Menu

10:30 WORSHIP ~ Join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10:30am

Revelation 9:1-21 Pt. 2 Brimstone!

March 10, 2013 Series: Revelation

Topic: Sunday Eve. Bible Study Passage: Revelation 9:1–9:21

Click here for a .pdf file with original formatting.  Easier to read.

Revelation 9:1-21 1Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 2He opened the bottomless pit, 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. 3Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4They 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. 5And 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. 6And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.7The 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. 8They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. 11They 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. 12The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.13Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat 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 proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. 18A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. 19For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

20The 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; 21and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

Well, what did you think of the History Channel's version of "The Bible"?

I didn't make it very far, so I'm not a fair critic. But I want to read to you from Genesis 19. First of all, because from watching that program, you would have no clue as to the events of that chapter, and second of all, because I want it fresh in your mind as we look at the second half of Revelation 9 tonight.

The Doom of Sodom

Genesis 19:1  Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” 6But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8“Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. 10But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.

12Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” 14Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

15When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. 17When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” 18But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! 19“Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” 21He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 22“Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.

23The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, 25and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD; 28and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace.

God promised Noah that he would never destroy the world with water again, but He didn't promise not to visit wickedness, again, with fire and brimstone and columns of smoke.

We've been looking at the drama that is pre-recorded history that will play itself out in the 7 year period leading up to Jesus reclaiming this earth and taking the authority to reign away from Satan, and coming to reign Himself on earth for a thousand years.

The title deed to this earth is sealed with seven seals. We saw 6 opened, and the 7th seal incorporated 7 trumpet blasts, of which the 7th trumpet incorporates 7 bowls full of wrath. We are in the 6th trumpet blast tonight.

13Then 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 are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

This is the same golden altar as showed up in Ch. 8 in heaven in the presence of God. And the Altar of Exodus 30 is a model of it. Atonement for sin, and mercy emmanate from this altar. The whole idea of a sacrificial atonement for sin is first seen at this altar. A life for a life.

How interesting then that the same place mercy is offered from, now becomes the voice of judgement.

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 are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

Why are angels bound at the River Euphrates?

First, God doesn't bind obedient angels. These are wicked angels. The Euphrates region is the birthplace of men, it was where the garden of eden was near, and in Genesis, it is the birthplace of idolatry and evil.

All of the worlds religions are spawned here. I couldn't help remembering the very obscure passage in Zechariah 5.

5Then the angel who was speaking with me went out and said to me, “Lift up now your eyes and see what this is going forth.”6 I said, “What is it?” And he said, “This is the ephah (bushel basket) going forth.” Again he said, “This is their appearance in all the land7(and behold, a lead cover was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting inside the ephah.”8Then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah and cast the lead weight on its opening.9Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.10 I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the ephah?”11Then he said to me, “To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal.”

Idolatry started here. 8Then he said, “This is Wickedness!” Everything from Isis to Maryology are spawned from here. No surprise then that these 4 angels of destruction are bound here.

15And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.

These 4 angels have been prepared for this time. They are waiting, as we speak tonight. God has set a year, a month, a day, and an hour when they will be released. Sovereign God controls the tiniest details of their release to do harm. Not until the set day. Not until the set hour in that day.

Timewise, this seems to be right at the end of the 7 year period, because after 1/3 of mankind (1/2 counting the 1/4 in the beginning of birth pangs) is killed in the next chapter the strong angel says delay no longer.

This is the end. 1/3 of men are killed by the plagues of fire and brimstone and smoke, 7 thunders which are sealed to us, then 7 bowls of wrath all poured out together, then Jesus comes.

When the 4 bound angels are released, they kill 1/3 of the men on the earth.

How do they do that? That's about 2 billion men if we start tomorrow. That's a 1/2 billion men per angel.

It turns out, they have an army, these angels.

16The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

This is where we can run amuck. For much of my lifetime, the fact that the Chinese boasted they could actually field an army of 200,000,000 since some time around 1968 has been significant. (with their gov't sancioned abortions, I'm curious if they still can)

People immediately took that number and raced to make it mean the army of Revelation 9. They want to combine this with the 6th bowl about the kings of the east and make it the red army.

But doing that gets things out of order. Having the 6th bowl at the same time as the 6th trumpet causes you way more problems than it solves. And anyway those folks were getting drawn to Armageddon, not randomly destroying 1/3 of mankind. I think it's a stretch that just confuses things.

