Prophecy
8
The Six
Trumpets –
Revelation 8:2 – 9:21
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Revelation
9:7-9
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. And they had hair
as the hair of women, and their teeth
were as the teeth of lions. 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.{7} When
Lucifer and his angels were released
from the Abyss, they looked like a
giant swarm of locusts coming down on
the Earth. As they drew near, they
looked like riders on horses prepared
for battle. The devil appeared to be
a great king, surrounded by a
powerful angelic host. The look on
their faces was intense, they were on
a mission to take control of Earth.
On their heads, the demons wore
something that looked like crowns of
gold. These crowns indicated they
were superior to human beings, they
had authority over mankind. Their
faces resembled human faces and they
were somewhat beautiful, but also
fearful in appearance.
{8} Their hair
was lovely – long and flowing
like women’s hair but their
teeth were shaped like lions’
teeth. When put together, this
caricature means that Lucifer’s
demons will be attractive, but
deadly.
{9} They had
breastplates that resembled the
breastplates of iron, and the sound
of their wings was powerful, like the
thundering of many horses and
chariots rushing into battle.
These
descriptions are telling. The devil
and his angels have intelligence and
powers far superior to mankind.
Bullets cannot kill demons. Suicide
bombers cannot stop them. The world
will be helpless and vulnerable to
the superior authority of Lucifer and
his angels. The saints know their
only hope of survival rests in Jesus.
Revelation
9:10
And they had
tails like unto scorpions, and there
were stings in their tails: and their
power was to hurt men five months.
{10} The
demons that accompanied Lucifer were
given power to hurt non-religious
people. The demons had tails and
stings like scorpions. This
caricature indicated they had the
power to inflict great pain on human
beings. Of course, fallen angels do
not actually have long tails like
scorpions, but they were represented
in this way so that I could
understand their ability to inflict
unbearable agony on a person. For
five months, Lucifer’s demons
went throughout the Earth subduing
nations of non-religious people.
Wishing to avoid further torture,
most of the non-religious people
acquiesced and worshiped the devil as
though he was Almighty God.
Even though
the devil’s demons will torture
the non-religious wicked, the demons
cannot hurt the 144,000 or those who
have been sealed.
Revelation
9:11
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.{11} During
the five months allotted to the fifth
trumpet, Lucifer gained control over
the people of Earth. It was an
appalling scene to watch. The angel
king from the Abyss masqueraded as
Almighty God and he conquered the
world through deceit. In Hebrew, the
devil’s title is Abaddon, and in
Greek, Apollyon. Both titles mean the
same thing: Lucifer is the ultimate
destroyer. His title is stated in
Hebrew and Greek so that the saints
(like the Jews in the inner court)
and the wicked (like the Gentiles in
the outer court) both can understand
who he truly is.
The Bible
declares that God does not change.[48] For six
thousand years God has consistently
followed a policy that limits the
growth and malignancy of sin. I call
this policy, “The Full Cup
Principle.” When God sets up a
nation,[49] He
gives that nation a measure of
freedom and resources necessary to
prosper. If the nation turns away
from righteous principles, God’s
love for the innocent and oncoming
generations is aroused. He sends
messengers and warning judgments. If
these efforts fail to turn the nation
around, God sends destruction.
Sometimes, God Himself is the
destroyer; God destroyed Pharaoh and
the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.
Sometimes, God sends an angel as a
destroyer; an angel from God killed
185,000 Assyrians.[50] Sometimes,
God sends a man as a destroyer; God
sent King Nebuchadnezzar to destroy
Jerusalem[51] and
Titus to destroy Jerusalem again in
A.D. 70. When a nation fills its cup
of iniquity, destruction comes.[52] This
explains why the title
“Destroyer” is given to
Lucifer. Jesus will release Lucifer
from the Abyss to be a destroyer.
Jesus will permit Lucifer to do
something that Lucifer wants to do!
