April 6, 2017
Pastor Valeen Netzel
In this chapter we have an account of the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets, and what events occur as a result of those trumpet blasts.
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
When the fifth trumpet is sounded, a star falls from the sky to the earth. This is some kind of being, because it is given the key to the Abyss and when he opens it, so much smoke comes out that the sun and sky is darkened. There are a great many theories about who or what this star is, and the theologians cannot agree with each other. I found that their theories were all based on their particular denomination – for instance, the Roman Catholic Church believes it is a particular Bishop. Some believe it is the anti-Christ. In my opinion, the falling to the earth is reminiscent of Lucifer falling from heaven, and gives me the thought that perhaps this is who this is or it could be one of his emissaries. Regardless of the identity of this star, he opens the abyss and unleashes a sort of stinging locust. Unlike a regular locust, they do not eat plants, but have a taste for the unrepentant human flesh. Those sealed by God are not harmed in any way, but the unsaved are tormented by these creatures in such a way that they will wish to die, but cannot. This torture has been suspected by theologians to be spiritual rather than physical, although the fact that the tortured should long for death gives the idea of physical torture a more likelihood, especially since it references the sting of a scorpion. The time that these tortures continue on the unsaved is five months.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
Here we find a physical description of these locusts. You will notice that these descriptions use the word “like”. This means that the writer is seeing something that he cannot describe exactly because he has never seen anything like it, so he is using items that are similar to describe the appearance. So, in that light – They looked like horses prepared for battle, in other words, they seemed to wear armor the way a warhorse would be outfitted. They also seemed quite powerful, as horses in battle are – only the most hearty of horses are brought into battle because they have to be able to carry not only their own armor but also a rider outfitted with heavy armor. They had something that resembled a gold crown, this doesn’t mean it actually was a crown but that it looked like one. Also, while their faces resemble human faces, they are definitely not human. They have long hair, or hair that is braided or ornamented like a woman would wear and they have sharp long teeth like a lion. Their armor seemed to look like breastplates made of iron. They definitely have wings and these wings make a loud sound that is like that of an army of chariots and horses rushing into battle. The creatures have tails, and those tails have stingers which are similar to a scorpions stinger. These tails are used to torment the unsaved for five months. These creatures answered to the one who opened the Abyss, who is now revealed to be an angel (whether fallen or not we do not know) and his name means Destroyer.
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 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. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
Once the five months is finished, the torture from the locusts ends and a sixth angel sounds his trumpet. A voice commands this angel to release the four angels who have been held until this particular time. There is a very good possibility that these are the same four horsemen from the earlier chapter. These riders are released to kill a third of mankind, and they are not alone, they command troops that are numerous.
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 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.
This is a description of the horses and riders who are unleashed for destruction. Again, the descriptions are given using examples of what they are like, giving the idea that the writer has never seen anything like this and is using common items to describe what he is seeing as best as he can. The horses are not horses exactly, as they have heads that seem like lions, and they spit fire, smoke and sulfur from their mouths. These creatures have tails that seem like snakes, and the tails can inflict injury just as the mouths can. Their destructive power is in their mouths and their tails.
20 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. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The remaining two thirds of mankind who still lives still do not repent, even after seeing these terrifying sights. They continue to worship demons and idols. They continue to murder, cast spells, rob, steal, and commit sexual sin. This is a truly unrepentant humanity, to be faced with the such trials and obvious punishment and yet to continue their sinful ways willingly. And God is not yet finished with these punishments for their sin.
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