The 5th and 6th Trumpets
Notes
Transcript
Ephesians 1:1–4 (ESV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
LAST WEEK
Trumpets 1—4
Parallels to the Egyptian plagues
The first four trumpets of wrath are primarily focused on nature/the created order.
These next two trumpets of wrath are God’s judgment poured out directly on humans.
Need to go back to the ending of chapter 8.
Revelation 8:13 (ESV)
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!”
This eagle is announcing 3 woes—announcements of coming judgment. John will tell us that these 3 “woes” are the final 3 trumpets of judgment.
“About to blow” — this is imminent
Revelation 9:1 (ESV)
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.
So, one angel’s blowing trumpet leads to a “star” falling from heaven to earth.
What is this “star?” It is most likely an angelic being. Is it a “fallen” angel? Is this Satan? This does seem to be the same description Jesus used for Satan.
Satan would not be given a key.
Luke 10:18 (ESV)
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Also…Isaiah 14:12-14
Isaiah 14:12–14 (ESV)
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
The short answer is—this is most likely not referring to Satan. This is a future-occuring event. Satan’s fall happened sometime in the past.
This was another of the angelic messengers sent from heaven to do God’s will.
“Was given” — Indicates God’s sovereign control over the action.
The “bottomless pit” // abyss — an idiom in the scriptures for the place of the dead. It was also considered a “prison” or “pit” in which fallen angels were imprisoned.
Revelation 9:2–6 (ESV)
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. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 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. 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. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Smoke billowing from the shaft of the bottomless pit like a great furnace.
YHWH’s presence (Exodus 19:18)
God’s wrath — Psalm 18:8
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah — Genesis 19:28
And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.
Gehenna/Hell
So, what we can say here is that the Day of God’s wrath against sinful and wicked humanity has arrived and it will be worse than anything the earth/humanity has experienced because He is opening up the pits of hell to bring destruction.
Out of this billowing smoke come locusts—reminiscent of the 8th plague on Egypt. Locusts are synonymous with judgment in the OT.
These aren’t just any locusts, though. Verse 3 — they were given power “like the power of scorpions on the earth.”
So, locusts never directly harmed humans. They destroyed crops, they caused famines, but they never behaved like this.
Verse 4—they are instructed (again, God’s complete power and authority) to only strike those who are not “sealed” as the people of God.
Those who have not repented and worshiped God.
Those who are still following the idolatry of this world—the demonic idolatry of the world—and who are opposed to the people of God.
Further emphasis on God’s power and authority—a specified time (5 months)
They want to die—death would be a relief—but God will not allow them to die.
Revelation 9:7–12 (ESV)
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, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 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. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 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.
The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.
This is an army of demons. They are organized and have over them a king—the angel of the bottomless pit.
Abaddon // Apollyon — “Destroyer”
This is most likely Satan.
The real message is that the demonic forces are organized, powerful, terrifying, and filled with hatred and contempt for their followers. As soon as God grants them permission, they torture and kill all who have rejected God in order to worship them.
Revelation 9:13–21 (ESV)
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.
A voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God—is this the angel that carried the prayers and incense? Is this God? Either way, it is the authority of God.
These four angelic beings are bound for a period of time—again, the only angels we see in the Bible that are bound are demons.
These four demon angels are released form their chains to carry out their God-allowed task—killing 1/3 of humanity (that does not have the seal of God).
They lead a demonic army of 200,000
3 plagues
fire
smoke
sulfur
Literally, unleashing hell on earth
Same combo as Sodom & Gomorrah.
God STILL intends to be merciful to those who repent—but they refuse.
Four Takeaways
1. The wrath of God against wicked and evil humanity is imminent.
2. Behind all idolatry is the demonic.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
3. The very things humanity turns to will ultimately turn on them.
4. This coming Day should move us to greater evangelism.
