Introductory remarks:
Chapter nine follows in order with the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets. The last three trumpets are 'woe' trumpets.
"These woes mark the deepest darkness and the most painful intensity of the Great Tribulation Period. They are generally associated with the last three and one-half years of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, which is the Great Tribulation Period; these will be the blackest days in human history.
The language used in this section is admittedly the most difficult of interpretation, but this does not preclude our policy of following the literal line, even when the figures adopted are the most vivid and wild. If another interpretation is proper, John will furnish us with the key" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
The Fifth Trumpet
Verse 1, "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."
LGT "And the fifth angel sounded [his] trumpet: and I saw a star out of the heaven which had fallen into the earth, and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss."
"And I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth:"
This phrase is literally, which had fallen into the earth. The KJV has it as though John had witnessed the star falling; "the word 'fall' is in the Greek peptoka, a perfect active participle of pipto, meaning that it is already down" (Robertson). This star is Satan himself, and we can read about his fall in Ezekiel 28; Isaiah writes: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (Isa. 14:12). Luke writes: And He [Jesus] said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18).
"And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."
Literally, of the pit of the abyss. "It is not however a pit that is locked, but the long shaft heading to the abyss, like a well-shaft, which, in the East, is oftener covered and locked" (Vincent).
"The Lord now holds the key to the abyss (see Rev. 1:18). Peter tells us the demons are imprisoned there (see 2 Pet. 2:4). In Luke 8:30, 31 we read: And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep [abyss].
The abyss is a very literal place. The idea that heaven and hell are mythological and that heaven is a beautiful isle somewhere, a Shangri-la hanging out in space, is not the teaching of the Word of God. The teaching of the Word of God is that heaven is as literal as the place where you live today and that hell is equally as real as the place where you now live.
During the last part of the Great Tribulation, the key to the abyss is given to Satan, and he is given a freedom that he never has had before. I believe this explains why men cannot die during this period. Satan wants to keep them alive; he does not want his army decimated at all" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
Theime notes: "This is the beginning of the first woe - mentioned as being over in verse 12. This is one of three falls of Satan. He will now be able to vent his anger in the form of real violence on mankind."
Verse 2, "And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."
LGT "And he opened the pit of the abyss, and there came up smoke out of the pit as smoke of a great furnace, and the sun was darkened and the air from the smoke of the pit."
"And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as smoke of a great furnace;"
"It is represented before as wholly confined, so that not even the smoke or vapor could escape" (Barnes).
When Satan takes the key and opens the pit of the abyss, the earth belches out a smoke that darkens the light of the sun; it is like a great volcano erupting.
"In Peter we learn that the fallen angels are held in the abyss with chains of darkness. Here we learn that one cause of the darkness is from thick dark smoke that is released as these fallen angels are released. The smoke is then used as a smoke screen to cover the advance of the attacking army" (Thieme).
"And the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."
"Such burning sulphur would produce, of course, a dense smoke or vapor; and the idea here is, that the pit had been closed, and that as soon as the door was opened a dense column escaped that darkened the heavens. The purpose of this is, probably, to indicate the origin of the plague that was about to come upon the world. It would be of such a character that it would appear as if it had been emitted from hell; as if the inmates of that dark world had broke loose upon the earth." (Barnes).
Verse 3, "And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."
LGT "And out of the smoke come locusts unto the earth, and was given to them power as the scorpions of the earth have power."
"And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth:"
"Nahum 3:15, 16 says that locust are used as an analogy for an attacking army: There fire will consume you, the sword will cut you down; it will consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust; multiply yourself like the swarming locust. You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven. The creeping locust strips and flies away. The locusts generally operate in a coordinate fashion that demolish large sections of land when they attack. However, they usually do not have a general in charge. These locusts will have a general in charge. These locusts will have a general mentioned in verse 11" (Thieme).
