We're, I don't know, wasn't that, uh... I'm able to speak. I made the message last night. Last, uh, midnight. If I wanted to rerun this message and buy one more time, I had trouble with our equipment. And I do got trouble with our equipment right now. But we're trying, trying to work things out. Trying to work things out. We've been having some problems with our equipment, and we missed a message last Wednesday night, and so I'm taping it on Saturday night. After that, I'll get the information at least. It may well not be the same as what the message would have been that night, but still, we're dealing with the Bible in perspective, and this is number 273 as far as the message on that from the beginning of Genesis. Back some time ago, we're in Revelation chapter 9. verse number 12, verse number 13 through verse number 21 is what we read for our scripture text and I pray the Lord to speak to our heart tonight as we deal with this and trying to get it on the tape and the CD ministry. Revelation chapter 9 verse number 13, And the six angels sounded, and I heard a voice of the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the six angels which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound, in the great river Euphrates, and the four angels were loose, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 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 division, and them that sat on them having breastplates of fire, and adjacent and brimstone, and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and out of their mouth 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 pyre mouths, and in their tails. For their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 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. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorcerers, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Let's pray. Father, help us tonight to be sensitive to you. Pray you'll forgive me for what I've said against you. I pray you'll just meet the needs of the hearts of the people that's been mentioned. I pray you'd help us to be sensitive to you in every way. Now, dear Lord, help us to have the recall we need and get the information, but may it be more than information. May it stir our hearts. May it be sharpened by the Holy Spirit of God to reach down in the hearts and souls, even as people listen to the tapes. in the days to come, and we'll thank you and praise you for what you do. Oh, I plead the blood on this place asking that your will be done. Meet with us in the days to come, and we'll thank you for what you do. I want to say I love you. Help me to love you more day by day. Help me to walk in your willing way, and we'll praise you for what is done, for we ask it all in Jesus' name, and for His sake we do pray. As we said, we're dealing Amen. You may be seated. As we said, this is the Bible in Perspective, number 273, Revelation chapter 9, the second message out of chapter 9. We are looking at really what is called the last part of the 70th week of Daniel here. is the seventh seal is being opened by our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb who was slain, who is able, who has prevailed and is able to open the seal of the book that was sealed in chapter number 5, it spoke about. And the seventh seal is really called the wrath of God. And as we've looked already at these seals, and I remember the saints of God are not going to be here for the wrath of God, the seventh seal. They're going to be called out just prior to this, Revelation chapter 6, We've talked about that. And then when that rapture came, God held back, the angels held back the wrath so he could seal 144,000 Jews there that we talked about. We'll talk a little more about them tonight. But still, he held back that wrath there. for that space of time until he sealed those Jews. Now the saints of God were at the judgment seat. They all were caught out at that time and they escaped the wrath of God. Always remember the wrath of God is not tribulation. Tribulation is upon the saints, the wrath of God is upon those that have rejected light, that have rejected truth. And so as a result they're left behind and they'll experience the wrath of God, which will finalize, of course, in the lake of fire one day out yonder in the future. But here is the wrath of God upon this earth. Now we saw these wrath of God includes the seven trumpets, the seven bowls or vials, and the seven thunders. The thunders were so bad that John couldn't even record them and write them down. So as a result he saw these and he gave, he did what the Lord said, he wrote them down. Now we've looked in chapter 8 at the seven trumpets, or at least the start of the seven trumpets. The first trumpet sounded and verse 7 said, Hail and fire mingle with blood and the third part of the trees were burned up. and the green grass was burned up. And whether or not these are just in succession and just one, two, three, I don't know. Whether there's a duration in time, I don't know. I do know that trumpet number five has five months of time involved with it. So it may be a little time, as we could say, is a space of time. One angel sounds, and I think the bowl is poured out, and hear the judgment or wrath of gods upon this earth, upon those that's left behind. And then after a period of time, how long? I know not each one, but the second one sounded, and that's what I think. I'm not for certain of that, but we don't know the time. The time, it may not be over a year or a year and a half at the most that this period of time called the Day of the Lord the day of the wrath of God, the seven sealed here. Now the second trumpet sounded, angels sounded, and the third part of the sea became blood, verse 8, and the third part of the creatures, verse 9, had life, died, that were in the sea, and the third part of the ships were destroyed. The third trumpet came, sounded, and