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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
June 8, 2025
The 5th & 6th Trumpets: Torment by “Locusts” & Death of a Third
Revelation 8:13-9:21
◘Introduction
Nine years ago Ed Colón preached a sermon entitled “The Fear of God” in which he pointed out the truths and ramifications of Proverbs 1:7 & 9:10 that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom. ◘True success in life – accomplishing the purpose of your existence – begins with a proper fear of your Creator. Ed also pointed out the consequences of not having that fear, which summarized in Proverbs 1:7, 29 is a hatred of knowledge, instruction and wisdom. Lacking a proper fear of God, man becomes arrogant in his utter foolishness. I highly recommend that sermon for it not only explains the underlying cause of the state of our society, but also why mankind will respond the way it will in the future tribulation period. https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/102161450461
◘2 Peter 3:15 points out that God’s longsuffering patience with sinners is foundational for salvation because without that attribute and its expression in His mercy, none of us would be alive today. Beyond God’s mercy is His loving grace which grants forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with Him through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 2:3-4 points out that the riches of God’s kindness, tolerance and patience should lead a person to repentance. But sinners commonly take God’s longsuffering patience for granted and presume upon His kindness to the point of expecting it to the degree that when the consequences of living in a sin cursed world come about and tragedy happens, they blame God and get mad at Him. Feeling justified in their unjust accusations against Him and lacking proper fear, they fail to recognize the danger they are in. God is longsuffering, but that will end, and as Hebrews 10:31 warns, “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Because man does not usually respond to God’s mercy and goodness with repentance, ◘God often brings about punishment and chastening to instill a proper fear. The prophets warned of this over and over again, and failing to heed the warnings, the consequences came. Sometimes it brought about repentance as in the multiple examples during the time of the Judges. At other times their hearts just became harder as in the examples of the obstinate responses to the preaching of Jeremiah. People are just as foolish today. They blame God for their troubles because He is sovereign, but instead of pleading for His mercy, they shake their fist at Him.
◘During the course of the tribulation period the wrath of God upon those that dwell on the earth gets worse. The seal judgments are horrific for they included strife, murder, war, famine, pestilence, wild animal attacks, death of a quarter of the earth’s population and the shaking of the heavens and earth evidenced by dramatic signs. The many martyrs seen in the 5th seal and the innumerable multitude of martyrs between the 6th and 7th seal demonstrate that these actions do result in many repenting and placing their faith in Jesus Christ for redemption, but the vast majority do not repent. (See: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse & The 5th & 6th Seals – Martyrs & Terror on the Earth & The Sealed Slaves of God & The Innumerable Multitude)
◘The seventh seal breaks open the trumpet judgments and God’s wrath escalates dramatically. The first trumpet judgment brings hail and fire mixed with blood that burn up a third of the earth and trees and all the green grass. The second trumpet results in something like a great mountain burning with fire being cast into the sea causing a third of the sea to become blood, a third of marine life to die and a third of the ships to be destroyed. The third trumpet brings a star named Wormwood falling from heaven and causing one third of the fresh waters to become bitter wormwood which kills many men. With the sounding of the fourth trumpet, one third of the sun, one third of the moon and one third of the stars are smitten and they do not shine for a third of the day and night. This is obviously the supernatural work of God, yet people still remain obstinate toward Him. (See: The Seventh Seal: The Trumpet Judgments Begin)
◘While these judgments bring about the deaths of many sinners, they also serve as a warning to the vast majority which are still alive to repent. Even as God’s wrath is poured out His mercy and grace are offered to those that will turn to Him, but for those that continue to refuse, it will get much, much worse as warned about in Revelation 8:13 – Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” A woe is an interjection of grief, and here it is due to the intense hardship and distress that will come in three stages related to blasts of the three remaining trumpets.
◘The Fifth Trumpet / First Woe – Revelation 9:1-12
The fifth trumpet brings about the first woe, look at Revelation 9:1-2. 1 Then the fifth angel sounded. Then I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth, and the key of the pit of the abyss was given to him. 2 And he opened the pit of the abyss and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
The Abyss is Opened – Revelation 9:1-2
The fifth angel blows his trumpet and John sees another star which had fallen from heaven to the earth. ◘This, however, is not a celestial object. It is a person as proven by the fact that the key to the abyss is given to “him” and not to “it.” (Masculine, not neuter pronoun). This is an angelic being for humans do not travel from heaven to earth. Angels have been referred to before as “stars.” In Job 38 Yahweh refers to His laying the foundations of the earth and in verse 7 and states that at that time “the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?” In Isaiah 14:12, Lucifer, which means “star of the morning,” an angelic being of the highest order, has fallen from heaven to earth. There is precedent for referring to this angel as a star. John recognizes that this particular angelic being had previously fallen from heaven to the earth where he continued to be (Perfect tense).