Jesus will allow Lucifer to destroy
the world because the whole world has
filled up its cup of iniquity and a
majority of people will have refused
to embrace righteousness (the gospel
of Christ). Remember, the apostle
Paul predicted that God will send a
great delusion on the Earth during
“a great rebellion” because
the wicked refused to love the truth
and be saved.[53] This
delusion will be Lucifer,
masquerading as Almighty God.
During the
fifth trumpet, the devil and his
angels will rush around the world to
conduct their deceptive work. Three
telling characteristics about
Lucifer’s carnal nature will
unfold. First, the devil loves
adulation and fame. He wants to be
worshiped and exalted as God, but he
is the epitome of self-centeredness
and selfishness. He will use great
miracle-working powers to advance his
lies and evil schemes. He will appear
to be gracious and benevolent because
he will be on a mission to deceive
people for five months, but he is
evil incarnate, thoroughly cruel, and
hateful. He is a demon having no
compassion. Second, when Lucifer
implements control over Earth (sixth
trumpet), there will be no law or
order except his own. The devil is
petty, arbitrary, and manipulative.
He can go into a fearful rage at the
slightest provocation. The devil
rules through manipulation,
intimidation, and fear. He enjoys
torturing people. He has no
reservation about inflicting pain and
suffering on his own followers when
necessary! The devil remembers
everything and forgives nothing. When
it comes to committing shameful
atrocities, he will make the actions
of Hitler appear insignificant.
Third, the devil will be a master at
making right appear wrong. He will
grossly distort the testimony of
Jesus and the work of the 144,000. He
will distort Bible truth so that
righteousness appears evil. Remember,
he is a highly intelligent being, a
master at manipulation and deceit. No
one will be able to stop him or
overpower him. When a majority of
people believe that he is God (by the
close of the fifth trumpet), the
devil will suddenly change character.
He will impose himself on mankind and
no one will be permitted to challenge
or question his sovereign authority.
It is no wonder that Paul called him,
“The man of lawlessness (or man
of sin, KJV).[54]
Revelation
9:12-14
Then
shall he return into his land with
great riches; and his heart shall be
against the holy covenant; and he
shall do exploits, and return to his
own land.{12} When
the five months allotted for the
fifth trumpet ended, I heard a voice
from Heaven say, “The first
curse has past; two greater curses
are coming!” I wondered,
“How can things get worse?”
{13} Jesus gave the signal and the
sixth angel blew his trumpet. I heard
the voice of the mighty angel who
stood at the golden Altar of Incense
that is before God. {14} He said to
the sixth angel who had the trumpet,
“Release the four demons bound
at the great river Euphrates.”
The fifth,
sixth, and seventh trumpets are
progressive in nature. They can be
described as Phase 1, 2 and 3. Phase
1 (the fifth trumpet) describes the
physical appearing of the devil with
his demons. During this phase,
Lucifer will put on a glorious show
to deceive most of the world into
believing that he is Almighty God.
During this time, Jesus will allow
Lucifer and his demons to torture
non-religious people for five months.
This torture will cause some people
to embrace the gospel of Jesus and it
will also go a long way toward
eliminating all non-religious people
from Earth. Remember, by the seventh
trumpet, the people of Earth will
either be sheep (worshiping Jesus) or
goats (worshiping Lucifer).
Phase 2
(sixth trumpet) describes the
establishment of Lucifer’s world
government; a counterfeit theocracy.
The devil will be permitted to
eliminate all religions, all
governments and his forces will kill
a third of mankind (those who oppose
him). For a short time, Lucifer will
reign over the world as king of kings
and lord of lords.
Phase 3
(seventh trumpet) marks the end of
Christ’s intercession for
mankind and His wrath on those who
defied the two laws of love. The door
to redemption closes just before the
seventh trumpet sounds because
everyone will have reached a firm
decision regarding whom they will
worship (Jesus or Lucifer). The
seventh trumpet also marks the end of
redemptive wrath and the beginning of
destructive wrath.
The three
“woes” (trumpets 5,6, and
7) are intimately connected to one
another. The sixth trumpet builds
upon developments that occurred
during the fifth trumpet and the
seventh trumpet builds on
developments that occurred during the
sixth trumpet.