when the angels sounded, the wormwood, the star of wormwood fell into the waters, and they became bitter, and men died. because of the bitter water. And then the fourth angel sounded, verse 12, and the third part of the sun, the third part of the moon, third part of the stars, also a third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And so there's the first four. And then John saw the last three of these trumpets, it was the sound, and he said, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's an expression of grief, if you please, an exclamation of grief. that's coming with these last three. And of course you realize when he first opened the first angel, when he opened the seventh seal, there was a silence in heaven for a space of half an hour. And my, you think of the awesomeness that's there, but now these wolves are coming. number 5, 6 and 7 are the three woes that we talked about. Now last week we talked with, we dealt with the fifth trumpet which is the first woe and we saw the unnamed personality of the star that fell from heaven which is the devil. And God gave, the Lord gave him the keys to open the bottomless pit and we saw the unveiled pit. And then we saw the unprecedented punishment as out of this pit came creatures that was hard for John to describe, but they had, in essence, their torment was the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man, and they hurt, they were stung with those varmints, and you realize something, these are real creatures of some sort. Now I know John's having trouble, as it were, using similes, in other words, to describe some of these, but it's hard for him to describe them. It's not like some of this television stuff that people, we have today that we've been geared to. That's something that's geared to make you think that Revelation is not so. These are literal things, literal creatures that comes out of the earth, and John tries the best to describe them, but they hurt people, this first woe. And they sting them, and death tries to flee them, flee from them, but they cannot die because the Lord Jesus has the keys of death. and they cannot die. And how awful this is, the unprecedented punishment. Then the unscrupulous prince, we saw that in verse number 11 of chapter 9 and where it talked and called him Abaddon in the Hebrew tongue and Apollyon in the Greek tongue. In other words, it's describing the devil, if you please, here, the unscrupulous prince. after the 5th trumpet we see the 6th trumpet, and because, and I don't know, like I say, how long, but I know they could not die for 5 months in the 5th trumpet, but here we see as the 6 angels sounded, verse 13, I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, and it's the same altar where the prayers of saints had ascended up, whether or not for vengeance, we know not. I believe, I don't believe they actually prayed for vengeance, I believe God's children are long-suffering and have the fruit of the spirit of long-suffering and don't pray for vengeance on others. But still, we know they prayed. For instance, in chapter 6, verse number 10 under the altar there, it said, And they cried with a loud voice. This is just the souls under the altar. How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Didn't say avenge it, they just said, How long is it going to be? Of course, he said, Some more has got to come the same way that they had, but there the prayers went up. And it's from this altar here in chapter 8 verse number 3 it talked about another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and there was given to him much incense that he might offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar. which was before the throne. So we see then, here's this altar, and now their cry, in essence, is being answered. Like I say, it's not necessarily so much vengeance as it is that they are, how long is it going to be before all this consummates, Lord? And now then, it's coming as we see these walls and all these seven seals is opened up and the seven vows and the trumpets and the thunders here. Now you realize something, Romans chapter 12 verse number 19 said, Vengeance is mine, and I will repay, saith the Lord. So we leave vengeance in the hand of the Lord, but yet here's this altar where the prayer saints are going up before the Lord. And here we see the unloosed personages if you please, they are demonic, they are fallen angels. The Bible says in verse number 14, say to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. Now I don't know exactly what these angels are, I know they are bound so it is loose, the demonic forces, some demonic fallen angels if you please. We saw in chapter 7 verse angels, four angels, unfallen angels restraining judgment until they are sealed to 144,000. But now we see four of the fallen angels loose for the purpose of executing judgment upon this earth. Now it says they were bound in the great river Euphrates. Now why it starts here we are not told. I know that it is one of the four tributaries flowed from Eden in Genesis Chapter 2. In other words, there in the garden there was four tributaries that went out, rivers, if you please. I don't know exactly where they're all at today. Tigris is one, Euphrates is another. Persian Gulf might be one of them, and the other one we don't know. Things have changed since that time, at least we know the flood came and that sure changed things. But still, there's where it all began. And you know where that's at? That's in Iraq today. the Garden of Eden area is in Iraq, there in Iraq is also, is in that same place where Satan began his first diabolical work against the first man and the woman in Genesis 3 where he went into the garden and deceived Eve, and Eve was deceived and believing she'd be like God and ate of the fruit. And so therefore the first murder was committed right outside that garden in that same area, right there