The Army of Nightmares

There is an Eastern story of a Sultan who overslept himself, so as not to awaken at the hour of prayer. So the Devil came and waked him, and told him to get up and pray.

“Who are you?” said the Sultan. “Oh, no matter,” replied the other. “My act is good, is it not? No matter who does the good action, so long as it is good.”

“Yes,” replied the Sultan, “but I think you are Satan. I know your face; you have some bad motive.” “But,” says the other, “I am not so bad as I am painted. You see I have left off my horns and tail. I am pretty good fellow, after all. I was an angel once, and still keep some of my original goodness.” “That’s all very well,” replied the sagacious and prudent caliph, “but you are the tempter; that’s your business; and I wish to know why you want me to get up and pray.”

“Well,” said the Devil with a flirt of impatience, “if you must know, I will tell you. If you had slept and forgotten your prayers, you would have been sorry for it afterward, and penitent; but if you go on as now, and do not neglect a single prayer for ten years, you will be so satisfied with yourself that it will be worse for you than if you had missed one sometimes and repented of it. God loves your fault mixed with penitence more than your virtue seasoned with pride.”

—Walter Baxendale

The danger of pride and self-righteousness is real. Perhaps the realest danger we face in a sin riddled and cursed world.

At the heart of pride and self-righteousness is the great sin of self worship.

Church, this story illustrates a startling truth for us…

Big Idea: When a heart is bent on its own worship, the wrath of God will be insufficient to break its allegiance.

You see, when we worship on our terms, pursuing the object of our own desire - instead of THE ONE who alone is worthy of worship -

When we are driven by pride, rather than humility -

When we are convinced of the rightness of our worship, rather than our desperate need for grace -

When we are set upon satisfying the desires of our hearts -

Then not even the wrath of God -

Not even judgment from heaven itself -

will be able to break our allegiance to self worship.

Wrath alone, as we will see in today’s text, is not enough to break the chains of idolatry when the heart is fully set upon it.

Body

The Sixth Trumpet - Revelation 9:13-19

Revelation 9:13–19 ESV

13 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.

As the sixth trumpet is blown, another voice is heard.

The Voice

As the trumpet blew, John heard a SINGLE voice from from the four horns on the altar.

This single voice is unidentified. Could be another angel, could be Christ Himself who was once identified as standing before the throne.

But the voice is not identified.

The altar here, is once again the heavenly equivalent to the alter of incense from the tabernacle.

On the four corners were four horns.

The Horns

The original altar of incense is described in Exodus - Exodus 30:1-10.

Exodus 30:1–10 ESV

1 “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. 4 And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

Verse 2 references the horns.

Why might the alter have horns?

What is the significance of the horns?

The altar sat in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.

On it, they were to burn incense twice a day. Incense that we have already established was intended to represent the prayers of the saints.

They were never to burn foreign incense, but only that which was approved by God.

They were never to offer burnt sacrifices on it. The blood from a sin offering was to be offered ONCE per year (more on that momentarily). This served to illustrate that the foundation and basis for all prayers, worship, and communion with God was based upon the redemptive work of God.

No one has access to God apart from that.

The horns on the altar bore significance.

They represented

Power and Strength

Horn, in scripture, represented power, authority, and salvation - Psalm 18:2; Luke 1:69

Psalm 18:2 ESV

2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Luke 1:69 ESV

69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,These horns reflected and represented the power of God that was being appealed to by the prayers being offered up (represented by the smoke)

By burning the incense, offering up the prayers, the priests were calling upon God’s favor and power.

What’s more the regularity of the burning was intended to show the…

The Extent of Intercession

Since the incense was to be burned twice a day, continually, the altar and incense itself represented continual prayer.

The prayers of the saints should be offered continually.

The presence of the horns on the altar, reflecting the power of God and appeal to His might, may also reflect the strength of the petition, the strength of the request.