"Locusts are an emblem of desolation or destruction. No symbol of desolation could be more appropriate or striking than this, for one of the most remarkable properties of locusts is, that they devour every green thing and leave a land perfectly waste. They do this even when what they destroy is not necessary for their own sustenance [nourishment]. 'Locusts seem to devour not so much from a ravenous [starving] appetite as from rage for destroying. Destruction, therefore, and not food, is the chief impulse of their devastations, and in this consists their utility [service]; they are, in fact, omnivorous [destroy any and everything]. The most poisonous plants are indifferent to them; they will prey even upon the crowfoot, whose causticity burns even the hides of beasts. They simply consume everything, without predilection [partiality] - vegetable matter, linens, woolens, silk, leather, etc.; and Pliny does not exaggerate when he says fores quoque tectorum - 'even the doors of houses' - for they have been known to consume the very varnish of furniture. They reduce everything indiscriminately to shreds, which become manure" (Kitto's Encyclopedia vol. 2 p. 263). [Albert Barnes]
"And unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."
"Shaped like a lobster, living in damp places, under stones, in clefts of walls, cellars, etc. The sting is in the extremity of the tail. The sting of the Syrian scorpion is not fatal, though very painful. The same is true of the West Indian scorpion, Thompson says that those of North Africa are said to be larger, and that their poison frequently causes death. The wilderness of Sinai is especially alluded to as being inhabited by scorpions at the time of the Exodus (Deut. 8:15); and to this very day they are common in the same district. A part of the mountains bordering on Palestine in the south was named from these Akrabbim, Akrab being the Hebrew for scorpion" (Vincent).
Verse 4, "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads."
LGT "And it was said to them that they should not injure the grass of the earth neither all the green things neither any tree, except [but only] the men who do not have the seal of God upon their foreheads."
"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree;"
These are the usual targets of the locust, that is, all the green vegetation, but they are restricted from destroying the vegetation. This suggests that these are an unusual type of locusts. "Their purpose would be to vex and trouble men; not to spread desolation over vineyards, olive-yards, and fields of grain" (Barnes).
"But only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads."
The 144,000 Jews who are sealed are kept from the destruction of this army of locusts. "This is a plague of locusts which is as literal as the plague of locusts in Egypt. Joel prophesied of a coming plague of locusts (see Joel 1). Again, a working knowledge of the Old Testament is essential to the understanding of Revelation. The difference between the locusts here and the locusts in Joel is the character of the locusts and the object of their destruction. They sting as scorpions, and their objects are evil men" (McGee).
Verse 5, "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man."
LGT "And it was given them in order that they should not kill them, but in order that they should be tormented five months, and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it may strike a man."
"And to them it was given that they should not kill them,"
This charge is given to the scorpions that they should torment the men, but they are not to kill them. "The locusts do not themselves destroy any living creature; and the sting of the scorpion, though exceedingly painful, is not usually fatal. The proper fulfillment of this would be found in that which would not be generally fatal, but which would diffuse misery and wretchedness" (Barnes).
"But that they should be tormented five months:"
Elliot, quoted by Fausset says: "Five months is the usual time that the locusts complete their ravages." "The actual locust is born in the spring and dies at the end of summer (about five months)" (Robertson).
"And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man."
"The scorpion is shaped like a lobster and lives in damp places. His sting is in his tail; though it is not fatal, it is painful indeed. This is the picture we are given here. These were mentioned by Joshua when he spoke of the hornet, And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you. . .(Josh. 24:12). Therefore you can see that believers, living during the Great Tribulation who will be acquainted with the Old Testament, will understand what John is talking about regarding these scorpions" (McGee).
Verse 6, "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them"
LGT "And in those days the men will seek the death and will by no means find it, and they will intensely desire to die and death will flee from them."
"And in those days shall men seek death,"
In those days means the last half of the Great Tribulation. Shall men seek death, is Literally, the men; this is the generic use of the article meaning the wicked men without the mark. The torment from the locusts is so bad that these men will want to die, to get relief.
"And shall not find it;"
The words 'shall not' in the Greek are ou me, which is a double, negative and is literally. By no means will they find death.
"Satan does not want his crowd to die, and it is only his crowd that are attacked by these locusts. Men during this period try to commit suicide and are unable to do it - this reveals something of the awfulness of that day. Satan wants them here because there is a battle between light and darkness that is being waged. There are others who think that maybe it is God who will not let these men die because sinful men must face the consequences of his rebellion - there is no escape" (McGee).
"A large part look forward to death as a release, when, if the reality were known, death would furnish no such relief, for there are deeper and longer woes beyond the grave than there are this side of it" (Barnes).
"And shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them."
