What is the 6th Trumpet?
The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. (Revelation 9: 13-15)
This appears to describe: World War III.
According to this prophesy, there will be a war that kills a third of mankind. The war originates at the Euphrates river. All the nations that border the Euphrates river are currently Islamic-controlled. Therefore, Islam will be a significant component of this war.
Some people contend that World War III started with the attack on the world trade center on 9/11/01. Since that time, Islamic fundamentalists have repeatedly conducted acts of war against virtually every non-Islamic nation in the world. In addition, they are systematically and violently forcing the establishment of strict Islamic (Sharia) law in every Islamic-controlled nation.
Although this war has not yet escalated to the point of killing a third of mankind, it will eventually reach that point.
2 x 10,000 x 10,000 = 200,000,000
200 Million Troops
16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number. 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. (Revelation 9: 16-17)
There will be 200 million soldiers. The colors of the armies will be fiery red, dark blue, and sulfur yellow. Obviously, there are many nations in the world who utilize those colors in their flags. The number of troops involved, current world events, and prophetic scriptures can help to narrow down the nations that are likely to be involved.
Fiery Red
Red & white were the primary colors of the flag for the Islamic Ottoman Empire. It was a powerful union of Islamic nations that attempted to dominate the world and rule it with Islamic law. Historically, it grew by violently conquering neighboring nations. After aggressively expanding for several centuries, it began to decline after losing the battle of Vienna on September 11, 1683. Turkey currently utilizes the exact same flag as the former Ottoman Empire. The attack on 9/11/2001 and ongoing attacks across the world confirm the Islamic goal of world domination. There are currently about 2.08 billion Muslims in the world.[i]
Red & blue & white are the colors of the flag for Russia. It is an ally of several Islamic nations and is known to provide weapons of war for them. Historically, Russia grew by conquering neighboring nations (similar to how Islamic nations expand). Russia is a military world power that possesses a significant number of nuclear weapons. Lately, Russia has been actively increasing its arsenal.[ii] There are about 144 million people in Russia. About 16.4 million are Muslims.[iii]
Red & yellow are the colors of the flag for China. China has become a world power both financially and militarily. China has a history of violently conquering neighboring peoples and forcing their method of government. China is a world power that has nuclear weapons. There are about 1.3 billion people in China.[iv] About 23.3 million are Muslims. [v]
Dark Blue
Blue & white are the colors of the flag for Israel. Since Islam contends that Israel does not have the right to exist, Israel will be involved in this war in order to fight for the right to exist. This is also in keeping with the Jerusalem-centric theme of the Holy Bible. There are currently about 14.2 million Jews in the world. About 6 million Jews live in Israel and about 6 million Jews live in the USA.[vi] There are about 1.3 million Muslims living in Israel. [vii]
Blue & yellow are the colors of the flag for the European Union (EU). As a union of over 28 nations, the EU has become a world power both financially and militarily. It encompasses more than 800 million people and a purchasing power of about 19 trillion dollars.[viii] There are more than 19 million Muslims living in the EU.[ix]
Blue & red & white are colors of the flag for the United States of America (USA). In recent years, America has been declining as a world power due to excessive debt and budget cuts in its military. The USA is currently still a world power with a significant number of nuclear weapons. There are about 321 million people in the USA. More than 2.6 million are Muslims. [x]
Sulfur Yellow
Yellow is the secondary color in the flags of: Islam, Russia, China, and the European Union.
Red & Blue & Yellow
Ergogan Supporters. Istanbul, March 23, 2014.
Photo by REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Having examined the nations that could be major players in World War III, it’s worth considering another possibility. The three colors (red, blue, and yellow) described in Revelation 9 might represent a single geopolitical/religious ideology: Islam.
World War III
The war which results in the death of one third of mankind appears to have already begun. A 3rd World War started on 9/11/2001 and originated from an area bordering the Euphrates river. Since that time, virtually all the nations of the world have experienced violent attacks. The perpetrators are a zealous people who dogmatically follow Islamic ideology. They devotedly follow the Koran’s teachings which mandates that they actively work toward the day when the entire world will be ruled by Islamic law and the whole world will be required to worship Allah.
A Third of Mankind is Killed
18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. (Revelation 9: 18-19)
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their deeds. (Micah 7: 13)
One third of mankind will be killed by fire, smoke, and sulfur (aka explosives). Based on the world’s current population of about 7.4 billion people, about 2.4 billion people will die during the 6th Trumpet War.
7,400,000,000 x 1/3 = 2,466,666,666
Even though it seems that nuclear weapons would have to be involved in order to accomplish this level of carnage and devastation, there is a possibility that the war will not involve nuclear bombs. It may involve the intentionally devastating destruction of nuclear power plants.
