The War of the Worlds

Revelation 9:13-21

With the advent of space travel and rockets and jets, there has developed a tremendous interest in that genre of literature and film known as “science fiction.” One of the blockbuster movies of all time was about a little creature from outer space by the name of “E.T.” One of the most popular television shows of all time was the show entitled “Star Trek.” The first outer space hero that even little boys and girls today know about is the man called “Buck Rogers.”

There has developed along with that a fascination with the possibility of an invasion from outer space. In 1938 a famous and today humorous incident took place involving the actor Orson Wells. He was narrating a part in the play entitled “The War of the Worlds” over radio. Unsuspecting listeners who tuned in, not realizing that it was simply play-acting, actually believed that the state of New Jersey was being invaded by Martians. So realistic was this actor’s portrayal, it almost sent an entire nation into panic.

Ironically, the Bible teaches that some day a worldwide invasion is going to take place, but it will not be an invasion from outer space, but rather, from inner space. There is going to be unleashed an army of 200 million satanic soldiers who will do battle with the forces of earth. It will truly be “The War of the Worlds.” This war will be between the physical world of humanity and the spiritual world of hell. It will see more people killed than all of the other wars in all of human history combined. This war will make World War I and World War II look like minor skirmishes.

We are going to read a descriptive picture of this war. But I warn you it will be both a depressing picture and a demoralizing picture. You are going to see horror, hurt, heartache, and heartbreak on an unprecedented scale, you are going to see the hardness of the hearts of lost mankind in a new light, God is going to use an army from hell to demonstrate both the sweetness of the savior and the stubbornness of the sinner. This war is divided up into three stages:

1.  The Preparation of the Demonic Angels

►       So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. (Revelation 9:15)

We are told specifically that these hellish hit-men have been, and even now are being prepared to strike the earth at a moment’s notice. We are going to see that both these angels and this world is being prepared for the unleashing of a demonic attack upon the earth.

A.  They Are Released at God’s command

►       Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” (Revelation 9:13-14)

At the blowing of the sixth trumpet a voice from the golden altar commands this sixth angel to release these four angels who have heretofore been bound and imprisoned. They will not be released until God gives the command.

We are told that the voice comes “from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God” (v.13).  Now why does the voice come from this particular location? Well in the Bible horns are a symbol of power and authority. You will also recall that four is the number of the earth. There are four seasons, there are four points to the compass, etc. So this represents God’s power over the earth.

Now the altar is involved because in the Bible an altar was the place of salvation. In the Old Testament an innocent lamb would be slain on the altar for the sins of the people. In the new testament the altar was the cross of Calvary where the innocent lamb of God, the lord Jesus Christ, was crucified and slain for the sins of his people.

The altar reminds us that there are two sides to the coin of salvation, on the one side is mercy, but on the other side is judgment. In the Bible whenever someone receives salvation someone or something else

In the Old Testament the judgment came by the shedding of the blood of an innocent lamb. In the New Testament judgment came by the shedding of the blood of the innocent lamb of God. So the altar was a place both of salvation and of judgment. But here salvation is past. This is not the altar of salvation, this is the altar of judgment.

These four angels that are released are angels of judgment, not angels of mercy. Now these are not the same four angels you find in chapter 7, verse 1. These angels are bound and they must be released. That gives us a clue to what these angels are. In the Bible God’s angels are never bound. But as we have seen in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude v.6 bound angels are fallen angels. They are what we know as demons. So these angels are actually demonic angels, not divine angels. These are the devil’s deputies who are devoted to doing his will.

Now I believe we are told even more specifically in the word of God who these four demons are. We are given a clue to the identity of these “filthy four” in Daniel 10:12-13:

►       Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. (Daniel 10:12-13)

We are told that Daniel’s prayer to God was hindered by “the prince of the kingdom of Persia.” This was obviously some demonic influence that was hindering the prayer of Daniel.