That's a line of people a mile wide and 100 miles long. It's just problematic from all sorts of angles. Food is already more than scarce. Water is turned to blood. Logistically, it's difficult. 200,000,000 men marching from the east needs lots of rations to keep them going.

John says: I heard the number of them.

That's because of skeptics like me. When John wrote that, there weren't 200 million people on the earth. John says, the number is right. 200 million of . . . something . . .

Again, people go amuck. Apache helicopters. 200,000,000 drones. Not even our government can borrow the money to do that. You've got to have 200 million geeks with joysticks flying them.

I believe John. I believe an army of 200 million horsemen will appear, and I think they are demons organized by these 4 angels. They WILL carry out the good pleasure of Sovereign God. Judgement on wickedness.

17And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat 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 proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.

I don't think this is mechanized warfare. I think Sodom and Gomorrah were a prototype for what 200 million of these creatures are going to rain down on the earth. Think about it.

I don't want to be anywhere near San Francisco when these things are set loose. Or Washington DC. I think these are 200 million demons who can rain down nuclear holocaust on whole cities . . just like Sodom. Just like Gomorrah. 1/3 of the population left on earth, incinerated. You know we deserve it!

18A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. 19For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

Unimaginable. The worst horror movie anybody has dreamed up so far is like band class with Mr. Crawford compared to what is really going to take place.

This is real. This isn't science fiction. That's why that eagle was flying around saying Woe Woe Woe. This is going to happen. Maybe to people who are alive today. People you know!

Is it nuclear? Maybe. Remember the 2 angels (2 angels!! we've got 200 million now) who rained down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah said they couldn't do it until Lot was a safe distance away.

Radiation poison? Maybe. I think it is, because the smoke is listed as one of the plagues. Smoke doesn't kill you unless it displaces too much oxygen, then you die. Unless it is radioactive smoke. Then you die a horrible death as your organs get eaten away from the inside out.

OK, so the 1/2 of the worlds population that survive . . surely . . SURELY!!!?? they will fall on their faces and repent in dust and ashes, right. They'll sit in the dust and ashes that used to be cities and towns, and people, and they'll repent, like Job, right??

I mean enough's enough right. Wouldn't you fall on your face and repent before a God who fights back like this??

I don't believe there's a person left on earth at this stage that does not believe in God, and Satan. Humanism is over, right. Secularism is history. These folks have been through a lot. Meteorites crashing into oceans. Food gone. Water gone. Cities incinerated. Demons stinging you for 5 months. 1/2 the people on earth, dead, in 3 1/2 years.

What did the author of the Bible say to the prophets over and over and over?

Then they will know that I am God. Then they will know that I am God. Then they will know that I am God.

At this point there's no more agnostics. No more atheists. Then they will know that I am God. What a display!

So they repent in dust and ashes, right??

20The 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; 21and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

We talked about that Isaiah 14 passage about Satan just last week. The last line may be pertinent to this.

Isa. 14:17  Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’

I think that describes what we've seen in this passage tonight. That word overthrew is the same used to describe what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Listen to Jeremiah's description of how Babylon will never be inhabited again;

Jer. 50:39 “Therefore the desert creatures will live there along with the jackals;
The ostriches also will live in it,
And it will never again be inhabited
Or dwelt in from generation to generation.

40“As when God overthrew Sodom
And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the LORD,
“No man will live there,
Nor will any son of man reside in it.

Now listen to that final line in Isa 14:17
17Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’

Who - did - not - allow - his - prisoners - to - go - home. What is this connection, this hold that Satan has on people that they can see the world "overthrown" and not repent?

How could Pharoah witness the mighty power of the miracles of the plagues and not let the people go?

The connection with fire and brimstone seen in Sodom and Gomorrah and then seen in the plagues tonight, is the same. Satan overthrowing whole cities. 1/3 of mankind perishing in fire and brimstone and vapor of smoke.

And the survivors shaking their fists at God.

Since the order to the sixth angel went out from the same place on the altar that mercy for sinners was originally dispensed from, I can't help but wonder if at this point, the offer is closed. No more mercy. Only hardness.

Except for God's people the Jews. They will look on Him whom they pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son.

Our Sovereign God is in control of hearts. Hearts that are hardened, and hearts that are instantly tender.