Because this is a long post, don’t hesitate to break it up and go
through it in two or three sittings.
Before we look at these two chapters, we need to remind ourselves where
we have been so far in the book.
1. Review
After reminding the Church in the first three chapters that with the
presence and power of Jesus Christ and in the face of hostile cultures, we are
to endure in living on mission, we discovered in the next two chapters that all
which is happening in the world during this current age is ordained by God and
flows out of the central set of events of all time—the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. The unfolding of these events is envisioned by the breaking of
seals on a scroll (or book) that signifies the unfolding of history in the
sixth chapter. After the sixth seal is broken, there is an interlude in chapter
seven to show that in the midst of the brokenness and trials in this current
world, genuine followers of Jesus are protected from being destroyed in the
ultimate way (that of facing the judgment of God by falling short of their eternal
reward).
Revelation 6:12-17, the opening of the sixth seal, has brought us to
the very end of this age and to the final judgment of God. It is because of
this that 7:1-17 takes a step back to show that genuine saints are protected
against this judgment.
2. The Bridge From The Seven
Seals To The Seven Trumpets[1]
Revelation 8:1 brings us to the seventh seal. We read there: “When the
Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an
hour.” This is the first break in the continual worshiping in heaven we have
seen so far in Revelation. The quiet may be due to the fact that the unfolding
of events in this age has positioned us at the coming of Jesus Christ, and
silence in the presence of our holy Lord and in the face of catclysmic events
(especially judgment) is very appropriate (see Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 1:7; Zech.
2:13). The silence for about a half an hour (a short period) may also remind us
that during this age it can appear that God is delaying the coming of our
Savior, but the reality is that it is certain to happen.
What the seventh seal consists of is the unfolding of another set of
seven actions, this time the blowing of seven trumpets. We read of this in 8:2:
“Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were
given to them.” Yet, before these angels blow their trumpets (see 8:6-9:21),
which take us through another view of the unfolding of events in this current
church age, the vision reverts back to the subject of the final judgment (the
focus of 6:12-17, just prior to the interlude). We read in verses 3-5:
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a
golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all
the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense,
with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5
Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw
it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of
lightning, and an earthquake.
The phenomena on the earth we see in verse 5 speak of the time of God’s
final judgment on the earth and of sinners (cf. Acts 2:19-20; Rev. 6:12-17).
Yet, notice that this judgment is pictured as being poured out of a censer from
the altar whose smoke and fire are mixed with the prayers of the saints. Since
this takes place at the altar in the heavenly temple and we saw souls under that
same altar in 6:9 praying for justice in the world and judgment upon
persecutors, we are intended to conclude here that God’s final judgment upon
sinners comes, at least in part, in response to the prayers of his people.
We might ask the question, “But if God has already decided to bring
this final judgment, how can saints’ prayer have an impact?” Now, if we stop and
think about the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, we see another example of
praying for something God has promised he would bring (his full kingdom, Mt.
6:10a). Just what are we to make of this all?
We must understand, as 17th century Christians put it, “God,
from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will,
freely, and unchangeably ordain whatever comes to pass; yet has done it in such
a way that God is not the author of sin; the will of the creatures is not
violated or passed over; and the genuine possibility of various outcomes or
choices included in second causes is not removed, but rather established.”[2] In other words, God works through means and
agents who make genuine choices that matter!
As we have discovered over and over again since Revelation 4, God is
both absoutely sovereign and we are genuinely free in and responsible for our
choices.
So, for example, though we know that if we are genuinely saved, we will
persevere and receive our eternal reward (see Rom. 8:29-30), nevertheless, God
works through and in response our praying so that we can persevere. Likewise,
we know that God has either ordained that our neighbor will trust in him as
Savior or not. Yet, we also know that our neighbor will not trust in Jesus
Christ as Savior unless someone prays for him (cf. Eph. 6:19; Col. 4:2-6) and
he comes into contact with the gospel so he can respond in faith (Rom.
10:13-17). So, if we pray for and share the gospel with our neighbor (or
someone[s] does) he might trust Jesus. If we or no one else does, he will not.
Choices and actions matter, for God ordains not just the end results, but also the
means behind what happens.
So, what Jesus Christ reveals about our triune God through John is that
he is soveriegn to bring about the ends he has ordained, he can and does direct
the course of history (including choices), and he also answers prayer. In fact,
if he were not soveriegn in this way, that is, directing history’s course, and
also able to direct hearts and wills, he would not be able to answer prayer!
