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SERVANTS' MINISTRY, Inc.
www.godcannotlie.org
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The
Book of Revelation
Lesson #9
The Last Three Trumpets
- Revelation 9:1-21
Rev. 9:1 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. (KJV) Then the fifth angel
blew his trumpet, and John saw a star falling to earth from the
sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.
The next 3 Trumpet Judgments are seperated from the first four.
This particular period will most likely be the worst part of the
Great Tribulation; but, we as God’s children, should not
let the things in this chapter frighten us. The woe judgments
(last 3 trumpets), will mark the darkest, most intense and most
painful part of the Tribulation period, generally associated with
the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, also known as the 70th
week of Daniel (Dan.9:24-27). This will be a terrible time! Our
Lord tells us this. Matthew 24:21 For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (KJV)
This 5th angel brings on the first of the WOE judgments. The
"star" is not a literal star. It is very possible
that it is yet another of God's good angels, for this verse tells
us to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. We
do not know who this star is. But it is most likely a good angel,
because the key to the shaft of the Abyss (bottomless pit, Hades)
is normally held by Christ (Rev.1:17-18), and is now given to
this “star” (being, angel) from Heaven (Rev.20:1).
This being is totally under God’s control and authority.
The Abyss represents the place of the demons and Satan, the king
of the demons (Rev.9:11). Luke 8:31 And they
besought him that he would not command them to go out into the
deep. (KJV) The demons begged Jesus not to send them into
the Bottomless Pit.
Rev. 9:2 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. (KJV) When he (the angel or living being)
opened the pit, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace,
and the sunlight and air were darkened by the smoke.
When the bottomless pit was unlocked, horrific, black, stinking
smoke gushed out, as though a volcano had errupted. This will
be a world-wide smog as has never been seen before.
Rev. 9:3-4 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. [4] 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. (KJV) Then locusts came
out of the smoke and descended on the Earth, and they were given
power to sting like scorpions. Their orders were not to hurt the
grass, plants or trees; but instead they were to attack all the
people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
The prophet Joel described a locust plague that would take place
in the day of the Lord (the Great Tribulation). Joel 2:1-5 Blow
ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain:
let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the
Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; [2] A day of darkness and
of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning
spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there
hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it,
even to the years of many generations. [3] A fire devoureth before
them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden
of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea,
and nothing shall escape them. [4] The appearance of them is as
the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
[5] Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall
they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the
stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (KJV) In
the Old Testsment, locusts were symbols of destruction because
they destroyed vegetation. Here in Rev.9:3-4, locusts symbolize
an invasion of demons called by God to torture ONLY the people
who do not believe in God.
These locusts are quite unusual and frightening.
- (1) They eat no plants or vegetation.
- (2) These locusts are literal creatures; and
resemble the literal animals named: lion, horse, scorpion and
man. The 8th plague in Egypt was that of locusts (Ex.10:12-20).
Rev. 9:5 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. (KJV) The locusts were told not to kill, just torture
unbelievers for five months with agony like the pain of scorpion
stings.
God places a time limit on the demons torturing people; five
months. This shows that they are under God’s authority,
as is everything at all times! These demons are the fallen angels
who joined Satan in his rebellion and fall. They can do NOTHING
without God’s permission. Their main purpose in this judgment
on Earth is to prevent, destroy, distort people’s relationship
with God. Not all demons are in the Bottomless Pit. There are
some serving Satan today (Luke 8:31). It is very important to
recognize their evil activity so we can stay away from them, but
we must avoid any curiousity about them and we must not get involved
with them in any way.
Rev. 9:6 And in those days shall men seek
death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death
shall flee from them. (KJV) In those days people will want
to die, but death will not come.
There shall be many people in this awful period who will try
to end their lives because of the constant torture; but that will
not be possible. Death will not come to them.
Rev. 9:7-10 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. [8] And they had hair as the hair of women, and
their teeth were as the teeth of lions. [9] 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.
[10] And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings
in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. (KJV)
I read a commentary on this Passage recently. The author’s
theory was that this was the modern day helicopter. All I know
is what God states through John. These grotesque “locusts”
look like horses; have faces like men; have hair like women (long),
have teeth like lions and have tails like scorpions. These do
NOT kill! They just torture people! Personally, I think if this
were helicopters, there would be death, for helicopters would
be associated with war and killing. How could a helicopter "sting
like a scorpion"? But, as I said before, I am NOT a scholar.
