The Four Angels of
Destruction
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Let's pray for God's help, before beginning this lesson:
Our Lord,
We have already reached the next to last trumpet, and the more we progress in this set of
prophecies, the more its messages concern our time.
So it is all the more important that we properly understand the meaning of this part of
Your prophetic Word.
May Your Holy Spirit enlighten us, just as He did until now. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 9:1,3-5
Then the fifth angel sounded. (...)
Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power.
They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree,
but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months.
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Our last lesson drew a picture of the apostate Church's fall, in 1798, caused
by the attacks of peoples in revolt.
This Church recovered its political power only in 1929, and regained its influence on the
nations only after World War II, that is, after 150 years of torments (five prophetic
months).
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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.
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Revelation 8:3
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and
stood at the altar.
And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints
upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
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The next trumpet introduces the One who is working before the golden altar.
In the introduction to the seven trumpets, we discovered that this angel is Jesus.
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Revelation 9:13,14
Then the sixth angel sounded.
And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to
the sixth angel who had the trumpet,
«Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.»
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Jesus commands to release the four angels who are bound at the Euphrates, a
great river watering the city of Babylon.
The role of these four angels, whose action is the central point of the sixth trumpet, has
already been clearly specified in a previous chapter of the book of Revelation...
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Revelation 7:1-3
After these things I saw four angels standing at the four
corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow
on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.
And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth
and the sea, saying,
«Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God
on their foreheads.»
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When they are released, the four angels will carry out a work of destruction
aimed at those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
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Revelation 7:2,3
Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having
the seal of the living God.
And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth
and the sea, saying,
«Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God
on their foreheads.»
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Revelation 9:4
[The locusts] were commanded not to harm the grass of the
earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God
on their foreheads.
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The work of the four angels calls to mind the work of the fifth trumpet's
locusts.
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Revelation 9:15,16
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.
Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million, and I heard the number
of them.
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In fact, the work of the four angels is a direct extension of the destructive
work of the fifth trumpet's locusts.
But the number of the army of the horsemen, that is, two hundred million, indicates that
the punishment is now much more intense.
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Revelation 9:7,9
The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for
battle (...).
The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into
battle.
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Revelation 9:16,17
Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two
hundred million, and I heard the number of them.
And thus I saw the horses in the vision.
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Many other details indicate that the sixth trumpet is actually the extension of
the fifth trumpet, but in greater intensity.
So, whereas the locusts of the fifth trumpet were like horses, we now see real horses.
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Revelation 9:8,9
[The locusts] had hair like women's hair, and their teeth
were like lions' teeth.
And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron.
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Revelation 9:17
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.
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The locusts of the fifth trumpet had only lions' teeth and iron breastplates.
But the horses of the sixth trumpet have entire lions' heads, and fiery red breastplates.
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Revelation 9:10
They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in
their tails.
And their power was to hurt men five months.
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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.
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The locusts of the fifth trumpet had power only in their scorpions' tails.
But the horses of the sixth trumpet have power in their mouth, and in their serpents'
tails.
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Revelation 9:5,6
And they were not given authority to kill them, but to
torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it
strikes a man.
In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death
will flee from them.
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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.
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Finally, the locusts of the fifth trumpet had power only to torment men, and
not to kill them.
But the horses of the sixth trumpet kill men by fire, smoke, and brimstone.
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Revelation 9:14
Release the four angels who are bound at the great river
Euphrates.
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Jeremiah 51:63,64
Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this
book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates.
Then you shall say, «Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I
will bring upon her.»
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Since the 150 years of torment of the fifth trumpet did not bring the apostate
Church to repentance, the sixth trumpet will cause its decisive fall, just like the
ancient city of Babylon, watered by the Euphrates.
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Revelation 17:1,3,5,6
[The angel] talked with me, saying to me, «Come, I will
show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.» (...)
And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy (...).
And on her forehead a name was written: «Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of
harlots and of the abominations of the earth.»
And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs
of Jesus.
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The reference to Babylon in the sixth trumpet isn't a coincidence.
As we will study in detail in future lessons, the book of Revelation often presents the
apostate Church, the persecutor of God's people, as Babylon.
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Revelation 9:14,15
«Release the four angels who are bound at the great
river Euphrates.»
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.
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In the fifth trumpet, peoples in revolt had inflicted a severe wound on the
apostate Church, temporarily depriving it of its power and influence upon the nations.
The sixth trumpet describes what happens next, that is, from the end of World War II, when
the Church recovered all its power and influence, to the return of Jesus, when it is
completely destroyed.
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Revelation 17:12,16,17
The ten horns which you saw are ten kings (...).
And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her
desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to
give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
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Revelation chapter 17 helps us properly understand
the events described in the sixth trumpet.
