Rev. 9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and
I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
...the sixth angel, the four horns These
are all terms that apply to the earth. In Biblical numerology, six is the number of man
and four is the number of the earth. (For a study of Bible numerology, see Clock of the Ages, Booklet Eight, Chapter
30.)
...the golden altar...
The golden altar
by which earthbound man could approach God through sacrifices was in the Jewish temple as
ordained by God.
...I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before
God...The fact that the voice came from the four
horns is significant for these four horns were given to Israel as symbols of God's mercy
towards them. In Exodus chapters 27-30, Israel was given instructions on how to build the
altar with its four horns and the way to sprinkle blood on them so as to invoke God's
mercy. Nevertheless, Israel often made little of God's mercy but invoked His wrath instead
because of the hardness of their hearts and their refusal to do good one to another. This
rejection of God reached its zenith when the nation rejected God's Only Begotten Son and
had Him crucified. Still, God will remember His promises to Abraham and those of his seed
that trusted in Him. And in the day when the world will incur the horrible consequences of
their sin, God will remember the four horns of the golden altar and His promises to the faithful
of His beloved nation.
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels
which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
...Loose the four angels... Remember, 4 is the number of
the earth--indicating that these judgments will effect the whole world.
...the great river Euphrates... (Euphrates in Hebrew means "that
makes fruitful"--the Greek called it "sweet water" and the Assyrians called
it the "Great Stream.") The second mentioning of the river is
found in Genesis 15:18: "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great
river, the river Euphrates." How fitting that the fourth division of the
river that watered the Garden of Eden in the beginning, first mentioned in Gen. 2:10-14
when man was thrust from the garden to tend the earth, should also be associated with the
time (6 prophetic days later) when the domain of the earth will be wrest from man and
assumed by the Son of God Himself.
Also note that the sixth angel was to sound his trumpet and to loose
the four angels "...which are bound in the great river
Euphrates." It is obvious that God does not have four of his angels
bound up in a river, so this has to be prophetic wording: referring to springs, streams,
and rivers as they stand for sources of life. This all ties in with God's promise to
Abraham concerning the river Euphrates and emphasizes that the Hebrew nation will be a key
player in the end-time doings.
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.
...which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year...
This unique way of specifying a time is Jewish in nature. God had Moses set aside certain
years, months, and days, wherein the Hebrews were to remember what He had done and to
worship Him. By using this language to identify the time of judgment, He is reminding them
of their failure to keep the appointed times. (In addition, the hours of the day and night
were divided into four equal watches and the Hebrew children were charged to keep a vigil
during the hours of each watch. Jesus added a new dimension to the "hour" by
emphasizing the last hour of each of the four watches of their day and night. Click here
for a study of the "hours of prophecy.")
It's also interesting to note that the time described here is
approximately 1/3 of the time allotted for the first 1/2 of Daniel's 70th Week.
Furthermore, the time set for this great war takes up most of the last 1/3 of the first
1/2 of Daniel's 70th Week. The actual math is 3 1/2 times 360 (the days in a Jewish year)
= 1260 days--the time determined for the first 1/2 of Daniel's 70th Week. One third of
this time is 420 days. The year, month, day, and hour referred to in this verse comes to
just a little over 391 days--just a little less than 29 days shy of one third of this 1/2
of Daniel's 70th Week.
…for to slay the third part of men… If
all of the Jewish expressions and references included in this rendering identify end-time
Israel as the key player, then it would seem that the third part of men (?the third
part of her population?) will be slain at this time. As we consider this, we again need to
address a misconception about the Israelites who will go through Daniel’s 70th
Week. Many teach that the Jews will come through this time unscathed because of God's
protection. The Bible does tell us that they will be under God’s special watch
care during the first ½ of Daniel’s 70th week (Rev. 12:14) and that they
will be sealed during the second ½ of Daniel’s 70th week (Rev. 7:3),
but the Scriptures do not suggest that none of her citizens can be killed in the wars and
atrocities of the end time. To the contrary, we read in Zechariah 13:6-9 where not just 1/3
but 2/3 of the Israelites will be killed.
(Zechariah
13:6-9)
6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall
answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the
LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine
hand upon the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall
be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine
them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name,
and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
Because this passage speaks to the Jews, we can speculate
that 1/3 of the Jews will be killed by the happenings during the first ½ of this 8th
rendering of Daniel’s 70th Week. (If you'll remember, another 1/3 had
already been smitten/ killed during the last rendering [7th Rendering]; so that in the two
renderings, this prophecy of Zechariah will be fulfilled.)
NOTE: The Bible does say that God will give the woman (the nation Israel) two wings of a
great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she will be
nourished for a time, and times, and half a time (Rev.12:14). Although most interpret this
Scripture to say that God will take care of Israel's physical needs, we should note that nourished
and protected are not one and the same. So, could it also be that the end-time
Jew will need to be grounded in and nourished by the New Testament Scriptures? After all,
they will have just accepted their Messiah and the New Testament will be new to them. The
Scripture that comes to mind is I Timothy 4:6. "If thou put the brethren in
remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up
in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained."