I know only God places on my heart. Whatever these are, there
shall be human agony like has never been known before! You do
NOT want to be there!
Rev. 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. (KJV) These locusts have a king. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon,
and in Greek, Apollyon, the Destroyer.
These locust-demons have a leader (king) whose name in Hebrew
means destruction and in Greek means destroyer. These are NOT
regular locusts (insects) as we know them. Proverbs 30:27 states
that locusts (insects) have NO king.
Rev. 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold,
there come two woes more hereafter. (KJV) The first terror
is past, but woe be to them on Earth, two more terrors are coming!
I wouldn’t want to be around for the first woe, let alone
two more to follow. The first woe lasted 5 months. Apparently
the 2nd two woes will cover the remaining part of the 2 1/2 years.
This verse seems to be warning that worse things are yet to come.
Rev. 9:13-14 And 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 which had the trumpet,
Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. (KJV) When the sixth angel blew his trumpet, John heard a
voice speaking from the four corners of the gold altar that stands
in the Presence of God. The voice spoke to the sixth angel who
held the trumpet: "Release the four angels who are bound
at the great Euphrates River."
When the 6th angel sounds his trumpet, it brings on the 2nd woe.
The altar in the Temple had four projections, one at each corner,
and these were called horns of the altar (Ex.27:2). The 6th angel
who sounds his trumpet also does something else. A voice from
the golden altar (most likely Christ), commands him to release
the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
These four angels most certainly are evil angels! What other reason
would they be bound? Why they were bound here (near where the
Garden of Eden was) must have a significant meaning. This area
is where the first sin began! The first murder was here; the first
war was here; this is where the Flood began; this is where the
people built a tower (Babel) as a monument to their greatness
(Gen.11:4); this is where the Israelites were brought after their
captivity in Babylon, and where they then turned to idolatry.
These four “angels” will cause much devastation. It
will be in this general area that Satan will finally fall.
Rev. 9:15-16 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. [16] And the number of
the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and
I heard the number of them. (KJV) The four angels who had
been prepared for this particular moment, were turned loose to
kill one-third of all the people on earth. They led an army of
200 million mounted troops . . . John heard how many there were.
When these four angels are released, there will be WAR! These
angels are very specific angels, and they have a very specific
job! They will not be loosed until exactly the right moment! This
is on God’s time clock . . . NOT ours! These demons will
be in control of 200 million soldiers! Can you even imagine that
many troops? I cannot! From where do all these soldiers come?
China, Japan and India could very easily come up with that amount.
When this takes place, one third of all the people in the world
will be killed. In Rev.6:7-8, one fourth of the world’s
population was killed, so that is over half the people in the
world, killed by God’s great judgments. Even more would
have been killed if God did not set limits on the destruction. Is God good? YES! Is God a God of
love? YES! Absolutely! BUT . . . you must do things His way; you
must abide by God’s rules or face His wrath and judgment!
Your choice. If you keep rejecting His Son by unbelief, you could
very well see these things happen. Only by accepting Jesus and
becoming God’s child will you avoid this terrible time.
GOD DOES LOVE YOU! God wants you to be His child, to live with
Him in Heaven with Him for eternity. Do you love Him enough to
believe Him?
Rev. 9:17-18 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. [18] 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. (KJV) Now, John sees horses
and riders on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and
sky blue and yellow. The horses' heads were like the heads of
lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their
mouths. One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these
three plagues . . . by the fire, smoke and burning sulfur that
came from the mouths of the horses.
Some commentators say these are modern day tanks. This could
be. I will NOT say “No these are not tanks.” But,
it could be demons or demon-controlled men. Three plagues are
mentioned: (1) Fire. (2) Smoke. (3) Brimstone. ALL of these are
literal (real), and all of these took place when God’s judgment
came down on Sodom and Gomorrah, causing total destruction. Unlike
the “locusts” in verse 5 who just tortured
people, these horses and their riders will cause death. Unlike
the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the result of this
judgment will be 1/3 of the world’s population dying. There
are so many who say “I can’t understand the Book of
Revelation.” Maybe one of the major problems is, they refuse
to BELIEVE it! If you simply read it and believe it (believe GOD),
it becomes very clear! We do NOT need to know every detail! All
we need to know is that God does NOT lie! He plainly states that
these things shall happen! Believe Him!