The word 'desire' is gr. epithumesousin, future active of epithumeo, third person plural, meaning, they will intensely, earnestly desire to die. It is not natural to want to die, as a matter of fact; men do everything in their power to fend off death. "Paul in Phil. 1:23 shows a preference for death if his work is done, in order to be with Christ, a very different feeling from what we have here" (Robertson). No matter with what intense desire these men seek death it will allude them.
Verse 7, "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men."
LGT "And the likeness of the locusts [were] like unto horses prepared for war, and upon their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men."
"And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle;"
This first phrase is literally, and the likeness of the locusts [were] like unto horses prepared for war. "The likeness of a locusts to a horse, especially to a horse equipped with armor, is so striking that the insect is named in German Heupferd [hay horse], and in Italian cavaletta [little horse]" (Vincent).
"And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold,"
"Not actual crowns, but as crowns. Milligan remark's that any yellow brilliancy about the head of the insect is a sufficient foundation for the figure" (Vincent). "Not actual crowns, but what looked like crowns of gold, as conquerors, as indeed they were (4:4; 6:2; 12:1; 14:14)" (Robertson).
"And their faces were as the faces of men."
"The human-looking faces in these demonic locusts are to give added terror, suggesting the intelligence and capacity of man" (Swete). "There is a distant resemblance to the human countenance in the face of the locust. Men (anthropon) is to be taken not as distinguishing sex, but in the generic sense: human faces" (Vincent).
Verse 8, "And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions."
LGT "And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions."
"And they had hair as the hair of women,"
This word 'women' [gunaikon] is generic term for women like the one in the last verse is generic [anthropon] for men, with no reference to sex at all. Robertson suggests 'perhaps the antennae of the locust were unusually long'. The antennae of the locust are likened to the long hair of a woman. "There is said to be an Arabic proverb in which the antennae of locusts are compared to girl's hair" (Vincent).
We have a lot of these longhaired vermin running around in our society today. This has nothing to do with Revelation; it just angers me to the limit when I see men going around looking like women. In San Francisco it doesn't bother me because these 'homo's have the souls of women, and they usually keep to themselves, that is, they have their own society, so they can go to hell as they choose. The thing about men going around with long hair is it is not natural, and it does send the wrong message to youngsters growing up. I don't believe the lie 'God accepts you the way you are' so it doesn't matter if you want to look like a woman. Men should be men, and women should be women, and that is how God made us, and that is the only way He will accept us. We are accepted on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and that includes the longhaired, commie-pinko fag. But I would not think that we could enjoy fellowship with our Lord in going around with long hair, which is against nature itself. God does not accept us as we are, we must be clothed in the Righteousness of Christ, which is imputed on us forever the moment we believe in Him.
"And their teeth were as the teeth of lions."
The prophet Joel describes these locusts, For a nation has invaded my land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness" (Joel 1:6).
Verse 9, "And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."
LGT "And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings as the sound of many horsed-chariots running into battle."
"And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron;"
These demonic locusts had the appearance of having on coats of armor. The breastplates reached from the neck to the navel and also covered the back. "The armor for the breastplates was usually of iron (siderous, Rev. 2:27), but with the locusts it only seemed to be so (hos). However, the scaly backs and flanks of the locusts do resemble coats of mail" (Robertson). "The locusts of the Abyss may be the memories of the past brought home at times of Divine visitation" (Swete). "Hard, horny impenetrable, as if they were made of iron. The locust has a firm and hard cuticle on the forepart of the breast, which serves for a shield or defense while it moves in the thorny and fuzzy vegetation. On those, which John saw, this was peculiarly hard and horny, and would thus be well adapted to be an emblem of the breastplates of iron commonly worn by ancient warriors. The meaning is, that the warriors referred to would be well clad with defensive armor" (Barnes Notes on Revelation - Albert Barnes).
"And the sound of their wings"
"A graphic picture of the onrush of the swarms of demonic locusts and the hopelessness of resisting them" (Robertson)
"Was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."
This phrase is literally, with many horsed-chariots running to battle.