It is here that Satan resumes his kingdom only to seal his doom. The river Euphrates is going to be both the cradle and the grave of the kingdom of Satan. It is the dividing line today between east and west, between what we call the near east and the far east. One day it will be again the eastern boundary of the promised land. But notice particularly that these angels are not released until God gives the command.

b. They are released under God’s control

These “hellish hit-men” are released at exactly the time and the day and the hour and the year appointed unto them.

“So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year” (v.15a).  The New American standard rendering which is correct suggests that these angels are released “for the hour and the day and the year.” In other words, at the exact moment that God says, a moment that is known only to God and appointed by God, are these angels to be released.

These angels are not released by chance. They are released by choice. This cataclysmic event is going to take place right on schedule - God’s schedule. God’s timing is imperceptible, but it is also impeccable.

God is never late. God is never early. God is right on time. Now we sometimes find that hard to understand. We sometimes look at the condition of this earth and say, “why doesn’t God do something and why doesn’t God do something now.” you see, we are concerned about time, but God is concerned about timing, timing for God is far more important than time. God is never early and God is never late. Now sometimes we are.

One man got a call from his doctor. His doctor said, “I have some good news and some bad news.”  The patient said, “Well what is the good news?” The doctor said, “The good news is you only have 24 hours to live.” The man said, “Well what on earth is the bad news?” The doctor said, “I tried to call you yesterday!”

Yes it is true that sometimes we can be a little late and sometimes we can be too early. But God is never either one. He is always on time. But what this verse is telling us is that everything and all things are under God’s sovereign control. Nothing happens without his approval, not a speck of dust moves, not a blade of grass stirs, not a shot can be fired without God knowing all about it and granting his permission.

If you will study the Bible carefully you will find that God is totally in control of this world. He is control of the natural world. He is in control of the financial world. He is in control of the political world. He is in control of the spiritual world.

Because there is evil and suffering in this world there have been some who have tried to argue against the existence of God. The question is “How can a sovereign and a gracious God allow evil to be in this world?”

Now at first that seems to be a formidable argument. The argument goes “If there is evil in the world, it is proof that either God does not exist or he cannot do anything about it. But if He cannot do anything about it then He is not God. Therefore God does not exist.”

But I believe it is the very presence of evil that tells us there is a God, and that God is great enough to allow it to exist, not be hindered by its working and in fact use it to accomplish his purpose.

What you are going to see in this passage and indeed even in the book of the revelation is, that God is even greater than evil in the universe. He is in control even of the demonic world and will one day triumph over it, even this demonic army is released only at God’s command, but is also released under God’s control.

2. The Power of the Demonic Army

►       So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. (Revelation 9:15)

This army is released “to kill a third of mankind” (v. 15). Now they have only one purpose and that is to kill, but they can only kill one-third of mankind because remember they are under God’s control, they are limited by the lord. These are the devil’s assassins, blood-thirsty spirit beings who have only one desire and that is to spread the stench of death and spill the blood of men from one end of the earth to the other.

This holocaust will be so great that one-third of all of mankind will be killed. Based on the present population of the earth today that would be over 1 ½ billion people. Now you remember that earlier in the tribulation ¼ of the earth’s population was eliminated by the fourth seal judgment (6:7-8). Now the population is reduced by 1/3. That means that before we have even reached the middle of the great tribulation, over ½ of the world’s population has died. Imagine an army so powerful that it can kill in one fell swoop 1 ½ billion people. We are told in detail just what a great army this is.

►       Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:16)

This army is 200 million strong. To give you an idea of the size of this army it would fill up a Calvary one mile wide and 87 miles long.

Now had people in that day known the population of the earth, they would have laughed at this part of the Bible, it would have been ludicrous in that day because when this was written there were not even 200 million people on the earth. We are talking about an army that is just slightly less than the population of the united states of America. To put it into perspective, at the height of world war ii the united states only had 12 million people in its armed forces.