The description of the 6th Trumpet War appears to confirm that explosives will ravage the land and kill a third of mankind but rather than nuclear weapons, it could be due to an unexpected uprising of a group of people working toward a common goal. Some of those people would have access to explosives. Those who don’t have access to explosives might try to accomplish their goal with handguns and setting fires (arson). World War III could potentially become a worldwide uprising by some of the 2.08 billion Muslims that currently live in every nation of the world.
The Muslims who are most likely to participate in a worldwide uprising would consider themselves to be devout “true believers” who follow the Koran. Not all Muslims will participate in this uprising. Many Muslims will leave Islam when they realize what that Koran actually mandates this war. Because of their apostasy, they will be marked for execution by the “faithful” Islamists.
ISIS embraces those strict beliefs and actively implements that type of warfare. They eagerly kill non-Muslims but they also kill any Muslims who refuse to follow the strict Sharia law that the Koran dictates. They are doing what Surah 9 of the Koran says that Allah wants them to do. They believe that their actions are righteous and will earn them a place in paradise.
When a nation is struggling with economic collapse or civil strife they become a prime target for Islamic warfare. Many of the world’s nations are currently in a fragile economic position. Due to the financial interconnectedness of today’s world, the entire world will be affected when an economic world power falls. That is likely to be the timing in which Islamic terrorists increase their attacks.
Other than ISIS, the acts of terrorism by dogmatic Islamists tend to have been independent or locally organized. According to Islamic end of days prophesies, there will come a time when Islamic nations will be united under a common leader (their Mahdi) and their attacks will become more organized. The ultimate coo will be when the Mahdi negotiates a 7-year peace treaty, secretly plans an ambitious worldwide attack, and implements that attack halfway through the peace treaty (when the treaty’s allies least expect it).
Mankind Refuses to Repent
20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9: 20-21)
The people of the end times will continue to focus on themselves and this world instead of God. Despite the unfathomable number of people who are killed in this end times war, mankind still refuses to repent and turn back to God.
After the attacks on 9/11/2001, there was a flurry of people calling out to God. Attendance at churches suddenly surged. But within a few months, people were back to business as usual: caught up in their lives and avoiding a relationship with God or following his commands.
Since the 9/11/2001 attacks, the USA has become increasingly ungodly. Instead of turning back toward God, the USA appears to have completely turned its back on God. Their most recent rebellion against God came in 2015 when the USA federal courts officially legalized same-sex marriages, then ordered the individual states to both provide and accept those unions despite many of the state’s attempts to legally prevent same-sex marriages. The USA president then celebrated that landmark decision by symbolically bathing the White House with a rainbow of lights.
The Holy Bible forbids sexual immorality. It provides several examples of sexual sin that are forbidden (e.g. adultery, incest, bestiality). One of the sexual sins that the Bible specifically forbids is homosexuality (Genesis 19: 4-5) (Genesis 19: 24-25) (Leviticus 18: 22-25) (1 Timothy 1: 9-11) (Romans 1: 24-27) (1 Corinthians 6: 9-10). Based on those scriptures, God is not in favor of homosexuality and would therefore not be in favor of same-sex marriage.
Some people claim that the Bible doesn’t say what grievous sin was so prevalent in Sodom and Gomorrah that God chose to destroy it and not spare a single living thing (not even vegetation). But the Bible actually does describe several specific activities that were prevalent in Sodom: homosexuality, orgies, and rape. For more information about why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, see Genesis 18 and 19. In particular, please read: Genesis 13: 13, Genesis 18: 20-21, Genesis 19: 4-5 and 13.
According to Genesis 9, God provided a rainbow as a visual reminder of His promise to never again destroy the world with water. God’s rainbow is a holy covenant. The world’s decision to utilize a rainbow as the symbol for homosexuality was deliberately sacrilegious. It intentionally profaned something that God declared to be holy. It is very unwise to mock God.
God loves the humans He created, but God abhors sin. It is not His desire that anyone perish but if people remain in their sin, perish they will. As a good Father disciplines His children, God will discipline those He loves. Therefore, God will allow consequences in order to motivate the people of the world to turn from their wickedness.
During the great distress of the end times, no one will remain lukewarm toward God. Jehovah God has given each person free will to choose Him or to refuse Him. Each person will make a choice… and they will be held accountable for that choice.
The 7 Thunders
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” (Revelation 10: 1-4)
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” (Revelation 10: 5-7)
The 7 Thunders are part of the 6th Trumpet. No information is provided about the 7 Thunders because that information was sealed.