God’s absolute sovereignty, properly understood, is not an impediment to prayer
or gospel work. Rather it should serve as an encouragement for prayer and
gospel work.
As we pray, then, for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom and his
promises, as well as full justice and judgment in this world, we are certain
that a day is coming when God will answer those prayers and all peoples and
nations will either be subdued by his grace to worship him (Is. 25:3; Rev.
5:9-10) or they will face God’s judgment (Rev. 10:11; 11:19).
What an amazing truth: God responds to our praying in carrying out his
plan!
Once we grasp this, we are now ready to move on and look at the further
unfolding of God’s plan as envisioned in the first six trumpets.
The First Six Trumpets
In Revelation 8:6-9:21 we see the blowing of the first six of the seven
trumpets that flow out of the seventh seal. We discover, then, what God is
doing in the world during this current age and in response to the prayers of his
people to execute judgment on the persecuting world—leading up to the last
judgment.[3] It
seems as if the Exodus plagues (Exodus 7-12) and the trumpets of Jericho (Joshua
6) serve as the background to these trumpet judgments.
What is envisioned in the first four trumpets
are events of history that are packed with biblical significance. In other
words, they are strongly tied into Old Testament events and signify that God
deprives the ungodly of earthly security due to their persecution, rebellion,
and idolatry, and does this in order to indicate their separation from Him.
Here is what we read in 8:6-12:
Now the seven angels who had the seven
trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there
followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth.
And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned
up, and all green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and
something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea,
and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the
sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a
great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of
the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A
third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water,
because it had been made bitter.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a
third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars,
so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might
be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.
We can say the following about these four
trumpets:
·
Exodus 9:13-33
(seventh plague in Egypt) and Ezek. 4-5 (judgment of Jerusalem because of
idolatry) stand behind Trumpet 1.
·
Exodus 7:14-25 (the
first plague in Egypt) and Jer. 51 (Destruction of Babylon) are behind Trumpet
2. “Mountain” in Revelation tends to speak of kingdoms or nations and here is
based on the mountain of Babylon in Jeremiah 51 which is destroyed in God’s
judgment.
·
Famine is probably involved
in the first three trumpets.
·
Several passages seem
to be behind the third trumpet: Ps. 78:44; Is. 14; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Amost 5:7.
In Amos 5:7, as God, through the prophet, confronts Israel in her sin, he
describes them as those who “turn justice to wormwood and cast down
righteousness to the earth.” Wormwood is a plant native to Europe, Asia and
northern Africa and that has a bitter-tasing and poisonous extract. The point
in Amos is that Israel, rather than acting justly and righteously, they are
acting in a bitter and poisonous fashion—deserving of judgment! The point of
the third trumpet, then, is in the same way people have acted poisonously and
bitterly (rather than justly and righteously), so their just desserts will be
poison and bitterness.
·
The fourth trumpet is similar
to what we see of the sixth seal in Rev. 6:12-13 (final judgment), but it does
not deal with the whole earth and so is not final judgment, but only a
precursor to it.
·
The fourth trumpet is also
a logical climax of the first three and it has Jer. 15:9; Amos 8:9; Joel
2:1-10; Zeph. 1:15-16; Is. 13:10; Ezek. 32:7-8 behind it.
·
The parallelism of the
first four bowls (Revelation 16:1-9) with the first four trumpets confirms that
the judgments in both series come because of idolatry (Rev. 16:2). Yet, they
also occur in response to the persecution of the saints (Rev. 16:5-7).
·
Commentator Greg Beale
adds: “The Exodus plagues are understood in Revelation 8-9 as a typological
foreshadowing of the trumpet plagues, whose effect is escalated to the world now.”
These first four trumpets show that the
events of history (esp. in this inter-advent age) are not spiritually neutral.
They flow out of the life, death, resurrection, ascension, session of Jesus and
the working out of God’s salvation history—as well as the world’s response to all
this—and God’s just response to the world’s cross-defying, resultant evil.
In the fifth and sixth trumpets we discover that
demons are commissioned by the angels blowing the trumpets to punish hardened
unbelievers (8:13-9:21). It is also made clear that ultimately God is the one
who has ordained the actions of these demons and so we see his sovereignty even
over the most evil dimension of our world.