The particular identity of this angel is not given, but his actions demonstrate him to be an angel sent by God on a specific mission for he is given a key by which he can open the abyss – a transliteration of the Greek word usually translated as “bottomless pit” for the word literally means “without depth.” ◘Abyss is used nine times in the New Testament – all but two of them in Revelation. In Luke 8:31 it refers to the place in which demons are detained and punished for the Legion of demons implore Jesus not to send them there. In Romans 10:7 it is used to refer the holding place of the dead. Throughout Revelation it is used to refer to the place in which demons are held and then released, from which the beast will come, and to which Satan will be bound for a thousand years at the end of the tribulation period.
◘When the angel unlocks and opens the abyss, smoke like that of a great furnace comes out in such volume that the air is filled with it which darkens the appearance of the Sun. No where in Revelation are we told how long the effects of the fourth trumpet lasts in darkening a third of the Sun and it not shining for a third of the time, but this verse indicates that the Sun was shining enough by this point to be occluded by the smoke and appear darkened again. ◘This volume of smoke often leads people to think it is coming from the fires of Hell, but Hell, geJenna / Gehenna, is probably better equated with the eternal lake of fire in Revelation 20 into which Satan, the Beast and the wicked are cast at the end of the millennium. Hell is a different place than the abyss which is used as a prison for demonic beings before final judgment after the millennium.
◘The “Locusts” & Their Authority – Revelation 9:3-6 describes the strange creatures that come out with the smoke from the abyss and what they can and cannot do. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And they were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will never find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.
◘Within the smoke that came up out of the abyss were strange creatures that John describes as “locusts” because of some of their characteristics, but other characteristics demonstrate that these are not insects, but rather peculiar creatures made by God for a particular purpose. The text describes what they will do before describing their physical features in detail.
John first notes that they come up out of the abyss in the smoke rising from it and then disperse upon the earth. ◘Second, he points out that they are given power, (ejxousiva / exousia) the ability to perform the action that will be assigned to them, which he specifically states is “as the scorpions of the earth have power.” What does that mean? Scorpions, arthropods of the class scorpiónida, are fairly common in warm, dry climates such as in Israel. They are generally nocturnal and feed on insects and spiders which they capture with their pedipalps – their front claws – which they then kill with the venomous sting from their tail. A few species of scorpions are deadly to humans, but the vast majority only cause a painful, local swelling and tissue discoloration. The power of the scorpion is in the sting of their tail which is specifically pointed out in verse 5.
◘These locust like creatures are given power, but they are restricted in what they can and cannot do. The person giving these instructions is not specifically named, but ultimately these are from God whether given directly by Him, or said by the angel with the key to the abyss, or by someone else. Demons, including Satan, are in direct rebellion against God yet are still limited by Him in what they can do. The first two chapters of Job are a classic example of this.
Neither the green grass, which was burned in the first trumpet judgment has recovered and regrown, nor any green thing or tree may be harmed by them. That is the opposite of insect locusts which eat only plants and cause no direct harm to humans. The previous four trumpets were directly against elements of nature, but the next two woes are directly against humans. ◘While these locusts from the abyss are not permitted to kill any humans, they are instructed to torment humans in the same way that a scorpion sting would torment a human, but only those humans that do not have the seal of God on their forehead – some sign identifying them as belonging to God. We know that between the sixth and seventh seal there were 144,000 from the tribes of Israel that were sealed to protect them from the wrath of God that was coming, so this definitely includes them. Whether there are others beyond the 144,000 that also have the seal of God is not directly indicated by the text one way or the other.
How bad is the pain of the sting of these creatures? It would be bad enough to be stung once, but these creatures are directed to torment unsealed humans for five months, which interesting enough, is about the same length of time that insect locusts can cause damage to plants. ◘The pain from the continuing torment caused by these stings causes men to long to die and actively seek death to end the misery, but they will not be able to find death for it will flee from them. The language here is strong. Death will aggressively flee from those pursing it. They will be unable to escape these locust like creatures whose purpose is to torment humans with their sting like a scorpion. Why would God in His wrath direct humans to be tormented in such a way?
