Cecil A. Fayard
Elliott Baptist Church
June 6, 2004
Trumpets Five and Six: Woes One and Two
Revelation 9:1-21
INTRO: Just as God used Pharaoh in Egypt to accomplish His plan and purpose, He will use Satan during the tribulation to afflict unrepentant mankind.
The heavens that have declared the glory of God will declare His wrath during the day of Jacob's trouble.
In Revelation 8:13, we have an important announcement. It is the announcement of the three woes that will come upon unregenerate man.
I. VSS 1-2, THE FALLEN ANGEL WITH THE KEY TO THE PIT
A. Vs 1, The fifth angel sounds his trumpet, and John sees the fallen angel, Satan, fall from heaven to the earth (Isa 14:12-15).
1. Satan is given the key to the bottomless pit, Greek abyss, where the lost dead and some of the non-elect angels, demons, are. They were cast down to hell at the fall and chained there (II Pet 2:4).
a) This pit is hell, and it is at the center of the earth.
b) The demons in hell are the worst of all. They are very wicked and ungodly (Jude 6-7).
2. Could it be that Christ will give the key to the bottomless pit to Satan?
B. Vs 2, One day, during the tribulation, hell will be opened.
1. The smoke coming up out of the pit will darken the sun. Ash will cover the earth.
2. The Bible says: "The sun and the air were darkened...."
a) This will be an environmentalists nightmare.
b) Soot, smog, pollution will be everywhere.
II. VSS 3-6, THE TERRIBLE POWER OF THE CREATURES FROM THE PIT
A. Vs. 3, These locusts will bring divine judgment upon the earth.
1. They are literal, special locusts, locusts of and with demonic power.
2. These fallen angels will relish an opportunity to be unchained and do evil.
B. Vs 4, Unlike the locusts that plagued Egypt, these locusts are not to touch the grass, trees, or any green thing. They are to hurt the unregenerate, those without God's seal of election.
C. Vs 5, Just as Satan tormented Job but could not kill him, so will these locusts torment men with much greater torment, without being able to kill them.
1. A scorpion's sting brings terrible pain.
2. There will be five months of this particular torment.
D. Vs 6, The death here is literal physical death.
1. For five months, life span of locusts, the lost are in constant pain, constant torment.
2. They will seek death, but will not be able to die.
III. VSS 7-10, THEIR APPEARANCE DESCRIBED
A. Vs 7, A vivid description is given:
1. "Like unto horses"-- strength and speed.
2. "Crowns like gold"-- royalty, a picture of conquerors.
3. "Faces of men"-- intelligence.
B. Vs 8, Description continued:
1. "Hair of women"-- attractiveness. One commentator says: "cunning and crafty."
2. "The teeth of lions"-cruelty and destruction.
C. Vs 9, Description continued:
1. "Breastplates of iron"-invincibility.
2. "Sound of their wings"-- calamity.
D. Vs 10, Description continued:
1. "Tails like unto scorpions.....stings in their tails"-- inflicting great pain.
2. Five months of pain with no relief.
IV. VSS 11-12, THE EVIL KING UNVEILED
A. Vs 11, This king is named both in the Hebrew and in the Greek.
1. Hebrew- Abbadon meaning destroyer.
2. Greek-Appollyon meaning destroyer.
3. He will hurt both Hebrew and Greek unbelievers, Jews and Gentiles.
B. Vs 12, One woe is finished, two remain.
V. VSS 13-14, MORE DEMONS RELEASED
A. Vs 13, The sixth trumpet sound and a voice is heard "from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God."
1. The altar speaks of the shed blood of Jesus.
a) "Many of the judgments are directly linked with God's program of atonement" (Van Impe 102).
b) Christ is our altar, and we are to never treat His sacrifice lightly (Heb 13:10).
2. Heb. 10:28-29 tells us that rejection of the Gospel brings judgment.
B. Vs 14, The angels are bound proving that they are demons, fallen angels.
1. In 7:1, we saw four elect angels holding back the judgment of God. Now we see four non-elect angels ready to destroy.
2. These demons are bound in the river Euphrates. This river runs through Iraq and Syria. It will be a focal point in end time campaigns.
a) The Euphrates is in the cradle of civilization.
b) In this area:
(1) Satan came to destroy Adam and Eve (Gen 2:14, 3:1-6).
(2) Cain killed Abel (Gen 4:8).
(3) The tower of Babel was built.
c) God has promised this land to Israel (Gen 15:18).
VI. VSS 15-19, ANGELS OF DEATH
A. Vs 15, Death returns with a vengeance.
1. The four angels are part of God's eternal plan and will act as He has predestined.
2. Over one billion people will die when the four fallen angels are released in the Middle East (Eze 38 and 39).
B. Vs 16, There will be an army of two hundred million soldiers, many from China, etc.
1. They will cover the land like a cloud (Eze 36:16).
2. The equipment of war is described in Nahum 2:3-4.
3. See Rev 16:12 in connection with this verse.
C. Vs 17-19, Horses mean warfare.
1. Hells fury is pictured.
2. LaHaye says: "This is a literal description of unnatural, demon like evil spirits that come out of the abyss...." (174).
VII. VSS 20-21, THE ARROGANCE OF THE LOST
A. These verses tell us of five sins that will characterize the tribulation period.
B. Vs 20, Idol worship and the occult will be rampant in the tribulation.
1. They will worship demons.
2. They will worship the Anti- Christ (II Thes 2:4).
C. Vs 21, They are not sorry for the way they live.
1. Murders- they will find pleasure in killing. It will be like a sport.
2. Sorceries- witchcraft.
a) Greek pharmakeia from which we get pharmacy.
b) Drugs and witchcraft go together.
3. Fornication-illicit sex of every conceivable forms.
D. Van Impe says: "These sins indicate that bodies are being sold (through prostitution) and burglaries are being committed in order to support the drug kick" (110).
CONCLUSION: What a terrible time the tribulation will be! Heed the words of II Corinthians 6:2: "....Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
For additional copies of the sermon CD's, please contact the church office:
Elliott Baptist Church
566 Nat G. Troutt Road
Elliott, Mississippi 38901
Phone: 662-226-4425
Pastors Email: cecilafayard@msn.com