Who are the two witnesses of Revelation 11? For 1,260 days, God’s two witnesses will prophesy clothed in sackcloth. Fire proceeds from their mouths to devour their enemies, and they have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls, to turn the waters to blood, and to strike the earth with plagues as often as they desire.
In this message from our series Revelation: Jesus Revealed – The View Behind The Veil, we walk through Revelation 11:3-13 in three movements: the rise and rule of the two witnesses; the response and removal of the two witnesses, when the beast from the bottomless pit makes war against them and the world celebrates over their dead bodies in the street for three and a half days; and the resurrection and rapture of the two witnesses.
After three and a half days the breath of life from God enters them, they stand on their feet, and a loud voice from heaven says, “Come up here.” It will be the only time in human history that human eyes watch a resurrection and a rapture take place at the same time – a reminder that God’s faithful witnesses always have the final word.
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Revelation 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will
prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation 11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing
before the God of the earth.
Revelation 11:5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth
and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed
in this manner.
Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days
of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to
strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
Revelation 11:7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of
the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Revelation 11:9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations
will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies
to be put into graves.
Revelation 11:10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make
merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented
those who dwell on the earth.
Revelation 11:11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God
entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who
saw them.
Revelation 11:12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,
“Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies
saw them.
Revelation 11:13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth
of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the
rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
I. THE RISE AND RULE OF THE TWO WITNESSES.
Revelation 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will
prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation Chapter 2 (Verse 13) mentions Antipas, who is explicitly named as
“my faithful martyr [witness]” who was killed in the city of Pergamum.
Revelation Chapter 6 (Verses 9-11): John sees the souls of those who had
been slain (martyred) for the word of God and their testimony resting under
the heavenly altar
Revelation Chapter 17 (Verse 6): John looks upon the woman (Babylon) described
as drunk with the blood of the saints and the “blood of the martyrs of Jesus”.
Revelation Chapter 20 (Verse 4): John sees the souls of those who had been
beheaded (martyred) for their testimony about Jesus and for refusing to worship
the beast or his image.
Polycarp in his final prayer, he prayed, “O Father, I thank you, that you have
called me to this day and hour and have counted me worthy to receive my
place among the number of the holy martyrs, Amen.”
Revelation 11:2 “… for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the
holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
Revelation 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will
prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation 11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing
before the God of the earth.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also
in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind
of men we were among you for your sake.
Revelation 11:5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth
and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed
in this manner.
Revelation 11:5 (MSG) If anyone tries to hurt them, a blast of fire from their mouths
will incinerate them–burn them to a crisp just like that.
Revelation 11:5 (EXB) “… Notice If anyone ·tries [wants] to harm them in whatever
way, in that same way that person ·will [or must] die in the same way.
Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the
days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood,
and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
II. THE RESPONSE AND REMOVAL OF THE TWO WITNESSES.
Revelation 11:7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of
the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.
He is also called the Beast from the Sea in (Revelation 13:1):and the First
Beast in (Revelation 13:12) to distinguish him from the second beast
who is (the False Prophet) that rises from the earth.
He is also called a Scarlet Beast in Revelation 17:3
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field
which the Lord God had made.
Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called
the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;
Daniel 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
Isaiah 27:1 In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish
Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the
reptile that is in the sea.
You are going to find that a great many of the saints are more interested in
Antichrist than they are in Christ.”
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Revelation 11:9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations
will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies
to be put into graves.
Pastor R.G. Lee famously stated, “If you preach at my funeral that I had no enemies,
I will raise up out of that casket!”
III. THE RESURRECTION AND RAPTURE OF THE TWO WITNESSES.
Revelation 11:11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God
entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who
saw them.
Revelation 11:12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,
“Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies
saw them.
Now this is the only time in human history where human eyes will actually see
a resurrection and a rapture take place at the same time.