"It was an army that was symbolized, and everything about them served to represent hosts of men well armed, rushing to conflict. The same thing here referred to is noticed by Joel 2:4, 5, and 7. It is remarkable that Volney, who had no intention of illustrating the truth of Scripture, has given a description of locusts, as if he meant to confirm the truth of what is here said. 'Syria' says he, 'as well as Egypt, Persia, and almost all the south of Asia, is subject to another calamity no less dreadful [than earthquakes]; I mean those clouds of locusts so often mentioned by travelers. The quantity of those insects is incredible to all who have not themselves witnessed their astounding numbers; the whole earth is covered with them for the space of several leagues [a league is approximately 4-miles]. The noise they make in browsing on the trees and herbage may be heard to a great distance, and resembles that of an army foraging [searching] in secret' (Travels in Egypt and Syria, vol 1 pp. 283, 284)" (Albert Barnes).
"Verse 10, "And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months."
LGT "And they had tails like scorpions and stings, and in their tails was their power to injure the men five months."
"And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails;"
"This made the locusts which appeared to John the more remarkable, for though the fancy may imagine a resemblance between the tail of a locust and a scorpion, yet locusts have properly no sting. The only thing they have resembling a sting is a hard bony substance like a needle, with which the female punctures the bark and wood of trees in order to deposit her eggs. It has, however, no adaptation, like a sting, for conveying poison into a wound. These, however, appeared to be armed with stings properly so-called" (Barnes).
There are those in the religious circles that have come up with some pretty fanciful theories stimulated by this verse. Listen to what J. Vernon McGee has to say about his experience with these prophecy mongers. Remember also that McGee taught in a generation beginning before I was born and continued to about fifteen years ago when he went home to be with our Lord:
"There are those today who have attempted to liken this description of the locusts to the airplane. I remember as a young fellow hearing a preacher who said that since the sting of the locust is in the tail, it compares to the rear gunner on a bomber! Well, that all sounds very good, but we have now passed from the propeller plane to the jet plane and into the missile age. Maybe you would want to compare these locusts to the missile. Seriously, I do not want to compare it to anything that is known today, because this is not the weapon that is used today but the weapon that is going to be used in the Great Tribulation period - whatever that is going to be. Our weapons today are so frightful that even Russia and the United States (although they are at opposite poles) are willing to sit down and talk, as long as one thinks the other is as strong or stronger than he is" (McGee).
"And their power was to hurt men five months."
It will be a time of horrific pain and suffering from these literal locusts. "The word here used - adikesai, rendered to hurt - is different from the word in ver. 5 - basanisthosi, rendered should be tormented. This word properly means to do wrong, to do unjustly, to injure, and to hurt; and the two words would seem to convey the idea that they would produce distress by doing wrong to others, or by dealing unjustly with them. It does not appear that the wrong would be by inflicting bodily torments, but would be characterized by that injustice towards others which produces distress and anguish" (Barnes). I am sure that what Barnes is making reference to here would be that the men who dealt with the Tribulation Saints in an unjust manner, will be dealt with equally in an unjust manner.
Verse 11, "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
LGT "They have over them as king the angel of the abyss, [the] name to him [in] Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has a name Apollion."
"In proverbs 30:27 it is stated that the locusts has no king, but this is not true of these demonic locusts. Their king is the angel of the abyss (verse 1) whose orders they obey" (Robertson). As to the angel's name it is John's natural tendency to give both the Hebrew rendering and the Greek. I believe, along with many conservative expositors, John is referring to one of the ruling class of demons, probably a general, appointed by Satan, although there is no certain proof. "His true name is Abaddon, Apollyon - a destroyer, for that is his business, his design, and employment, to which he diligently attends, in which he is very successful, and takes a horrid hellish pleasure; it is about this destroying work that he sends out his emissaries and armies to destroy the souls of men. And now here we have the end of the one woe; and where one ends another begins" (Matthew Henry). "This confirms what Daniel told us, that the demon world of the fallen angels is divided into gradations. I think there are generals, majors, lieutenants, sergeants, and buck privates. In Ephesians we find that the angels of God are divided in the same way" (McGee).
Verse 12, "One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter."
LGT "The one woe is past: consider this, there comes yet two woes after these things."
This verse is parenthetical introducing the next woes. The one woe is the ones mentioned in verses 1-11. There are more troubles ahead for those in the last half of the seven years of tribulation.
The Sounding of the Sixth Trumpet
Verse 13, "And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God."