Psalm 141:2

Psalm 141:2 ESV

2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

David, in this Psalm appeals strongly to the person of God.

The horns may reflect the strength of his petition in addition the strength of the one being petitioned.

But ultimately, the horns were meant to represent…

Atonement

We saw in verse 10 that blood was to be applied to the horns of the altar of incense once per year.

In Leviticus 16, we are given more detail that helps us understand WHY this is to be done.

In Leviticus 16:14-18 we learn that God required some blood to be applied to the horns of the altar.

Leviticus 16:14–18 ESV

14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.

Now, the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat indicates that this blood is being applied to the a Ark of the Covenant.

In verse 18, they are then told to take some of that blood and apply it to the horns of the altar.

This altar though, is altar upon which the burnt sacrifice is offered, not the altar of incense.

HOWEVER, the reason for it is the same. ATONEMENT.

The blood applied shows that it is through the blood, that atonement is made. It is through the shed an applied blood that forgiveness and mercy come.

Thus, the blood applied to the horns of the altar of incense is the same…

The horns, applied with the blood, become points of atonement.

The foundation of atonement, and thus the acceptability of our prayers and petitions, is based upon the shed an applied blood…ultimately of Christ’s, though they could not see that at the time.

Despite the fact that the altar of incense was not intended for sacrifices, it is nevertheless connected to the atonement which IS connect to the burnt offering altar.

The blood being applied to these horns, points the truth that access to God’s presence and power is only possible through the atoning work of sacrifice…namely/ultimately that of Christ.

Here is the truth we all need to understand…

Big Idea: When a heart is bent on its own worship, the wrath of God will be insufficient to break its allegiance.

Wrath alone is not enough to break man’s allegiance to himself.

We will return to this next week/time dig more deeply into.

GOD must do more. A supernatural work must be done in order for men to repent and believe.

A work that is rooted in and grounded in the atoning work of Christ upon the cross and His blood shed for us.

Thus the putting of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense, even though they may not have fully seen or understood its significance, points to the power of our petition for Him to cleanse, forgive, and heal us, which is fully realized in Christ.

These horns, covered in the blood of the sacrifice, reveal the foundation of God’s grace to forgive, to heal, to respond.

The horns, covered in that blood reveal our cry of repentance and dependency on that blood as the basis for our cry.

Any cries for justice, for vengeance, for vindication and retribution agains evil, in based on the atoning work of God.

They point us to Jesus, our refuge.

Refuge

In addition,

We note that in ancient Israel, horns were grasped as a cry for sanctuary (1 Kings 1:50; 2:28)

Though not always effective, it was nevertheless a cry for sanctuary and refuge when they were grasped.

Thus,

The horns, on the altar of incense, could also be reflective of mans cry for refuge.

The prayers ascending are seeking God’s refuge from His judgment.

Appealing to HIS POWER and STRENGTH

Reflective of the depth of our appeal

Rooted in the basis of the sacrifice given

It is an appeal for sanctuary in God through that blood.

Hebrews 4:14-16 draws the picture to a beautiful conclusion:

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This drawing near to Jesus, this coming to his throne of grace in our time of need, this is precisely what the altar of incense depicted.

The smoke wafting up to heaven, reaching the throne of God, the mercy seat of God is a picture of us coming into His presence in our time of need, seeking refuge on the basis of His strength and the atonement provided.

Jesus…that ONCE and FOR ALL sacrifice that Hebrews speaks of so deeply, is the basis for why our prayers, offered on the altar of incense, are received by God. It is HIS WORK that makes it possible.

It is THIS WORK, not the wrath of God, that ultimately breaks man’s allegiance to self

It is because of Christ’s work that we can have the access spoken of here in Hebrews.

That is why these horns have such significance and speak so loudly as they take a position of recognition in this vision.

From this altar, from these horns, comes a voice of judgment.

For the second time now, we see that which is associate with the prayers of the saints, being the means of judgment upon the earth.

