Goose-stepping Chinese Soldiers on Parade
The Valley of Jezreel, commonly called The Valley of Armageddon. At the end of the tribulation this area will be void of crops due to the ravages of God's wrath, but will be the ideal place to stage the international armies of the anti-Christ.
It is true that Armageddon is the place where anti-Christ will marshal his human armies in preparation for a final showdown with Jesus for ownership of the earth. Note, however, Armageddon will not be the end of the world as most people believe (see CSM website for “Is Armageddon the End of the World?” April 2011 newsletter). It is also true that China has a vast army that numbers about 3.2 million men, and that prior to the late 20th Century it would have been impossible for China, or any other nation for that matter, to field such an army in order to fulfill this prophecy. It is also true that the sixth angel of Revelation 16:12 will pour out a bowl judgment that will dry up the Euphrates River in order to expedite the movement of the armies from the east as they converge upon Israel. Still, those facts are not related contextually to the 200,000,000 horsemen of Revelation 9:16.
If this number does not refer to a human army, then what does it mean? In my opinion the number refers to a type of horrid, demonically associated creature that has been heretofore unknown to humanity, and whose purpose is to torment and kill people during the tribulation period. These creatures are not evil angels, but are directly associated with the release of the four evil angels in verse 14. They will number 200,000,000 and will kill one-third of mankind.
Two kinds of angels are seen in verse 14. The angel with the trumpet is what we might call a “good” angel whose service is to God. The second kind of angel is “bad”. There are four of them, and they will be released at the sixth trumpet for the purpose of executing judgment by means of the horse-creatures.
That these four angels are incorrigibly evil is clear in that the only angels that are bound are evil. In Jude 6 we are told that some are so terrible in their character that they are kept in chains in the abyss until their day of judgment. The four in this text, however, happen to be confined at the Euphrates River. They are not released to be judged, but are released at this specific time for the purpose of killing a multitude of people. Their own judgment is later.
So, why are they bound at the Euphrates River instead of in the abyss? There is no definitive answer to that question, so we may only speculate. However, J.A. Seiss in his book “The Apocalypse”, offers an interesting observation about a possible connection.
Seiss points out that Babylon was built on the Euphrates River, in the same general area where God had created the Garden, the original home of Adam and Eve. It was there that Satan first presented himself to mankind with the sole purpose of destroying God’s perfect intentions. The descendants of Noah, in rebellion against God’s command, returned there and officially mapped out sinful man’s anti-God agenda. And, by the scattering of Noah’s descendants from Babylon there was created a connection between that area and all the blasphemous and vile religions ever conceived in the mind of mankind. Further, it will be in that area that the final Gentile world system will be rooted; the headquarters of man’s last great Gentile Fuhrer, and the sanctum sanctorum of the most beautiful, yet most vile and putrid of all human religions as described in Revelation 17.
We might ask, could those four angels have been involved in the wretchedness of Babylon’s past? And of more interest is the question, have they been restrained there for the express purpose of using Babylon, the political, economic and religious epicenter of the anti-Christ, as the starting point in their gory rampage? Could it be that many in anti-Christ’s own staff will be among the first to die? If so, that would be the epitome of the term “sending a message”!
At the release of the four angels, two-hundred million creatures — horrendous in appearance — begin roaming the earth with slaughter in mind. That these creatures are described as strange-looking horses should not surprise us, for there are several instances in the Bible of locusts and horses being used as descriptive terms for unearthly creatures.
They need no prompting to do their evil. Such is in their nature and, like ravenous wolves suddenly released from their confines in the middle of a sheep-fold, they immediately begin the frenzied slaughter of 33% of the people who are still alive at that point in the tribulation. The horses are the actual weapons of death, and are seemingly under the guidance of the riders whose breastplates are red, blue and yellow. People are killed by these creatures in two ways: with the fire, the smoke and the brimstone that come from their mouths, and with their tails by which they “do harm”.
In past centuries some expositors saw this as a human army in the form of a vast Islamic horde. More modern expositors see these horses as a type of modern weaponry with artillery, rockets and missiles delivering fire, smoke and chemical ordinance. In particular some see the horses as representing modern attack helicopters and fixed-wing tactical aircraft with forward and rearward delivery systems. Three things stand out in opposition to this viewpoint. Modern armies do not commit to battle in bright colors for obvious reasons, no army or combination of eastern armies can muster two-hundred million pieces of artillery, missiles, armored vehicles, helicopters, etc., and God does not need humanly-manufactured weapons of warfare to do what is going to be done in this text.