Rev. 9:19 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. (KJV) Their power
was in their mouths, but also in their tails. For their tails
had heads like snakes, and power to injure people.
These are not natural horses. Instead of hair for their tails,
they had tails like unto serpents. This does not say they had
snakes for their tails, but that their tails were like snakes,
in the respect that they could injure and kill people. Their mouths
and tails will destroy mankind.
Rev. 9:20-21 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: [21] Neither repented they
of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication,
nor of their thefts. (KJV) But the people who were not killed
in these plagues still refused to turn from their evil ways. They
continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze,
stone, and wood . . . idols that neither see nor hear nor walk!
Nor did they repent of their murders, their witchcraft, their
immorality or their thefts.
People don’t usually fall into immorality and evil all
at once. They slip into it, bit by bit, day by day, and most don’t
even realize what has happened. By the time they realize it, they
are so bogged down in their wicked ways, they really don’t
care any more. This can and will happen to anyone who allows sin
to take root in their lives, without correcting it. Temptation
is NOT a sin; but giving in to that temptation IS a sin! For it
then becomes a habit; which ends in spiritual death, which is
eternal separation from a good and loving God (James 1:12-15;
2 Thes.1:8-9). Please don’t ever think that you could never
become this evil; for that is just the first step toward a hard
heart. The people in these verses were so hard-hearted that even
these horrendous plagues did not drive them to God.
These people do NOT turn away from their wicked ways: demon worship,
idolatry of every imaginable kind, murder, witchcraft, fornication,
adultery, theft, etc., etc. They do not repent. I think sorceries
could possibly refer to drugs. The Greek word for sorcery is pharmakeion,
from which comes our English word pharmacy. I think drugs will
play a big part in the Great Tribulation. I think drugs will make
it possible for people to bear the pain and agony better when
they are bitten or stung by these creatures. Too, I think it possible
that drugs will be used in demon worship. What we see today in
satanic worship is minor to what it will be in those days. People
are, and will be easily lured by Satan. 2 Thes. 2:11-12 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: [12] That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (KJV)
We must have the redeeming power of God in our life. ALL men and
women everywhere need to repent and receive the power of Jesus’
Blood as an atonement for their sins. Without it, there is NO
hope of eternal life; only the certain and mighty judgment of
God! John 3:18 He
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God. (KJV)
There is no wrath, no judgment awaiting for those who trust Him.
But those who do not trust Him have already been judged for not
believing in the only Son of God. PLEASE, PLEASE BELIEVE
GOD!
The Book of Revelation
Lesson #1, Ch.1:1-11 . . Lesson #2, Ch.1:12-2:7 . . Lesson #3, Ch.2:8-20 . . Lesson #4, Ch.3:1-22 . . Lesson #5, Ch.4:1-5:14 . . lesson #6, Ch.6:1-17 . . Lesson #7, Ch.7:1-17 . . Lesson #8, Ch.8:1-13 . . Lesson #9, Ch.9:1-21 . . Lesson #10, Ch.10:1-11 . . Lesson #11, Ch.11:1-19 . . Lesson #12, Ch.12:1-17 . . Lesson #13, Ch.13:1-10 . . Lesson #14, Ch.13:11-18 . . Lesson#15,Ch.14:1-13 . . Lesson #16, Ch.14:14-20 . . Lesson #17, Ch.15:1-8 . . Lesson#18,Ch.16:1-14 . . Lesson #19, Ch.16:15-21 . . Lesson #20, Ch.17:1-18 . . Lesson #21, Ch.18:1;17A . . Lesson #22, Ch.18:17B-24 . . Lesson #23, Ch.19:1-10 . . Lesson #24, Ch.19:11-21 . . Lesson #25, Ch. 20:1-15 . . Lesson #26, Ch.21:1-27 . . Lesson #27, Ch.22:1-6 . . Lesson #28, Ch.22:7-21
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