The Fifth and The Sixth Trumpet: Preparation and Appearance of the Antichrist In the preceding chapter, God warned mankind in different ways, over the ages, and in everyone's life, for his repentance: The first trumpet: Warning touches the source of man's livelihood. The second trumpet: Warning through man’s humiliation by others. The third trumpet: Warning by the appearance of heretics. The fourth trumpet: Extremely severe warning and full of trouble. Life grows dark in man’s eyes. This chapter talks about the fifth and sixth trumpets. 1- The fifth trumpet: punishment through Satanic thoughts 1-12. 2- The sixth trumpet: punishment through human wars 13-21. 1. THE FIFTH TRUMPET: PREPARATION FOR THE ANTICHRIST PUNISHMENT THROUGH SATANIC THOUGHTS The preceding four trumpets talked about general punishment, addressed by God to human beings at all times, especially during the time immediately previous to the Antichrist. But this fifth trumpet, or the first woe, is a warning of the time before the Antichrist.Before Satan puts his power and energy in a man, who makes a god of himself, calls for worshipping idols and carries away the world to disgrace, he permits himself to spread his thoughts and inclinations within some people, to prepare them to help the Antichrist at his rising. This Satanic work that God allows, will itself bring suffering, reprimand, trouble and bitterness to those who embrace and proclaim it. By that, God changes what is evil into good, that out of the eater comes something to eat. He leaves the darkness to witness for its darkness by itself. The Apostle says: "Then the fifth angel sounded, And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun, and the air were darkened, because of the smoke of the pit" [1-2]. Some think that the fall of a star from heaven denotes the relapse of a person of great religious position, and as a reaction, Satan works in the hearts of many. Others think that one of the dark and evil authorities who accuse us before God, will have the authority to open the doors of the abyss. He fills the air of the world with smoke of the devils, which is their thoughts. It is a metaphorical and imaginary language, revealing the dominion of a materialistic and apostate thought, which fills the world from east to west. It hides the light of the heavenly knowledge from many hearts. The air is filled with darkness, confusion, anxiety, doubt and spiritual dryness. He means the dragon (Satan), who prepares the atmosphere for the coming of the Antichrist. Yet God used this same work to make Satan denounce himself by himself. 6 The following shows to what extent is the authority of this work, and its effect. 1 - He has no dominion on the believers: "Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” [3-4]. This reminds us of the locusts mentioned in the book of Joel. There work was to completely destroy every green thing to the end. This destructive or ruinous has no power to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree. How sweet is the kindness of God, who shows compassion to the weak grass before the green thing, and to the green thing before the trees. He keeps the children in faith, cares for the little ones, and looks after the weak souls, because those are more in need of kindness and compassion. Every soul that enjoyed the waters of the Holy Spirit, and lives growing in Him, should be reassured, even if it is still green grass, or became a bush, or a high tree. For He has given us the power to tramp on the serpents, the scorpions, and all the power of the enemy. Neither the Antichrist nor thoughts that prepare for Him, like apostasy and heresies, which started to appear in the Western Church1 under the cover of Christianity, are able to rule over such a soul. This in regard to those who have the seal of God, who are anointed with the Lord's Spirit on their forehead. But in regard to the others, he says: 2 - They are tortured without being killed: "And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death, and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them" [5-6]. Those who accepted this thought are tormented, because what is not of the truth cannot give peace or joy. The wicked are tormented by their wickedness regardless of their involvement, their calling others and seducing them to commit evil. The torture does not originate from outside, but from inside man's thought and behavior. Because of the extreme bitterness, man desires to die, but God does not allow it to them, in order not to die in their deviation. He leaves them in their impatience and confusion, that they might return to God, asking Him for help. 3 - They fight and deceive: "And the shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces looked like the faces of men's. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lion’s teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. And their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in 1 The heretics that call for ethics and social values away from the circle of faith. 7 Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon" (and in English the Destroyer) [7-11]. a- It does not stop fighting, for it is like horses prepared for war. Its job is continuous destruction in the heart and mind. As the prophet says: "A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the Garden of Eden before them. And behind them a desolate wilderness... Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like swift steeds, so they run (Joel 2 : 3,4). When man calms down in retreat, and humbles himself before God, he perceives, the intensity of the war inside him, and the extension of the destruction that happened within his soul. And he realizes how much he is deceived. b- Deceiving, as they appear like kings to those who view them. They had "crowns of something like gold." In reality they are not crowns, nor golden, but they make themselves a halo of greatness to rule over the heart, to possess it, and man becomes its slave. c- It has the appearance of rationality and meekness, as "their faces were like the faces of men," but their hearts are ferocious. d- Pretty, "They had hair like women's hair," but they hide teeth like lion's teeth. By their softness, and coquetry, they attract, in order to bloodshed and devour. e- They have strong armors. The sound of their wings is fearful. It refers to the severity of their deeds, and the speed of their spreading. f- Deadly, they torture like scorpions but for a while, "five months!" Their king's name is "Abaddon," or "Apollyon," which means the destroyer, or the deadly. Some people think that these descriptions, and these traces, apply to the heresies and new philosophies, which are spreading in the world, under the name of "Christianity, or religion," according to which, religion turns into a code of moral behavior and social ethics away from the faith in God, the redemptive work, and the hope for eternity. They proclaim, that there is no need to talk about the miracles mentioned in the Holy Bible, or about eternity, the cross, or resurrection1. The thinking which has more than one name, has defenders calling themselves Christians and also non-Christians. They present embellished philosophies, tender expressions and sweet methods. All this in reality is harmful and deadly for the soul. Of this kind of people we unfortunately, hear about some religious leaders, who reply to the atheists by proving that God has no relationship with man, and man worships God without interference of God in his affairs. By separating the loving God from the beloved man they fall in continuous and bitter apostasy. "One woe is past. Behold still two more woes are coming after these things" [12]. 2. THE SIXTH TRUMPET: APPEARANCE OF THE ANTICHRIST. PUNISHMENT THROUGH HUMAN WARS "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 1 Out of these heretics, there is a group, nowadays, called “The Scientific Christianity.” They call for omitting all miracles of the Holy Bible. 8 bound at the great River Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to a third of mankind. Now the number of the arming of the horsemen was two hundred million; and I heard the number of them" [13-16]. The permission to wage a fierce war at the time of the Antichrist, was given from the horns of the altar where the angel "offered much incense." At a defined hour, day, month, and year, everything is by permission from God the Almighty. God allows wars, and a certain number of warriors. All that to discipline the people who may return and repent. That will be at the River Euphrates, where we remember "the lost Paradise," that man had lost because of Satan’s envy. And we remember Babylon, which points always to showing pride and haughtiness to God. It is there, where the center of the Antichrist will be. Some say, that he will renew the old Babylon again, while his spiritual center "the Satanic," will be in the holy city of Jerusalem, as we shall see. When the Book of Revelation talks about these wars, it talks not about the external form, but about the hidden purpose, as it says, "And thus I saw the horses in vision, those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed by the fire, and the smoke, and the brimstone, which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouths, and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm" [17-19]. This pictorial and metaphorical description shows that war hides Satan’s deeds. The warriors have the followig things: a. Fearful fiery breastplates. They devour with Satanic strength. b. Hyacinth; for the breastplates appear as if they were heavenly and are by God's permission. c. Brimstone; for revenge and perishableness. As for the horses themselves: a. Their heads are like the heads of lions. They do not stop devouring. b. Fire, smoke and brimstone come out of their mouths. Their purpose is to burn and to disperse. c. Their tails are like serpents, that made the first man lose all he possessed. God allowed these wars to kill some people, that the rest may repent, but the prophecy says: "But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues; did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders, or their sorceress, or their immorality nor of their sexual thefts" [20-21]. The rest of the followers of the Antichrist who remain after some had perished at war, did not repent of: 1. Their worshipping idols, as the Antichrist sets a statue of himself, and calls to 9 worship it. 2. Their opposition to the church by continuous killing. They follow her, even in the wilderness. 3. Their magic: They do wonders to deceive people. This shows how far they can go to remove the fear of God from the heart, and cause to lose the spirit of repentance and contrite. They use magic to realize their objectives. They are absorbed in adultery, and in uncleanness, robbing the people of their lives.
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