Revelation 9 - Lake Erie Bible Church

Chapter 9
THE REVELATION TO JOHN
32. While horses may be bred for war they are not the agents that cause the destruction.
33. Further, these are clearly not literal horses, but language of accommodation to denote
modern methods of military transport.
34. These horses are said to have heads like the heads of lions that is designed to
conjure up the image of the king of the jungle terrorizing its prey, known for its loud
roar and was the most dangerous beast known at that time.
35. The Eastern Bloc army is clearly dangerous as evidenced by the fact that even
Antichrist, who looks to the entire world invincible, has a moment of trepidation
when he hears about this mobilization. Dan.11:44
36. Further, this lion image may indicate a turret upon the ground assault vehicles
designed for a commander’s observance designed with a protective “mane” or even
camouflage material giving a semblance of that appearance.
37. Another possibility is that the shape of the vehicle may be cutting edge anti-radar
technology giving it the appearance of a lion’s head.
38. Since horses do not issue fire, smoke, and brimstone from their mouths, we are
once again forced to consider this passage in light of modern methods of warfare.
39. Some have suggested that this army will utilize not only modern tanks or ground
assault vehicles but also attack helicopters, combat aircraft, armed with conventional
artillery, laser weapons, and likely some short range, low yield nuclear weapons.
40. While we would not argue that these other forms of transport and assault are
available, the description in our verses looks to the dominate form for ground assault
accompanying 200,000,000 marching soldiers.
41. This language of accommodation is designed to describe the results of modern assault
vehicles utilizing their weapons.
42. It appears that each of the designations fire, smoke, and brimstone refer to three
distinct forms of weapons that will be used to effect this devastating outcome.
A. Fire may symbolize the flamethrower, or other modern laser weapons.
B. Smoke may point to conventional artillery that uses gunpowder to fire projectiles,
vapors of bio-chemical attacks or even some type of anti-aircraft weapon.
C. Brimstone has as its best candidate phosphorus projectiles designed to turn the
enemy into crispy critters or possibly low nuke weaponry.
43. In vs.18, these 3 weapons are referred to as plagues giving their result, “A third of
mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the
brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths ”.
44. That each of the three things mentioned is referred to as a plague is designed
separately to highlight the death toll attributed to each form of weaponry.
45. Each will play its equal role sharing in the toll of killing a third of mankind.
46. Further, for the first time in the judgments, we see a judgment specifically associated
with being a plague.
47. Plagues in the Bible almost unilaterally emphasize the direct wrath of God as
judgment upon mankind. Gen.12:17; Exo.9:14; 11:1 et al
48. This first and foremost indicates that this army is construed as the initiation of God’s
direct wrath of overruling will apart from His permissive will against the world
indicating the Day of the Lord is at hand.
49. In other words, His permissive will is seen in the demons released just prior to the
Day of the Lord; His overruling will is in the judgment of death afterwards.
Lake Erie Bible Church
P-T Ken Reed
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