But a magazine article stated in 1964, which is 25 years ago, that china boasted a standing militia of 200 million people. Who knows but what this army could be the big red machine from the east who one day will come and do battle with the forces of the west. So it would be no problem to conceive of an army this size today.

a. The sound of this army

“And I heard the number of them” (v.16b).  Notice John did not say he saw their number, but rather he heard their number. There were too many to count so john just listened to them.

Can you just imagine the sound that John heard. Think of rank after endless rank of 200 million soldiers, their feet beating out time like the rhythmic rolling of drums, the cadence of their march sounds like thunder in his ears. Each step means death, destruction, desolation, depression.

b. The strength of this army

►       And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. (Revelation 9:17-18)

We are told the breastplates have colors of red, blue and yellow. These colors correspond to the fire, smoke and brimstone that is coming out of the mouths of the horses. Fire often has the appearance of being red. Smoke often takes on a bluish black color. Brimstone is what we call today sulfur, which of course, is yellowish in nature and appearance.

The horses have heads like lions and out of their mouths come this fire, smoke and brimstone. These are weapons of hell and also symbols of God’s judgment. God used fire and brimstone to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. In chapter 1.4:10 we are told that God will use fire and brimstone to destroy the humanistic city of Babylon. He is also going to use these same elements to judge the beast and the false prophet., (Revelation 19:20), Satan, (Revelation 20:10), and eventually all unbelievers who reject the lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 21:8).

c. The savagery of this army

►       For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. (Revelation 9:19)

These satanic soldiers are not simply satisfied with murdering and killing one-third of the world, they also want to hurt the remaining two-thirds that are alive, their tails will be used like poisonous snakes to hurt.

There are snakes today such as the cobra that can blind men by spitting into their eyes. There are other snakes whose bites paralyze, others whose bites destroy tissue and muscle permanently. So we see that that part of mankind that is not hurt is going to be maimed, paralyzed, blinded, crippled and deformed by this horrible army.

3. The Purpose of the Demonic Attack

After this war of the worlds has ended we are told that while one-third of the world is killed, two-thirds of the world is spared. Now God could have allowed this invincible demonic army to destroy all of mankind but he did not.

But we are also told something else. We are told that the two-thirds of this world that was spared refused to repent and get right with God. Their response was not humble repentance, but haughty rebellion. These two facts, the fact that two-thirds of the world was spared but this two-thirds refused to repent, explain the purpose of this demonic attack.

a. To reveal the willingness of God

Why does it seem like God is prolonging the agony? Why does it seem as if God is dragging his feet? Why all of the woes? Why all of the trumpets? Why all of the seals? Why all of the bowls? Why doesn’t God just get it all over with and wipe out rebellious man from the face of the earth? Why didn’t God allow this demonic army to finish the job?The answer I believe is found in:

►       The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

You see, even in the midst of God’s judgment you see God’s goodness. God wants men to repent and we are told in Romans 2:4 “It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.”

God specifically says in Ezekiel 33:11, “Say to them: ‘as I live,’ says the lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.’”

There is one thing throughout all of the Revelation that never changes and that is the heart and the will of God. Even in the midst of this terrible time of rebellion and blasphemy, it is not the will of God that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Dr. Joe Henry Hankins was a great southern Baptist preacher who lived a generation or two ago. He once preached a message entitled “Who cares if a sinner goes to hell!” Well God cares. The only reason we have not yet felt the burning heat of the fire of God’s wrath is because of the love and the patience of God.

An infidel was standing out on the street corner trying to prove God did not exist. He screamed out “God, if you exist I’ll give you three minutes to kill me.” At the end of that three minutes he began to laugh and scoff and say “I told you there was no God.” A crowd had gathered and in that crowd was a preacher. He saw what had taken place. He then replied, “You fool, you cannot exhaust the patience of God in three minutes.” “Quite frankly, if I were God, I would have destroyed man from the face of this earth centuries and centuries ago. But thank God, he is a God of forbearance and patience who loves us and wants us to be saved.”

b. To reveal the wickedness of man

►       But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21)

Now you would have expected that those who were spared during this terrible time would fall on their face and repent and get right with God, but notice the word “but” in v.20, a phrase is repeated twice in vs. 20 and 21. It is the phrase “did not repent.” That is incredible. At the end of the first series of judgments, those under the seals, men were horrified. But at the end of these series of judgments, under the trumpets, men are just hardened.