In Rev. 8:13 we have a new vision that
comprises the introduction to the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets: “Then I
looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly
overhead, ‘Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the
other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!’” The Exodus model is
still in view since plagues get more severe as they go. The spiritual
heightening of the last three trumpets is indicated by the direct involvement
of demons Flying in mid-air elsewhere
refers to flying creatures that anticipate final judgment (14:6; 19:17; cf. 18:12). Even beyond this, eagles
often signal coming destruction in the Old Testament (Dt. 28:49; Jer. 4:13;
48:40; Lam. 4;19; Ezek. 17:3; Hos. 8:1).
In Rev. 8:13 we also are introduced to the
reality the final three trumpets are each referred to as a “woe.” This is seen
in, “Woe, woe, woe…at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels
are about to blow.” This is also seen in 9:12 (“The first woe has passed;
behold, two woes are still to come.”) and 11:14 (“The second woe has passed;
behold, the third woe is soon to come”).[4]
In the fifth trumpet (9:1-12) demons are
commissioned to torment hardened unbelievers by further impoverishing their
souls and reminding them of their hopeless present and future. When the fifth
angel blows his trumpet, here is what we find: “and I saw a star fallen from
heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit”
(9:1). Since this star is the same or similar to what we see in 8:10 (an angel
representing sinful people and undergoing judgment along with them), since the
star is a being that can open the bottompless pit, since the Old Testament
background is Is. 14:12-15 (the fall of the Babylonian king as a type of
Satan), since Jesus uses almost identical language to speak of the fall of
Satan (Lk. 10:18), and since Satan is said to be king over the demonic locusts
that this star unleashes from the bottomless pit (9:11), it seems most likely
this start is a fallen angel (i.e. a demon).[5]
Given the strong liklihood the fallen star is
a satanic angel who will inflict judgment on unrepentant humanity, readers gain
an ever-expanding view of the sovereignty of God in Revelation. He is even
sovereign over satanic and demonic activity, using it for his glory and purposes.
The reader of Revelation dare not miss the later picture of an angel coming
down from heaven, holding a key in his hand to the bottomless pit in 20:1—and
the picture there of Satan being bound for a thousand years before being
released. Here, in 9:1-14f., this angelic being opens the pit and eventually
frees evil angels. The point seems to be that their activity is fully under the
sovereign control of God! That God is sovereign over the activity of even these
evil angels (demons), is additionally supported by the structure of Revelation.
It is the Father and the slain-and-risen Lamb who are sovereign over and who
are unfolding all the events of this age that include what we see in the seals
(Revelation 4-6)—seals which give way to the trumpets (8:1-5). The point is
unmistakable, that God has decreed the events we see here.
In verse 2 we see smoke arise from the opened
bottomless pit: “He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft
rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were
darkened with the smoke from the shaft.” In the Old Testament smoke suggests
God’s holy presence and, as such, the judgment that comes upon those who do not
worship and follow him (Gen. 19:28; Exodus 19:18; Dt. 29:20; Isaiah 6:4; Nah.
2:13).
In verses 3-11 we see locusts unleashed upon
the earth that signify demons. Because they emerge from the bottomless-pit at
the ultimate bidding of God and with the smoke, they are serving as God’s
agents of judgment. In these verses we read:
Then from the smoke came locusts on the
earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any
tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and
their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And
in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to
die, but death will flee from them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses
prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their
faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth
like lions' teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the
noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing
into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to
hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them
the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he
is called Apollyon.[6]
As I have studied Revelation these past few
years and seen the vast Old Testament background behind what we read at almost
every point along the way, I have become even more convinced we are not to try
and understand these locusts by looking around us at military weaponry (e.g.
helicopters) or anything else we might imagine existing in the future that they
might represent. Rather, we are to see how these visions emerge from the Old
Testament and how they are used in context here in Revelation. Their Old
Testament backgrounds are found in the eighth plague unleased on idolatrous,
rebellious, persecuting Egypt (Exodus 10:1-20) and in the book of Joel, where
we see locusts as judgment upon those who falsely profess faith in the true
God. The vision of these locusts is intended to communicate that during this
current age one of the things God is continually doing is revealing his wrath
against sin (cf. Romans 1:18) through demons.
There is no doubt that Jesus has defeated
Satan and his demons and this has tremendous potential to strengthen and
encourage genuine Jesus followers in the face of satanic hostility (cf. Rev.
