Audio Download

Rev 9:16-19- Part 3- The Sixth Trumpet

[Study Aired Aug 30, 2024]

Rev 9:16  And the number of the army of the horsemen [were] two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Rev 9:17  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] as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
Rev 9:18  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
Rev 9:19  For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
Rev 9:20  And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Rev 9:21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Introduction

We have already established the spiritual significance of every symbol found in these six verses.

1) An army signifies ongoing spiritual warfare within us all.

2) Men on the horses signify the incredible power and intellect of the persuasive testimony and doctrines of this vast army of wicked doctrines which are within us.

3) The number two tells us that these are the myriads of witnesses to those false doctrines.

4) The breastplates of fire and of jacinth, and brimstone on the horsemen tell us that we will be judged by the very false doctrines we propound to others. ‘Jacinth’ means “deep blue”, signifying the intense heat of the blue flame produced by the burning sulfur proceeding from the mouths of these powerful horse like destructive locusts.

Isa 9:18  For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

5) The death of “the third part of men” tells us once again, that we are dealing with the process of judgment upon our old man who is signified as “the inhabiters of the earth”.

We are all “the children of disobedience” prior to beginning to be judged by the Lord.

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

6) The fact that the power of these horses is in their mouths, which are “as the mouth of a lion,” instead of coming out of the mouth of the men on the horses, tells us that the horse and his rider are both one and the same powerful lying beast.

7) “Their power is in their mouth and in their tails” tells us that these are the false doctrines of false prophets by which doctrines we all have been hurt, and from which we are being delivered by the process of judgment which is at this very moment taking place in “the house of God.” (1Pe 4:17)

8) “The rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues” tells us that being killed by these plagues signifies the death of our old man and the beginning of the birth of our new man, Christ in us (Col 1:27). God’s wrath is on all ungodliness, and this is an ongoing, yet incomplete process in which we are “dying daily,” and being “crucified with Christ” daily.

9) “Yet repented not of the works of their hands” signifies the same ongoing judgment which is upon the “worship of devils” and “idols of the heart” with which we struggle for so very long.

10) “Idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood” are these very same false convictions with which we struggle, ranging from the false doctrine of salvation through good works, to “turning grace into lasciviousness.”

11) “Which neither see, nor hear, nor walk” is the perfect spiritual description of these idols of the heart which have taken away our spiritual sight, our spiritual ears and therefore our ability to walk in Christ’s steps and live as Christ lived (1Pe 2:21).

12) “Neither repented they of their murders” signifies the doctrine of a “Christian soldier” being blessed as a physical soldier fighting for his physical country, as well as failing to understand that hatred of one’s fellow man is spiritually the same as murder (1Jo 3:15).

13) “Nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication” both signify the tenacity of the false doctrines of “another Jesus,” which cling to us, even as we struggle to be free of them, and of that ‘other Jesus’ (2Co 11:4).

14) “Nor of their thefts” tells us that we have stolen God’s Words and have twisted them, and have perverted them, and have used them in that way to cover the idols of our hearts, and the doctrines of “another Jesus” (Eze 14:1-9; Eze 16:17).

Since we have already given the scriptures for these symbols, we will take each symbol and put with it a few verses of scripture which, without comment, will establish the meaning of that symbol.

An army

1) An army signifies the ongoing spiritual warfare within us all.

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. [Greek, epuranios – the heavens of our hearts and minds]
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Rev 19:14  And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Men on Horses

2) ‘Men on the horses’ signifies the incredible death dealing power and influence of the testimony and doctrines of this vast army which is in the world within and without. It is so vast and universal that our flesh poses the question “Who is able make war with [the beast]” (Rev 13:4):

Isa 43:17  Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

Nah 3:3  The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and [there is] a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and [there is] none end of [their] corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:

2Co 11:13  For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

The number two

3) The number two tells us that there are ‘two hundreds million’ false witnesses to those false doctrines.

This link include the spiritual significance of both numbers one and two: https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_one/

Deu 17:6  At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; [but] at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Mat 26:59  Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
Mat 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, [yet] found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

Rev 11:3  And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Breastplates of fire and of jacinth, and brimstone on the horsemen

4) The breastplates of fire and of jacinth, and brimstone on the horsemen tell us that we will be judged by the very fiery wicked doctrines we propound to others. ‘Jacinth’ is the color deep blue which signifies the things of the spirit. It also signifies the intensity of the heat produced by such destructive doctrines. It may seem strange that the horses which come out of the smoke of the bottomless pit with tails like scorpions, which ‘tails’ are specifically designated as “false prophets who prophesy lies”… it may seem strange that they can have riders whose breastplates are of fire and of jacinth and brimstone, but all these words have both a positive and a negative application:

Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

How is this possible? Here is how God uses evil and makes good come of it. Here is how God calls light out of darkness.