The command
to release the four angels that are
bound at the great river Euphrates
follows an important parallel.
Remember in Revelation 7 that
God’s four angels (having the
first four trumpets) were told to
wait until the 144,000 were sealed.
Similarly, Lucifer’s four demons
must wait until the appointed hour,
day, month, and year arrives.
Remember that when Jesus breaks open
the fourth seal, twenty-five percent
of the world’s population will
be killed (twenty-five percent of
seven billion equals 1.75 billion
people). Similarly, when the sixth
trumpet sounds, Lucifer will cause
one-third of the world’s
population to be killed (one-third of
the remaining 5.25 billion also
equals 1.75 billion people). The Lord
and Lucifer will kill the same number
of people. When both totals are added
together, it is sobering to realize
that half of the world’s
population (3.5 billion) will die
before the seventh trumpet occurs!
During Bible
times, the Euphrates River was the
northern boundary of Israel. The
river was a natural barrier that
protected Israel from the marauding
kings of the north. In ancient times,
predator kings would pounce on weaker
nations each spring and take what
possessions and loot they could carry
off. However, Spring thaws in the
mountains caused the great river
Euphrates to flood each spring and
this flooding kept the kings of the
north from invading Israel.
Sometimes, the Euphrates would flood
excessively and this caused
overwhelming destruction within
Israel. Bible writers have compared
the devastation caused by floods (a
type of tsunami) with the devastation
caused by war[55] because
the outcome looks very similar. When
the sixth trumpet sounds, Jesus will
remove the barrier that He imposed on
Lucifer and his demons during the
fifth trumpet. During the fifth
trumpet, the devil and his demons are
not permitted to kill anyone;
however, this limitation will be
removed in the sixth trumpet. The
devil and his troops will be allowed
to kill one-third of mankind.
The language
used in the sixth trumpet uses
Israel’s geography to illustrate
a larger, but parallel concept. In
Bible times, the ancients believed
that divine destruction came out of
the north.[56] Because
the Euphrates River was a natural
barrier on Israel’s northern
boundary, the release of the four
demons bound at the river indicates
the river will no longer be a barrier
of protection. When released,
Lucifer’s four demons will raise
up an army of two hundred million
troops to kill a third of mankind.
This slaughter is associated with the
Euphrates River because excessive
flooding was totally destructive and
in Bible times, divine judgment
always came out of the north.[57] These
two features align with the fact that
the devil’s title in Greek and
Hebrew means “destroyer.”
Lucifer is represented as the horn
power out of the north in Daniel
8 and also the King of the North
in Daniel 11[58] for an
important reason. Lucifer will be
released from the Abyss to destroy.
The torture of the non-religious
during the fifth trumpet, the
imposition of the mark of the beast,
and the wholesale slaughter of saints
and rebels during the sixth trumpet
will produce a profound result. By
the time the sixth trumpet is
finished, all survivors will have
made a firm decision regarding whom
they will worship.
Revelation
9:15
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.{15} Long
ago, the Father predetermined the
very hour, day, month, and year
appointed for the sixth trumpet. When
the sixth trumpet sounded, Lucifer
abruptly changed character because
the devil and his forces were allowed
to kill one-third of mankind.
After five
months of convincing people that he
is Almighty God, Lucifer will move in
to make “the kill” when the
sixth trumpet sounds. Perhaps the
sixth trumpet will sound on the
1,039th day of the Great Tribulation.[59] Lucifer
will make outrageous demands and his
forces will kill whoever stands in
opposition. Remember, there is a
definite limit to the number of
saints that Lucifer can kill.[60] To
purify the world and establish his
so-called “kingdom of God,”
Lucifer will demand that everyone
abandon his former religion and
government and participate in his
everlasting government, a new
one-world-order, the devil’s
one-world-church-state (theocracy).
This demand will create confusion and
a great deal of opposition.
Therefore, killing a third of mankind
will be necessary.
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