Suggested key words and phrases are, "angel flying through the midst of heaven", and "woe, woe, woe".

• "Angel flying through the midst of heaven" refers to this heavenly messenger flying in the place (midst of heaven) which the sun occupies at noonday, so in the place where what is done can be seen and heard by all (Thayer).

• "Woe, woe, woe" expresses a coming time of deep sorrow, grief, affliction, dismay, or misfortune (Isaiah 3.9, 11; Jeremiah 10.19; Amos 5.18)

This anticipates the final three Trumpets of Seal 7, for what is about to happen will be seen and heard by all mankind, but each of the three woes will lead to deep sorrow, grief, affliction, , dismay, or misfortune, for its victims.

Was This Satan's Reaction?

TRUMPET 5 (WOE 1): ISRAEL'S PEACE ACCORD

After the September 13, 1993 signing of the Israeli/Palestinian Peace Accord in Washington, D.C., the above cartoon appeared in the Washington Times, picturing Satan skating on an expanse of ice, titled "Till Hell Freezes Over", and muttering his disgust at the peace agreement reached. It was that Peace Accord, negotiated and signed during 1992/1993, that should have been contemporary with Trumpet 4 in the previous section, but we were unable at that juncture to definitely relate it to that prophetic event. However, if that Trumpet 4 obscuration was intended to refer to the preparation phases for the Peace Accord, we must already know that Satan is never outsmarted by men; it's always the other way around. Indeed, when we more fully understand what was back of the signing of that Peace Accord, it most certainly would not have produced chagrin on the part of the Great Deceiver, but far more likely, prideful glee at a job well done.

Some key words for these verses would be, "a star fallen", "bottomless pit", "smoke", "darkened", "locusts", "not to harm the grass, green thing, or tree", and "men who do not have God's seal".

• "A star fallen" must once again relate to Satan or to something that is of Satanic origin (Isaiah 14.12; Luke 10.18; Jude 13).

• "Bottomless pit" refers to the same place where Satan is cast later just prior to the Millennium (Revelation 20.1-3); it is the place of detention for these fallen angels (demons) until the time appointed for their activities.

• "Smoke" is used prophetically in (Isaiah 14.31) to picture the coming of a foreboding evil, in this case an evil of Satanic origin.

• "Darkened" was previously identified as a key word, and can refer to spiritual or moral darkness, here depriving those under attack of the ability to understand the truth of what is happening.

• "Locusts" are emblematic of desolation and destruction. The word pictures of the first four trumpets carried with them no special locality, but locusts turn our attention to the regions of the Middle East where the ravages of locusts were best understood and most feared (Joel 1.4-7).

• "Not to harm the grass, green thing, or tree" indicates that the object of the Trumpet 5/Woe 1 attack is not to be against Gentile powers like those already identified in the earlier Trumpet judgements. This phrase also makes it clear that these "locusts" are supernatural, because real locusts do attack foliage.

• "Men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads", is very enlightening, because it indicates that this demonic attack is to be against those "of Israel" who were not sealed at the advent of Seal 7 (Ezekiel 9.4-7; Revelation 7.4).

Consequently, these early verses of Trumpet 5/Woe 1 confirm that this is a deception of the most serious type, to be directed against Israel. Since this prophetic study place its occurrence during the timeframe immediately following the signing of the Israeli/Palestinian Peace Accord., it becomes absolutely imperative that we trace out the details of that Peace Accord over the years.

The euphoria of the September 13, 1993 signing of such a hallmark declaration of peace between age-old enemies quickly began to wane when several consequences of the agreement began to emerge.

1. Beginning immediately after the advent of Tabernacles (Tishri 14), just over two weeks after the signing, acts of Islamic terrorism increased dramatically.

2. For the first time, some Israeli settlers began to band together in militant defiance of the Peace Accord, vowing to defend their communities to the death, even against the Israeli military.

