The Fifth
Trumpet Judgment
(http://www.spiritualbiblestudies.com)
Chapter
Five - Verse Five
And to them it was given
that they should not
kill them, but that they
should be tormented
five
months:
and their torment was as the
torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a
man.
(Revelation 9:5)
In the previous
verse we discovered that these false prophets (spiritual locusts) were
commanded NOT to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green
thing, neither were they to hurt any tree. We saw that these biblical symbols were
depictions of true Christians. The
locusts were commanded to hurt only those men who do not have the seal of God
in their foreheads or in other words all unbelievers. When we arrive at verse five we further
discover that these locusts are commanded not to kill the unbelievers (those
who have not the seal of God in their foreheads). Rather, they are commissioned to torment them five months. The latter half of this verse defines their
torment as being like the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a person. We see then that this verse is broken down
into two thoughts:
1 - These false
ministers, teachers, etc. are not to kill the unbelievers of the earth, but
they are to torment them for five months.
2 - Secondly, the
torment that these false prophets inflict can be described only as the torment
of a scorpion, when he strikes a man.
THEY
SHOULD BE TORMENTED FIVE MONTHS
We begin this
section by asking the question:
Which
is best, to be physically killed or to be tormented for five months?
Of course we need
to clarify the question in order to understand and give a proper answer. We have already dealt with the word torment
as it is defined in chapter nine of Revelation.
It carries the same meaning as does the word hurt; the eternal
torment and hurt of outer darkness, which is assigned to all who have not
trusted upon Christ for their eternal security.
All unbelievers have been consigned to five months of this outer
darkness; this eternal hell. After
interpreting four verses that have been strictly symbolic in nature, do we now
dare to embrace a bit of literalism as the way to understand the meaning of
this difficult passage? Do we view this
period of five months as being five literal months? It would not be consistent in the least with
the context of what is being taught in this ninth chapter. If this period of time in not literal, how
then can we make sense of it? We begin
by examining all areas in Scripture that speak of a time period of five months,
whether it is described in months, weeks, or even in days, we need to search it
out. The number five in Scripture first
of all signifies God’s grace. An
in-depth study of this number would be beneficial in comprehending the hidden
wonders that God has embedded into this number. We have established the fact that to receive
of this hurt or to receive of this torment would necessitate one being
assigned to an eternal destination outside of Christ. Be absolutely assured that this outer
darkness is indeed eternal in length; there is no end to it. In Revelation chapter twenty we see the exact
same Greek word translated “tormented” as we have in Revelation 9:5. Revelation
20:10 - “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever
and ever.”
The term five
months would require a figurative solution, rather than a literal time
span; for on the other side of the grave there is no time as we know it. The context of the phrase “they should be
tormented five months” encompasses the judgment of God. The topic and theme is in fact God’s eternal
judgment. As we look back to the Old
Testament picture of Judgment Day, we find the flood of Noah’s day depicting
the final Day of the Lord - Judgment Day.
Those within the
Genesis 7:23-24 -
23 - And every
living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man,
and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were
destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with
him in the ark.
24 - And the
waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred
and fifty days.
God’s judgment
prevailed upon the earth for five months or a hundred and fifty days. Notice that Revelation 9:5 declares that
these scorpions will torment
for five months while Revelation 9:10 says they will hurt men to five months.
“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their
tails: and their power was to hurt
men five months,” (Revelation 9:10). We again see this same Greek word for hurt
used in Revelation 9:19 in
reference to these locusts or scorpions: “For their power is in their mouth, and
in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and
with them they do hurt.” This Greek translation for the word hurt is
the same Greek word used in Revelation
11:4-5 -
4 - These are the two
olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 - And if any
man will hurt them, fire
proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will
hurt them, he must in this
manner be killed.
The fire that
proceeds out of the mouth of these two witnesses (Christ’s true Church) will
certainly devour - in the spiritual essence - their enemies, as this fire is
nothing less than the Gospel of Christ.