The Little Scroll
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”(Revelation 10: 8-11)
The angel and the little scroll are part of the 6th Trumpet. In ancient times, words were written upon a scroll as a way of preserving those words. Symbolically, the eating of a scroll appears to represent the ingestion of the words that were on that scroll.
Ezekiel 3 describes a time when God gave the prophet Ezekiel a scroll to eat and it tasted sweet as honey. Ezekiel was then commanded to go and speak God’s words to the people: to warn and “dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life.” The people were given the opportunity to turn back to God but instead continued to rebel against him. Due to their rebellion, Ezekiel was commanded to become the example of the judgment that God was about to pour out onto the people.
The apostle John was also commanded to eat a scroll that tasted sweet as honey before prophesying. The angel warned John that the scroll would taste sweet but turn sour in his stomach. This differs from Ezekiel’s experience: the words that Ezekiel ate did not turn sour in his stomach. Why did the words John ate turn sour in his stomach?
The answer is unclear. Ezekiel’s prophesies included warnings to repent and avoid God’s punishment. The punishments God planned were not permanent: he would eventually redeem his people. John’s prophesies described the final 3-1/2 years of the kingdom of this world – before it becomes that kingdom of the Lord. During those final years, the world will become excessively evil and it will be a time of distress such as the world has never seen nor will ever see again (Matthew 24: 21).
The scroll’s words turning sour after being ingested could represent God’s disdain for what is about to happen: the final 3-1/2 years will be a time of unprecedented blasphemies and abominations.
Another possibility is that they represent the impact of the lies of the False Prophet and Antichrist during the Great Tribulation: their words would taste sweet as honey but once swallowed, will cause harm to the person. The spiritual lies that the people ingest will cause them to become spiritually sick.
The scroll that went from sweet to sour might represent the 7-year peace treaty described in Daniel 9:27. The Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel. Halfway through the 7-year treaty, the Antichrist will break the treaty and the Great Tribulation will begin.
The Two Witnesses
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11: 1-3)
4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. (Revelation 11: 4-6)
7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelation 11: 7-10)
11 But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. (Revelation 11: 11-12)
13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Revelation 11: 13)
14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon. (Revelation 11: 14)
The prophesy about the 2 Witnesses are part of the 6th Trumpet. (See: What are the 2 Witnesses?)
Revelation 11: 2 says that the outer court of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem “has been given to the gentiles” and that they will “trample on the holy city for 42 months.” During that time, God will appoint his 2 Witnesses to prophesy for 1,260 days. This appears to take place at the same time as the Great Tribulation. The Antichrist will reign for 1,260 days and he will trample Jerusalem (see Revelation 16).
If anyone tries to harm the Two Witnesses, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. They have the power to stop the rain, turn water into blood, and strike the earth with plagues. When they have finished their testimony, the beast will kill them & their bodies will remain unburied for 3-1/2 days. They will then be resurrected and a great earthquake will kill 7,000 people. Their resurrection and the great earthquake will herald the coming of God’s wrath. (Revelation 11: 3-14)
The 2 Witnesses will prophesy for the same number of days as the Antichrist is in power: 1,260 days. It appears that the Antichrist would still be in power during the 3-1/2 days that people celebrate the death of the 2 Witnesses. Therefore, it is possible that the 2 Witnesses will arrive 3-1/2 days before the Antichrist is revealed and the “abomination that causes desolation” is set up. (See: What is the Great Tribulation?)
Summary of the 6th Trumpet (the 2nd Woe)
1 – A third of mankind is killed in a war: World War 3 (Revelation 9: 14-21)
2 – The 7 Thunders: a mystery (Revelation 10: 1-7)
3 – The Little Scroll: the 7-year peace treaty? (Revelation 10: 8-11)
4 – The 2 Witnesses: 1,260 days of prophesy & Great Tribulation (Revelation 11: 1-14)
References:
[i] Muslim Population. http://www.muslimpopulation.com/World/. Retrieved 7/22/15.
[ii] Putin Says Russia Beefing Up Nuclear Arsenal, NATO Denounces as ‘Saber-Rattling‘. Reuters.com. June 16, 2015. Retrieved 7/22/15.
[iii] Islam by Country. Wikiipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country. Retrieved 7/26/15.
[iv] List of Countries and Dependencies by Population. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population. Retrieved 7/26/15.
[v] Islam by Country. Wikiipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country. Retrieved 7/26/15.
[vi] Jewish Population of the World. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/jewpop.html. Retrieved 7/22/15.
[vii] Islam by Country. Wikiipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country. Retrieved 7/26/15.
[viii] European Union. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union. Retrieved 7/26/15
[ix] Islam in Europe. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Europe. Retrieved 7/26/15.
[x] Islam by Country. Wikiipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country. Retrieved 7/26/15.
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