Revelation 11:13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth
of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the
rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Why does the temple of God matter so much in Scripture? In Revelation 11, John is given a reed like a measuring rod and told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there – while the outer court is given to the Gentiles, who will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
In this message from our series Revelation: Jesus Revealed – The View Behind The Veil, we trace the temple of God through the Bible: the past temple, from the tabernacle Moses built to Solomon’s magnificent temple and Herod’s temple; the present temple, as Israel has been regathered to her land while the Dome of the Rock stands on the Temple Mount; and the future temple that will stand during the Tribulation, when the abomination of desolation foretold by Daniel and Jesus is set up in the holy place.
Most personally, believers are the temple of God today. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, bought at a price, so glorify God in your body and in your spirit – and one day, in the new heaven and new earth, there will be no temple at all, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
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Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel
stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who
worship there.
Revelation 11:2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do
not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the
holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark
of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises,
thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
I. THE PAST TEMPLE OF GOD.
Exodus 25:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Exodus 25:8 And let them make Me a sanctuary,that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 25:9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle
and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
In the first five books of the Bible nearly 400 verses are explicitly allotted to
describing the form, materials, and furnishings of the tabernacle\temple.
Yet only 31 verses in the book of Genesis are devoted to the creation of the world.
Psalm 138:2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for
your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the
honor of your name.
1 Kings 6: 38 “…So he was seven years in building it.
1 Kings 7:1 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he
finished all his house.
The Illinois Society of Architects estimated, in 1925, that it would have cost
87 billion dollars.
If that Temple were built in our day, its cost would approach $500 billion dollars
An initial sum of $87 billion 100 years ago (1926) would be worth approximately
1.64 trillion today.
Haggai 2:3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And
how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?
Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses,
old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the
foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud
for joy,
Jewish historian Josephus described Herod’s Temple this way:
“When the morning sun hit the golden sections, it flashed so brightly that people
nearby had to turn away, while travelers seeing it from afar thought the white
stone walls looked like snow on a mountain.”
John 2:18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to
us, since You do these things?”
John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.”
John 2:20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and
will You raise it up in three days?”
John 2:21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
II. THE PRESENT TEMPLE OF GOD.
Psalm 79:1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple
they have defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
Jeremiah 16:15 “…‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the
land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will
bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.
Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all
countries, and bring you into your own land.
III. THE FUTURE TEMPLE OF GOD.
Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel
stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who
worship there.
Revelation 11:2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do
not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the
holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
Luke 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive
into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of
the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the
middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing
of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation,
which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”
Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away.
Revelation 21:22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple.
IV. THE PERSONAL TEMPLE OF GOD.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.
For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—-
and God will destroy both one and the other
Psalm 17:15 “… I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
1 John 3:2 “…. we shall be like him.
In Revelation 10, a mighty angel comes down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, with a rainbow on his head, his face like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He sets one foot on the sea and one on the land, cries out like a roaring lion, and seven thunders utter their voices – but John is told, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”
In this message from our series Revelation: Jesus Revealed – The View Behind The Veil, we explore three mysteries in Revelation 10: the mystery of the sealed-up scroll, the mystery of the divine delay – as the angel swears that there should be delay no longer and the mystery of God will be finished – and the mystery of the bittersweet book that John is told to take and eat.
Like John and the prophet Ezekiel, we must first take God’s Word in before we can give it out. His Word is sweeter than honey to our taste, and it is given to us so that we might share it with others.
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Revelation 10:1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven,
clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun,
and his feet like pillars of fire.
Revelation 10:2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot
on the sea and his left foot on the land,
Revelation 10:3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he
cried out seven thunders uttered their voices.
Revelation 10:4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about
to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which
the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”
Revelation 10:5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land
raised up his hand to heaven
Revelation 10:6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created
heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the
sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
Revelation 10:7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is
about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His
servants the prophets.
Revelation 10:8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again
and said, Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who
stands on the sea and on the earth.”
Revelation 10:9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but
it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
Revelation 10:10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it,
and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach
become bitter.
