The Sixth Trumpet

 

Masquerading as the Savior of the world, Lucifer will abruptly take control of Earth at the end of the sixth trumpet. He will announce that as “King of kings and Lord of lords,” the time has come to set up the “kingdom of God” on Earth. Anyone resisting will be killed. Lucifer’s demons will be allowed to kill one-third of mankind. These demons will conduct a simple loyalty test and everyone refusing to accept the mark of the beast will be killed. The devil will demand that everyone wear a tattoo; this mark (Greek: charagma: an engraving, a tattoo) will be the number 666 tattooed on each person’s right hand. Every business transaction will require verification, that is, the tattoo must be shown. The devil will impose many harsh demands on mankind and all who refuse to worship and obey this evil “God” are to be killed.

 

“The sixth angel sounded his trumpet [in Heaven’s temple], and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.” (Revelation 9:13, insertion mine) The golden altar before the throne is the Altar of Incense, the same altar from which the censer was cast down at the beginning of the seven trumpets. (Revelation 8:5) John heard the horns speak. Of course, the horns do not literally speak, but they are personified as speaking for a good reason.

 

“It [the voice coming out of the four horns] said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’”

(Revelation 9:14, insertion mine) The four horns on the Altar of Incense played an important role in the earthly temple service. Israel’s corporate guilt was transferred to the four horns each evening and morning via the blood of the evening and morning sacrifices. (Exodus 29:38-44)

 

Other than Leviticus 4, which clearly indicates that blood was applied to the horns of the Altar of Incense, there is no textual evidence explicitly stating that blood was applied to the horns of the Altar of Incense each evening and morning. I conclude that blood from the evening and morning sacrifices was applied to the horns for three reasons. First, there is no atonement for sin without the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 9:22) This is true for corporate sin as well as individual sin. (Leviticus 4) Second, The Altar of Incense had four horns like the Altar of Burnt Offering. (Exodus 37:25, 38:2) These horns were a repository for the record of guilt. In other words, corporate sin was transferred via the blood to the corporate altar. (Leviticus 9:7-12) Third, the Altar of Incense had to be cleansed of guilt on the Day of Atonement because the altar was defiled by the presence of guilt. (Leviticus 16:18) When these facts are aligned, personifying the horns on the Altar of Incense so that they can speak makes sense. The horns represent justice and mercy. The voice says, “Remove the barrier and let the Destroyer destroy.”

 

50/50

 

The four angels bound at the river in Revelation 9:14 are Lucifer’s demons, poised and ready to kill a third of mankind. When the appointed hour, day, month, and year arrives, the sixth trumpet will sound and these demons will be released. They will kill millions of saints (remember, God has predetermined the exact number of martyrs He will allow to perish-Revelation 6:11), and whoever remains in the non-religious wicked group will also be killed.

 

The language in Revelation 9:14 parallels the language in Revelation 7:1-4 where the four angels were told to wait until the 144,000 were sealed. Ironically, God’s four angels and Lucifer’s four angels will kill the same number of people! Consider the math:

 

Let us assume the population of the world will be 7 billion people when the censer is cast down. We know that twenty-five percent of the world will be destroyed when the fourth seal is broken and the first four trumpets occur. So, God’s four angels will kill 1.75 billion people. Subtracting 1.75 billion dead people from a total of 7 billion leaves 5.25 billion people alive. At the sixth trumpet, Lucifer’s four angels will kill a third of mankind. A third of 5.25 billion is another 1.75 billion people! The numbers indicate two things. First, in the battle for souls, Jesus and Lucifer are permitted to kill the same number of people. One kills out of the full cup principle; the other kills because his authority is questioned. Second, the population of Earth will be reduced by fifty percent by the end of the sixth trumpet! This is actually merciful given the extremity of those days.

