style="color:darkred">that is in the world" (1John 4:4). The text does not reveal that death takes place by the bite of the serpent's head in the horse's tail, but pain will come to the afflicted, i.e., <span style="color:darkred"> "and with them they do hurt"</span style="color:darkred"> (Rev 9:19).
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•	"20 <span style="color:darkred">And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:" </span style="color:darkred">
As the Sixth Trumpet Judgment proceeds toward the last few months of the Tribulation Week, the men that will repent, have done so; and, those who will not repent, are hardened. <span style="color:darkred">"But the heavens and the Earth, which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men"</span style="color:darkred"> (2Peter 3:7). Except for the amazing feat of reclaiming Israel-- along with an assortment of Gentiles-- on the very day of our LORD's Second Coming, i.e., <span style="color:darkred">"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the Earth be made to bring forth '''in one day?''' or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children"</span style="color:darkred"> (Isaiah 66:8)-- no one repents. Instead, they continue to <span style="color:darkred">"worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk"</span style="color:darkred"> (9:20).
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•	"21 <span style="color:darkred">Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." </span style="color:darkred">
This is the sad description of the Universal Depravity of Lost Men. <span style="color:darkred"> "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one"</span style="color:darkred"> (Romans 3:10). There is not a good argument that men need not a Saviour. "2 <span style="color:darkred">The LORD looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. </span style="color:darkred">3 <span style="color:darkred">They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one"</span style="color:darkred"> (Psalm 14:2-3). Those who foolishly defend the idea of the innate goodness of man, have their own conscience to reproach them. <span style="color:darkred">"So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her"</span style="color:darkred"> (John 8:7). Without a statement of hope for the penitent, there would remain nothing but a <span style="color:darkred">"certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries"<span style="color:darkred"> (Hebrews 10:27). <span style="color:darkred">"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ"</span style="color:darkred"> (1Corinthians 15:57).
[[Category:Revelation]]