INTRODUCTION - The book of Revelation gives us a description of the judgment which was carried out against first century Israel for her breaking of the covenant of God. By rejecting the Messiah, Israel of the first century reaped all the covenantal curses recorded in the Old Testament. As John writes this book, he is preparing the early church for 70 AD and the judgment which the church would witness as it fell on Israel. In Revelation chapters eight and nine, we have been seeing pictures of that judgment against Israel. The land would become a wilderness. Jerusalem and the Temple would be obliterated. The Jews would drink the bitter water of God's wrath and darkness would fall on the land. Demonic forces, led by Satan himself, would be brought against Israel, all because she had turned away from the covenant of God's grace in Christ Jesus. This morning we conclude our study of Revelation nine with -

1) THE SIXTH ANGEL - AN ARMY OF GOD'S WRATH - Revelation 9:13-21

A) THE ORIGIN OF THE JUDGMENT - THE GOLDEN ALTAR BEFORE GOD - Though the devil may be given control of an army in the first part of this chapter, John wants us to realize that any wrath carried out against Israel has its prime origin from God Almighty. With the sixth angel, John takes us back to the throne room of God. We have seen the "golden altar" before, for this is the altar upon which the prayers of the saints have been offered to God (Revelation 8:3,4). It was these prayers which initiated the judgment we are presently reading about. God heard the cries of His church, for they were being persecuted under great tribulation. In answer, He pours out His wrath against sinners living in rebellion against Him. God will unleash a great army against apostate Israel, thus judging the persecutors of His church. The golden altar shows us the origin of that wrath. The command for vengeance comes from God Himself in answer to the prayers of the saints.

B) AN ARMY THAT IS SENT FORTH FROM THE EUPHRATES RIVER

1. THE ARMY IS LEAD BY FOUR ANGELS WHO HAVE BEEN BOUND - Thus, we can assume that these are not holy angels, but demonic ones who have been bound for this very day of wrath (II Peter 2:4). Here we see God generating the force, but giving the command of the force over to demonic leaders. This should not surprise us, for it happened several times in the Old Testament when God wanted to judge His people. He always used pagan nations in those judgments. He simply turns the evil desires of pagans and demons into His own sovereign direction and purpose.

2. THE EUPHRATES RIVER - Is there anything significant about the army coming from this direction? First, we should remember that the Euphrates River was the northern boundary of Israel. How would the early church interpret this army coming from the Euphrates? With their Old Testaments they would realize that all of Israel's great enemies have come from that direction. Assyria, Babylon and Persia were forces brought against apostate Israel, and they would all have to come from the direction of the Euphrates River. In Jeremiah 6:1,22,23 the prophet warns Israel that destruction was coming from the north. In Ezekiel 38:14-16, the prophet speaks of a day coming where Israel will be judged again for her apostasy. A mighty army would come out of the north for this judgment. So, in Revelation 9, the early church would understand that a great army, of demonic nature, would come down from the north against Israel, just as the armies in the past had done when God was disciplining His people.

3. THE SIZE AND DESCRIPTION OF THE ARMY - We should understand that the number is completely figurative, and could be better translated "myriads upon myriads" or, an indefinite number, a massive number (Psalm 68:17). John is impressing us with the magnitude of the force which will come against Israel. Also, in their description, we are shown the demonic nature of the force. Again, the picture is not literal, but describes the demonic power and cruelty of the oncoming forces (Deuteronomy 28:49,50).

C) THE REASONS FOR THE JUDGMENT OF APOSTATE ISRAEL - In Revelation 9:20,21, we are given a list of the sins being judged in Israel.

1. ISRAEL WAS WORSHIPPING DEMONS IN THE FIRST CENTURY - Christ has already made this clear in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9.

2. ISRAEL HAD TURNED TO IDOLS - The description is an Old Testament portrait of idols (Psalm 115:4-9). How did Israel of the first century worship gold, silver, brass and wood? When we read the curses of Christ against Israel in Matthew 23, we can see how they easily fell into the worship of earthly things and not Jehovah. Christ tells the religious leaders that they did their works to be seen by men, they made long prayers to be heard, swore by the Temple and its gold, swore by the altar, paid tithes but avoided righteousness, and adorned the tombs of the prophets, though despising their words. Thus, we see in first century Israel, the Temple, its gold, its altar, the tombs, all of these things had become idolized. God would bring all of it down in the 70 AD judgment.

3. ISRAEL HAD BECOME A MURDEROUS NATION - It began with the murder of Christ (Acts 2:22,23) and continued on as the Jews persecuted the church.

4. ISRAEL HAS BECOME A NATION FULL OF SORCERIES - Men like Simon and Bar-Jesus were popular in their day. Superstition and magic abounded in the first century as people ran after signs and false prophets.

5. ISRAEL HAD BECOME A NATION OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY - In Revelation, John pictures Jerusalem as a great harlot, making love to the foreign nations around her, just as Israel in the Old Testament had done.

6. ISRAEL HAD BECOME A NATION FOR ROBBERS - In Christ's day He condemned the Jews for making the Temple "a den of thieves" (Mark 11:17).

D) ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO THE JUDGMENT OF GOD - In Revelation 9:6, we saw how some men respond to the judgment of God - they pray for death, rather than face the Lord. Yet here in this next section, we see another way men respond to the wrath of God - they fail to repent. This should seem incredible to us, for after all of the grace and mercy shown to Israel, and then all of the wrath and judgment poured out, the nation still would not repent of her sins. So we see how wicked and blind the human heart can be! Even when a man knows that his sins will destroy him, he still runs after them in foolishness. May this not be us today! May we see the foolishness and destruction found in sin, and the grace and mercy which is found in God through Christ Jesus!