As this judgement comes, we see four angels being spoken of.

The Angels

Revelation 9:14 ESV

14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

What does this verse reveal to us about angels?

In chapter seven, we saw four angels as well. Are these the same four angels?

It does not appear so.

Those four were holding back the four winds and seem to be referring to holy angels.

These four are bound.

This would suggest that they are fallen angels. No where in scripture are holy angels said to be bound.

This also reveals that even the fallen angels are still under God’s command. Satan and his hordes of demons (fallen angels) still serve the living God.

The perfect tense that this “bound” is written in suggests that they have been bound for sometime, that it occurred in the past, and that they remained bound until the specific time that was set for them to be released to do God’s bidding.

The DEFINITE article suggests that these angels are a separate and distinct class or group.

While no irrefutable proof exists to support this, some have speculated that these are the four demons/fallen angels who controlled the four major world empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

Daniel 10 (13, 20) is one of those rare passages that gives us glimpse into the spiritual realm and the warfare that goes on between the angels of God and the demons of Satan.

Daniel 10:13 ESV

13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,

Daniel 10:20 ESV

20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.

These “princes” of Persia and Greece are understood to be controlling demons/fallen angels who withstood the angels of God as they were sent to do God’s bidding.

These four angels may or may not be the same ones who influenced these four major kingdoms of the world, but whoever they are, they are indeed mighty and powerful. And they will control a very large demon army who will inflict suffering upon the world during the tribulation.

The location of these four demons imprisonment is at a great river.

The Great River

What does you know about the river Euphrates?

The River Euphrates is the site of these four demons imprisonment.

The river is very important and central in the OT, and in the history of the world and Israel.

It rises from near Mount Ararat in Turkey and flows 1700 miles before ending in the Persian Gulf

It is the longest and most important river in the Middle East

It is one of the four major rivers that flowed out of The Garden of Eden (Gen 2:14)

Thus, it was near this river that sin first took place, the first lie told, the first murder committed.

The Tower of Babel has its origins here, and thus the confusion of languages and the inception of false religions that would spread across the globe.

The Euphrates was the eastern boundary of the promised land (Gen 15:18, Ex 23:31; Deut 11:24)

Israel’s influence extended to the Euphrates during the reigns of David (1 Chron 18:3) and Solomon (2 Chron 9:26).

The region near the Euphrates was the central location of three world powers that Israel experienced oppression from: Assyria, Babylon, and Medo-Persia.

It was on the banks of this river that Israel endured 70 long years of bitter enslavement (Ps 137:1-4)

It is the river that the enemies of God will cross to battle God during the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-16)

It is here that these angels are bound and it is from here that they will be released and will release an army of demons on the world.

The Army of Demons

Revelation 9:15-19

Revelation 9:15–19 ESV

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.

Death, which had taken a vacation, now returns with a vengeance.

This precise moment, was the moment that God has ordained for them.

Their purpose, to kill 1/3 of mankind.

When you combine this total with all those who have died before, you begin to realize the scope of death that is overtaking the planet.

Life, society will once more be disrupted and disturbed.

The problem of disposing of so many dead bodies will continue to be a problem. The stench of death on the planet, at this point, is probably permanently etched in the nostrils of mankind.

The size of the army released upon the planet is a staggering 200 million strong.

Some have speculated that this vast army may be divided into four, each segment under the rule of one of the four fallen angels.

The description of this army, like the locusts before, is truly the thing of nightmares.

An Army of Nightmares

Revelation 9:17-19

Revelation 9:17–19 ESV

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.

The army consisted of horses and riders.

The riders are described as wearing breastplates the color of fire and sapphire and of sulfur.

Red - Hyacinth

Sapphire - Dark blue or black, like that of smoke

Sulfur - or brimstone, a yellow describing the rock which, when ignited, produces burning flame and suffocating gas.

They are the very colors and features of hell (Revelation 14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8)

This alone exposes the terrifying fury of God’s wrath.