LGT "And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet: and I heard one voice from the [four] horns of the altar the golden one, [which] is before the God,"
"In the language here used there is an allusion to the temple, but the scene is evidently laid in heaven. The temple in its arrangements was designed, undoubtedly, to be in important respects a symbol of heaven, and this idea constantly occurs in the Scriptures. The golden altar stood in the holy place, between the table of shew-bread and the golden candlestick. This altar, made of shittim or acacia wood, was ornamented at the four corners, and overlaid throughout with laminae of gold. Hence it was called the golden altar, in contradistinction from the altar for sacrifice, which was made of stone. On its four corners it had projections, which are called horns (Ex. 30:2, 3), which seem to have been intended mainly for ornaments. When it is said that this was before God, the meaning is, that it was directly before or in front of the symbol of the divine presence in the most holy place. This image, in the vision of John, is transformed to heaven. The voice seemed to come from the very presence of the deity; from the place where offerings are made to God" (Albert Barnes - Notes on Revelation).
Verse 14, "Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates."
LGT "Saying to the sixth angel, the one having the trumpet, Let loose the four angels, the ones who are bound at the river, the great Euphrates."
"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet,"
After the sixth angel blew his trumpet, the Lord spoke from the horns of the golden altar, giving the angel His orders.
"When the sixth angel blew the trumpet, a command came from the horns of the golden altar. That golden altar speaks of prayer; that is what it spoke of in the tabernacle here on earth. This is where the angel offered prayer at the beginning of the blowing of the trumpets (see Rev. 8:3). The sixth angel not only blows the trumpet but is also given a command to loose the four angels bound at the river Euphrates. This angel receives in turn his order from a voice that was there at the horns of the golden altar. It is the voice of Christ. He has now ripped off the seventh seal which led into the trumpets and which will lead into the trumpets and which will lead into the seven personalities and the seven bowls of wrath" (McGee).
"Loose the four angels which are bound"
These angels are evidently the leaders of the demonic horsemen (9:15) as the four angels let loose the demonic locusts (7:1ff.), both quaternion agents of God's wrath" (Robertson). These are obviously the fallen angels held in prison who fell with Satan when he attempted to exalt his throne above God's, else, why would they be let loose. They would have to be first in chains in order to be freed; but they are only freed to carry out certain orders of wrath.
"In the great river Euphrates."
The Euphrates "rises in Armenia and joins the Tigris in lower Babylonia, a total length of nearly 1800 miles, the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire next to Parthia" (Robertson).
"The Euphrates was known as the great River, the River, the Flood. It rises in the mountains of Armenia, breaks through the Taurus range, and runs south and southeast until it joins the Tigris in lower Babylonia. Its total length is from 1600 to 1800 miles, and it is navigable for small craft twelve hundred miles from its mouth. It was the boundary line of Israel on the northeast (Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:7; Josh. 1:4. Compare 2 Sam. 8:3-8; 1 Kings 4:21). It thus formed the natural defense of the chosen people against the armies of Assyria. The melting of the mountain snows causes an annual flood, beginning in March and increasing until May. These floods became an emblem of the judgments inflicted by God upon Israel by means of Babylon and Assyria. The brook of Shiloah which flowed past Zion and Moriah was a type of the temple and of its mighty and gracious Lord; and the refusal of allegiance to God by the chosen people is represented as their rejection of the waters of Shiloah which flow softly, and their punishment therefore by the bringing in of the waters of the mighty and great river (Isa. 8:5-8; compare Jer. 17:13). To the prophets the Euphrates was the symbol of all that was disastrous in the divine judgments" (Word Studies in the NT - Vincent).
McGee adds an interesting note about this Euphrates location in his commentary on Revelation:
"The Euphrates actually marks the division between East and West. It was Kipling who said that East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. That is true to a certain extent. Perhaps there has been a restraining influence in the past, which has kept the hordes of the East from spilling over into the West, but it is going to be broken down. It was Napoleon who made the statement: China is a sleeping giant, and God pity the generation that wakes her up. Well, we woke her up, and she is very much alive today. China represents one-fourth of the world's population. If you take the peoples of the East, of the Orient, beyond the Euphrates River, you have most of the population of the world. Suppose they start moving? My friend, they are going to move someday. From the time of Alexander the Great, the white man has had his day. Colonialism, as far as the white man is concerned, is over now, but communism's colonialism is still on the march. The dark races are awakening. They have been held back, and apparently these four angels had something to do with holding them back.
