Read with Me
Revelation 9:13-21 (NET)
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a single voice coming from the horns on the golden altar that is before God, saying to the sixth angel, the one holding the trumpet, “Set free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!” Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour, day, month, and year were set free to kill a third of humanity. The number of soldiers on horseback was 200,000,000; I heard their number. Now this is what the horses and their riders looked like in my vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and sulfurous yellow in color. The heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths. A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. For the power of the horses resides in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails are like snakes, having heads that inflict injury. The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood – idols that cannot see or hear or walk about. Furthermore, they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells, of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.
Listen with Me
The sounding of the trumpet by the sixth Angel released a huge army from the east to ravage the territory of those who had been persecuting God’s people. These horsemen, riding steeds whose heads were protected by armor that gave them the appearance of lions, were powerful and fast.
The tricolored armor of the horses and riders, red, blue, and yellow, symbolized the destruction of the populace by fire, smoke, and sulfur. Through those three plagues God authorized these deadly riders to kill a third of the population, unlike the earlier riders called forth from the fifth trumpet who were only allowed to torture the people, not to wipe them out. These riders were released by four angels who were stationed at the Euphrates River, the natural northeastern limit of the empire. In fact, it was the angels themselves who were released to kill the people. The horses and their riders were simply the methodology they used.
The number of horsemen, 200 million (in the Greek “20 thousand of 10 thousands”) is an outrageous number, larger than any nation or confederacy of nations could ever hope to assemble until very recent times. For this reason, many have interpreted these riders as demonic forces.
But we have to remember that this is written in the apocalyptic style with its intense symbolism. John faithfully wrote down the number he heard, realizing that it was such a huge number that it could not even be imagined or visualized. The picture Jesus painted for him in this vision was one of overwhelming force being brought against the enemies of the kingdom, in John’s day it was the Romans, so there could be no possible defense or success in repelling the forces.
The sad coda to this vision in verse 20 and 21 shows the depths to which humanity had fallen. Even with such profound suffering and loss, those who were not killed were completely unwilling to repent of their evil, or to turn away from their false gods who had been completely impotent against the forces God had sent against them. They remained lost and thus determined to remain set against God and His people.
Pray with Me
Father, that really is tragic! But at the same time, it reveals Your love and Your mercy, even towards the most vile of sinners. If these people had been willing to repent, even those who had been mired in idolatry, witchcraft, and the sin of persecuting your people could have turned to You in humility and repentance and been saved. But they would not. Their eyes were so firmly closed, and their heart so adamantly set against You that they willingly chose the path of death over life. Lord, help us to stay steadfast in our living for You and in our working for You, so that we can stand strong and find our salvation in You, even on the day of Your wrath. Amen.