July 24: THE SECOND WOE
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:13-14
The voice that John heard from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God is undoubtedly the voice of the Lord Jesus Himself. He is the minister of the heavenly sanctuary. That golden altar, the altar of incense, is the heavenly meeting place where the prayers of God’s people are met by the Savior, refined—mingled with incense—and set before the Lord God Almighty. John heard the voice of Him who has been placed in the highest executive position in all the heavens. This is a reminder that He is the only mediator we will ever need (see 1 Timothy 2:5). Our faithful High Priest is to be trusted with all of our prayers and hopes.
The divine executive order to the sixth angel who had the trumpet is put forth in the perfect timing of the Plan of Salvation. A knowledge of the ordinances of the earthly sanctuary shows us that because the voice of Jesus is coming from the altar of incense, we know that His location at the time of this order is in the Holy Place: that first apartment which contains the crowned table of showbread on the right and the lampstand of lights on the left. The golden altar of incense is in the center at the far end of the room. Indeed, this order is given before His transition into the Most Holy Place for His final acts as High Priest in preparation for His return to earth’s atmospheric heavens where His people will be lifted up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
And the order is: “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” By now we have hopefully gained a fair understanding of the Lord’s restraining hand upon the forces of evil; forces, meaning the multiplicity of the rebellious natures of all—both angels and humans—who are submitted to the will of Satan. The number four is associated with creation, for it is the first number beyond the threefold Godhead. Creation is a manifestation of God’s love for His creatures, for He is love. The poet who said, “The love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay. Love isn’t love ‘till you give it away” must have recognized something of God’s loving and giving character in the beauty of creation!
The great river Euphrates has long symbolized the boundary between God’s people and their enemies (see Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 1:7; Joshua 1:4). Attacks from these enemies are described in Isaiah 8 as destructive waters, strong and mighty (v.7), that will rise above its channels and overflow its banks…as a judgment against God’s people who say “For God is with us” (v.10) yet do not live according to His word. To the faithful few among them, He is a haven of safety. But His words are offensive to the disobedient (v.14).
Even in the days of the sixth trumpet, the days in which we now are living, the opportunity for repentance is still being offered. The severity of the testing that the Lord allows in the world will steadily increase. His own lukewarm people are in grave danger. Those who are cold are actually in a better state of receptivity to the message of salvation than lost churchgoers (see Revelation 3:15-16). Those who are “on fire for the Lord” will see all the terrible news and understand that His coming is very near. They will joyfully spread the Good News to every land, amid the chaos and confusion created by the swirl of evil forces described by Jesus in Matthew 24.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14