The first glimpse that we have of the spirit world is to be found in Genesis, chapter 3. The serpent who beguiled Eve and caused her to eat of the forbidden fruit gives evidence of an intellect and power far superior to that of an animal or any human being. The results that followed that tragic incident have been so very far-reaching--affecting the entire earth and the greater portion of the human family for time and eternity--that we are confident that a gigantic intellect and mighty power were behind the scenes on that fatal occasion, engineering the situation and causing the Fall. The suspicions that are aroused by the narration of what actually occurred and the results thereof are lifted from the plane of hypothesis and theory by the information which is given to us in Ezekiel 28:11-19. Here we read of one to whom it was said: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God ... the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was in thee; in the day that thou wast created they were prepared. 14 Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth: and I set thee, so that thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee. 16 By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, 0 covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee (vss. 12b-17).

When we understand the full import of this passage and compare the facts that are stated here with descriptions of the devil--found here and there in the Scripture--we come to the conclusion that this is an inspired pen picture of the anointed cherub, who was perfect in his being and in all his attributes, and who was the generalissimo of the Lord's armies. He was created perfect, but he conceived unrighteousness in his heart and instituted a revolt against the Lord God Almighty. In this rebellion he led astray one-third of the angels (Rev. 12:4). Those who followed his seductive ways in rebellion against the Lord were cast down from their high position in the service of God. They accepted the leadership of Satan, this fallen spirit, and have been under him until the present day. At the present time he is the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:1ff.). These evil, rebellious, fallen spirits inhabit the air and attack the human family, in many instances causing what is known as demon possession, which was prevalent in Palestine during the days of our Lord, which is quite common throughout the world today, and which will become more prevalent as we advance toward the end of the age.

In the days of Noah, however, there were other angels who had remained faithful and true to God up to that time, but who saw the daughters of men that they were fair. They lusted after these, assumed the form of men, came, and married these women, cohabiting with them. The result of these unholy unions was a race of supernatural beings. Those who left their former estate and came and thus assumed the form of men are called the Nephilim, the fallen ones. Their, progeny are called the giants, men of renown, who were in the earth in the days of Noah (Gen. 6:1-4). Jude refers to these in verses 6 and 7 of his Epistle: "And angels that kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire." Note that angels which kept not their principality but left their proper habitation are said to have acted as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did, who gave themselves over to fornication and went after strange flesh. The Sodomites did this in like manner as the angels which kept not their principality but left their proper habitation, came, and cohabited with these women of Noah's day. Those spirits that were evil in the days of Noah were incarcerated in the pit of the abyss and have been there ever since, as is set forth in II Peter 2:1-10. There appears to be a mighty host of them.

"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss" (9:1). Was this a literal star that John saw fallen from heaven to earth, or is the term used in a figurative sense? One instantly says it is used in the latter manner, for a literal star could not take a key and open the pit of the abyss, or perform the act indicated by this language. The word star is used in the figurative sense as we use it today when we speak of a motion-picture "star," or a "star" boarder. The star which John saw is an intelligent being who has great power, to whom the key of the pit of the abyss is given.

When this being opens the "pit of the abyss" there goes up a smoke, "as the smoke of a great furnace," and in the midst darkens the sun. This will cause a temporary blackout. The world will be in absolute, literal darkness when this occurs. As to how long it will continue, no one can say.

These beings, the locusts, coming out of the pit have power as the scorpions of the earth have power. They are not allowed, by divine decree, to injure any green or growing thing upon the earth. They are, however, permitted to strike all men who do not have the seal of God on their forehead (see chap. 7).

For five full months, 150 days, these demon locusts sting and torment men. The human family will be in such misery that many of them will attempt to take their lives, but it will be utterly impossible. They will have to "grit their teeth" and endure untold misery for five long months (9:5,6). The description of these locusts found in verses 9 and 10 show that they are not literal insects, but that they are spirit beings, who have nothing but vengeance and hatred in their souls against mankind.

Over them as their king they have "the angel [or messenger] of the abyss: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek tongue he hath the name Apollyon [Destroyer]. True to the name of their leader, these evil spirits, when let loose upon earth, will wreak havoc from one end of it to the other.

At the expiration of the five months the first "woe," or judgment, will have run its course. Evidently, then, these demon spirits will be corralled back into the pit of the abyss where they will be incarcerated again.

In Revelation 9:12-21 we have a description of the sixth trumpet, the second woe. When this angel sounded his trumpet, John said that he "heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God." This voice said to the sixth angel that had the trumpet, "Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates." This is the first reference to these particular angels that is found in the Bible. The river Euphrates simply means the literal river that has been recognized by this name from times immemorial.

According to this passage there are four angels that have been bound and have been prepared "for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men" (9:15). Obviously, these are evil angels; otherwise, they would not be chained or bound at that one place and kept there through the centuries.

The language concerning the time that the Almighty had in view when He bound them is very significant. They have been placed there for "the hour and day and month and year." God has a plan and a purpose which runs through the ages. While He lets man exercise his own freedom of choice and determine what his present and future shall be, the Almighty overrules all thing's and makes everything fit into a plan that will bring ultimate glory to Himself and benefit and blessing to the greatest number involved.

These four angels are to be used of God in destroying one-third of the human family; that is, one-third of those that will be in existence at the time that these evil angels are loosed. One of the three purposes that the Lord has in sending the Tribulation upon the world is to destroy all the wicked out of it in order that He might establish a reign of righteousness. If the Lord would allow the wicked to continue to live as they are now, it would be impossible to have a reign of righteousness such as that which is set forth in the prophetic word.

These four angels will have a mighty host of evil, wicked angels under them. According to verse 16 "the number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them." In this army there will be two hundred million evil spirits, for that is what they are. They will kill two-thirds of the people upon the earth.

These are said to be horsemen. Are they literal horsemen riding actual horses? This question is answered in verse 17: "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and brimstone." These cannot be literal, for horses and horsemen could not wear breastplates as of fire and hyacinth and brimstone. The heads of these horses are like the heads of lions. Out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. Obviously, therefore, these are not literal horses and horsemen. Those constituting this army have the appearance of an army of horsemen. Since, however, they have as their leaders these evil spirits, it is quite evident that they are another army of evil spirits that have superhuman power.

Where are they now? Are they in the pit of the abyss as are those of whom we studied, and who came out of the pit at the blowing of the fifth trumpet? It is impossible for us to say. There is no intimation in the text as to where they are now, or how they are gathered together by these four angels that are loosed.

The destruction of this army of two hundred million horsemen is beyond the wildest imagination of any of us today. They inflict injury and torment upon the people of the earth, even upon those whom they do not slay.

The two-thirds of mankind that are not killed by this plague do not repent of the works of their hands, "that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood. . . and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." Instead, they continue on as they have been going. Nothing but punishment and the final slaying of wicked men and the incarceration of these evil spirits in the pit of the abyss can solve the world problem. This will be done at the end of the Tribulation. Thus ends the prediction concerning this sixth woe.