12). Yet, for those without Jesus Christ and without his Spirit, there is no
protection. Satan blinds their eyes to the truths of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4), they
face the great dragon, Satan, and these demons who permeate the entire world,
with no armor and no protection (Eph. 6:10-18). As they give into him more and
more and give him more and more of a place in their lives, he destroys them
that much more (Eph. 4:26-27). Though there can be strong and visible displays
of demonization (e.g. Mark 5:1-20), much of the work of Satan and his demons is
also behind the scenes and unknown to those who are not spiritually empowered
or illuminated (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; 11:14; Eph. 6:10-13).
Just one of the many examples that could be
offered of how this can happen is through alcoholism and narcotics addiction.
Being under the influence of such substances is the opposite of being filled
with the Spirit of God and thus directed by him (Eph. 5:18). The strong
connection between the activity of Satan, demons, sorcery, and being under the
influence of other substances (which give even greater openness for the work of
Satan and demons) is seen in the Greek work for “sorcery” or “witchcraft” (pharmakeia [see Gal. 5:20; Rev.
9:21; 18:23]). It is the word from which we get our word for pharmacy or
pharmaceuticals. In part, this arises from the strong, consistent, and
multifaceted use of drugs in sorcery. When we look around us at the widespread
devastation that comes from alcoholism and drug addiction (consider our present
opioid crisis!), there should be no doubt that there is an enemy behind this
who seeks to devour and destroy.[7]
The way that the material in Revelation 6-20 works
is that what is taking place can serve as trials and discipline in the lives of
genuine believers, as well as judgment upon those who do not worship and follow
the true God and Savior. There is also room for people to repent and trust in
Jesus Christ as Savior in the midst of these events (and even motivated by the
strong demonic activity [cf. also Mk. 5:1-20; 2 Cor. 4:4, 6]). After all, the
144,000, which is also the great innumerable multitude redeemed from all the
nations (see Rev. 7:1-9f.), also comprises those “coming out of the great
tribulation” (Rev. 7:14). In other words, in a context of this strong,
devastating demonic activity, many people will turn to Jesus Christ as Savior,
realizing he is the only remedy for and salvation from sin and the great enemy!
In Revelation 9:12 we have a transition from
the fifth to the sixth trumpet: “The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are
still to come.”
Revelation 9:13-21 tells of the sixth angel
and what happens when he blows his trumpet, and it also takes us right up to
the interlude between trumpet six and trumpet seven (10:1-11:14). The main
activity we discover is that demons are commissioned to judge hardened
unbelievers by ensuring the final punishment of some through deception until
death, leaving the deceived remainder unrepentant. In verses 13-21 we read the
following:
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I
heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to
the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at
the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for
the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of
mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten
thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision
and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of
sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and
fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a
third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of
their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their
tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they
wound.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed
by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up
worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood,
which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or
their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.[8]
What we find in the sixth trumpet is God
commissioning demons to carry out judgment, just like we saw in the fifth
trumpet. Whereas in the fifth trumpet the emphasis was upon pain, destruction,
and hopelessness among those who refuse to turn to the true God, the emphasis
in this sixth trumpet is on the increase of deception that the demons bring
about among the unrepentant, a deception that is not only their just desserts,
but also confirms them in their unbelief and prepares them for ultimate
judgment. We see that deception is the emphasis here in the following ways:
·
First, we are told
that “the power of the horses is in their mouths” (19). Perhaps, if we did not
have such strong evidence surrounding this statement that focuses upon the
messages they advance, we might think the picture is of horses biting. But this
is not the case. It is on what they say.
·
Second, we read that
“the power of the horses is…in their tails, for their tails are like serpents
with heads, and by means of them they wound” (19). In other words, the horses
(which make us think of demons going forth in battle) are snake-like beings,
who wound with not just their mouth, but also their tale. This may confuse if
we are trying to read this literally. Snakes do not wound with their tales. The
point of the vision is that these demonic hordes wound like the ancient serpent
did in the garden and just like he has done since then—through his lies, his
deception (cf. Gen. 3:1, John 8:44; Rev. 12:9). These demons deceive people and
apart from the sovereign, powerful, and regenerating work of God in the hearts
of people (2 Cor. 4:6; Titus 3:5-6), they will stay in blindness and never see
their need for Christ (1 Cor. 2:13-14; 2 Cor. 4:4). We must not miss that for
these people to believe the lies that lead to more deception, deeper blindness,
and deeper spiritual death, is part of their just desserts.
