Revelation 9:13-21

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”  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.  The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.  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.  By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.  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.  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, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

This sixth trumpet is the most involved judgment we have seen to date.  Not only does it inflict massive death on humanity, but it spans about two chapters of content.  Like the judgment before it, this judgment impacts humans directly as opposed to nature.  Unlike the previous judgment, this judgment results in death.  The Lord has been planning this judgment for a long time and the execution of it will result in death but those rebellious people who survive will continue to reject Christ and follow their own sinful ways.

GOD’S SOVEREIGN PLAN: At the blowing of the sixth trumpet, God tells the angel to release the four angels that have been bound at the Euphrates River.  These four angles are likely very powerful angels who fell with Satan and have been bound for this purpose until this very moment.  God is the Sovereign of the universe and in complete control of every aspect of it.  So much so that even the fallen demonic powers accomplish His will.  The exact hour, day, month, and year of this judgment was determined by our Lord.

EVIL’S SUFFERING DEATH: The angels are released and one third of the population of the earth is killed.  The final section of this description would seem to indicate that all who are killed are rebellious unbelievers because those who remain continue in sin.  There is an army of 200 million if the numbers here are to be taken literally.  It seems to be a massive army of demons that are under the control and leadership of the four fallen angels.  They are described as horses, lions, and serpents.  The have smoke, fire, and sulfur coming from their mouths and these strange demons are killing one third of the population of the earth.  The pain, suffering and death they inflict on the unbelieving world is chilling.

MAN’S STUBBORN SIN: Even though the massive amounts of death and destruction is occurring all around the surviving population; they refuse to repent.  Instead, they continue in their rebellious rejection of God and His gracious offer of salvation through repentance and faith in Christ.  They prefer to follow their sinful way of living and refuse to turn from them.  They are fully committed to the practice of all kinds of idolatry, violence, sorceries, immorality, and theft.  These are their functional gods that have no ability even see much less save.  Once mankind hardens their heart against God, it is only by the supernatural power of His Spirit that they can repent and come to faith in Christ.

APPLICATION: Trust in God’s sovereign control over the universe including the demonic world.  Nothing is beyond His control.  Be in awe over the sheer size of the forces of evil that will eventually be unleased.  Recognize that Satan’s thirst for death and destruction is unquenchable.  Pray for the power of God’s Spirit to lead us and the world in which we live to repentance.