To believe these are indeed bizarre creatures instead of something normal should not be a stretch for our thinking. In the Old Testament Elijah’s sudden trip into heaven was accompanied by chariots and horsemen of fire (2 Kings 2:11). When Elisha was in Dothan the Lord opened the eyes of the fearful servant to see they were surrounded by horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17). What were those horses and chariots of fire? We would be hard-pressed to say with absolute certainty, but we can be quite certain they were not helicopters. Further, the book of Revelation itself, at its near conclusion, shows Jesus and His people coming from heaven to earth on white horses. Surely, these are not machines of human origin.
Consider that the use of fire, smoke and brimstone, or sulfur as brimstone is known today, is not a stand-alone incident. In Revelation 11 the two witnesses in Jerusalem will not only kill their enemies with fire that proceeds from their mouths, but will have power over weather, water and pestilence. Exactly how will this happen? I don’t know, but two things I do know: it will happen, and they won’t use military flame-throwers.It is unknown as to what is meant precisely by the power of the horses being in their mouths and in their tails. Maybe something like the locusts described in the early part of the ninth chapter; at least it seems reasonable. Further, while the torment of the locusts will be limited to five months, the period set aside for the horses of the sixth trumpet could last for a total of 1 year, 1 month, 1 day and 1 hour, as some interpret the time periods listed in verse 15.
There is possibly one more reason the horses of judgment in Revelation 9:16 will be supernatural creatures of some kind instead of a vast human army, and that is the terrifying, gut-wrenching fear that they will bring to the situation. Human armies and their weapons can be dealt with, at least to some degree, but that is not the case in this instance. These creatures cannot be stopped or killed, and just the mere knowledge that people are helpless against such a force is terrifying beyond belief. No relief, no escape, no defense...unavoidable subjection to merciless torment and death brings a feeling that is totally beyond the pall. Add to that the fact that a man will be unable to protect himself, much less his loved ones and the emotional effect is indescribable.
The purpose of this event is not limited to mere judgment. Its intent is also to foster repentance in the hearts of stiff-necked people, and that is why the judgments are so appalling and terrifying. God’s overriding desire is to bring people to the place of surrendering their obstinate will to His, but people refuse to be moved even in the face of these highly extraordinary means. Verse 20 clearly says that the collective human heart will only grow more resistant. People will know why judgment is falling, but any semblance of repentance is suppressed while anger and hatred toward God grow.
This scenario is impossible for rational minds to understand because it simply goes beyond normal comprehension that the 66% that will witness the death of the 33% will continue to shake their fists in the face of God. There is a truth here, however, that must not be overlooked. When deceived and estranged from God, there is absolutely no limit whatsoever to the foolish obstinacy of the human heart. And that pretty much torpedoes the humanist principle that human rationalism cultivates a state of bliss.
The people in this text are guilty of idolatry (which is demon worship — 1 Corinthians 10:20), murder, drug-associated invocations, sexual immorality and thievery. Just as the severe judgment of Korah for his rejection of God’s word did not change the hearts of the people who witnessed it (Numbers 16:41), so will this judgment at the hands of the 200,000,000 demonic horses not change the hardened hearts of these people during the tribulation. Amazingly, this attitude will be repeated in Revelation 16:9 when the fourth bowl of wrath is poured out on the sun resulting in people being scorched with fire.With heads like lions and tails like snakes these beasts from hell exact judgment upon a world gone mad; a world in total rebellion against its Creator. With fire, smoke and sulfur belching forth from their mouths, and with snake heads at the ends of their tails dealing out misery the human race is hit with a terrible blow.
The Chinese army? A consortium of armies from the east? Probably not. Though the Euphrates will later become dry, and though the armies of the east will later move toward Jezreel for assembly, that is not the case in this text. That the number refers to demonic creatures instead of human beings does no injustice to those other prophecies, and does not force a skewed interpretation upon any other prophecy. Our responsibility is not to “make it fit”, but to simply believe what has been written knowing that our God will make even this happen. (DLM)
Don McGee of http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?Tdsj--EThi-mfXBN7
Editor's Note: I often publish articles on this blog which I do not agree with. This is a case in point. But I like to provoke interest, discussion and debate on these possible end times scenarios, for after all, none of us have the complete truth. Personally I tend to go with the teaching that the 200,000,000 warriors will be a Muslim army from the east, and not the more popular idea that this voluminous army comes from China, or the idea put forward above.
Nev.
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