As I thought about that at first I could not believe it. But then as I thought about it further, I can believe it. That really should not surprise us. If people will not repent now, they will not repent then.

I used to think that people in hell wanted to be saved. I used to think that people in hell would cry out for mercy for all eternity. But did you know the Bible teaches that if a man does not want to be saved here on earth, he will not want to be saved later in hell. If a man does not love God in this life, he will hate God in the life to come.

Luke 13:28 tells us that “Hell will be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The gnashing of teeth is the sound that a mad dog or a wild animal fakes when he is under attack, in the Bible it is an act of rage and anger. We are told in Acts 7:54 that when Stephen preached to those Pharisees about the lord Jesus Christ, they “gnashed at him with their teeth.”

Do you know what people in hell are doing right now? They are cursing God. They are shaking their fists in the face of God. These people left on earth, we are told, will steadfastly choose sin over salvation. Notice the kinds of sin that will be prevalent and prominent in the last days of the tribulation. The three kinds of sin that men will refuse to give up.

There is the sin of spiritual idolatry. “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.” (v.20)

Three false religions will consume the hearts and minds of men: humanism (“the works of their hands.”) Satanism (“that they should not worship demons;) materialism (idols of gold, silver, brass, stone and wood).

We are seeing the resurgence and emergence of these three religions today, humanism has taken over our public and higher educational system. Satanism is on the rise. One of the top selling paperbacks of the past twenty years is the satanic Bible, which has sold over 600,000 copies. We see an increasing interest in the occult, horoscopes and astrology, colleges today are teaching occult phenomenon under the term para-

Psychology, which is just a glorified word for the study of occult practices, mental telepathy, esp, etc. Materialism is no stranger in this yuppie age of Rolex watches, Gucci shoes, Mercedes, BMW’s and condos at the beach.

But there is also the sin of social indecency. “And they did not repent of their murders” (v. 21).  Men will become like blood-thirsty sharks devouring one another. Even today we see the prices of things going up while the value of life is going down.

“Or their sorceries” (v.21).  The word for sorceries is the Greek word pharmekia from which we get the word pharmacy. It literally means “the use of drugs.” drugs in that day will be sold at bargain basement prices. Drugs will be sold like coca cola at a soda fountain. Our president recently declared a war on drugs, this is a battle that must be fought, but I must warn you it is a battle that will not be won until Jesus comes again.

“Or their thefts” (v.21).  You will not be able to trust anybody in that day, your private property will be everyone’s public property. If you’ve got it and they want it, they will take it, and there will be no one to defend you. People will steal you blind. Robbery and burglary will become everyday hobbies.

All of these things are inter-related, David Wilkerson said, “I have yet to see a person worshipping devils who did not first open their minds to mystical experiences through the use of drugs.” many murders are drug related. You read almost every day in the paper of a murder over a drug deal gone wrong. Many today are stealing and killing to pay for their drug habit.”

But then there will be the sin of sexual immorality. “Or their sexual immorality” (v.21). The Greek word for immorality is the word porneia from which we get the word pornography. This refers to any and all kinds of sexual perversion: homosexuality, beastiality, sex orgies, wife swapping, child molestation, rape will be seen on an unprecedented scale.

Now what all of this tells us is simply this. God is going to show through this demonic attack that the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. Man does not need reformation. Man does not need rehabilitation. Man does not need re-education. Man does not need re-orientation. What man needs is regeneration. He needs to be saved. The real message of this sermon is, if you need to be saved you can be saved if you want to be saved. I hope you will be saved before the war of the world’s breaks loose.