where the Euphrates and the Tigris join. And so somewhere around that area, Cain murdered Abel and here's man's first rebellion of God took place in this area after the flood when they built the Tower of Babel and that's in Genesis chapter 11 it talks about. And that's all right there now in this land that we're in battle right now. there in Iraq if you please. And so also the boundary of the territory that God gave Israel was up to this river. The Bible says in the book of Genesis chapter 15 verse number 18 as God made a promise to Abraham He said, In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram as his name before it was changed to Abraham saying, Under thy seed have I given this land. And you notice the boundaries from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. And so that is the territory that has been given. that there is a river of Egypt somewhere down in the Sinai Peninsula. And from that area all the way over to the Euphrates River wants to be the children of Israel's land. God promised it Abraham and they've never possessed that land. And so therefore today they're giving away the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strips in first one place and another. Listen, God said they were to possess that land. It's not the Arabs land. It's the Jews land, if you please. And so therefore it's a boundary in that territory around the Euphrates is the boundary of that. And so there were loosed this here. And in fact, there are the unloosed personages here for fallen angels loosed there. And it said in verse 15 that the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour and a day and a month and a year for to slay the third part of men. In other words, they had been prepared. This verse shows that they were prepared for an exact time known only to God the dates already scheduled and going to happen right on schedule. God has a program and it's being carried out right on schedule even though Satan is reigning as the little G of this earth. He's still under divine control and God uses Satan's own host to bring to naught the powers of evil. So but God holds the reins of government in his hand. Bible said in the book of Proverbs chapter 21 verse number Proverbs 21 verse number one he said the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water he turneth it whether so ever he will. And then in Psalm 75 verse number six and seven he said for promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south but God is the judge he puteth down one and seteth up another. In other words he's in control he holds the reins of government in his own hands and even though these demonic forces goes out They're still in the hand of God, but they're loose to bring evil upon this earth. God wants this wrath poured out at this time. It's time for that. And these demonic beings go about to kill one third of the population that it talked about. And verse number 15, they slay a third part of men. And then there's unrestrained power, it speaks about here. Verses 16 through 19, verse 16 said, and the number of the army of the horsemen were 200,000,000. And I heard the number of them, that's a large army. But that would be, we could count that and say that's 200 million. And that's the combined power of the devil and men acting in their own interest, yet at the same time carrying out God's judicial will. Now, there's no power on earth able to restrain these horsemen. I'm talking about on earth. God is because really they're supernatural horsemen horses and they're supernatural arms, even though they're they're diabolical even though they're they're enemies of God, but yet they're still supernatural in that sin for 17 says the vertex and thus I saw the horses in the vision. and them that sat on them having breastplates of fire and of chaste and brimstone, and the heads of the horses were as the heads of flies, and out of their mouth issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three were a third part of men killed by fire and by the smoke, by the brimstone which issued out of their mouths. For their pyres in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails were like unto serpents, and they had heads, and with them They do hurt. So there are supernatural horses and supernatural arms. And by the way, the scripture has we've seen them recorded before in the scripture, for instance, and in second Kings chapter two, verse number 11, we see the horses of fire. As we've talked about Elijah there, he was about to go and he said that Elijah, Elisha, who was with him, wanted to stay with him and see him go to heaven. And of course, he the Lord took him, but it came to pass. Verse 11 said, second Kings 2 as they still went on and talk that behold there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire and parted them both asunder and Elijah went up by whirlwind into heaven there was a supernatural horses of fire they notice he didn't go up in the charity went up in the whirlwind into heaven but still there's the horses of fire supernatural horses of fire and by the way they in the sixth day God still has those armies no supernatural horses And in 19 I think it was 67 when they had the six day war whatever it was there and Jordan and Israel but they they will be badly by Israel and they asked this where did you get your heart. And you see they didn't have horses. They say well God fought for Israel that day and they got a glimpse of the supernatural horses there and the supernatural art. Also there is a supernatural army mentioned in second King chapter 6 verse number 13 and 17 when Elijah is on the scene after Elijah's gone up the king of Syria Ben. Hey, Dad, he thinks everything's somebody is telling him all the secrets and passing it on but they said no there's a life of the Prophet. He knows what's going on like another words that he knows what the words you speak in the bedchamber is what is the men