October 30: THE SIXTH TRUMPET (part 1)

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

In studying the prophecies of Revelation, a knowledge of the sanctuary’s layout – which is like a roadmap of the Plan of Salvation – provides the reader with a location in the stream of time. John heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is in the Holy Place, the first compartment of the sanctuary (Exodus 40:26). The 2300-day prophesy (Daniel 8:14) specifies that the cleansing of the sanctuary was to begin in 1844 when our heavenly High Priest moved into the Most Holy Place. Today’s opening verse reveals that the sixth trumpet began before 1844, while He was still ministering in the Holy Place, the location of the golden altar of incense.

What about the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates? Jeremiah wrote about the destruction of spiritual Babylon at the end of time. But earlier he had written about the judgement that was to come upon his people, the Jews, by the hand of the Babylonians. The overtaking of Judah by the Babylonians, was decreed as a redemptive punishment from God, a period of probation. They were to submit to this punishment and repent of their apostasy. During this period, Babylonians would be exposed to God’s truth – and even Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, became a Christian (Daniel 3:25). Jeremiah had famously assured the Jews of God’s good will toward them (Jeremiah 29:11). Soon after, he purchased a plot of land in Israel (32:6-15) to show confidence that the Jews would be restored to their land at the end of seventy years (a lifetime) of captivity (29:10). Literal Babylon was subsequently destroyed, never to rise again.

Spiritual Babylon is to be utterly destroyed, due to her stubborn refusal to repent of the false doctrines that she continues to force onto generation after generation, lifetime after lifetime! (See Jeremiah 51). Just as literal Babylon was destroyed (25:12), spiritual Babylon will be utterly and completely done away with. Beloved, the handwriting is on the wall (Daniel 5:5). So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon (Jeremiah 51:60). Jeremiah detailed judgement after judgement to befall literal Babylon and also spiritual Babylon (apostate Christianity) before Christ’s return. Per God’s instruction, Jeremiah told Seraiah, the quartermaster: “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words, then you shall say, ‘O LORD, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.’ Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary’” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 51:61b-64) The command to release that which was bound (Revelation 9:14) refers to judgements prophesied against spiritual Babylon that were tied (same word as bound) and thrown into the Euphrates back in Jeremiah’s day. To be continued…

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11