Zechariah locates Babylon as the last stand of false religion (see Zech. 5). This is where Satan's last stand will take place" (T. T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 15, "And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."
LGT "And were loosed the four angels the ones who had been prepared unto the hour and day and month and year, in order that they might kill the third of the men."
"And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year,"
Here in this phrase the Greek helps to better understand what John is writing. The phrase 'prepared for an hour, etc.' is literally, prepared unto the hour, day, etc. The preposition eis gives the meaning to the phrase that they were prepared unto the day etc., not prepared for that length of time. Vincent explains this better than I could:
"This rendering (of the KJV) is wrong, since it conveys the idea that four periods mentioned are to be combined as representing the length of the preparation or the continuance of the plague. But it is to be noted that neither the article nor the preposition are repeated before day and month and year. The meaning is that the angels are prepared unto the hour appointed by God, and that this hour shall fall in its appointed day and month and year."
"For to slay the third part of men."
First the men of the earth will have to face torture and then here death. There are some who like to say this is not literal, but it will be literal. After this invasion half of the population will have been destroyed.
"At the blowing of the sixth trumpet, one-third of the population of mankind will be removed. We have already seen a fourth removed, and now a third is removed. Over one-half of the population of the earth will be destroyed in the Great Tribulation Period. No wonder that the Lord Jesus said, And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved . . .(Matt. 24:22)" (McGee).
Verse 16, "And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them."
LGT "And the number of the armies of the cavalry were two myriads of myriads, I heard the number of them."
"And the number of the army of the horseman"
"Of the horsemen in Greek is (tou hippikou), which is singular number, like the English the horse or the cavalry" (Vincent). "It is to be observed here that the strength of the army seemed to be cavalry. In the former plagues there is no distinct mention of horsemen; but here that which struck the beholder was the immense and unparalled number of horsemen" (Barnes).
"Were two hundred thousand thousand:"
This phrase is literally, two myriads of myriads. A myriad is ten thousand, so the number is, twenty thousand times ten thousand, that is, 200,000,000. "Cavalry of the day represented mobility, firepower and shock. So this would be equivalent to armored forces today. If the shock troops were divided equally, then each general commanded 50 million troops" (Thieme). The Expositor's Greek Testament adds: the second woe is an eruption of a fiendish cavalry.
"And I heard the number of them."
"John saw an immense host of cavalry. They appeared to be divided into large bodies that were in some degree separate, and that might be reckoned by ten thousands. Of these squadrons there were many, and to express their great and unusual numbers he said that there seemed to be myriads of them - two myriads of myriads, or twice ten thousand myriads. The army thus would seem to be immense - an army, as we should say, to be reckoned by tens of thousands. And I heard the number of them. They were so numerous that he did not pretend to be able to estimate the number himself, for it was beyond his power of computation; but he heard it stated in these round numbers, that were two myriads of myriads of them" (Barnes).
"What is spoken of here in this passage is the wholesale invasion of the earth by the demon world represented in the locusts. Now they are motivated to a world war. Actually, we have never yet had a real world war in which every nation was involved, but that will take place in the Great Tribulation Period. Are these 200 million human beings? I have so far indicated that they could be, but frankly, I believe that what we have here is the invasion by the demon world, which is a further result of Satan's opening the door of the shaft of the bottomless pit. The following description of these horsemen further confirms this fact" (McGee).
Verse 17, "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of Jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone."
LGT "And after this manner I saw the horses in my vision, and the ones sitting upon them, having breastplates fiery and hyacinthine, and brimstone-like, and the heads of the horses as heads of lions, and out of their mouths went fire and smoke and brimstone."
"And thus I saw the horses in the vision,"
This phrase is literally, after this manner I saw in my vision. This is the only place that John refers to his own vision.
"And them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire,"
"Those who sat on them had such breastplates. The word here rendered breastplates denoted properly a coat of mail that covered the body from the neck to the thighs. This would be a prominent object in looking at a horseman. This was said to be composed of 'fire, and jacinth, and brimstone;' that is, the part of the body usually incased in the coat of mail had these three colors. The word 'fire' here simply denotes red. It was burnished and bright, and seemed to be a blaze of fire" (Barnes).
