Second Woe: A Great Army
"Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them." (Revelation 9:16 - New King James Version)
John sees a vast army under the influence of these four demons. The army is so vast that it could not be counted. But John is told the size of the army. It contains 200 million soldiers.
Most commentators doubt that this is a physical army. They suggest that this is a demonic force. However, there is no reason for this not to be an army of men. Although vast in size, it would not be impossible for such an army to be raised if the entire world was up in arms.
There are unsubstituted claims going back to the 1960s that China had enough trained militiamen to field an army of this size. According to the CIA's website (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html#Military), the estimated manpower fit for military service in China in 2005 was over two hundred eighty million. Add to this the armies that the rest of the world could field if the need existed and an army the size John described is possible.
That these armies are under the influence of the four demons does not mean it cannot be a physical army. The book of Daniel makes it clear that demonic forces influence the course of history. The angel Gabriel told Daniel, “Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” (Daniel 10:20 – King James Version)
The Persian king was under the influence of a demon who had taken the title prince of Persia. The angels were fighting against this demon and its human puppets. However, Gabriel know that soon Alexander the Great and his Greek army would march against Persia under the influence of another spiritual being. Although, we might not like the idea, our government is strongly influenced by spiritual powers both evil and good. There is a vast spiritual war raging, and its battles often spill over into the physical realm resulting in riots, conflicts and wars.
John sees a vast army under the influence of these four demons. The army is so vast that it could not be counted. But John is told the size of the army. It contains 200 million soldiers.
Most commentators doubt that this is a physical army. They suggest that this is a demonic force. However, there is no reason for this not to be an army of men. Although vast in size, it would not be impossible for such an army to be raised if the entire world was up in arms.
There are unsubstituted claims going back to the 1960s that China had enough trained militiamen to field an army of this size. According to the CIA's website (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html#Military), the estimated manpower fit for military service in China in 2005 was over two hundred eighty million. Add to this the armies that the rest of the world could field if the need existed and an army the size John described is possible.
That these armies are under the influence of the four demons does not mean it cannot be a physical army. The book of Daniel makes it clear that demonic forces influence the course of history. The angel Gabriel told Daniel, “Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” (Daniel 10:20 – King James Version)
The Persian king was under the influence of a demon who had taken the title prince of Persia. The angels were fighting against this demon and its human puppets. However, Gabriel know that soon Alexander the Great and his Greek army would march against Persia under the influence of another spiritual being. Although, we might not like the idea, our government is strongly influenced by spiritual powers both evil and good. There is a vast spiritual war raging, and its battles often spill over into the physical realm resulting in riots, conflicts and wars.
posted by David Frank Wilson | 7:54 PM
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