The Awful Price of Violence and Vice
Revelation 9:12 announced, “One woe is past; and, behold, there come two more woes hereafter.” “Woe” is the typical word found in the Old and New Testaments to express pain, anger or lament. Practically speaking, it acts as a curse or a connection of consequences to evil actions or circumstances. For instance, in the book of Habakkuk we read:
“Woe unto him that says to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But the LORD is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Habakkuk 2:19-20). That Old Testament prophet pronounced pain and God’s anger on those who worship idols instead of the infinite, living God.
Did our oldest ancestors know the woe that would fall upon their children? Could they understand the curse that we would stand under? Could they explain the pain to the children that they would deliver over to God’s anger? About the forbidden fruit, God promised Adam, “In the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). And this wretched woe has brought mankind low for “in Adam all died” (1 Corinthians 15:22). So this woe began in the Book of Genesis. It crawled its crooked course right through this room, tramping right through every one of our hearts. But here in the Book of the Revelation, we read the rest of the story. These woes will defeat God’s foes, guided by the hand of the Lamb and Lord who will return to rule and reign. He is the One who paid the awful price for the violence and vice in this world. He prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). But for the hard-hearted, who refuse Christ’s God-honoring sacrifice, these are woes – the awful price of violence and vice.
The Sixth Trumpet – A Voice from the Golden Altar
“And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,” (Revelation 9:13). This altar was first described in Revelation 8:3, “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” Some commentators believe that this voice is the expressions of the prayers of God’s people. Their pleading prayers, “How long?” are being answered in this woe. We will hear the words of this voice again in Revelation 16:7.
The Sixth Trumpet – Violence against Mankind
The first four trumpet judgments sounded in Revelation chapter 8. Those judgments were aimed at the earth (mankind’s dwelling place) and the heavens. But the fifth trumpet judgment was aimed at human beings, and so is the sixth.
The Four Angels Prepared
“Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9:14-15)
These angels are released near the Euphrates River, unleashing judgment on the earth. We can’t say for sure, but these are probably not good angels; these four angels are probably demons; we have no indications in Scripture that good angels are ever bound. The Euphrates River is recognized as the boundary between the Near East and the Far East. Verses 14-15 make it plain that this trumpet judgment has already been scheduled. It has “been prepared for the hour, the day, the month and the year.” God is in control; He is not surprised; His agenda is right on schedule. This devastating trumpet judgment will kill a third of the human beings on the earth. In Revelation 6:8, we learned that a fourth of mankind was destroyed with the opening of the fourth seal. In addition, many men will die from poisoned water (Revelation 8:11).
The present population of the world is about 8 billion. If the fourth seal judgment came today, 2 billion people would be killed. If one third of the remaining 6 billion people were killed today, only 4 billion people would survive. So essentially these two judgments would destroy more than half of the world’s population. And this is not even halfway through the Book of the Revelation. This is why Jesus said that if these days were not cut short, then no human being would survive! (Matthew 24:22).
The Horror of the Mounted Troops
“And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: [200 million] and I heard the number of them. 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. By these three were the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 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.” (Revelation 9:16-19)
Let us begin our discussion of these verses by admitting that we know of no creatures in all of nature that correspond to these descriptions. Humility compels us to admit that we do not understand much about these verses: we simply don’t know. Now that doesn’t keep many from speculating. But the real emphasis is not on the horrors that will come, but on the hardness of men’s hearts.
As you can well imagine, commentators do not agree about the troops, the number of troops, or the weapons of these troops. They do agree that it has something to do with an army in the general location of the Euphrates River, and that this army will destroy many human beings. Some believe that this army is made up of human beings, others believe that it will be comprised of demons.
Some take the reference to horsemen or mounted troops as referring to actual soldiers on horses, while others see a reference to modern tanks. Some believe that the reference to 200 million is largely symbolic, but others take it as quite literal. It is hard to see how this could be a reference to 200 million soldiers; all of the militaries in the world today together would only comprise just less than 28 million soldiers and sailors.1
The Apostle John used some symbolic language (“heads of horses as the heads of lions,” “the tails were like unto serpents and had heads…”). It is hard to know what this imagery means.
