By Nab B.
May 6, 2022
Updated March 2026
A Critical Note!
Since Revelation is signified, it can only be understood spiritually!
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ...He sent and signified it." (Rev 1:1) “The flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and are life.” (John 6:63) “The things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:13-14)
Verse By Verse Series©
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Revelation 9:13
“And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.”
Christ’s voice authorizes this message.
Four represents universality (all directions). A "horn" is a figure of power. (Ps 75:10; 18:2; Lu 1:68-69; Dan 7:7,24)
A golden altar or "altar of incense" represents the place where the prayers of the saints are offered and heard. (Rev 8:3)
Revelation 9:14
“Saying to the sixth angel, which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.”
Four represent universality (see Rev 7:1). The four angels represent all of Christ's human messengers, not heavenly angels. They are released or "loosed" to declare God’s judgment messages that will affect the whole church until the end of the age.
In times past, God used Assyria and Babylon situated by the River Euphrates to punish apostate Israel. (See Isa 8:6-8; Jer 46:10)
The great Euphrates, in Revelation, symbolize God's punishment against his rebellious churches and their enslaving system, Babylon the great. (Rev 16:12; 9:14; 18:21; Jeremiah 51:63)
Revelation 9:15
“And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared (made ready) for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”
God's judgments are planned, not haphazard. Jesus spoke of “Times or seasons that the Father has FIXED by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). His judgments allow for the apostasy to enter the churches at an appointed time, to purify the churches. (See Rev chapter 20:3)
One “third” is a symbolic figure. While sizable, it is not the whole. During this trumpet woe, a third is spiritually killed by these judgments. The same one "third" appears in Rev 12:4,
“His (the dragon) tail (his deceivers) drew the third part of the stars of heaven (the churches), and did cast them to the earth.”
A “third” of the church passes through a series of judgments to be refined, just as God has refined Israel, seen here in Zechariah 13:7-9,
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd...saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 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.”
Revelation 9:16
“And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand, and I heard the number of them.”
Translators should have kept "the number" untranslated. The number represents countless armies of deceivers that will plague the church. The number in Greek reads: “dismyriades myriadōn" or “twice ten thousand, ten thousand”. This huge number is a derivative of "ten" multiplied by thousands. It indicates a complete and universal "falling away," or "apostasy" of the church throughout the entire age (nearly 2,000 years and counting).
The enormity of the armies of deceivers who will attack the churches (signified by Gog and Magog) is shown in Revelation 20:8, “And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”
Revelation 9:17-18
“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. 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. 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.”
Galloping horses, riders, fire and sulphur all represent God's severe tests and judgments for purification (see Rev 14:11; 20:10). This woe is deadlier than the previous "locust woe"!
The deceivers are powerful and fearsome, as is their leader, the devil.
“The devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking to devour.” (1 Pet 5:8)
"But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!" (Gal 5:15)
"Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you (plural) as wheat." (Luke 22:31)
God can employ anything as His instruments of judgment, be it faithful teachers (Rev 11:5), false teachers, Babylon the great, and even the dragon. “Out of their mouths” come destructive teachings, propaganda, powerful delusions, worldly philosophies. These are the ‘Deep things of Satan," Jesus spoke about to destroy men’s lives. (See Rev 16:13-14; Thess 2:9-12)
Revelation 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.”
In Revelation 6:8, the fourth seal, a pale horse, representing death, kills one-fourth of earth dwellers (carnal church). But during the sixth trumpet, powerful deceptions kill a third of the church spiritually.
Through these fiery judgments, God cleanses the deceived one-third. Zechariah sheds light on the one-third:
“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.” (Zech 13:8-9)
Revelation 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.”
Through the mouth, falsehood is taught. Those unaware are devoured. The danger of the deceptive mouth is well illustrated below:
"I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." (Rev 16:13)
"Another beast coming up out of the earth...spake as a dragon." (Rev 13:11)
"The tongue also is a fire, the world of unrighteousness." (James 3:6)
"Tails" are false teachers and false prophets. "Serpents" represent deceit, cunning, and subtlety. The tails with serpent heads point to the enormity of the deception to be inflicted on all the churches.
“The tail of the dragon drew the third part of the stars of heaven.” This is an allusion to how satan had deceived many angels by his cunning.” (Rev 12:4)
“Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail...and the prophet, the teacher of a lie, he is the tail.” (Isa 9:14, 15)
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19)
Revelation 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.”
This passage exposes the effects of the apostasy on the churches. Despite God's fiery judgments, a figurative two-thirds will be unwilling to repent. They continue to worship idols, material things, devils, and self, rather than glorifying God.
“And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.” (Deut 4:28; Jer 1:16)
“But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven… thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.” (Dan 5:23)
Though stubborn, God is still trying to lead them to repentance, as is God's desire expressed here: “Don’t you see how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Rom 2:4-5 NLT)
Like Israel, the fallen churches replace God with a man-made god. They endeavour to follow false doctrines, rituals, traditions, human systems, materialism, fame, and honour.
Revelation 9:21
“Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”
This passage describes the depth of stubbornness among members of the fallen churches.
Spiritual murder inflicts maximum harm by false teachers and by those being deceived; things such as "lack of love," "hatred," and "anger."
“Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15)
“That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the JUDGMENT.” (Matt 5:22)
Sorcery here refers to spiritual "witchcraft" or "poison" delivered through false doctrines. Babylon the Great, the spiritual harlot, deceives many by her intoxicating wine that appeals to the fallen flesh.
“For by thy sorcery (spiritual poison) were all the nations (Gentile churches) deceived” (Rev 18:23)
"For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough." (2 Cor 11:4 ESV)
This refers to "spiritual fornication," when they serve self, other gods, and idols.
“The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.” (Rev 17:2)
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4)
Spiritual "theft" includes falsehood, deception, and neglecting the flocks:
“I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” (John 10:1)
“Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” (Eze 34:2)
None of the traits described above will cease to exist in the new heaven and earth or the new creation:
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
Deceivers and false teachers have several names in the scriptures. They are Satan’s mouthpiece, spewing out deceptions to weaken and destroy Christ's followers in all his churches. In Revelation, they are portrayed as:
The dragon (satan, devil)
The sea beast
The false prophet
The locusts
The fiery horses
Babylon the Great
Etc.
Will God's judgments awaken those spiritually asleep or dead? Let us pray that some will hear the call, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Eph 5:14) ESV
In the end, Christ assures us that NOTHING will succeed in destroying his true ecclesia, "On this rock (Christ) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (death) will not prevail against it." (Matt 16:18) BLB