Revelation 9 - Lake Erie Bible Church

Chapter 9
THE REVELATION TO JOHN
37. However, what follows in vs.16 clearly introduces other forces, “and the number of
the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of
them”.
38. Vs.16 implicates this massive army with this slaughter of vs.15 and therefore tells us
the vehicles used by the demons to kill a third of the human race.
39. The first issue addressed is the issue as to whether the number is to be taken as
literal or figurative for an innumerable host.
40. There can be little doubt that John was aware of the vast amount that the number
represented since he would be familiar with the size of the Roman army of that time.
41. The natural reading of the text as John states that I heard the number of them
indicates that this was a precise number provided for John and not simply an
estimation described previously in the book. Cp.Rev. 5:11
42. Another exegetical question that tends to divide interpreters here is whether or not the
armies in view are human or demonic.
43. Some notable interpreters do not even attempt to make an identification and state that
“the language seems to mingle elements of the human and demonic, the natural and
the supernatural, in such a way as to make them almost indistinguishable.”
44. Those that identify them as demonic armies (Ryrie, Seiss, and Morris) cite such
passages as 2Kgs.2:11; 6:15-17, and Rev.19:14 to justify their position.
45. They suggest that the weapons of fire, smoke, and brimstone are the weapons of Hell
and may indicate that this is an army of demons.
46. However, these weapons could just as easily be interpreted as simply representing the
demonic influence behind this army.
47. A large number of interpreters (Walvoord, Gaebelein, Ironside, and Tenney) identify
these troops as human, but some have a problem with the large number of them.
48. Some (Stedman) takes the view that it would “be virtually impossible for any one
nation, or even a coalition of nations such as NATO, to field such a vast army.
49. For that reason, he concludes that all the armies in the world must be involved in a
battle that employs two hundred million troops.
50. When one considers that there were almost 65 million troops mobilized worldwide
during WWI (when the world population was around 1.6 billion between 1914-1918
with the troops being about 40% of the population), this number should not seem
large by comparison (only ~ 15% of 1.3 billion of the population of China).
51. However, that this army is not all of the armies of the world and one single coalition
of troops is made evident, since their breastplates in vs.17 are seen to be identical.
52. Further, the natural reading about an army indicates unity, structure, and cohesion,
not simply a number of disparate groups fighting each other.
53. As we stated previously, the reference to the Euphrates and the kings of the East has
caused many to recognize that this army is a coalition of Eastern forces that will
eventually cross the Euphrates toward the West.
54. This alliance of Eastern forces will contain four primary political divisions as denoted
in the leopard in Daniel 7:6.
A. The cat is extremely quick and agile, running at speeds approaching 40 miles per
hour, having the ability to leap 20 feet horizontally and 10 feet vertically.
B. The leopard attacks with a series of relentless assaults, unconcerned about
blocking, retaliation, or being hit.
Lake Erie Bible Church
P-T Ken Reed
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