“And 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 which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And 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.
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 the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths 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 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.
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 sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”
Revelation 9:13-21
The Revelation is a history of the New Testament church. Divided into 7 dispensations of time, the Gospel Day is expressed through 7 seals and 7 trumpets. These prophecies are sure.
Being currently in the time of the 7th and last trumpet finds us greatly advantaged, for all 7 seals have been opened and their mysteries revealed.
The scriptures of Revelation chapter 9 describe a great move of God in the late 1800s–a Reformation of the church of God under the apostolic leadership of D.S. Warner.
The four angels (Greek for messengers, sent ministers) which were bound in the river Euphrates (Babylon, which includes false religion) represent a ministry called out and loosed of sectish errors and divisions. God prepared them for His great work in the 6th trumpet time.
Filled with the power of perfect love through the sanctified experience, and moved with his keen vision of the evils of sectarianism, D.S. Warner received this commission from God:
On the 31st of last January, the Lord showed me that holiness could never prosper on sectarian soil encumbered by human creeds and party names, and gave me a new commission to join holiness and all truth together and build up the apostolic church of the living God. Praise His name! I will obey Him.
God most surely moved and gathered multitudes to the one fold through the unadulterated apostolic message. This militant army (see Rev. 19:11-15) of horsemen with breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone (Holy Ghost fire, glory, and judgment produced by the preaching) made hell tremble, and this reformation work became one of the fastest growing movements of that time. Thus was the “power…in their mouth.”
Now free from Babel, the third part of men seeking death and that desired to die (Rev. 9:6) were finally able to be slain–to be dead to sin, the flesh, and to Satan’s deceits. The power and glory of God was with this holy, zealous people.
But the prophecy reads on. Something followed the power in their mouth–a tail. A tail like unto serpents with heads, which do hurt, representing devilish people who resisted the Holy Ghost preaching and worked contary to God’s will.
The prophet Isaiah referred to this sort when he said, “The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.” Isaiah 9:15-16.
At the peril of his very life, Warner had stood as a mighty bulwark against the racism of his day. All nations comprise God’s church and there are to be no schisms within the body. Here, God commanded the blessing and the work thrived under our brother’s strong leadership. After his passing in 1895, others ruled this great people, but lacked the former’s keen vision and fierce fidelity to the Word of God–these leaders were the tail. And, oh, how they did hurt!
Several white leaders suggested to the black brethren that they might find some other place to worship, deeming their presence in such large numbers was hindering many white people from coming to the meetings and being saved. This serpentine tail with heads; these brother-hating sons of Cain stood guilty of murder, sorcery, and theft. Offering no repentance, they carried on with their crimes.
No repentance for doing despite unto the Spirit of God by administering the poison of racism. What murder and thievery to separate holy brethren and bring schism into God’s church! What unspeakable damage for generations following!
Cain was guilty of Abel’s blood, bigoted leaders of multitudes more.