There is a common fallacy believed among non-Christians and many Christians alike that death puts an end to human suffering. ◘While that may be true in the sense that the physical & emotional suffering of present circumstances can be ended by physical death, the true torment of an unrepentant human begins at death. Recall in Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus that while Lazarus was taken to “Abraham’s bosom,” an area of Hades in which the righteous were comforted, the unrighteous are in the part of Hades in which suffering for sins begins. The rich man being in torment cried out that “he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue for I am agony in this flame.” This is before the eternal lake of fire which follows the final judgment of the wicked at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20). The torment by these locust like creatures is meant to cause men to repent before death would remove the possibility of salvation from the torment of everlasting punishment. The proper response to pain and suffering that occur in this life due to the consequences of sin – including that caused by the sin of others – is repentance and seeking of the mercy of God. Sadly, there are few that respond in that manner. Most people try to alleviate or at least minimize the pain and suffering by whatever means are available, and many curse God for it instead of seeking His mercy.
◘The Characteristics of the “Locusts” – Revelation 9:7-11 describes the appearance of these locusts from the abyss. 7 And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. And on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses running to battle. 10 And they have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months.
◘This description proves these “locusts” are not insects, but rather a special class of creatures. First, they were “like horses prepared for battle.” A similar metaphor is used in Joel 2:4-5 for the insect plague that occurred then in referring to their army like approach as like powerful horses prepared and ready for battle which would be pawing and the ground and eager to make the charge. They also had on their heads what “appeared to be crowns like gold.” All sorts of ideas have been given about these crowns, some quite fanciful, but the text is fairly simple that these crowns are stevfanoV / stephanos, victor’s crowns that have a golden appearance. That would make them more intimidating since they do not need a helmet for protection but are already decorated as if they had already conquered.
◘The faces of these creature “were like the faces of men.” That would certainly convey a sense that these locust are intelligent as compared to them having the face of some animal, but remember that John is simply describing what he is seeing without comment on any symbolic meaning. I would assume that since these are faces of men, that would include beards since John next described them having “hair like the hair of women.” This would be long hair flowing down from the head under the victor’s crown. The next feature John notes adds to the strangeness of their appearance. “Their teeth were like the teeth of lions.” That same description is used in Joel 1:6 for an insect locust has jagged mouth parts, but here, those canine teeth used for tearing flesh apart are set in the mouth of a creature with a manly face and hair like a woman.
◘The body of these creatures is described next. Like a soldier prepared for battle, “they had breastplates like breastplates of iron.” The thorax area of an insect locust from which the legs protrude has a hard outer skeleton made of chitin which gives the appearance of armor. This creature has something similar that appears like iron plating of a soldier’s breastplate. Another feature of this creature that is similar to the insect is that “the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses running to battle.” The sound of a plague of insect locusts is loud and so is that of this hoard of despicable creatures, a sound described here in terms of an army going into battle.
◘The last description of their physical appearance again proves these are not insects. “And they have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months.” No species of insect locusts have anything that resembles the tail of a scorpion which curves up and forward over the body and ends in a bulbous stinger. These are unique creatures, and it is stressed again that this is where their power lies to hurt men for five months.
◘The description in Verse 11 is the reason that it is thought that the locusts from the abyss are not just some kind of bizarre creature, but are supernatural in nature and apparently demonic. 11 “They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.” The king over them is a particular angel whose name in both Hebrew and Greek means “destroyer.” The Greek name, Apollyon, only occurs here and is given greater definition by the Hebrew name, Abaddon, which occurs six times in the Old Testament and is directly associated with death (Job 26:6; Psalm 88:11), Sheol – which is the holding place of the dead (Job 26:6; Prov. 15:11; 27:20), and destruction (Job 31:12).
John states this is the angel of the abyss who is king over these bizarre creatures designed to harm men without killing them. ◘First, this is not Satan, for he is not associated with the abyss until Revelation 20 when he is cast into it as a captive. Second, because the abyss is associated with demons and evil beings as pointed out earlier, it is reasonably assumed the angel Abaddon / Apollyon and these “locusts” from it are also demonic. (However, as a quick side note here, it should not be assumed they are demonic because they harm unredeemed men. Remember, it was the angel of Yahweh that destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kings 19:35), and it was Yahweh through the “destroyer” (mashhith) that killed the first born during the Passover (Exodus 12:23,28). It is not evil for God to either harm or take the lives of evil men. That is actually justice).