"And of Jacinth, and brimstone:
"Hyacinth is the name of a flower and also of a precious stone. The noun occurs only Apoc. 21:20, and the adjective only here . . .As a stone, it is identified by some with the sapphire. As to color, the hyacinth of the Greeks seems to have comprehended the iris, gladiolus, and larkspur. Hence the different accounts of its color in classical writings, varying from red to black. A dull blue seems to be meant here. Of brimstone, perhaps light yellow, such a color as would be produced by settling fumes of brimstone" (Vincent).
"And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions;"
"The horse is the animal of war (Job 39:19-25). The underworld is now making war on mankind. These creatures from the underworld are unnatural. They are probably demons or demon controlled. We are given a literal description of them. In his book on Revelation, William R. Newell makes this very timely observation, 'Believe, and you scarcely need any comment.' The problem with men who come to Revelation and say that it is difficult to understand and impossible to interpret is that they do not believe it. If you simply believe it and read it, it is very clear. Hellish forces will be at work during this period" (McGee). "Heads of lions, resembled, in some respects, the heads of lions. He does not say that they were the heads of lions, or that the riders were on monsters, but only that they, in some respects, resembled the heads of lions. It would be easy to give this general appearance by the way in which the head-dress of the horses was arrayed" (Barnes).
"And out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone."
Both rider and horse are presented here as terrible (Robertson).
Verse 18, "By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths."
LGT "By these three plagues were they killed the third of the men, from the fire and from the smoke and from the brimstone, which proceeded out from their mouths."
"By these three was the third part of men killed,"
"These three plagues mentioned here are literal plagues. The fire is literal, the smoke is literal, and the brimstone is literal. The same thing took place at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I believe this world during the Great Tribulation Period will actually be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. People talk about homosexuality attaining respectability in our day. Well, it was the accepted life-style in Sodom and Gomorrah, but homosexuals went out of business - God put them out of business. If you think God is going to permit mankind to go into eternity an unnatural creature, you are wrong" (McGee).
"By the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths."
"At this point one third of the population is killed. One third of nature had already been affected, but mankind had not been touched with a judgment of this magnitude. If the population of the world were 1.5 billion, this would mean that 500 million would be slain. Remember that a fourth part had been slain under the fourth seal. This terrible decimation of the earth's population seemed incongruous [inconsistent] with all of history until the atomic bomb fell upon Hiroshima. Since then men have both been using more frightening language than that of Revelation. They now talk of the total decimation of earth's inhabitants. But the Lord Jesus said that He will not permit it: "Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved" (Matt. 24:22) - and the human race would commit suicide if it could" (McGee).
Verse 19, "For the power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt."
LGT "For the power of the horses is in their mouth and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents, having heads and with them hurt."
"For the power is in their mouth,"
"That is. As described in the fire, smoke, and brimstone that proceeded out of their mouths. What struck the seer as remarkable on looking on the symbol was, that this immense destruction seemed to proceed out of their mouths. It was not that they trampled down their enemies: nor that they destroyed them with the sword, the bow, or the spear: it was some new and remarkable power in warfare - in which the destruction seemed to proceed from fire, and smoke, and sulpher issuing from the mouths of the horses themselves" (Barnes).
"And in their tails: for in their tails were like unto serpents, and heads, and with them they do hurt."
These are unnatural horses, which are able to kill with their mouths. The weirdest feat of all is that, instead of horses' hair for tails, they have serpents which are also used in destroying mankind" (McGee). "There was something remarkable in the position and appearance of their heads. All serpents, of course, have heads; but John saw something unusual in this - or something so peculiar in their heads as to attract special attention. It would seem most probable that the heads of these serpents appeared to extend in every direction - as if the hairs of the horses' tails had been converted into snakes, presenting a most fearful and destructive image" (Barnes).
"Again this is an analogy to convey information. So their tails were like the head of a poisonous snake. They can cause damage to the rear also. Poisonous snakes can kill you of course. But the point here is the cause PAINFUL death. That is the point here" (Thieme).
