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SECOND HALF OF THE TRIBULATION

Sixth Trumpet – 2nd woe:

Revelation 9:13 – “Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.”

In the Old Testament the four horns of the altar of sacrifice was the place where the blood of atonement was sprinkled.  Exodus 29:12 – “You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar”.  Leviticus 9:8-9 – Aaron “slaughtered the calf of the sin offering … he dipped his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar”.  Leviticus 16:18 – “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 of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides.”

‘Horn’ is also a metaphor for the Lord’s strength and power and salvation.  Psalm 18:2 – “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 – “And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant.”

Revelation 9:14 – “Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, ‘Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.’ ”

Remember in Revelation 7:2 – there was an angel ‘from the east’ with the first four trumpet judgments.  The Euphrates River is also ‘from the east’.

Revelation 9:15-16 – “And the four angels, who had been kept for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.  The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.”

This is the start of the Great Tribulation – it begins with the 6th trumpet.  Four angels have been kept for this very exact moment in time and God is now sending out two hundred million horsemen.  What a commencement for the second half of the Tribulation.

Even the phrase: ‘who had been kept for this very hour and day and month and year’ is a unique description.  They have been kept for a very important, significant event.  Every single word in the Bible is deliberate and with purpose.

This judgment of the horsemen is only on non-believers.  1 Thessalonians 5:9 – “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”

Revelation 9:17 – “And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the colour of fire and of hyacinth (smokey blue) and of brimstone (yellow); and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.”

Fire represents God’s judgment.  Genesis 19:24 – “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.”

A point of interest is that the three colours of the riders’ breastplates – red, hyacinth (smokey blue) and yellow are the same as the judgments that come out of the horses’ mouths.

Revelation 9:18 – “A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths.”

Revelation 9:19 – “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.”

Two hundred million horsemen.  What a fearsome sight that will be.

Revelation 9:20-21 – “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshipping 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 (which includes drugs, Greek: ’pharmakeia’, Galatians 5:20), their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

‘Pharmakeia’ – drugs – is indeed included in the Greek definition of sorcery – magic arts – witchcraft.  Any mind-altering substance can open a person to demonic-possession and is very dangerous.  The Bible clearly states the dire consequences against any such use.  Revelation 21:8 – “their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  Matthew 25:46 – “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew: 13:42-43 – “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear.”

The phrase: ‘did not stop worshipping demons’ confirms that the 6th Trumpet occurs before the Beast begins to reign.  After he takes the throne, which the Dragon gives him, everyone must worship the Beast only.

Revelation 11:14 – “The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.”

[3rd woe is the 7th trumpet]

Turn now to the Lord Christ Jesus, the ‘horn of salvation’, and be saved.

On another note, this 6th Trumpet is similar to the first 4 trumpet judgments.  There are four angels here with the 6th Trumpet and four (different) angels carrying out the judgments of the first four trumpets; both times some of God’s angels come from ‘the east’ / ‘the great river Euphrates’ – (which is from the east); the first four trumpet judgments and now the 6th trumpet have been a 1/3 portion of God’s wrath.   That will increase as the Tribulation goes on.

God is making a resounding statement sending 200,000,000 horsemen.  The Lord God sends them at the very start of the 2nd half – the 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation.  He’s showing His great power, might and strength – that He is the Lord your God and “there is no other ” – Deuteronomy 4:35; Joel 2:27.

For scripture only on the ‘Army from the East’: 6th Trumpet

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