May 5, Tuesday

ACT THREE – The Battle Intensifies

SCENE 1 – Seven Trumpets

The seven angels who stand in the presence of God were each given a trumpet. Yet another angel approached the altar, carrying a smoking censer filled with much incense to offer up with the prayers of all the saints. As this was poured onto the altar, the smoke rose up before God together with the prayers.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it down onto the earth. What an explosion that caused: thunderous noises, flashes of lightning, and a great earthquake. The seven angels raised their trumpets, ready to blow.

1. When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire mingled with blood were hurled at the earth. One third of the earth was burnt up, including one-third of all the trees. Every bit of grass was scorched and withered.
2. The second angel blew his trumpet, and what looked like a huge mountain of fire was thrown into the ocean. A third of the waters turned to blood, a third of all sea creatures died, and a third of the world’s shipping industry was destroyed.
3. Next, I watched as the third angel blew his trumpet. A star fell out of the sky, like a flaming meteor. It fell into a third of the rivers and fresh springs. The name of the star was Wormwood. A third of all fresh waters became poisonous; many people died after drinking it.
4. At the sound of the fourth trumpet, one-third of the sun, moon, and stars went dark, resulting in a third less light on the earth both day and night.

A great eagle appeared, flying through the heavens. “TERROR! TERROR! TERROR!” he cried out. “Woe to all who live on earth because of the judgments yet to come in the final three trumpets!”

5. The fifth trumpet sounded. Another star fell to the earth. This star had a key to the bottomless Pit; and when he opened it, smoke billowed out as from an enormous furnace. The smoke filled the sky, blocking out the light of the sun.

Gruesome locusts streamed out of the smoke:

• They could sting like scorpions.
• They were ordered not to bother plants or trees but only to afflict any humans who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
• They couldn’t kill but could torture.
• They oppressed the earth for five months.
• Men wanted to die because of the horrendous pain, but they could not.
• These locusts were unlike any creature I had ever seen before:
• They looked like horses ready for battle.
• Their faces looked human.
• They had long hair like women.
• On their heads were what appeared to be gold crowns.
• Their teeth were long and sharp like lion’s teeth.
• Their chests looked like they were steel plates.
• As they flew, their wings made the sound of a vast army of chariots and horses charging into battle.
• Poisonous venom was in their tails like scorpions.
• This army of locusts was led by the king of the Pit whose name is The Destroyer. (In Hebrew his name is Abaddon; in Greek, Apollyon.)

The first terror is over but two more remain.

6. The sixth angel blew his trumpet, and a voice spoke from the midst of the altar which stands in the presence of God. The voice commanded the sixth angel to “release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!”

These four angels had been held back until just this moment. At this trumpet blast, they were released to kill one-third of all mankind.  What I saw was an army of horsemen:

• There were two hundred million of them!
• The riders wore armor that gleamed fiery red, sky blue, and pulsing yellow like brimstone.
• The horses heads looked more like lions.
• Their mouths spewed out fire, smoke, and sulphur so that a third of all mankind died from just that.
• Their powerful tails also caused harm and were like serpents with heads.

Believe it or not, after all this devastation, those who remained alive on earth still refused to repent of their self-worship, their idolatry, their murders, their sorceries, their sexual sins, and their many thefts.