April,25, 2026 Sabbath-School Review

  Derek West

Source material: Jan 26^th 2019, Audio Study,  Euphrates and the Sixth Trumpet

In last week’s blog I pointed forward to today’s break in our reading ritual so that we, the Sabbath-School class, could hear the above-cited audio study on the Sixth Trumpet. With this blog I add commentary to further magnify that trumpet.  After all, the floor is full of wheat, that I may now fully enhance the aromatic appeal of our bread.  Pursuant to this goal, I am impressed to requote the actual Scripture again.  It reads, in part as follows:

“¹³ And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:  and I heard the number of them.” —Rev 9: 13-16

Since it was first recorded by the Apostle John nearly 2000 years ago and since he promised a blessing —not upon every commentator but— upon the precise reader and those who hear his renderings, we narrow the circle of teachers to one interpreter.  Such is then our proof that only this small class can be the saints whom the Lord intended to teach John’s recorded words of the Revelation.  The work of the Revelation therefore can only be understood when channeled through that inspired reader: He and none other is the bona-fide teacher. Thus, are we told that only his students, they who hear him, are authorized to extend the Kingdom invitation.  It says,

“ ¹⁷ 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.” —Rev 22: 17

This restrictive analysis has been made and will be even more fully made obvious by the novel rendering of the Sixth Trumpet. With this blog then, I the ordained teacher, give special focus to two issues that require the redeemed to fully grasp: The glory that comes with the release of the four angels from the river Euphrates and the accompanying 200 million horsemen.  Note, I did not say horses but those who ride horses, horsemen —lets begin here to show our skill as careful hearers.  There is indeed a blessing worthy of celebration in these two points today.

The four angels, already shown to be the gospel purveyors, are “loosed” from suppression by Babylon’s river to fulfill a monumental mission of salvation.  That mission is wisely encased in the macabre terminological assignment of slaying “the third part of men”.  This slaying must be conveyed as a grace more than a curse, and in this perspective from the careful reader, we can rejoice.  How could such an expression ever become a morale boost; how could it bring peace on earth and good will toward men?  These are questions worthy of our address today.  It can because it shows the love of God and reverses the perceived austerity of His judgmental demeanor.  Also, it capsulizes all people, dead or alive, who, all these past six-thousand years of human probation feared this judgment hour.  Of this we are sure because the modifier, “third part of men” denotes the totality of all humans to have ever existed: To find the third as the part, you must first calculate the whole part.  This simply means that one third of the people who existed a thousand, a hundred, or even ten years ago must be recognized as a smaller collection of humanity than the number today, for obviously, with their existence today, they increase that number.  And that which is more glorious is heaven’s deployment of the Adventist message since 1833.  In other words, vested in the Three Angels’ Message (TAM) today, the day when humanity has reached its population crescendo, a greater doctrinal validation of the Sixth Trumpet is added.  Sure, the late prophet, VT Houteff, in his 1953 tract, Final Warning, being participatory in the growth and broadcast of the Three Angels’ Message, began our partial understanding, but today this MSC book, 5.2 and this Audio study, brings to us the full glory of John’s prophetic work.  Yet, I know, the promise to slay the third part of men, construed as a positive and final assessment of Christ’s salvational work, is still a hard saying.

Regardless whether the third part is figurative and referential to Satan’s human hordes —as VTH taught us— or it is a literal number, it still infers that two thirds shall be saved.  This is the thrilling and positive theme now brought to our attention!  But basic mathematical analysis aids in our theology: the expression, one third, means that the total population belongs in the denominator of the fraction for whatever that number is, it must have in its numerator a figure that is a fraction of it to get the answer, one third.  Therefore, this projection counts all men, since Adam and Eve until years after VTH and each of the first three angels to our time today, the close of human probation.  Resolutely then, no other conclusion is admissible except that Rev 9: 13-16 announces the judgment of all humanity under the auspices —indeed the culmination— of the Adventist Judgment message.  It is the day when the four angels, including the mustard seed, gain victory over Babylon and her polluted doctrines, aka, the river Euphrates —victory to save the world’s other two thirds.  Our rejoice then, at least for a moment, can reflect back to Noah’s triplets for the Lord bless them to be participatory in this formula of earth’s replenishment.  The Bible says, ​“ ¹ And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” —Gen 9: 1.  What could such a blessing be but the eventual eternal salvation of many of their posterity: They and their children will be invited by the Spirit, the Bride, and the hearers to come. No wonder, it took all these years, from 1833 until today to refine judgment theology.