Isa 9:13  For the [Lord’s] people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.
Isa 9:14  Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.
Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
Isa 9:16  For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Isa 9:17  Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Isa 9:18  For wickedness burneth as the [jacinth, blue] fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

Isa 10:5  O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
Isa 10:6  I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Assyrians are Babylonians. Babylon is located in the land of Assyria and is the rod of God’s anger and indignation. God’s wrath at this time is not against Babylon. At this present time, it is against His wayward elect. It is while we are spiritually in the bondage of Babylon that God speaks to us these words:

Jer 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that [it is] an evil [thing] and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear [is] not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Jer 2:29 Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.
Jer 2:30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

Luk 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

Col 1:21  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

We all have transgressed against our Lord, we have refused His correction and denied and destroyed His prophets. This is common to all men, and it is this experience itself that becomes the fuel for the fire and brimstone which will bring us to the jacinth intense blue heat at the end of God’s judgments upon our sins and false doctrines.

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

You and I are “the earth”, the “vessel of clay in the Potter’s hand”, and if we are we are   “His house” then we will be experiencing His judgment in “this present time”.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings [and fiery trials of judgment] of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

The third part of men

5) The death of “the third part of men” tells us once again that we are dealing with the process of judgment upon “the inhabiters of the earth”. The death of “the third part of men” who are also “inhabiters of the earth” signifies that all the doctrines of this earth inhabit  us and make us “of the earth. It is instructive that Jeremiah addresses the earth three times in this verse:

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

Isaiah 26:9 and Ezekiel 5:2 shows us that “a third part” is just the beginning of the judgment of God which will teach “the inhabiters of the earth” righteousness by the time that three step process is completed:

 Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Eze 5:2  Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, [and] smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.

Rev 8:10  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

The phrase “a [or] the third part” appears 5 times in the 8^th chapter of Revelation alone. It appears 19 times in the entire Bible and it always signifies the process of judgment all men must endure.

Isaiah 26:9 and Zechariah 13:9 both reveal the glorious fruit of the Lord’s fiery judgments through the trials He places in our lives:

Zec 13:9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

The natural man sees “the third part” as 33 and 1/3 percent of mankind, or the physical nation of Israel, or one third of the body of professing Christians, but  the sum of the Lord’s words reveal that “the third part” is always referring to the process of judgment which is taking place within those who rejoice to be given the privilege of dying daily to the kingdom of our old man. A third part of the trees dying, a third part of the fish in the sea dying and a third part of men dying, one and all signify those few who are finally given to repent of their abominable lives and begin the judgment of God in this present time:

Rev 9:20  And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

The overcomers who stand on the sea  of glass mingled with fire are those who were privileged to be crucified with Christ by dying daily in this present time:

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

As the mouth of a lion

6) The fact that the power of these horses is in their mouths, which are “as the mouth of a lion”, instead of coming out of the mouth of the men on the horses, tells us that the horse and his rider are both one and the same beast with a mouth speaking great blasphemous doctrines which devour us all in our own appointed time:

Rev 9:16  And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Rev 9:17  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 as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

The words of the beast devour us and “kill [us]” before the fiery trials of the Lord devour the kingdom of our old man.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

2Ti 4:17  Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the [devouring] mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a [devouring] mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months.
Rev 13:6  And he opened his [devouring] mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

“The mouth of a lion” is the same mouth uttering false doctrines which devour our old man, as the “mouth of a lion” devours his prey.

Time and again we have watched as our adversary the devil has devoured our poor unsuspecting brothers with the words of his lying mouth. This is how Peter warns us against the mouth of this “roaring lion”:

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Their power is in their mouth and in their tails

7) “Their power is in their mouth and in their tails” tells us that these are the false doctrines of false prophets with which doctrines have devoured all men establishing the kingdom of our old man within us.

Isa 9:13  For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.
Isa 9:14  Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.
Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

It is from that well established kingdom, dominated by a great spiritual harlot that we are being delivered by the process of judgment which is at this very moment taking place in “the house of God”. It is in this same 9^th chapter of Isaiah which reveals to us the spiritual significance of “their tails” that Isaiah makes another very revealing statement concerning the fuel which fires our judgment:

Isa 9:18  For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

The “briers and thorns [and] thickets of the forest” all signify the blasphemous false doctrines which keep us in bondage while we are dominated by the great harlot and all her daughters.

Job 16:10  They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.

Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

The head is our leader. The doctrine of our leaders has led us astray and into Babylon.

Isa 9:16  For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

It is from the power of these lying leaders that we are told to “come out of her My people”:

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

There are five verbs in Rev 18:4. They are… ‘heard; saying; come; partakers, and receive’. Of those five verbs the word ‘saying’ is the only verb which is not in the aorist tense. The verb, ‘saying’, is in the present tense because that is what the holy spirit is presently  telling us to do.

We will pause our study of the spiritual significance of the symbols of this sixth trumpet at this point. In our next study we will finish revealing what the scriptures reveal to be the spiritual significance of the remaining symbols of this sixth trumpet.