Because these locusts from the abyss are associated with the demonic, and because demons are fallen angels which are spirit beings, it is then often assumed that what John is describing here are symbolic representations. Add to this that these are not like any known creature on earth, and door is wide open for both allegorical interpretation and trying to equate them with modern machinery. But this is not allegory, and these locusts are not helicopters. ◘First, John is describing real creatures coming from a real place that released real smoke that darkened the appearance of the Sun when it was unlocked and opened. ◘Second, there are plenty of bizarre creatures on earth that people denied existed from descriptions of it until they saw one for themselves. These creatures come from the abyss, not earth, so looking bizarre is not surprising. ◘Third, demons are fallen angels which are spirit beings which can manifest themselves either in or through a physical form whether human or animalistic.
Verse 12 transitions to the next trumpet and woe – 12 “One woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.”
◘The Sixth Trumpet / Second Woe – Revelation 9:13-21
The Four Angels – Revelation 9:13-15. 13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels were released, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, so that they would kill a third of mankind.”
◘The sounding of the sixth trumpet released four angels that have been specially prepared for what they will do. The command to release is from “a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.” This would be the same golden altar of incense described in Revelation 8:3 & 5 which was the source of fire that the eighth angel that commands the seven angels with the trumpets used to light the incense on his fire-pan which he hurled to earth in preparation for the trumpet judgments. That would mean it is the voice of this eighth angel that is giving the command to the sixth angel. The golden altar of incense described in Exodus 30 used in Tabernacle would have been patterned off of this one in heaven. The horns were appendages at the corners of the altar that stuck up. Blood from the sin offering of atonement which was made once a year would be smeared on these four horns.
◘The sixth angel releases the four angels that had been bound by the great river Euphrates. The fact that these four angels were bound is a strong indication that they are demons since there is no description of good angels being bound, but there are descriptions of evil angels, demons, being bound (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). The phrase the great river Euphrates refers to the whole region of the Euphrates from its headwaters in the mountains of Armenia to its delta in the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates river is the boundary of the land given to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 15:18), and it is from the other side of that river that many of Israel’s primary enemies have come including Assyria and Babylon.
◘These four angels had been specifically prepared for a task that would come at specific hour, day, month and year. That is an expression of God’s sovereignty to carry out His will at a specific time in the future. He not only declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), He has a specific time table He will keep in fulfilling His will, and here it will be kept to the very hour. The God who reveals Himself in the Bible is not a god of happenstance.
◘When these four angels are released, they will kill one third of mankind. That will be about the same raw number of those killed in the fourth seal judgment, but the percentage of those remaining alive is much higher. Add in those killed in the other judgments and over half of the earth’s population that was alive at the beginning of the tribulation will be dead by end of the sixth trumpet judgment. Death fled during the fifth trumpet judgment, but death is back and severely overworked with the sixth trumpet judgment.
◘The Horsemen, Horses, & Death of a Third – Rev. 9:16-19 explains how a third of mankind will be killed. 16 And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sit on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths come fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came 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, having heads, and with them they do harm.”
◘The text does not indicate the relationship of these four angels to this huge cavalry or the source of these horsemen and strange horses. Daniel 10:13f informs us that demons are organized and individual demons can be assigned to influence a particular nation, so perhaps these are the demons related to four nations. Since these four angels had been bound in the territory of the great river Euphrates, then perhaps that is the area of these nations, but all that is somewhat speculative. ◘What is specific in the text is that all together this is a huge army of 200 million – literally “the number of the troops of the cavalry is two myriads of myriads.” A myriad is ten thousand, so this is twenty thousand times ten thousand which is 200,000,000. Lexicons and translations that state this is an innumerable or unlimited number are reading their theology into the text instead of letting the text speak for itself, especially since John is emphatic stating “I heard the number of them.” Revelation 7:8 already gives an example of John expressing an unlimited number saying, “I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count.” I stress again the importance of grammatical-historical hermeneutics in letting God speak through the text instead of reading into the text what a presumed theological system would like it to say. It is a lot easier to give an allegorical interpretation with an undefined quantity than one specifically defined, but the text here is specific.
◘Related to this there is a lot of speculation made about the source of such an army and what these horses might be. First, China is often cited as having a population that could be a source of a 200 million man army, but it must be remembered that by the time this occurs, the world’s population will be reduced by half, so looking at current populations cannot inform you of what it will be like at the time of the sixth trumpet. Second, the supporting of a 200 million man army from one nation much less four or more nations would be a logistical nightmare beyond comprehension.
◘The description of the riders is simple enough having “breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone.” Note carefully it is the colors of the breastplate being described and not the materials it is made from. This then would be the colors of fiery red, a smoky blue and a sulphurous yellow. The symbolism of the colors can be left up to speculation, but they certainly would catch your attention since they are the colors of destruction by fire.