It is announced that, after a short period of collaboration, the political powers will
attack Babylon the harlot, that is, the apostate Church, and destroy it by fire.
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Revelation 9:17,18
The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and
out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
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.
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Revelation 18:2,8,9
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen! (...) Her plagues
will come in one day - death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with
fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. And the kings of the earth (...) will
weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning.
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The sixth trumpet confirms that Babylon will indeed be destroyed by fire.
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Revelation 9:19
For [the] power [of the horses] is in their mouth and in
their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
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Isaiah 9:14,15
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are
destroyed.
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The destructive power of the horses, definitely greater than that of the
locusts, comes from their power of delusion and lie.
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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.
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1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some
will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
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This terrible power of delusion will be so mighty that, even after seeing the
fall of Babylon, men won't repent and return to God, preferring to stick to false
teachings which will lead them to death and loss.
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2 Timothy 4:3,4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will
heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be
turned aside to fables.
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Just as foretold, men are increasingly attracted to flattering teachings which
won't call them to repentance.
For example, let's mention the New Age thinking, so popular nowadays, teaching that each
human is a little god, with wonderful hidden powers that each one must discover.
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2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will
consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs,
and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they
did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
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Rejecting the truth which leads to salvation, men will make themselves
vulnerable to Satan's last great deceptions, and will succomb to them.
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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,
and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood.
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Daniel 5:1,4
Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of
his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. (...)
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
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The sixth trumpet's description of the spiritual condition of men at the end of
time refers to the last moments of ancient Babylon.
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Daniel 5:23
And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of
heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords,
your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them.
And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which
do not see or hear or know.
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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,
and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor
walk.
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In the last days, sinners will act just as Babylon's last king did.
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Daniel 5:26-28,30
«This is the interpretation of each word.
MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the
balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes
and Persians.» (...)
That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
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Having despised God, Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, was told by the
prophet Daniel that God's patience toward him would last no longer, and that his reign
would come to an end.
That very night, he was killed, and his kingdom fell into the hands of the Medes and the
Persians.
These events show us the fate of the rebellious men, at the end of times.
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Revelation 9:20,21
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these
plagues, (...) did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual
immorality or their thefts.
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Matthew 15:18,19
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from
the heart, and they defile a man.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts.
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The sixth trumpet ends with this sad observation: just like the last king of
Babylon, men will refuse to allow God to transform their hearts...
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... and, just like Babylon's last king, their reign will come to an end.
«But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers,
sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake
which burns with fire and brimstone.» (REVELATION 21:8)
«Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,
nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners
will inherit the kingdom of God.» (1 CORINTHIANS 6:9,10)
«Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of
life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers
and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.»
(REVELATION 22:14,15)
«Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,
selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the
like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who
practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.» (GALATIANS 5:19-21)
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Like Babylon, unrepentant men will perish by fire and brimstone:
«Then the beast was captured, and with him the false
prophet (...). These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.»
(REVELATION 19:20)
«If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on
his hand, (...) he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone.» (REVELATION 14:9,10)
«On the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and
destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.» (LUKE
17:29,30)
«Upon the wicked He will rain coals, fire and brimstone and a burning wind; this shall be
the portion of their cup.» (PSALM 11:6)
«He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone.» (REVELATION 21:7,8)
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Revelation 18:21,24
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great
millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
«Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found
anymore. (...)
And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the
earth.»
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Similar to the first five trumpets, the sixth trumpet announces a punishment
upon the oppressor of God's people.
In the last days, this oppressor will be the apostate Church, modern Babylon.
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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.
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Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the
angels of heaven, but My Father only.
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When will the four angels of destruction strike the world, causing the fall of
Babylon and its sinful system?
As He did for the return of Jesus, God has appointed a precise day which no one knows,
except God alone.
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Amos 4:11,12
«I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and
Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not
returned to Me,» says the Lord.
«Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; and because I will do this to you, prepare to
meet your God, O Israel!»
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As we witness the fulfillment of the sixth trumpet's prophecy, we must be even
more careful and vigilant, and make sure that we always follow the path of repentance
leading to salvation.
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Acts 17:29-31
Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought
not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by
art and man's devising.
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to
repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness
by the Man whom He has ordained.
He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.
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And finally, this passage, using the very same words as the sixth trumpet to
describe false gods, reminds us to always persevere in Jesus, so as not to be found
wanting when we are weighed in the balances of God's perfect righteousness and justice.
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Let's pray together:
Father,
The apostle Paul wrote: «But know this, that in the last days
perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers (...). Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and
being deceived.» (2 Timothy 3:1,2,13)
As we are now living the last days of the history of this world, please always guide us,
protect us, and keep us close to You.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Savior and our Lord we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 45 is waiting for you!