Revelation 10:11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many
peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
I. THE MYSTERY OF THE SEALED-UP SCROLL.
Revelation 10:1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven,
clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun,
and his feet like pillars of fire.
Psalm 103:20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do
His word, heeding the voice of His word.
Revelation 10:2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot
on the sea and his left foot on the land,
Revelation 10:3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he
cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Psalm 29:3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
Psalm 29:4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
Psalm 29:5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
Psalm 29:7 The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.
Psalm 29:8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
Psalm 29:9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer gives birth,
Revelation 10:2 He had a little book open in his hand …”
Revelation 10:4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about
to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which
the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”
The mysteries of the kingdom, Matthew 13
The mystery of Israel’s blindness, Romans 11
The mystery of the rapture, 1 Corinthians 15
The mystery of lawlessness, 2 Thessalonians 2:7
The mystery of Christ, Ephesians 3
The mystery of Christ in you, Colossians 1
The mystery of godliness, that is God and man one in Christ, 1 Timothy 3:16;
The mystery of God’s will, Ephesians 1:9 and 10
Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the
time of the end;
Daniel 12:8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what
shall be the end of these things?”
Daniel 12:9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end.
II. THE MYSTERY OF THE DIVINE DELAY.
Revelation 10:5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land
raised up his hand to heaven
Revelation 10:6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created
heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the
sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
Revelation 10:7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is
about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His
servants the prophets.
III. THE MYSTERY OF THE BITTERSWEET BOOK.
Revelation 10:8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again
and said, Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who
stands on the sea and on the earth.”
Revelation 10:9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but
it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
1 Corinthians 3:2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until
now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
You are what you eat.
Revelation 10:10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it,
and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach
become bitter.
Psalm 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to
my mouth!
Revelation 10:11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many
peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
Ezekiel 2:4 For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them,
and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’
Ezekiel 2:5 As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse–for they are
a rebellious house–yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Ezekiel 2:6 “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their
words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions;
do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a
rebellious house.
Ezekiel 2:7 You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether
they refuse, for they are rebellious.
Ezekiel 2:8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious
like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
Ezekiel 2:9 Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and
behold, a scroll of a book was in it.
Ezekiel 2:10 Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside
and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.
Ezekiel 3:1 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this
scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 3:2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
Ezekiel 3:3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your
stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth
like honey in sweetness.
Ezekiel 3:4 Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and
speak with My words to them.
God’s Word must first be taken in before we can give it out.
Then God’s Word is given to us that we might share it with others.
What lies behind the sins that are destroying our world? Revelation 9:20-21 tells us that even after the terrible plagues of the sixth trumpet, the rest of mankind still did not repent of worshipping demons and idols, or of their murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, and thefts.
In this message from our series Revelation: Jesus Revealed – The View Behind The Veil, we look at the unseen spiritual forces behind five sins: false worship, murder, sorcery (including drug abuse), sexual immorality, and theft. An idol is anything you love more, serve more, or value more than God – and we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We also consider the difference between demonic oppression and demonic possession, and the weapons God gives us to pull down strongholds – His Word, which is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. The warning is plain: if people do not repent of sin, they perish.
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Revelation 9:20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues,
did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons,
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or
their sexual immorality or their thefts.
1. THE SIN OF FALSE WORSHIP.
Revelation 9:20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues,
did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons,
and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor
hear nor walk.
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
Matthew 4:9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall
down and worship me.”
An idol is anything you love more, serve more, or value more than God.
1 John 5:21 ‘”Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
2. THE SIN OF MURDER.
Revelation 9: 21 And they did not repent of their murders
John 8:44 “… He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not
stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie,
he ‘speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
1 John 3:12 “… Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And
why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Matthew 4:24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought
to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and
torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics;
and He healed them.
Matthew 17:14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him,
kneeling down to Him and saying,
Matthew 17:15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers
severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the
child was cured from that very hour.