told Ben. Hey, Dad at that time. Well at any rate Bible says that verse number 13 of chapter 6 and And this is what the king said. He said, go and spy where he is, that I may sin and fetch it. And it was told him saying, behold, he's in Dotha. Therefore, sinning to the horses and chair a great host. And they came by night and compassed the city about. They surrounded it when the servant of the man of God. This is another man that was there, maybe poured water on Elisha's hand now, like Elisha had done to Elijah. But he said when he was risen early and gone forth, behold, the host compassed the city. both with horses and chariots, and he said, Elisha, my master, how shall we do? And in other words, we're outnumbered. We cannot fight. We cannot stand. What are we going to do? And he answered, Elisha answered the young man and said, fear not for that They that be with us are more than they that be with them. And he basically told them to go back and look again. And he said the last you prayed and said, the Lord, I prayed. He opened his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man. And he saw, behold, the mountains were full of horses. and chariots of fire round about Elisha." In other words, he'd come back and probably said, Lord, to me there's more with us than there is with them. But there's the supernatural harsh horses and the supernatural armies that were there. And here we find this, even though these are demonic, they're not the Lord of Hosts in a sense, they're still used by God to accomplish His purpose and carry out his purpose on this earth during this day of wrath as it's poured out upon this earth. Now, you notice they had breastplates we read about, and I don't know all about those, but said something about being like fire. Breastplates of fire, that means they were red, and red, fire's red. Jason is deep blue or purple, brimstone is yellow, and may have been painted such like the knights in England paint their shields and whatnot. You notice it said they had heads, the horses were as heads, as a lion. That's not literal, but it resembled in some way. I don't know what. That's the best that John could do to describe that. Out of their mouths, in other words, came the very elements of hell, because it said they issued fire and smoke and brimstone. Now, they don't seize with their jaws, nor take flesh in their mouths, nor slay with their teeth or their claws, but they stifle and destroy with suddy, sufferous, fiery breath. I'll tell you God sent the same basic thing on the city one day really five cities Sodom and Gomorrah and some other sister cities there we don't even mention many times but Luke chapter 17 verse number 29 makes this statement in Luke 17 29 it said in but the same day that lot went out of Sodom It rained fire and brimstone from Heaven and destroyed them all. So God's used that before. Now here there's these awful people that's here. In other words, these persons that's come and looses all that's here upon this earth, this unrestrained power. They killed one third of the men. And you notice their tails, it said in verse 19, were like a serpent. In other words, their tails sprinkled out like strands of hair, I guess you could say, but each one was like a serpent with heads to bite or sting or whatever because they do hurt, he said. They do hurt the people. Now, John's trying to describe something he's not seen before. But hell is let loose on earth, but it's only a sample of the torment that unbelievers must endure in hell forever. Now, we see the unrepentant people in verses 20 and 21. 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. Neither repented they of their murders nor of their sorcerers. nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. In other words, these unrepentant people, you notice, they were not killed. Now, some were killed, but yet God spared two-thirds of mankind, not because they deserve to be spared, but because in wrath, God still remembers mercy. Now, back in chapter 3, verse 2, the prophet said, oh, Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. Oh Lord revived our work in the midst of years in the midst of the years make known in wrath Remember mercy in wrath remember mercy and God does God does not delight in the death of the wicked yet They repented not in other words, even though that some died and they they they repented not in other words They just kept on worshiping devils and idols of stone and wood and whatnot you realize something devil worship been around all always in fact the devil wanted Jesus to worship him and In Matthew chapter 8 verse number 8 4 verse number 8 through 10 where it talked about here the devil take up him up into an exceeding high mountain and show him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and said that all these will I give thee if thou won't fall down and worship me listen they were the devil's to give he's the god the little g. of all the kingdoms of this world. But then Jesus said under in verse 10, Matthew four, get the hint Satan, for it is written now, shall worship the Lord, that God in him only shall now serve. Then the devil leave of him and the whole angels came and minister to him. So the devil has always wanted People to worship him even the Lord Jesus and if it was that way back in Jesus day and even back It's going to get worse. It's worse today than it was 50 years ago. My my what would it be like when all restraint was gone? I'm talking about when the rapture come there'll be no strength restraint left. The Spirit of God will be gone There'll be no salt on the earth. There'll be no light on the earth The Bible said the Saints are the salt of the earth. They're the light of the earth They're going to be gone because the Saints are going to be in glory They'll not suffer this awful period of the wrath of God, but all restraint is gone. And then look at the evil practices of these unrepentant people here at that time. In other words, look at them. They said they repented. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorcerers, nor of their fornication. nor of their filth." In other words, look at the list of evil practices that reveals an astounding picture of human depravity without the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. I'll tell you, when He's not around, things are going to get worse. And I'll tell you, He's... He's waning away even today not striving as much as you do and things are getting worse But they're going to get worse when he's gone No salt no like on the earth and the rap saints will be raptured out And so we see there they they neither repented they of their murder now murders been around since Cain killed Abel yet in this day In other words that we're talking about here. It'll be a looked upon as a common crime. I In other words if a crime as all murder I'm talking about it's about that way today around I mean today you can you can do something for the cause of Christ and get more jail time out of it and somebody who commits rape and murder in the day in which we live we already today but you see God's law of Exodus 2013 thou shalt not kill which he interpreted and when he talked to the rich young ruler and said thou shall commit no murder that will be totally ignored they want to do away with the Ten Commandments and everything even today in our nation and capital punishment will be done away with in this state it's a complete it's almost that way now and they want to take it away but the taking of human life will be on the increase in that day and yet they'll not repent of it it'll not bother them So there's no convicting power of the Holy Spirit there nor of their sorcerers He said there in verse number 21, and they didn't repent of that. Now, sorceress has to do with drugs, the unlawful drugs, poisonous drugs, methamphetamine and all those things that they're making the death. Now, the word not only deals with marijuana and cocaine and heroin, but alcohol and nicotine and a rage for cosmetics to increase sex attraction. That's a rampant today. It's included under this thing of sorceries. And they repented not of that, nor of their fornication. here that means the flagrant disregard for the sacred institution of marriage. That's why we're having this battle going on today of marriage is a have to define it man and woman ought not to have to define it. That's what God said in his word in the beginning. And so listen, he could take out the homosexuals and And they took them out and they destroyed them, they killed them for committing such sin as those things. And yet, in other words, in situations of legal and sacred wedlock, in those days will be denounced and the teaching of free love will prevail. It already is about that way today with men. Shack up today and right in the face of mom and daddy and mom and daddy knows what's going on and they turn Aside up for fear that they they might lose their children. You've already lost them in fact You've lost their soul and they're going to hell all wake up and get your head out of the sand is what it amounts to Listen signs of our time lets us know that we are in the last days and but it's going to get worse whenever God Takes out the salt and takes out the light and there'd be no restraint Oh my, it'll be bad. And they repented not of those things, nor of their thefts, it said there. In other words, honesty will be done away with. It's about that way today. If you please, there will be no regard for another's rights. In other words, there'll be fraud and deceit. It'll be common. And no, there'll be no repentance in that day. The severest of God's judgment on guilty men does not soften rebellion's heart. God said his goodness and longsuffering and forbearance in Romans 2, 4 leads man to repent. And so, therefore, in that day, they cannot repent. Lie to be gone. There'd be no more chance to even be saved. That's why it's important now to repent while you can. You say, but I can't. I understand it's God's work. He's got to do it. But you need to do it now while He's working. Allow Him to work. Ask Him to work. And seek Him. And He will be found. In other words, because there is an open door. There is a preacher of righteousness. And there is a striving spirit today. Now there's hope, but then it'll be too late because the saints are going to be gone out and the Holy Spirit will be taken, pulling back his wooing and his striving with man. And there'll be no salt to preserve. There'll be no light to see the truth. And then it'll be too late. This is the woe, the second woe that John said that he talked about. Trumpet number six. And there's one more woe to come, trumpet number seven, of the wrath of God. But thank God, the saints of God won't have to worry about that. They'll be caught out and be with the Lord forevermore. May the Lord help us to come to him and strive to seek him and go as far as you can every time he touches you and deals with him. And you'll continue that in this day of an open door, a preacher of righteousness and a striving spirit. And you'll come to that place to where you can and will be saved. by God's grace. Father, I pray you'd help us to be sensitive to you. I plead the blood asking just your will be done. Help us in this day of liberty, this day of an open door, striving spirit, and I preach your righteousness. I pray you'll help every person respond to light, respond to truth, respond to the salt, and let it preserve them, and respond to the wooing, the goodness, the long-suffering of God that leads them to repentance, and repent while they can, and that's whenever God works that and brings them to the end of themselves. that they might repent of their sin. Oh, dear Lord, do that that's needed in our hearts and we'll thank you for what you do. We ask it in Jesus name and for his sake, we do pray. Amen.