◘It is the description of the “horses” that defies interpretation by anything currently known to man. In verse 17, they have heads “like the heads of lions” which have fire and smoke and brimstone coming from their mouths. In verse 19 they have “their tails are like serpents, having heads.” Allegorical interpretation is limited only by imagination, but it is also common to point to modern instruments of warfare to explain these “horses.”◘ Fire, smoke and brimstone could describe cannon fire or streams of napalm, which would certainly be deadly. The barrel of a cannon with a fire suppressor could possibly be described as a snake with a head. Perhaps those aspects could fit the description of some sort of tank, but these horses have heads like lions and it from them come the three plagues of fire, smoke and brimstone that kill a third of mankind. ◘The serpent like tails with a head only do harm, not kill. If John is describing tanks, why would he describe them as horses instead of wagons whose shape is much more like a tank? ◘Then there is the logistics problem of supporting 200 million of these things as they move around the world and annihilate one third of the human population?
◘A better answer is that since these are the result of four significant demons being released, these, like the locusts from the abyss, are supernatural demonic creatures specifically equipped for this task. That recognizes John’s description to be accurate to what he is seeing while also eliminating the problem of logistics.
◘The supernatural aspects of these judgments should drive people to God and beg for mercy. And though not stated specifically here, there will still be those that will repent since there are believers that are persecuted by the beast after this point in time. But that will not be true for the vast majority.
The Unrepentant Survivors – Revelation 9:20-21, 20 “And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their sexual immorality nor of their thefts.”
◘The evil of that time will be great and widespread and match the degeneration of people described in Romans 1 into moral and mental depravity. Instead of worshiping the Creator, they will worship idols made of what is created. That is utter foolishness which was ridiculed even in ancient times such as in Isaiah 44 in which the pagans were mocked for using half of a log of wood to cook a meal or warm themselves and the other half is shaped into an idol which is worshiped and prayed to. John links idolatry with the worship of the demons that empower the idol as does Moses (Deut. 32:16-17) and Paul (1 Corinthians 10:20).
◘The depravity continues downward into murder, sorcery, sexual immorality of all types and thefts. Sorcery here, farmakeiva / pharmakiea, from which we get our word, pharmacy, refers to the practices of magic and casting of spells which often included usage of drugs. All of these things were well know to the churches in Asia to which John was writing for they were all common among the Gentiles with many of the Christians being converts out of such paganism and ungodly living.
◘Those who survive these supernatural judgments will continue in their same wicked practices. That is simply the evil nature of man. As Romans 3:10-18 quotes from various Psalms and Isaiah, 10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open tomb, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 Destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 And the path of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Conclusions
◘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom, without that fear sinful man will remain in his ignorant foolishness and refuse to seek God. That is as true today as it will be in the future.
◘If you are not a true Christian, don’t think you can continue to put off getting right with God. Don’t presume the Holy Spirit will come again some more convenient day, for today is the day of salvation. You may not have tomorrow, and like these even with the extremes of the sixth trumpet, your heart may just get harder. God’s longsuffering patience will run out and His wrath is severe.
◘If you are a Christian, then rejoice first that with the proper fear of the Lord there is increasing knowledge and wisdom that is conforming you into the image of Christ that you may fulfill your God given purpose of existence. And second, rejoice that you will not be on earth to experience any of these future expressions of the wrath of God.
Pray for those not yet saved from their sins for God to continue in His longsuffering patient mercy to extend their lives and bring them to a conviction of sin that they might repent and turn in faith to the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Notes – 6/8/2025
The 5th & 6th Trumpets: Torment by “Locusts” & Death of a Third – Revelation 9:1-21
Introduction & Review
True success in life begins with a proper _________ of your Creator – Proverbs 1:7, 9:10
God’s longsuffering patience as part of His kindness and goodness should lead to ___________(Rom. 2:3-4)
God often brings about punishment / chastening to instill _______that will bring about repentance
It gets much _______as the Tribulation period progresses from the seal judgments to the trumpet judgments
The 7th seal breaks upon the 7 trumpet judgments, the first of which bring destruction on ________by thirds
The 5th, 6th and 7th trumpet bring a series of three ________ worse than what preceded them
The Fifth Trumpet / First Woe – Revelation 9:1-12
The Abyss is Opened – Revelation 9:1-2
This “star” is not a celestial object, it is a ___________, a “him” who is given the key to the abyss
The abyss: ________detained there (Luke 8:31), related to death (Rom. 10:7), & contains evil beings (Rev.)