From the mouths of Christ’s elect this fire will go forth and slay the
enemies of the cross. The phrase “If any
man will hurt them” seems
most certainly to be implying deception; that is if anyone will try and
spiritually deceive them. We
clearly saw that “hurt” is just a figure of biblical speech that implies
spiritual destruction. As for God’s
elect, if anyone will try and hurt (spiritually deceive) them, rest assured
God’s Gospel will proceed out of their mouths as fire. How did John
the Baptist describe this Gospel that Christ was to bring? He implied that the Holy Spirit was a
spiritual fire. Consider the following
verse:
Matthew 3:11 - I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am
not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
When the Holy Ghost
was given at Pentecost, Acts 2:3 describes it as “cloven tongues like as of fire.”
It seems that God’s
judgment upon the world, and especially the unsaved within the corporate
church, is not merely to kill physically.
Rather than that, far worse is God’s eternal damnation of a Christ-less
eternity; a non-ending torment
of five months.
LAZARUS
AND THE RICH MAN: A CLUE TO THE “FIVE”
MONTHS?
Luke 16:19-31-
19 - ¶There
was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day:
20 - And there
was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 - And
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 - And it
came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 - And in
hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 - And he
cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 - But
Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented.
26 - And
beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they
which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that
would come from thence.
27 - Then he
said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's
house:
28 - For I
have five brethren; that he
may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 - Abraham
saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 - And he
said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will
repent.
31 - And he
said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
The above parable
is a most somber reality. Fire is not
only a figure for the preaching of the Holy Ghost, but it also signifies the eternal
darkness of those who leave this land of the living without the eternal
security of the Savior. After the rich
man was in already doomed in outer darkness he then called out for mercy and
asked for the saving grace of the Gospel … “have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water (the Gospel waters), and
cool my tongue; for I am tormented
in this flame.” As we saw earlier it is the WORDS of the deceivers that sting as the scorpions. It is their lying words which come forth from
their tongues. Why does this rich man
ask for a tiny dip of water for his tongue?
If he really were in some type of eternal flame would a single finger
tip of water help sustain him in the least?
Of course not, but God continues to teach us truths in allegories,
types, figures, metaphors, etc. Why is
the rich man asking for the slight amount of water for his tongue? It seems most biblical and in accordance with
Scripture to submit to the reader that this is defining the new creature in Christ;
those with a new heart will in turn speak the words of God (the cool waters of
the Gospel) from their tongue.
Psalms 35:28 - And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise
all the day long.
Psalms 37:30 - The mouth of the righteous speaketh
wisdom, and his tongue
talketh of judgment.
Psalms 39:1 - ¶<<To the chief Musician, even
to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.>> I said, I will take heed to my ways,
that I sin not with my tongue:
I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
Psalms 71:24 - My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day
long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my
hurt.
Psalms 119:172 - My tongue
shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
Proverbs 10:20 - The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the
wicked is little worth.
Proverbs 12:18 - There is that speaketh like the
piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
Proverbs 15:4 - A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is
a breach in the spirit.
We could site more
Scripture but the point is well taken.
The rich man in hell did not simply perish from all existence. No, God is teaching that he is fully aware of
where he is. What horrors to be in this
predicament! It is nearly indescribable,
yet it is a part of God’s Word. The rich
man is asking for the saving grace of God’s Gospel, that he may leave that
place of eternal torment. He then asks
God to send Abraham to his father’s house and warn his FIVE brothers of this place of torment. What is God’s reply to him? In verse thirty-one God answers this
way: “And he said unto him, If they hear
not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose
from the dead.” In other words God
states that if the rich man’s five brothers will not hear Moses and the
prophets they will certainly not believe even if one rose from the dead…a clear
reference to Christ’s resurrection.
These five brothers of this rich man, now in eternal torment,
would appear to be representative of ALL those who are destined for the
torments of eternal damnation. It
appears to be the case, even though we can’t be certain; however it does look
to be solidly based upon Scripture.
These five brothers might well tell the story of hell as they symbolize
the five months of eternal torment.
TORMENT:
AS THE TORMENT OF A SCORPION
We are told that
the result of the torment from these false teachers is comparable to the
torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man.