The “horses” themselves are not true horses, but some other creature entirely.

Their heads are lions heads - Vicious, angry, slaughtering forces

We will also see that their tails are not normal tails either.

The way they kill? With fire and smoke coming out of their mouths either incinerating or suffocating their prey.

And later, we will see their tails causing death as well.

We are told that by these three plagues, 1/3 of mankind will be killed.

Plague

What does the word plague mean?

The word plague that shows up here means

A sudden hard stroke with an instrument - blow, strike

Wound caused by a blow - wound, bruise

A sudden calamity that causes severe distress - blow

In our modern vernacular, we think of it as a disease. But here, in the Greek language, it certainly could refer to that, but the meaning is broader. It is that of a blow, a hard stroke, a sudden calamity.

It is term that will begin to appear regularly in the book of Revelation.

Horses Tails

One final note that we are given about these horses…

Their tails, like those of the locusts, have the power to kill.

Their tails are like serpents with heads that have the ability to inflict wounds, and presumably death.

Whether their heads are actual serpents or simply contain venom that kills, probably impossible to know for sure, but we what we do know is that their tails will bring death to those who encounter them.

Probably though, the most startling and terrifying thing we see in this text is not even the demon army being released upon the world.

It is verses 20-21.

Unrepentant Men - Revelation 9:20-21

Revelation 9:20–21 ESV

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.

Big Idea: When a heart is bent on its own worship, the wrath of God will be insufficient to break its allegiance.

Do these verses sober you?

They do me.

In the face of the wrath we have seen..

In the face of the divine power…

In the face of such incredible death and destruction…

Yet men do not repent of the idolatry…

They do not repent of their murders (their hatred, anger, and violence)…

Their sorceries….

What is this? What are sorceries?

The word we translate sorcery is literally a harmful drug, poison. A drug used as a controlling medium - a magic potion or charm.

In fact, we get our English word, Pharmacy or Pharmaceuticals from it.

It can also refer to potions, amulets, charms, seances, witchcraft, incantations, magic spells, etc.

Thus, this broad term likely references and includes drug and alcohol addictions IN ADDITION to seances, and mystical, magical practices associated with false religions.

Anything related to the passions of the flesh and or false religion.

They did not repent of their sexual immorality…

They did not repent of their thieving ways…

Man, in short, continued to give themselves to the pleasures of the flesh…choosing their fleshly indulgences OVER God.

Even in the face of that divine God’s wrath.

Conclusion

Big Idea: When a heart is bent on its own worship, the wrath of God will be insufficient to break its allegiance.

Church, we must pray…

We must pray for the Spirit to intercede…

To change hearts…

To draw men to repentance…

Next week, we will sidestep for a moment…and dig deeper into why men do not repent and why wrath alone is not enough to cause men to repent…

But in light of the truth that it is…

Church, we MUST BE A PEOPLE of urgent, fervent, and passionate prayer, for God to change hearts.

The wrath of God alone, will not do it.

These texts are testimony enough of that.

May our hearts, our minds, and our words be drawn to humble, fervent prayers for the repentance of the lost, while time still remains.

Pray

Application

How can we identify areas in our lives where we may be engaging in self-worship instead of true worship of God?

What practices can we implement to ensure our worship aligns with God's desires rather than our own preferences?

In what ways does understanding God's wrath shape our view of repentance and our need for grace?

How does the story of the Sultan and his encounter with Satan reflect our struggles with pride in our worship?

What steps can we take to foster a heart that is truly dependent on God's mercy rather than our own achievements?

Can you think of a time when you felt compelled to worship, but realized it was more about what you wanted than what God wanted?

How do you think pride can affect our relationships with others and our worship of God?

How can understanding that our worship should be centered around God change the way we participate in church activities?

What are some distractions in your life that may divert your focus from genuine worship?

What practical ways can you engage in prayer to seek God's mercy and transform your heart?

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