To effect this judgment, the deceased of all ages must be resurrected —after all, they have been part of the human population called “men”.  It doesn’t hurt to make an educated guess about the denominator: Let’s assume that since the world’s population today is eight billion, then the total of all men may be is as many 21 billion people.  To evangelize means to teach all who —among the resurrected and the living— comprise that mathematical denominator of the fraction, one third.  Using my estimate, then seven billion is one third of 21 billion which gives us the number to be lost to Satan’s kingdom.  Thus, the Sixth Trumpet announces the final defeat of Satan.  God’s joy, being our joy also, is in the remaining 14 billion souls.  Such would indeed be a great harvest and a final fruition of the Adamic mission of replenishment by multiplication.  This further explains that which was summarized in the April 4^th blog: It defined the locusts who morphed into horses.  Having shown therein that the horses represent all the different planetary quadrants on earth, territories which contain different nationalities, then, per gospel declaration, those quadrants will experience a resurrection of their historic citizens by the son of David.  For the Lord promised,

“ ²⁶ For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; ²⁷ And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. ²⁸ Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, ²⁹ And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” —John 5:26-29

Therefore, the evangelization work is made more complex; thus does Rev 9: 16 introduce a new category of agents to drive the gentiles or the locusts that have aggregated into horses or nationalities: They, the horses, are given presiding horsemen.  These 200 million are actually unfallen heavenly angels —guardian angels if you will— they are powers given to assist speedily the horses that they may, in a short span of time, garner home such a large number of redeemed.  The horsemen lead those horses; they lead men whom we call Enochians, men like Enoch who, in each generation and each nation historically have been expatriated to Christ’s abode.  This translation of the proverbial horses —again I did not say the horsemen— is done to educate them in the humanities, the greatest of which is the work of the fourth angel who unites with the third.  This education is done, all while they, the four angels are immersed under the curse of masonry, Babylon’s dirty river, Euphrates.  They, the proverbial horses, also look forward to the day of the release of the four angels.

But be it ever so clear: The angels or proverbial horsemen drive the Enochians in their earthly homeland evangelical escapades, and the training of both can only become complete when the Sixth Angel blasts his trumpet.  This is the day spoken of by EGW, the day when the Mighty Angel unites with the third angel in the closing work of this world.  She said,

“I have no specific time of which to speak when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will take place–when the mighty angel will come down from heaven, and unite with the third angel in closing up the work for this world; my message is that our only safety is in being ready for the heavenly refreshing, having our lamps trimmed and burning” —E G White, R & H March 1892

The Comforter comes down to teach us all things through the work of the fourth angel.  He reminds him of the lifesaving messages revealed in the Testimony of Jesus.  This is the validation of EGW’s promise.  Jesus said it best when He said,

“ ²⁵ These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. ²⁶ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:25-26

So perhaps you now see why I place such high value on my two themes of special emphasis: The glory that comes with the release of the four angels from the river Euphrates and the accompanying 200 million horsemen.  Having mastered the theology that has been added to the TAM by David, the mustard seed, they can preside under his command to rule their distinct international districts or regions.  This speaks to the special love that I have for the Sixth Trumpet.  All are encouraged to read the book, 5.2; it gives all the Bible substantiation for these conclusions.  However, the gravity of this emphasis demanded this extenuated elaboration…

Derek