The key words to investigate are scorpion and striketh. In the natural realm of things, the scorpion
is characterized by an elongate body with the abdomen reduced to a slender,
jointed tail bearing a stinging organ at the tip. Scorpions usually live concealed under stones
in desert regions. One reason why God
may have used scorpions in depicting false prophets (as well as locusts) is the
fact that as Christians, we are indeed sojourning through a spiritual
wilderness. “And if ye call on the
Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work,
pass the time of your sojourning here in fear,” (I Peter 1:17). “Now the sojourning of the children of
16 - They that
see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the
man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17 - That
made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that
opened not the house of his prisoners?
How did Satan make
this world into a wilderness? Be
deceiving man into believing the lies of the serpent. This world has been a spiritual wilderness
ever since the fall of Adam and Eve. At
the first coming of Christ, the parch ground of this wilderness was finally
given moisture by the going forth of the WATERS
of the Gospel. Consider the following
verses:
Isaiah 35:7 - And the parched ground shall become a pool,
and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation
of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass
with reeds and rushes.
[God speaks in beautiful
parables filled with metaphors or allegories.
The parched ground or thirsty land without question is depicted as
earth’s masses of humanity before God’s saving Gospel is rained down on the
earth. Once Christ opened the gates of
heaven His good news of eternal salvation penetrated many hearts that created
His Bride and true Church. God’s elect
was then symbolized as grass
with reeds and rushed. Their hearts
were fertile ground for God’s Word to grow and multiply. It is this green grass that Satan has always been after and his
ministers (portrayed as locusts) will have their last attack at silencing
Christ’s words as they metaphorically eat up the grass of the earth at the end
of time.]
Isaiah 43:20 - The beast of the field shall honour
me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert, … TO GIVE DRINK TO MY PEOPLE, MY
[Can we get any
clearer than this?]
Isaiah 51:3 - For the
LORD shall comfort
[“Joy
and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of
melody.” Where does the world, this
spiritual wilderness, find this joy and gladness; this thanksgiving and the
voice of melody? It is found ONLY within
the people whom God’s truth of living waters has rained down upon. Before God’s Word went forth into this world,
the spiritual condition of the earth was indeed as a parched ground, a thirsty
land, a wilderness and a desert. ]
Isaiah 32:1 - ¶Behold, a
king shall reign in righteousness,
and princes shall rule in
judgment.
2
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from
the tempest; as rivers of water
in a dry place, as the shadow
of a great rock in a weary land.
[This
wonderful verse describes the characteristics of a true child of God. The King that reigns in righteousness is of
course Christ Himself. The princes that
shall rule with Him in judgment would be the believers (1 Corinthians
6:2). A believer shall be a hiding place
from the wind. As Christians, our life
is hidden in Christ, and nothing can spiritually touch us and deceive us
away from Christ. We know that Christ
alone is our hiding place from Satan’s world and a covert or shelter from any
tempest. The Christian life is a
spiritual renewal; as rivers of water in this spiritually dry world. The true believer is as the shadow of a great
rock in a weary or thirsty land. We are
to be the shadow of Christ; we live clothed in His righteousness (Isaiah
61:10). We are the shadow of this great
rock, and Christ is this great rock - THE ROCK OF AGES. Christ was the rock in Numbers 20:8, from
which the children of
Speaking
of the sojourning of the Old Testament congregation of God (the children of
Israel), Scripture plainly tells us that they were following the same God as
the New Testament spiritual Jew follows…that is Christ. Consider the following passages:
1 Corinthians
10:1-4
-
1 -
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2
And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3
And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4
And did all drink the same spiritual
drink: for they drank of that spiritual
Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
To
fall victim to the Biblical scorpion necessitates one receiving the STING of death. This sting is the result of our inherited
sinful nature, 1 Corinthians 15:53. The
only way in which to escape the eternal sting of these scorpions is by being
covered with the robe of Christ’s righteousness. We must put of Christ Himself and live in
Him. This corruption must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality, 1 Corinthians
15:53. Only after we have put on this
incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality…then shall be brought to
pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where
is thy victory? (I Corinthians 15:54-55)
Sadly
we must concede that the great majority of humanity who has ever lived will
never experience the joy of having been robed in Christ’s righteousness. “Because straight in the gate, and narrow is
the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” (Matthew
7:14). On the other hand, God’s call for
salvation is to all people. “And the
spirit and the bride say, Come. And let
him that heareth say, Come. And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water
of life freely,” (Revelation 22:7).
