END OF TIME PROPHECIES 122

   The destroying army   

"And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand, thousand: and I heard the number of them.   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 tales: for their tales were like unto serpents, and they had heads, and with them they do hurt."               Revelation 9v16-19.

What we have here is something beyond what has ever occurred in human history.   There is little doubt that what is being described here is world war three.   The symbolism in John's day must have been very confusing, but it is less confusing to us today who have witnessed the existence of weapons of mass destruction.   Nothing less than the outbreak of nuclear warfare can be the interpretation of these verses.   The effects will be devastating worldwide, and the Lord of all heaven and earth will have His way.   Difficult as it is, we must faithfully describe what God has laid on record.  

• The focus is first on the army and its vast number.   These four angels who were bound at the river Euphrates, appear to be the leaders of this great army.   We should note that whereas in the fifth trumpet, the protagonists came from the abyss, there is no such statement here of where this army originated.   Help is given in chapter 16v12-16, where a similar picture is painted.   It is  my belief that these angels have been given the ability to muster an army of countless proportions, being an army of human cavalry or an army of demon spirits.   The latter is the more likely.  The number is staggering..... 200 million and this may only be symbolic of an even greater number.   In the prophetic scriptures ten thousand was the highest number available and what we have here relates to the numerical symbolism of Daniel 7v10 & Revelation 5v11.   The combined total of personnel during world war II was estimated at 70 million.   Whether or not the figure here is literal or symbolic for an uncountable number, we cannot be sure but it is vast.   Never in the course of human history has there been an army amassed such as this .
• In verse 17 he focuses now on their weaponry.   The horses, symbolic of movement in battle,  proceed to deliver fatal blows to everything in their pathway.  This is obviously not literal, but symbolic of something else that only the course of time would reveal.  This is surely describing modern weapons which have the power of death before and behind. It says their heads were  "as"  the heads of lions.   Verse 19 says their power is in their mouths and in their tails, no horses in existence have such power, so what is described is weapons of modern warfare which are fearsome.   The appearance of the horsemen and the power of the horses are described to be the same;  "having breastplates of fire and of jacinth and brimstone;"  concerning the horses  "out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone."   These three symbols have the same appearance; the fire being fiery red, the jacinth (hyacinth) being a deep blue or deep purple colour and relates to the colour of smoke in battle; the brimstone being sulphur yellow in colour and refers to the aftermath of military warfare.  
• The worldwide devastation caused.   The symbols of fire and smoke and brimstone are the symbols of hell.   The eternal dwelling place of the wicked dead, the lake of fire, is described to be burning with fire and brimstone (Revelation 19v10); Revelation 20v10 & Revelation 21v8).   The unleashing of such power of this earth will result in the removal from the earth of one third of the remaining population of earth.   This destruction of human life is too severe for us to dwell on it, simply to appeal to people to turn away from it.

The only perspective of this from an intelligent point of view is that God leaves two thirds untouched .   This is God's world, and he will rid it of sin and sinners.   Well has the scripture recorded that  "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The day is coming, and the very hour has been set, when demon spirits will be allowed to call up an army of irresistible powers.