Think of the unimaginable, your worst ever scenario and now triple it and triple it again!
That’s how perhaps we feel when we are reading this Revelation.
But again we are not in despair for remember that the prayers of all Gods people are rising from the altar. Don’t forget the martyrs praying, ‘How long …?’ and the uncountable multitude dressed in white and declaring, ‘Salvation belongs to our God …’ So don’t be distracted by all the evil you will see and remember this is not a timeline as we have been conditioned into reading Revelation over the years. This is a vision with so many things taking place at the same time that it is as if John is looking at a huge backdrop. It is heading in a direction for sure but the chapters nor the sequences are indicators of this is next then that etc.
The 6th trumpet is blown and surely this will now bring about a move back to God for those who are set in their sinful ways?
Again we see lots of imagery.
“The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulphur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulphur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9 v 13-21)
The 6th judgment is an escalation of violence and destruction on the earth. Again a third are killed by 4 demonic angels who had been held back at the edge of Israel’s borders, the Euphrates River. We don’t speculate who this army of 2 million is. Some have and still do. They miss the point or indeed stretch it.
John is quite descriptive in what he sees. This is a huge onslaught. It could be all human or mixed human/demonic. They are difficult to stop for they wear breastplates giving them some form of protection. They demonstrate power (heads of lions) and they are deceptive (their tails inflict injury).
Once again John sees the fraction, the 1/3rd. It is the indicator that God is giving time and space for a remnant to repent. He is a judging God but He demonstrates mercy. His mercy outweighs His judgment by at least 2/3rds. For those who continue to rebel they will have no excuse.
But again man doesn’t change. Even after these judgments there is no repentance. It makes us wonder. What will it take to bring about the repentance and turning back to God? Will this ever happen? John isn’t in a rush to tell us. There is more to come.
Missions Paul 