·
Third, in verses
20-21, we learn that those who are the focus of this demonic activity are
blinded and deafened just like the demonic idols they worship. This emphasizes
a theme in Revelation and throughout the Bible—namely we become like what we
worship and this includes the inability to hear and see our need for the true
God and Savior and a lack of desire to repent and trust in him. This strongly
suggests what is going on is deception upon the hearts and minds of these
unbelievers.[9]
Why?
What we see, then, in the first six trumpets
is that during this current age God is continually revealing his wrath and
judgment for the sin of idolatry, rebellion, and the persecution of his own
people. He is doing this, in part, by commissioning demons to bring destruction
and deception upon the earth, which comprise the just desserts mankind is
bringing upon himself. What is also clear is that God is not only unleashing
these events (which could include natural disasters, but also and mostly war,
human trafficking, addictions, false teachings, harsh governmental regimes [as
we’ll see later in Revelation], destruction of the family, and destruction of
marriage, and other forms of social injustice, et. al.) in response to the
prayers of his people for justice, he has also decreed them as the absolutely
sovereign God who is over all the universe.
This leads to a very important question: Why
would God ordain such events? The ultimate answer is found in a pattern we see
elsewhere in the Bible, namely, God has ordained sin and its outcomes (hard
hearts, pain, suffering, and judgment) so that he could put his grace and mercy
on display to an extent that is far greater than without such things—and in a
manner that angels and people make genuine and responsible choices (see God’s
dealings with Egypt and their Pharaoh in Exodus 3-14, as well as Paul’s
statement in Rom. 9:22-23). When we apply this pattern, this way of thinking,
to God’s ordination of the work of Satan and his demons in this age, what we
discover is the most likely answer to our question is that God has ordained
that he would permit these actions so that it intensifies the struggle between
Satan, demons, and God, and highlights that much more the glory of God’s grace,
mercy, goodness, and his power.
What we are left with in our daily experience
is that though we cannot explain why certain horrific things in the world are
happening—especially in relation to each individual impacted (is it trial,
discipline, or judgment?), we do know at least that the world is the way it is
because God has ordained it; it is also broken and not in accordance with God’s
holy moral will; we face a formidable set of enemies in sin and Satan, and yet
God is far greater; God is answering the prayers of his people and as such,
these prayers are greatly impacting history; God is not overlooking the pain,
suffering, and evil in the world, for he is revealing his judgment on it
currently, and will bring ultimate judgment and justice in the future—making
all things right; in the midst of it all, we can trust God in the face of great
hostility, pain, and suffering; and we can be assured that God will keep his
promises to us and will glorify himself in it all.
One of the great gifts that God gives to us
in Revelation, especially in the seals and trumpets, is that he shows us at
least in a big picture way why things are the way they are and assures us that
all the attributes of God that Scripture reveals continue to be true of him now
and always. So, we can trust him!
Delighting In The Power Of Prayer In God’s
Plan With You!
Tom
[1] These five verses (8:1-5)
serve as both a conclusion to the seals (vv. 1, 3-5) and a transition to the
trumpets (v. 2). We see this same kind of phenomenon in 15:2-4, where the
beginning narration of the following plague series is temporarily interrupted
by a continuing description of the final judgment scene in 14:4-20. These
verses cover the final judgment and demonstrate that this final judgment (and
even the trumpets that flow out of this text) is in response to the saints’
prayer in 6:10.
[3]
Both assertions in this sentence are made based upon contextual grounds. In
regard to the prayer it is the immediate context of Rev. 8:1-5. In regard to
the focus being on this current age it is the numerous indicators of this we
have already seen in the first seven chapters.
The seven trumpets stretch from 8:6-11:19 and comprise
the second cycle or view of this current age we find in Revelation 6-20. We
find an interlude between trumpets 6 and 7 in chapters 10-11, as we did between
seals 6 and 7 in chapter 7. The more carefully we look at the details of the
entire book, the more we see it is tightly put together, intentionally
structured, and truly does recapitulate through this current age and progresses
in the vision of this age with each cycle.
[4]
That the statement on the second and third woes does not come until the end of the
interlude (11:4), shows the parenthetical nature of 10:1-11:14.
[5]
This is also validated elsewhere in Revelation, since stars can represent
angels (albeit good angels: 1:16, 20; 2:1, 8, 12, 18, et. al.) and by the
reality the bottomless pit is the place of Satan and his demons (20:1-7).