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand
thousand: and I heard the number of them.
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand
thousand... I grant you that this number is hard to interpret in the light
of accepted Bible numerology. The only other number in the Bible that even resembles this
number is two hundred thousand found in I Samuel 15:4
and II Chronicles 17:16-17 where Israel's army was numbered in preparation for
battle, and II Chronicles 28:8 where in a sort of civil war, two hundred thousand Jews
were carried away captive by Israel because of idol worship in the Judah. All three
instances had to do with wars initiated by God; so, could it be that the beast (Satan the
counterfeiter) will be waging some sort of a holy / ideological war and doing his best to
surpass what God had done in Israel? When we consider that even the smaller nations on
our globe now have huge armies, it is not hard to see how the world could place
200,000,000 troops in action. So, perhaps we would be better served with this number
if we take it literal.
But whatever the case, the number of troops was important enough that John
reinforced it by saying: ...and I heard
the number of them.
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.
And thus I saw the horses in the vision...Remember, horses
were the ultimate war machine in John's day.
...and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth,
and brimstone...
The breastplates of John's day were solely for protection. The ones he
tried to describe here apparently will be able to also serve as a weapon; and as such,
they will be part of the judgment upon an ungodly world.
and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their
mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. Apparently, the war machines
that the "horses" represent will not only serve to carry the soldiers, but they
will also have a "deadly bite" as well. As such, they will also be a part of the
judgment brought upon the world.
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.
When someone dies in fire, it is not uncommon for them to die of smoke inhalation
before they die of the flames. However, the way "smoke" is used here might
suggest that it will have a killing agent all its own. The same could be said of the
"brimstone." If this be the case, then we already have weapons of war that can
fulfill this passage: i.e., bombs that not only set things afire, but that released smoke
filled with deadly chemical agents, and leave smoldering residues that continue to burn
and kill long after the initial blast. (In addition, for every weapon that is common
knowledge to the public, there is probably that many more deadly weapons classified as
"top secret.")
19 For their 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.
For their power is in their mouth...The first and second
world wars saw vehicles that could kill from the front, (tanks, ships, planes, etc.); in
fact, some of the planes had faces painted on them with fierce looking teeth. It wasn't
long, however, until gunners were put in the belly and the tail of planes as well. ...and
in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads...
Only of late have we seen such vehicles with the capacity to fire "smart
bombs" that can seek and destroy or that can be directed by a computer from front or
back.
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Rev. 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel
come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face
was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a
cloud... It seems that the clouds are often associated with the judgments
of God that man has brought upon himself. For example, when Adam and Eve transgressed and
were expelled from the Garden, God withdrew His glory behind the clouds and has been
hidden from man's view ever since.
...and a rainbow was upon his head... We're told of another
time when God had to judge the whole world: i.e., the time of Noah and the universal
flood. At that time God bound Himself to a covenant with mankind, saying that He would
never again destroy the world with water. A sign of that covenant is the rainbow in the
clouds. (The description of this "angel"-- e.g., clothed with a cloud
and a rainbow upon His head -- brings to mind the theophanies of the Old
Testament: i.e., Christ's Old Testament visits to the champions of Israel in His earthly
form wherein He was thought of as an angel-- the theophanies are often distinguished from
the visits of regular angels in that the regular angels refused to accept the worship that
belongs to Christ Jesus.)
From Nave's Topical Bible
Angel ... One of the Holy Trinity
Called Angel of God
Ex. 14:9; Jud 13:6; I Sam 29:9; II Sam 14:17,20; Acts 27:23; Gal 4:14;
Called the Angel of the Lord
Gen 16:7,9; 22:11; Ex 3:2; Nu 22:23,25,27,32,35; Jud 2:1; 6:11,12,21,22; 13:3,6,9,13-21;
II Sam 24:16; I Ki 19:7; II Ki 1:3,15; 19:35; I Ch 21:15,18; Ps 34:7; 35:5,6; Zech
1:11,12; 3:5; 12:8
Called the Angel of His Presence
Isa 63:9
That Christ Jesus is presented here as a "mighty angel" gives us another clue
that this rendering of Daniel's 70th Week is especially for the Jew.
...and his face was as it were the sun... This brings to mind
Matthew 17:1-3 where we have recorded the event of our Lord's transfiguration on the
mount. As we read that passage, note the prophetic language.
Mt. 17:1-3
(1) And after six days [6 prophetic days=6,000 years--we are now living
somewhere near 6,000 years from the day that Adam fell, setting time and death in motion.]
Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart [At both the beginning and the end of the Kingdom Age, the
Church will be "taken up" from the earth--at the beginning in the Rapture and at
the end for the "little season."],
(2) And was transfigured before them [This statement makes one to wonder
about the bodies that Christ and His glorified Church will occupy on the earth during the
Millennium. Will their bodies on earth be the same as the bodies they will have in heaven?
or will they be similar to the body that Jesus used in the theophanies?]: and
his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light [descriptions
of the resurrected Christ of Revelation]. (3)And, behold, there appeared unto
them Moses and Elias talking with him [Again we're talking
"Israel," for these were two of their best known heroes of faith.].
...and his feet as pillars of fire... Remember the pillar
of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that led the
children of Israel through the wilderness during their forty years of wandering because of
their rebellions? Both of these expressions point us to end-time Israel who "after
six days" (God's time) will be wandering in the wilderness once again.
(Perhaps one of the reasons that the two 3 1/2 year periods of God's wrath is considered
prophetically to be one week [7 years] is because the periods will be so much alike.
Remember, because the longevity that people enjoyed before the flood will again be
restored, many who begin the millennium will probably still be living at the end of the
1,000 years of peace. Consequently, both periods could have the same / similar characters
and very similar judgments.)
We should also note once more that although no one left on the earth will be exempt from
the horror of Daniel's 70th Week, both halves of this particular rendering seems to be
addressed to the preserved remnant of Israel.
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot
upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
And he had in his hand a little book open...Although we are
not told just what this little book is, or what it contains; we do know that it is
"little" and that it is "open." When men think of the great literary
works of their peers, they think of "big" books. And to the believer, the Bible
is a "big" book. But to an infinite God, a book about this finite earth, and the
short work He is making of it, can be contained in a "little" book. Also, when
considered in its context, this little book is probably prophetic in nature. If this is
so, then it would be "open" since Revelation is written about the time when
those things prophesied for the earth will be coming to pass.
...and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth...
This expression brings to mind the Scriptures:
Mt. 5:34-35
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for
it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for
it is the city of the great King.
Cf.
Mark 12:36
For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to
my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
We cannot determine from its context if the sea and the earth in this verse are to be
interpreted literally or spiritually. In either case, however, we know that the whole of
the earth are in the hands of this mighty angel/Christ.
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had
cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth... As
we've mentioned previously, the Hebrew soldiers are often referred to as lions in the Old
Testament. And that Jesus, Who is known as the Lion of Judah, is the ultimate Hebrew
soldier.
...and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices...
Again, the number seven means final or complete and thunders have to do with God's
judgment.
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to
write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the
seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
We can be sure that God has good reasons for determining to keep hidden the things
alluded to in this passage. Perhaps one reason might be that He doesn't want to tip His
hand to the devil-- who more than likely searches the Bible fervently with the hope that
he can imitate and/ or undermine God's purposes.
5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted
up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that
therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things
which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth and upon
the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,... Again, we're talking about the
Lord Jesus Who at this point in time is also known as King Jesus. He has "under his
feet" mankind and the earth that He created for man.
And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven,...
Cf. Hebrews 6:13:
"For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater,
he sware by himself" (Also see Exodus 32:13.)
...and that there should be time no longer...Time is an
element that, as far as we know, belongs uniquely to the part of creation that man knows
and has tainted with sin. When He destroys the present heaven and earth, time will also
cease to exist. This statement also places this passage at the end of the Kingdom Age.
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin
to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the
prophets.
...the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his
servants the prophets. Ever since the time of the fall of man in the Garden
of Eden, when God withdrew His visible presence from the family of Adam and Eve, God has
been the God of a mystery -- revealing Himself only to chosen people and for special
reasons. Because God had Moses preserve things in writing for future generations, we know
more about this "mystery" from the Age of the Law forward than we do about prior
ages. But as Paul gives us to understand in his epistles to the Ephesians and the
Colossians, those under the Age of the Law understood little of this mystery.
(Eph. 3:2-9)
"If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me
to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore
in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of
Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed
unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow
heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by
the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is
this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ;
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of
the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"
(Col. 1:25-27)
"Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is
given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from
ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make
known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ
in you, the hope of glory."
(For a thorough study of the "mystery" of the Gospel, go to our home page and
click on our TREASURE CHEST OF BIBLE STUDY AIDS, choose the BLUE LETTER BIBLE button, type
in the word "mystery" and enjoy.)
As we can see, the faithful of our age are given to understand a little more of this
mystery of the Gospel than those of previous ages. Yet, there is more to
be revealed. This will also be true of the Kingdom Age. In the age to come, although the
Son of God will be ruling the earth from Jerusalem in His glorified body with His
glorified saints, nevertheless, the people of the Kingdom Age will still be limited in
their knowledge and will still have to exercise their faith to please God. For those in
the faith today, this is hard to understand. But remember, when Jesus walked the earth
during His Visitation, only those who saw Him with the eyes of faith were able to
"touch" or to understand Him.
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