3. THE SIN OF SORCERY. (AKA DRUG ABUSE)
Revelation 9: 21 And they did not repent of … their sorceries
A former President who declared a war on drugs, said “This is a battle that must
be fought, but I must warn you it is a battle that will not be won until Jesus comes
again.”
4. THE SIN OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY.
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of … their sexual ‘immorality…”
5. THE SIN OF THEFTS.
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of … their thefts.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way
of death.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
all good works.
Scripture is profitable for doctrine; it will tell you what is right.
Scripture is profitable for reproof; it will tell you what is not right.
Scripture is profitable for correction; it will tell how to get right.
Scripture is profitable for instruction; it will tell you how to stay right.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Every person is in one of three spiritual conditions
Inhabited by demons, uninhabited, or inhabited by the Holy Spirit of God
Demonic oppression is an external spiritual attack that causes severe
pressure and temptation while the person keeps full self-control,
Demonic possession is an internal takeover where a spirit lives inside and
controls a person’s body and mind
Satan possessed Judas to betray Christ
Satan oppressed Peter to deny Christ
Acts 5:3 Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?
2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in
God for pulling down strongholds,
2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ,
Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not
understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown
in his heart.
Revelation 9:20 “… But the rest of mankind, … did not repent
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent ….
If people don’t repent of sin, they perish.
When the sixth angel sounds his trumpet in Revelation 9, a voice from the four horns of the golden altar commands the release of the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates. An army of two hundred million horsemen follows – breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow, horses with heads like lions, and fire, smoke, and brimstone pouring from their mouths – and a third of mankind is killed.
In this message from our series Revelation: Jesus Revealed – The View Behind The Veil, we study Revelation 9:12-21 under four headings: the release and region of satanic spirits, the realtime and return of satanic slaughter, the range and rampage of the satanic soldiers, and the reaction and refusal of real repentance.
Most sobering of all, even after these terrible plagues, the rest of mankind still did not repent of their murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, or thefts. The heart is deceitful above all things – but the Lord searches the heart, and He still calls sinners to turn to Him today.
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Revelation 9:12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after
these things.
Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the
four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Revelation 9:14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the
four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
Revelation 9:15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and
day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
Revelation 9:16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred
million; I heard the number of them.
Revelation 9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them
had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads
of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire,
smoke, and brimstone.
Revelation 9:18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed-by the
fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.
Revelation 9:19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails
are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
Revelation 9:20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues,
did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons,
Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or
their sexual immorality or their thefts.
One Bible commentator (quote)
“This is the description of modern warfare and this is a human army of 200 million
with rocket launchers coming out of the backside of these guys with guns coming
out the front side of them.”
Revelation 9:12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after
these things.
Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four
horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God
my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, …
1 Samuel 2:10 “… He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed”
I. THE RELEASE AND THE REGION OF SATANIC SPIRITS
Revelation 9:14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the
four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
Genesis 2:10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there
it parted and became four riverheads.
Genesis 2:14 “… The fourth river is the Euphrates.
II. THE REALTIME AND RETURN OF SATANIC SLAUGHTER
Revelation 9:15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day
and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
Exodus 12:23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when
He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass
over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.
III. THE RANGE AND RAMPAGE OF THE SATANIC SOLDIERS
Revelation 9:16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred
million; I heard the number of them.
All angels are split into two categories or kind;
The holy, elect angels, and the fallen angels.
Of the fallen angels there are two kinds, loose and bound.
Of the bound there are two kinds, permanently bound, temporarily bound.
Revelation 9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them
had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads
of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire,
smoke, and brimstone.
Revelation 9:18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed-by the
fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.
Revelation 9:19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their
tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
Revelation 9:10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails.
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions,
IV. THE REACTION AND REFUSAL OF REAL REPENTANCE
Revelation 9:20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues,
did not repent …”
Vincent Bugliosi in his 1974 book “Helter Skelter” writes:
Manson placed no special meaning on the last verse of Revelation 9. But I
found myself thinking of it often in the months ahead:
Revelation 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries,
nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every
man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