 

The Great River Euphrates

The release of the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates means that the devil is clearly limited by Christ’s higher authority. Jesus limits the devil’s destruction to one-third of mankind. Have you ever wondered why the great river Euphrates is used in this passage? Actually, the imagery is simple. The great river Euphrates formed Israel’s northern boundary in ancient times. The great river was a natural boundary, keeping advancing armies from the north out of Israel’s northern territory. When the sixth trumpet sounds, the barrier that had been protecting the world from Lucifer’s destruction will be removed and Lucifer’s four angels will be released to sweep “out of the north” to destroy their limit without impediment. (Daniel 11:40)

 

“And the four angels [four demons] who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind [the timing of the sixth trumpet was determined long ago].  (Revelation 9:15, insertion mine)

 

“The number of the mounted troops [the demons represented to John as riders on horses] was two hundred million. I heard their number. (Revelation 9:16, insertion mine)

 

“The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.”

(Revelation 9:17-19) This caricature of Lucifer’s demons indicates there is no escape for mankind. No human army can defeat this foe. Lucifer and his demons will take control of the world away from mankind, and men will be powerless to stop them.

 

“The rest of mankind [the two-thirds] that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of their work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone an d wood-idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21, insertion mine)

 

Jesus holds the door to salvation open during the sixth trumpet, and 144,000 servants bravely give the final call, “Come out of her my people.” Even though the wicked see the despicable behavior of Lucifer and his demons killing a third of mankind, one would think that some people would repent. But, they do not. Like Pharaoh’s heart, their hearts have been hardened. They have committed the unpardonable sin and they stubbornly insist on maintaining their hostility toward Jesus and His demands. The establishment of Lucifer’s theocracy and the slaughter of one-third of mankind forces everyone to either surrender to Jesus or pass the point of no return. Everyone who rejects the final gospel invitation will commit the unpardonable sin. Jesus does not close the door to salvation on a single soul. Instead, everyone will make his own choice, and when the last individual on Earth makes his choice, Jesus terminates His offer of salvation! When the two Witnesses complete their work at the end of the 1,260 days, six trumpet judgments will have occurred and every survivor will be found worshiping the devil (the lamb-like beast) or worshiping Jesus (the Lamb).

 

Additional Thoughts

Before we close this segment on the sixth trumpet, here are five issues for your consideration:

 

1.   After the devil is released from the Abyss in the fifth trumpet, honest hearted people will see and understand the true character of evil. Currently, few people understand the demonic rage and cunning sophistry of Lucifer, but this will change. The world will get to see a glorious being who is committed to evil and destruction without reservation. When people observe the torture and murder that Lucifer and his angels inflict on humans during the fifth and sixth trumpets, some of the wicked will repent of their rebellion. Lucifer’s actions are a mirror. Any sinner would do as Lucifer does if given the opportunity because sin is just as predictable as love! God has allowed Lucifer and his angels to live for thousands of years to demonstrate this amazing truth. Any departure from righteousness, no matter who leads the rebellion, produces the same result. During the Great tribulation, God wants the world and the universe to see that sin is everything that He is not. The Holy Spirit will do everything short of violating a person’s free will to bring a person into God’s love, because in Christ there is love, freedom, and joy. His “Yoke is easy and His burden light.” (Matthew 11:30)

2.   The “religious wicked” group will be in for a devastating shock when Lucifer suddenly outlaws all of the religions on Earth. Religion and culture deeply permeate our thoughts and behavior, and it is almost impossible for a religious person to relinquish his cherished beliefs! When the devil establishes his theocracy, he will necessarily abolish all of the religions of the world. There will be one lord, one faith, and one baptism. Now, the “religious wicked” will face a conundrum. They will have no religious authority other than Lucifer! There will be no pope, no Mohammed, no Bible, no Koran, no Dali Lama, no sacred writings, and no other religious authority. Whom will the “religious wicked” now worship? This sudden vacuum will cause some people to reconsider the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3.   The Bible predicts the devil will force the mark of the beast on the inhabitants of Earth. “He [the lamb-like beast] also forced [remember, force is the last resort of false religion] everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark [the Greek word for “mark” is charagma, which means an etching or engraving”] on the right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is (1) the name of the beast or (2) the number of [belonging to] his name.” (Revelation 13:16,17, insertions mine) Multitudes of people will compromise and comply fully knowing that they are receiving the mark of the beast. They will make this decision because they are either rebellious toward God or they are cowards. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

 

Here is a possible scenario. When Lucifer abolishes the religious systems of the world, he will establish ten kings. These kings will do what ever the devil wants.