WHAT IS
THE WHEAT TO THE CHAFF?
We
have examined the biblical interpretation of scorpion in chapter three of this
study. In briefly reviewing, we found
that the prophet Ezekiel was commissioned by God and sent to preach to the
rebellious children of
Jeremiah 23:11 - For both prophet and priest are
profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:14 - I have seen also in the prophets of
God says of these
leaders of His congregations, that they strengthen the hands of evildoers
as Jeremiah 23:14 prophesied of so many centuries ago. The church is now being judged by God and the
end of all things will soon be at hand.
Jeremiah 23:16 - Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you
vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth
of the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:21 - I have not sent these prophets,
yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:28 - The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and
he that hath my word, let him
speak my word faithfully. What
is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Verse 28 above is
an extremely revealing verse as God is distinguishing here between the
believers (wheat) and the unbelievers (chaff).
PLEASE NOTE: The chaff or
unbelievers are right in among the congregations of the true believers. Those who want to declare dreams and visions
today as being from God are false apostles, pure and simple. How often do we turn on a television or radio
program and hear some minister declaring that God has given him a wonderful and
exciting message in a vision or dream and wants him to share it with the
world? This is occurring every day on a
global scale. God is telling us here in
Jeremiah 23:28 he that has a dream, let him tell it. On the other hand, he that has God’s Word let
him speak it FAITHFULLY! If you cannot make a distinction between the
two, God makes it for us by saying … “what is the wheat to the chaff?” The wheat clearly signifies those true
believers who speak God’s Word faithfully and NOT according to their own
personal sin tainted dreams or self-created visions. In order to speak God’s Word faithfully one
must not add nor take anything from God’s Word as multitudes of chaff within
the global congregations insist on doing today without ever giving it one iota
of concern. (Matthew 7:22-23 - “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and
in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”) The chaff will go on declaring their false
dreams and visions while the wheat will continue to faithfully proclaim God’s
completed Word.
It is an
abomination to God to declare these dreams and visions in the name of Christ
simply because God has finished His Word to man in what we call the Holy
Bible. God does not need nor will He
tolerate man’s selfish and prideful attempts at lifting up oneself by declaring
that God has spoken personally to him.
In this Era of the New Covenant Age God speaks to us only from His
finished work of Scripture. If you want
to truly hear what God has to say to us today, then simply read the Bible. If you think you may have something to add to
God’s perfect Word by declaring a self-made dream or vision as being from God,
then you may well go ahead and declare it and possibly deceive many by your
poisonous words but - know this: Your words are but a portion of the
venomous and lethal dosage of the darkened scorpions from hell.
Jeremiah 23:32 - Behold, I am against them that
prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to
err by their lies, and by their lightness;
yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this
people at all, saith the LORD.
Let us look at a
cross reference to this word lightness. Here in Jeremiah 23:32 it is defined as frivolity, which is lack of
seriousness; unimportant; or even
silly. This is the only passage in
all of Scripture where this particular word is used. It is closely related to the word light in Zephaniah 3:4 which is
defined as follows: “a primitive root;
to bubble up or froth (as boiling water), that is, figuratively to be unimportant: - light.” (From Strong’s Hebrew.)
Zephaniah 3:1-7
1- ¶Woe to her
that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
2 - She obeyed
not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in
the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
3 - Her
princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves;
they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
4 - Her
prophets are light and treacherous
persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary; they have done
violence to the law.
5 - The just
LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he
bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
6 - I have cut
off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets
waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that
there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
7 - I said,
Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling
should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and
corrupted all their doings.
Who is the
oppressing city mentioned in verse one above?
It is the earthly spiritual
END OF CHAPTER FIVE