Verse 20, 21, "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, not hear, nor walk. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
LGT "And the rest of the men, the ones which were not killed by these plagues, not even repented of the works of their hands, that they should not worship the demons and the idols, the gold and the silver and the brass, and the stone, and the wood, which neither is able to see nor to hear nor to walk around. And they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts."
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands,"
"The two thirds of mankind still spared did not change their creed or conduct" (Robertson). This to me is amazing that after seeing all the destruction on the rest of mankind, these clowns still would not repent. "One third part is represented as swept off, and it might have been expected that a salutary [helpful] effect would have been produced on the remainder, in reforming them, and restraining them from error and sin. The writer proceeds to state, however, that these judgments did not have the effect, which might reasonably have been anticipated. No reformation followed; there was no abandonment of the prevailing forms of iniquity; there was no change in their idolatry and superstition" (Barnes). This is proof that unbelieving mankind cannot be rehabilitated. Unbelievers do not need rehabilitation they need regeneration.
"That they should not worship devils,"
The Greek word for 'devils' is ta demonia, which is literally, 'the demons.'
"And idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:"
This verse not only displays the foolishness in worshipping things created by man, it also shows a degradation of the idols in going from gold to wood. These fools worship the creature rather than the Creator.
"Neither repented they of their murders,"
"Their murders, which they had committed upon the saints and servants of Christ. Popery is a bloody religion, and seems resolved to continue such" (Matthew Henry).
"Nor of their sorceries,"
In his commentary on Revelation J. Vernon McGee has a very interesting section on this word sorcery, which I believe is important enough to quote it in full:
"Sorceries is the Greek word pharmakion, from which we get our English word pharmacy. Pharmacy means 'drugs.' What were called drugstores when I was a boy are today called pharmacies (In England drugstores are called the chemist). The Great Tribulation will be a period when the use of drugs will not be controlled. Drugs will play a large part in the lives of the unsaved and will serve several purposes. Drugs will enable them to bear the judgments of the Great Tribulation Period. I am sure that many a person will turn to drugs when he is stung or bitten by these unnatural creatures. Although they will not die, they will feel like they are going to die, and as a result, they will take drugs to overcome the pain and help them endure the Great Tribulation.
Drugs will also figure largely in the religion of that day. There will be a regular drug culture and drug religion in the days of the Great Tribulation Period. What we are seeing today is very small in comparison to what it will be then. People will resort to everything that will deaden the pain or lift them out of the trouble of that time. Liquor will certainly be very prominent as it is even now. I want to share with you a statement by Dr. J. A. Seiss from his book (The Apocalypse, p. 106) published about 1906. The reason I mention the date is that it seems like he wrote it yesterday or that maybe he was preparing it for tomorrow's edition of your local paper. This is his comment on the word sorceries:
We have only to think of the use of alcoholic stimulants, of opium, of tobacco, of cosmetics and medicaments to increase love attractions, of resorts to the pharmacopoeia in connection with sensuality - of the magical agents and treatments alleged to come from the spirit-world for the benefit of people in this - of the thousand impositions in the way of medicines and remedial agents, encouraging mankind to reckless transgression with the hope of easily repairing the damages of nature's penalties - of the growing prevalence of crime induced by these things, setting loose and stimulating to activity the vilest passions, which are eating out the moral sense of society - for the beginnings of that moral degeneracy to which the seer here alludes as characteristic of the period when the sixth trumpet is sounded.
You would think that he had written that for today, but in his day there was no great drug culture nor were drugs and alcohol as big a problem as they are today. Drugs are used today in practically every modern cult which uses sex as a drawing card" (McGee).
"Nor of their fornication, nor of their theft."
"Sorceries and fornication and robbery are going to be increased and a greater emphasis placed upon them. I believe that the Antichrist will use all three of these to bring mankind into subjection to himself. Mankind will be easily lured in that day. Under the influence of drugs, he will accept anything. One of the reasons that our contemporary nightclubs push liquor is not only for the money that is in it, but it also makes their entertainers acceptable. A very inferior singer or comedian goes over well if you've had two cocktails; and if you've had three, then he is a star. Drugs and liquor will put Antichrist over. Paul wrote: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thess. 2:9, 10)" (McGee).
I believe the Gospel has gone out to every creature and that the amazing thing during the Great Tribulation will be, even though these people know the truth, they will harden their hearts even through this horrible time; they will not humble themselves to the Truth.
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