[6]
Some of the key points we should not miss in these verses are as follows: (1)
The mixing of appearances (locust, scorpion, human, women’s hair, lion, horse)
is typical for apocalyptic literature. The point is to heighten and emphasize
their distorted and monstrous character. (2) The sting or hurt that comes like
a scorpion is intended to convey and emphasize the painful nature of what they
do. (3) That their destruction is not on all the earth or all mankind without
exception (v. 4) conveys this is not the final judgment. It is what is
happening before that time. (4)That people want to die and cannot, simply gives
a picture of the devastation and hopelessness many can be in. Their lives are a
mess and they feel like they’d be better off dead. (5) The five month period of
the destruction of the locusts appears to communicate two truths. To begin,
since a normal locust swarm would last a few days (and yet at the same time,
many swarms could be seen as long as five months), there is a sense in which
these demonic armies torment for a long period of time throughout this age. Yet,
the other truth intended is probably this: Five months is relatively short
compared to the other time spans in the book (3.5 years, 1,000 years,
eternity). So, a point may be that there is a limited period this will take
place. There will come a time when mankind will
no longer deal with Satan and demons (cf. Rev. 20:7-15). Also, for any
one individual, the sufferings of this present life are not even worthy to be
comared to the glory that will be revealed in us—making them seem, in one
sense, light light, momentary afflictions (Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17). (6) The
main focus of this demonic activity is those who are not Jesus followers (v.
4). As we will see below, this does not mean demons have no impact or influence
upon believers (cf. Eph. 6:10-18; Rev. 12). It does mean that the main focus
here in trumpet five is the impact upon the unbelieving world. (7) Verse 11 is
a fitting summary for what we see happening here. The main point in this
trumpet is that God commissions Satan and his demons to destruction upon those
who refuse to trust in and worship the true God. Their judgment, then, is they
are reaping their just desserts as their death leads to more death.
[7]
By this I do not mean that every alcoholic or drug addict is demon possessed or
that they have consciously opened themselves up to demons or the occult. There
are different degrees of demonization that range all the way from the influence
and oppostion demons can carry out against believers (e.g. Eph. 6:10-13) all
the way to full-blown possession (and everything in between).
[8]
Some of the key points we should not miss in these verses are as follows: (1)
That a voice comes from the the four horns of the golden altar before God,
telling the sixth angel to release the four angels bound at the river, most
likely is intended to tie this sixth trumpet back into the transition from the
seals to the trumpets (8:1-5) and ultimately to the prayers of the persecuted
and martyred saints for justice (6:9-10). It is another indication that what
God is doing in this current age is not only flowing out of his eternal
decrees, but also in response to the prayers of his people. (2) The larger
context suggests the voice is coming ultimately from God himself. He has
decreed these events. (3) The release of four angels bound at the river
Euphrates not only calls readers back to Old Testament history and how enemies
multiple times came from the direction of Babylon, but we also find parallel
between this sixth trumpet and also the sixth bowl judgment (16:12), emphasizing
again the recapitulating nature of these chapters. (4) That these are evil
angels is seen from the parallel to Rev. 16:12 (see especially 16:14) (5) That
these evil angels have been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the
year (v. 15) emphasizes God’s sovereignty and his decree behind what is taking
place. (6) The gigantic size of this demonic army (200 million) is, on the one
hand, not as large as the innumerable great multitude of the redeeemed in 7:9.
Yet, on the other hand, the size is intended to convey to the reader that this
is no merely human army. Rather, it is an army of demons that stretches across
the globe and influences all kinds of people. To say it is a formidable enemy
is a gross understatement! (7) The mixed appearance of horses, soldiers, sulfur
coming out of mouths, tails like serpents (vv. 17-19) is intended to highlight
the monstrous and distorted nature of these demonic beings that are unleased on
mankind. (8) Fire, smoke, and sulfur in the Old Testament depict God’s judgment
(see esp. Genesis 19). Just like with trumpet five, so here, God has
commissioned demons to bring judgment upon rebellious, idolatrous, persecuting
mankind. (9) That only 1/3 of mankind is killed shows these events are not part
of the final judgment, which will be all-inclusive, but rather precedes it.
[9]
We should also not miss that many during this age will be killed as a result of
this blinding and deafening work of demons (v. 18), but not all will be (v.
20). Yet, even among those who are not killed as a result of this demonic
activity, they will not repent and believe apart from the sovereign grace of
God!
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