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The
Fifth And Sixth Trumpets Sound
– Revelation Nine –
Revelation chapter nine provides and account of the sounding of
the fifth and sixth trumpets. These are two of the three angles that were
included in Revelation 8:13. "And I beheld, and heard an angel flying
through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of
the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" The last three
trumpets are often called the "woe" trumpets and they are discussed
in Revelation chapters nine through eleven.
The woe of the fifth trumpet is represented under the figure of an
immense army of locusts bringing calamity upon the earth. A star fell from heaven and to him was given
the key of the bottomless pit. When he opened the pit the swarm of locusts
comes forth on the earth. They are commanded to do certain work. They were to
torment those that did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. However,
they were not to kill them. A very vivid description is given of the
destructive horde of locusts.
The sixth angel sounded and four angels which were bound in the
great river
The fifth angel sounds his trumpet – Revelation 9:1-3:
As the fifth seal was opened a star was personified. "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." (Revelation 9:1) The star that looses the
smoke and locusts from the bottomless pit was Satan. "And the great dragon
was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:9) Man's greatest
enemy will always be the Devil himself.
The locust came forth with smoke from the bottomless pit. The
smoke was dark, blinding smoke. It was a smoke that shut out the sun and the
air. This is a picture of how the Devil works to shut out the true light and
life from God. The false teaching of Satan blinds the minds of people to the
truth of God's word. Satan literally blinds the minds of his victims. "In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them." (II Corinthians 4:4)
Satan has the power to deceive and destroy spiritually. He is even
able to cause the death of the wicked. The Devil uses his power to incite man
to rebel against the Almighty. When people serve Satan rather than Christ they
will face certain torment.
The locust and their work – Revelation 9:4-12:
Locusts are a universal symbol of destruction. The locusts are not literal. We
know this because these locusts would not touch the grass, nor any green thing,
or tree, as locusts do, only men. (Revelation 9:4) These locusts had a king
over them. (Revelation 9:11) Literal locusts do not have a king over them.
"The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands."
(Proverbs 30:27) These locusts do not hurt the land, nor do they hurt the
people of God.
The kings over these locust had names in the Hebrew tongue Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." Both the words Abaddon
and Apollyon means "destroyer." The name is
mostly translated simply with the word "destruction" as in Job 26:6.
"Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering."
The locusts came out of the smoke. They did not hurt the
vegetation. Neither did they hurt the people of God. As people swallow the lies
of the Devil (false doctrine) they are stung by these locusts. False doctrine
does not hurt the faith of God. It did have a destructive effect on the
The locusts are described in a very vivid way. They: (1) are as
horses armed for battle, (2) have victory crowns, (3) have faces of men to
picture intelligence and beauty, (4) have beautiful hair to represent strength,
(5) have powerful teeth like lions, (6) have breastplates for protection, (7)
the wings make a mighty sound like the sound of chariots of many horses running
to battle, (8) their tails have destructive power like scorpions.
The
The sixth angel sounds his trumpet – Revelation 9:13-15:
The sixth angel sounded and four angels were loosed. The purpose of the four
horns of the golden altar to prevent the coals from falling from the altar.
God's judgment was coming on the wicked
In the book of Jeremiah Euphrates was pictured as the land of the
enemies of Gods' people. There are many enemies to God's truth. A great army is
loosed for the war against evil. God decreed when this would take place to the
very hour, and day, and month, and year. There will be victory for the persecuted
saints by the decree of God!
The army of horsemen – Revelation 9:16-21: Sadly man
would not listen to God so he sent froth fire and brimstone. This is
reminiscent of
The wicked
The fact the ungodly will be punished should motivate us to obey
God. Those who obey the gospel are cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus. To
obey the gospel one must hear the salvation message (Romans
- - -
- Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer
List: Stabler Hospital: Bill Autrey,
2. Remember
To Pray: Eric Bagents needs our prayers as he
serves in
3. Sympathy
Expressed: Our love and sympathy is expressed to the family of Helen
Willis.
4. Sunday
Morning Young Adult Bible Class: Our Sunday morning young adult Bible
class will resume on December 4th. The class will be taught by
Charles Box in the Multipurpose room. We will deal
with issues that Christians face daily.
5. Birthdays:
Celebrating birthdays this week are: December 5th Brooklyn
Acree, December 7th Eleanor Stabler, and December
9th Brett Thomas.
6. Ladies
Christmas Party: Ladies are invited to the home of Barbara Walker on
December 10th at
7. Christmas
Gifts: If you would like to help provide Christmas gifts for needy
children please see Debbie Jean Acree. The gifts should be brought to the
building by December 14th.
8. Thank
You: (a) Thanks so much for
your thoughts and prayers, the delicious food, and just knowing you were there.
Kathy
Bozeman (b) Dear Ladies Bible Class, Thank you so much for your
kindness and generosity. Words cannot express how thankful we are for all that
you have done for us during our time of need. I am sure our Lord is blessing
you right now for your thoughtfulness. Thank you so such for everything! May
God bless and keep you in His care. Jane & Andrew Union –
9. Beautiful Bench: Our thanks to Nelson
Daughtry for the beautiful bench he made for the Foyer. Great job!
10. Sign-Up
Sheets For 2006: The sign-up sheets for closing the building, driving
the van, preparing communion, and greeting visitors for 2006 are on the
bulletin board. Please sign-up to help – NOW!
11. Ladies
Bible Class: The Wednesday morning Ladies Bible Class will not meet
until
12. Dishes In
Multipurpose Room: There are a number of dishes in the multipurpose
room. Please check to see if they are yours. Thanks!
13. Weekly
Budget: Just a reminder that our weekly budget is $6,135.64. If each
family gives as God has prospered us we will far exceed this amount. Your
giving is a proof of your love for God. (II Corinthians 8:18)
14. Good
Works Continue: The Walnut Street Church of Christ continues to support
Bill Bagents in his work at
Don’t Overlook God’s Severity
There is no question whether God loves
mankind. “God demonstrates His own love to-ward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). What greater proof could there be than
this gift that He gave for us all? However, there is another side of God: “But
the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His
wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His
indignation” (Jer
It makes God angry when we do things He has told us not to do. God had said that the ark of the covenant was a holy thing, and if anyone touched it they would die. But, on one occasion, when the ark was being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and Uzzah reached down and laid his hands upon it to steady it. He seemed to have had good intentions...not want-ing the holy ark to fall to the ground. But look at how God responded to his action. “Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God” (II Sam 6:7). God demands obedience to His will under all circumstances.
God’s anger is also stirred when we allow
other “masters” to rule over us. He said, “For the Lord your God is a consuming
fire, a jealous God” (Deut
Lastly, God is angry when His children will
not stop sinning. As Christians we are to set our minds on things above (
- - - - Darrell Powell
Be bold in
what you stand for and careful what you fall for.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)