The Revelation - A Book With 7 Seals ?
/ Ewald Frank
Language: english
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10. Chapter 9 - The incomparable torment, The fifth trumpet the first woe
- Foreword
- Chapter 1 - Introduction, The Day of the Lord, Origin and significance of the prophetic word
- Chapter 2 - The seven messages of the resurrected Lord, First message, Keep the first love
- Chapter 3 - The fifth message, The Reformation Age, Strengthening the weak in faith
- Chapter 4 - A glimpse into heaven
- Chapter 5 - The mysterious book with the seven seals
- Chapter 6 - The opening of the seals, The unveiling of the power of the antichrist, A general view
- Chapter 7 - The sealed from the Jews
- Chapter 8 - The seventh seal, The silence in heaven, Mercy seat becomes judgement seat, Introduction to the seven trumpet judgements, The first four trumpets
- Chapter 9 - The incomparable torment, The fifth trumpet the first woe
- Chapter 10 - An intermediate vision The open book, The Lord as the Angel of the covenant
- Chapter 11 - The second intermediate vision, The measuring of the temple and the ministry of the two witnesses
- Chapter 12 - The woman clothed with the sun, Christ and His Own, Satan the red dragon and his followers
- Chapter 13 - The visions of Daniel in review of and in connection with the Revelation
- Chapter 14 - The Lamb and the sealed 144,000
- Chapter 15 - The seven bowl judgements and the multitude at the crystal sea
- Chapter 16 - The seven bowls of wrath, The final judgements of Gods indignation
- Chapter 17 - The woman riding on the beast
- Chapter 18 - The destruction of the great Babylon
- Chapter 19 - The rejoicing in heaven over the destruction of Babylon, The marriage of the Lamb
- Chapter 20 - Binding of Satan, Completion of the first resurrection by the martyrs, The Millennial Kingdom
- Chapter 21 - Announcing of the new heaven and the new earth, The glory of the New Jerusalem, The terrible fate of the lost
- Chapter 22 - The river of life and the trees of life, The paradise-like condition during the Millennial Reign
- Appendix - The 70 weeks of Daniel and the current events with Israel in the light of Bible prophecy
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth, and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power." (9: 1-3).
The announcement at the end of chapter 8 is justified, because the torment during the fifth trumpet is beyond description. This will come upon them who rejected God's grace and do not have the Seal of God at that time. As already mentioned, the 144,000 will not be hurt but rather be protected because they have the Seal of God. According to the infallible testimony of the Scripture, the trumpet judgements can only fall after the three-and-a-half-year-ministry of the two prophets, that is to say after the sealing of the 144,000. Furthermore, those who are sealed in Israel will be protected during the five months of the terrible torment at the fifth trumpet. In view of those who will be sheltered, we read,
"Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation is past." (Isa. 26: 20).
"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads." (Rev. 9: 4). Please compare chapter 7: 1-8.
These peculiar creatures have power as of the scorpions and are to torment the inhabitants of the earth. They are described as coming directly from hell. Therefore, the torment they execute is beyond comprehension. This torment is limited to five months.
"And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." (9: 5-6).
In verses 7 to 10 we find the description of those creatures which come out of the bottomless pit:
"And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.
And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months."
"And they had a king over them, who is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." (9: 11).
This terrible torment upon humanity who rejected God is being described as the first woe.
At the time when Israel was brought out of Egypt the plagues fell upon the land. In the same way we find the plagues described which will happen in the first four trumpet judgements. They are directed towards the creation.
In the fifth and sixth trumpet we are informed about the torment which will come upon ungodly humanity. During the fifth trumpet people cannot die but have to endure the incomparable torture. In the sixth trumpet death will set in as never before known on earth.
The six trumpet judgements fall in chronological order. The exception is only the seventh trumpet which does not contain judgement but rather the announcement of the Kingdom Reign.
The sixth trumpet the second woe
"And 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, Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates.
And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men." (9: 13-15).
The river Euphrates where the four angels are bound until that specific moment has its course through the Iraq of today. Where humanity originated, where mankind started, where paradise was and many well-known cities like Babylon, Haran, Ur of the Chaldeans, Nineveh and others, from there this great multitude which comes out of the bottomless pit will march forward to destroy the third part of humanity. That will be a world-wide action, as can be seen from the description of chapter 7 where the four angels were shown to be at the four corners of the earth. Here we are geographically pointed to the very spot from where this terrible destruction of people will take its course. On the great day of God the earthly army will also start off from there.
The four angels were told in chapter 7 not to hurt any trees or the grass until the sealing has taken place. At the sixth trumpet they are let loose and will destroy the third part of humanity etc. With God all things are set for the year, the month, the day and the hour, as the Scripture text vindicates.
"And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand; 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 like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
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.
For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails; for their tails were like serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt." (vv. 16-18).
These demonic creatures are commissioned to destroy the third part of humanity who were tormented before. Because there is no more grace at that time, conversion to God is no more possible for any one living on earth. Humanity without God at that time will have to suffer according to their own choosing.
"And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands …" (9: 20).
In the first four trumpets always a third part was stricken by the judgement: a third of the earth, the trees, the grass, a third of the sea and the living creatures therein, a third of the rivers, a third of the sun, of the moon and the stars. In the sixth trumpet a third of humanity will die.
It is not permissive to apply the same scripture reference for the persecution of the Jews. Even more so because the Jews are sealed at that time and will be protected as predicted during the fifth trumpet judgement. Every Word of God must be left and believed as it is. The description of the sixth trumpet judgement tells very plainly, that one third of mankind on earth will be killed. With the six billion presently on earth it would be two billion.