With the advent of modern warfare, some find a reference to horses to be ridiculous. Those who think that these are actual horses raise the possibility of an EMP (or electromagnetic pulse) that would destroy modern electronics. These EMP’s can be natural (such as lightning or solar flares) or artificial (such as small nuclear blasts or specially-designed EMP bombs). Many strategists view the EMP bomb as the most effective way to take out a country’s electrical grid. But these same EMP’s would not do great damage to living things. So on the low end of technology, some see these as actual horses and horsemen. On the other end of technology, some see a reference in these verses to robotic warfare.2
So the speculations continue, but there is a better approach to this passage. As one commentator noted, “Better is the approach that seeks to grasp the nature of the warning and the general essence of the conflict of the last days of the tribulation.”3
Why will so many people ignore the faithful warnings in Revelation chapter 9? On May 31, 1889, a telegraph operator at the railroad station in Mineral Point, Pennsylvania sat at his desk furiously tapping out a message of warning. He could look out on the Conemaugh River there in western Pennsylvania and see that the waters were rising rapidly. His station was in the gorge above the river, and he had heard about the first small break in the dam upstream. He sent a message to his wife begging her to take their 3 children and flee up the mountainside. His wife’s friends laughed at the message. But the telegraph operator stayed at his station, sending moment by moment bulletins via telegraph to the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in harm’s way below. His wife ignored the warnings until it was almost too late. Finally, she clutched the children just as they were all forced to flee up the mountain even as the waters from the broken dam were released in fury on the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. More than 2200 people died that day in the devastating flood. Why didn’t people listen to the warnings from the faithful telegraph operator? Why will so many people ignore the faithful warnings in Revelation chapter 9?
The Sixth Trumpet – a powerful lesson that will be ignored
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, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21)
The disasters described in Revelation chapter 9 make the Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood seem pale by comparison. Yet the warnings are being ignored and will be ignored. The people refused to repent; they refused to turn from their wickedness. According to Revelation 6:16, the people will clearly understand that these disasters are demonstrations of the wrath of the Lamb – the Lord Jesus Christ. Later, an angel from heaven will announce that message again, yet the people will still not repent (Revelation 14:10). They will serve demons as they worship idols. They will not turn away from murder, drug abuse [sorceries], sexual immorality and thievery. Doesn’t that sound like our society today?
Applications of this message:
The Rest of Mankind – even the Best of Mankind
What can we learn about the depravity (the deeply-dyed wickedness) of humanity?
The rest of mankind – including the very best of mankind – refused to repent. They saw the disasters, but this did not deter them from sin. I’m reminded of the stories I heard about hurricane parties when a huge storm crashed into the Gulf Coast here in America. More than one time, all those who decided to party instead of prepare perished in the storm.
How Churches should repent in this Church Age
Should Christians repent? Should Christian congregations repent? You can answer this for yourself using the messages to the 7 churches. How should our church repent, according to Revelation 2:5, 16, 21, 22, 3:3, and 3:19? Jesus Christ used to have first place in our lives; how far have we fallen? Churches have tolerated idolatry and sexual immorality; have we? Are we in trouble with the Lord? Our congregation has had a reputation for being spiritually alive; yet our works are incomplete in the sight of God; shouldn’t we repent over what we have failed to do in our own times? Have we been blinded to our ministry for God by embracing the materialism of this world? It’s time to repent.
What is the message of repentance?
The first recorded preaching of Jesus began with these words, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). The apostle Paul described this repentance: “how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Yet these in Revelation 9 will continue to turn to idols and away from the true and living God. The same kind of thing is going on today. To show you how devilish and deceptive this is, some people worship Mary because the Lord used her body to bring forth the Christ. So rather than worship the Christ and submit to Him, people try to substitute Mary for the Messiah. They worship and serve the creature instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25).
Turn from murders, drug abuse, sexual immorality and theft
Think about our own country as you read Ezekiel 9:9 – “Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD sees not.” This is what happens in a society that denies that God sees us and is present among us.
Today, our own country is a land full of blood. We have aborted more than 63 million children since 1973. In the last 50 years on this planet 163 million babies were aborted simply because they were the wrong gender: they were girls.4 Today, 42% of all deaths worldwide annually are by abortions.5 Mass shootings and serial killers are increasing. Politicians are blaming the weapons rather than the willful wickedness of the murderers. This is the awful price of violence and vice.
But it’s important to see that God loved us so much that He sent His Son as a substitute for us. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ paid the awful price for violence and vice. This was not His violence, nor His vice, for He was innocent. But in love, He went to that cross to pay the highest price with His own life. This is the Lord, the Lamb who is even now reaching out His hand to you. Will you trust Him by faith? Or will you insist on paying the cruel price for violence and vice? Turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio
Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash
- See World-Armed Forces Personnel, Total [↩]
- See, for instance, “10 Terrifying Military Robots that Really Exist” [↩]
- Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 222. [↩]
- Jonathan V. Last, “The War Against Girls” The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2011. [↩]
- Life Institute, “Abortion in Numbers” [↩]