(Revelation 17:13) To enhance his control, I believe the devil will divide the people of Earth into groups of 1,000 with one person from each group of 1,000 chosen as their leader. This leader will report to his respective king leaving 999 people in each group. The devil will tell the world that 666 people from each group will be permitted to live and participate in his theocracy. Therefore, anyone wishing to avoid death must come forward by a specified date. This person must swear allegiance and loyalty to the devil and his government. To signify his fealty, the individual will then receive a tattoo on his right hand showing the number 666. This tattoo will clearly separate Lucifer’s opposition from those people willing to serve as devoted subjects. The good news for Earth’s survivors (if there is any good news) is that two-thirds of each group will be spared! This decree will quickly force the wicked to make their final decision. Many people will rush in to receive the tattoo because they know that each group will be limited to 666 survivors. This process explains why Lucifer’s theocracy is called “the great whore” in Revelation 17. When people willfully and knowingly worship the devil in order to survive, they have sold their souls to the devil.                 

 

Those who refuse the mark of the beast will become targets for murder. Millions of saints will be slaughtered. (Revelation 6:9-11; 16:6; 17:6) Most if not all of the 144,000 will perish. Even in the non-religious group, millions will be killed and if Lucifer deems it necessary, even those who willingly worship the devil will be killed. The devil is a sociopath. He loves no one. Only 666 will be allowed to live, the rest will be killed as quickly as the devil’s minions can find them. Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25,26)

 

The tattoo on the forehead is easy to understand. It is a simple counterfeit. The Bible says the names of Jesus and the Father will be engraved on the foreheads of the 144,000! See Revelation 14:1, 22:4) This glorious insignia on their foreheads will indicate their high rank wherever they travel throughout eternity. In his attempt to denigrate all that God plans for good, Lucifer will counterfeit this insignia by putting his name, in the form of an engraving (a tattoo) on the foreheads of his lieutenant in each group.

 

Lucifer’s assumed name (unknown at this time) will not be numerically equivalent to 666. The Bible does not indicate or require a Roman numeral translation. Rather, the Bible indicates the number 666 is the “number [of people] belonging to the man [of sin].” The Greek syntax puts this phrase in a genitive of possession case, that is, 666 people will belong to Lucifer. Look again at these verses: “He [the lamb-like beast] also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark [Greek: charagma – an etching, an engraving, a tattoo] on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the [visible tattoo] mark [to show everyone], which is (a) the [assumed] name of the beast [tattooed on the forehead] or (b) the number [of the people who belong to] of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate [count] the number of [people belonging to] the beast, for it is [the] man’s number [that is, the number belonging to the man of sin]. His number [of remaining people] is 666.” (Revelation 13:16-18, italics and insertions mine)

 

4.   I believe the devil will change the weekly cycle so that God’s seventh day Sabbath will move through the weekly cycle. In other words, suppose every tenth day is Lucifer’s holy day. The effect would be twofold. First, there would be less rest for everyone building up “the kingdom of God.” Exhaustion would be consistent with Lucifer’s demonic drive to destroy the people of Earth. Second and more importantly, a change in the weekly cycle would make God’s seventh-day Sabbath fall at different times and anyone resting during the work week would be easily spotted and killed.

5.   The destroyer will arrive with the intent of destroying everyone on Earth (even those who adore him) and he would quickly do so if he could, but Jesus holds him back for several reasons. One reason is restitution and vengeance. Jesus keeps a large number of the wicked alive so that He can deal with them during the seven bowls. Jesus will reward the wicked with suffering according to the suffering they impose on His children! “Do not revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

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