When the abyss is unlocked & opened, __________rises like from a furnace and darkens the Sun
The abyss is a different place than Hell which is better equated with the __________________- Rev. 20.
The “Locusts” & Their Authority – Revelation 9:3-6
___________, locust like creatures come out of the smoke from the abyss & disperse over the earth
They are given power, the ability to perform the actions assigned to them, as ____________have power
These “locusts” with scorpion tails may _______harm the grass, trees or anything green, opposite of insects
They may only harm (as with a scorpion sting) only ___________without the seal of God on their forehead
They torment with stings for five months causing people to seek _________, but death actively runs away
Death can end the pains of life on this earth, but it only _____the pain of eternal punishment for unbelievers
The Characteristics of the “Locusts” – Revelation 9:7-11
These are _____________, they are compared to horses prepared for battle & victors’ crowns on their heads
They have faces like a _______(bearded?), but teeth like a _________, and hair like a ___________
Their breastplates are like those of iron and their wings sound like chariots, of horses running to _________
Their tails are like scorpions and they can __________like them causing harm
Their king is the angel of the __________ named Abaddon / Apollyon – destroyer
The angel of the abyss is not Satan, but may be a ___________since the abyss is associated with them
John is describing _____things he is seeing, creatures can look very bizarre, demons can manifest physically
The Sixth Trumpet / Second Woe – Revelation 9:13-21
The Four Angels – Revelation 9:13-15
The 6th trumpet sounded & a voice from the golden _________(probably the 8th angel) gives a command
The 6th angel the four angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates – the _________of the river
These angels have been ready and waiting to take action at the _________hour, day, month, year set by God
They kill 1/3 of mankind – added together, more than _____ of humanity has died since the tribulation began
The Horsemen, Horses, & Death of a Third – Rev. 9:16-19
The ________________of the four angels and this huge cavalry is not specifically stated
This is a specific number: Two myriads of myriads: 20,000 X 10,000 = ___________John heard the number
Nothing today matches since ½ the population will die by then, & logistics ____________such a large army
The breastplates of the riders are _____________fiery red, smoky blue and sulphurous yellow
___________horse like creatures – heads like lions; fire, smoke & brimstone from mouths, tails like serpents
Some elements could describe a tank – (fire, smoke, brimstone; snake like tail) ______other parts: lion head
Serpent like tails only _____, not kill. Why describe them like a horse when a wagon would better fit a tank?
Severe _______________problem in trying to supporting 200 million self-propelled military weapons
These are probably _____________demonic creatures equipped to kill – the logistics problem is eliminated
The supernatural aspects of these judgments should compel men to beg God for ____________
The Unrepentant Survivors – Revelation 9:20-21
The people that survive will not cease from their ____________/ worship of demons
They will ___________to repent from their murders, sorceries, sexual immorality & thefts
The evil nature of man expressed in Romans 3:10-18 will continue into the _____________
The __________of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge & wisdom – without it man is ignorant & foolish
Don’t _____________& put off getting right with God
Rejoice in the fear of the Lord and the knowledge and ____________that comes from that
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Count how many times the word “trumpet” is mentioned 2) Talk with your parents about the origin and purpose of the trumpet judgments
THINK ABOUT IT! Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. How should people respond to God’s longsuffering patience and kindness? Why don’t they do so? Why will God bring punishment on people in the present time? How do the seal judgments compare with the trumpet judgments? What is the abyss? What is associated with it? What happens when the angel unlocks & opens the abyss? What power is given to the locusts? What restrictions are put on the locusts? What are they commanded to do? How bad is the pain from these locusts? Why won’t men be able to find death during this time? Does death end human suffering for non-Christians? Describe the physical characteristics of these locusts. Could these be insects? Explain. What does the position and names of the king over the locusts indicate about him and them? Are these locusts real or imaginary representations? Explain. From where does the voice come that commands the 6th angel to release the four bound angels? What is the significance of these four angles having been bound? To what does the phrase “the great river Euphrates” refer? What is the significance that they have been prepared for the hour, day, month and year? Is the number 200 million specific or representative? Explain. What logistical problems would there be in supporting a cavalry unit so huge? In what ways do these horses match a description of a tank? What excludes them from being tanks or some other type of war machine of some kind? What is the origin of the three plagues that kill 1/3 of mankind? Explain what you think these horses are and why? Why don’t the survivors of the 6th trumpet judgment repent? What will they continue to do?
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