3. It became obvious that the Palestinians desperately lacked the required money and organization to implement the near term self-rule provisions of the Accord.

4. Fractures became evident within the PLO itself over the extreme autocratic and arbitrary decisions imposed by its leader, Yassir Arafat.

5. The PLO leadership, while paying lip-service to the Accord, refused to formally renounce the basic provisions on which that organization was originally founded, i.e. to totally eradicate the State of Israel from "Palestine".

6. During the implementation sessions that immediately followed the September 13 signing, it became evident that Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yassir Arafat still had fundamental conceptual disagreements over the interpretation of the signed Peace Accord.

As these obstinate difficulties persisted, Israel found itself in a troubling dilemma that was the result of its own initiative. It could not withdraw from the Accord without incurring the displeasure of the world community and probable collapse of the Rabin Labor coalition government. On the other hand it could not easily proceed with the Accord because of conceptual disagreements with the PLO on the definition of its phase I implementation in the areas of Jericho and Gaza. On the backdrop of these problems, angry Islamic fundamentalists were foiled in several attempts to assassinate Yassir Arafat, while Israeli settlers plotted armed uprising against their government if the Peace Accord were actually implemented. 

By December, 1993, disillusionment had set in to such an extent that the 61% Israeli plurality who favored the Accord at the time of its signing had decreased to a bare 47%. This occurred just prior to a key December 13 date in the Phase I implementation process, when Israeli military forces were supposed to begin their withdrawal from Jericho and the Gaza strip. The withdrawal date had to be delayed when Rabin and Arafat failed to resolve disputes over the "size" of Jericho to be turned over to the Palestinians, and over who would control the Jericho and Gaza international borders. On February 9, Chairman Yassir Arafat and Israel Foreign Minister Shimon Peres finally reached agreement on the major critical issues remaining, and it was projected that a final agreement enabling an Israeli pullout from those contested areas could probably be reached by early March, 1994. 

Then just two weeks later, when both sides were on the verge of a final Phase I agreement, disaster struck. Early in the morning of Friday, February 25, 1994, also Adar 14 of Purim, Baruch Goldstein, a Hebron West Bank settler, medical doctor, and Israeli army reserve officer, entered Abraham's Mosque in Hebron during special Islamic prayer services held for Ramadan. Armed with an automatic rifle and hand grenades, he methodically proceeded to kill over 30 of the worshippers in cold blood, injuring many others. In the melee, he himself was beaten to death by the congregation. 

In the hours and days that followed, the true character of the "peace process" was revealed as Palestinians vented their anguish and hatred by fury across the entire Land of Israel. Within three days of the Hebron massacre, the Arab death toll had risen to 65 persons, with another 360 wounded. As the violence spread to other cities in Israel, even Nazareth and Jaffa that had remained quiet through the six year Intifada, burst into violence. When demonstrations also spread to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, those nations temporarily suspended further peace negotiations with Israel. The Peace Accord was temporarily suspended, Israel officially apologized for the incident, offered concessions to permit unarmed international observers into the disputed territories, disarmed some Israeli settlers in Gaza and around Jericho, and allowed an increase from 8,000 to 10,000 in the size of the proposed Palestinian police force to be deployed in the territories. Still, the PLO demanded the complete disarming or withdrawal of all Israeli settlers from the "occupied" territories and the presence of armed international peace-keepers in the regions. 

These reactionary steps short-circuited  the mutually agreed upon Peace Accord by imposing ultimatums on Israel that had not even been discussed during its formulation. Thus, the original plan that had called for Palestinians to begin running their own affairs after six months from the previous August 30, 1993 date, when Israel had first approved of Palestinian autonomy, was replaced by a new level of turmoil and violence, rivaling any period since 20th Century Israel had first become a nation. So polarizing was the Hebron massacre that just a month later on March 25, the United Nations, at the urging of Yassir Arafat, passed a resolution, without U.S. veto, condemning the Hebron massacre and declaring Jerusalem to be "illegally occupied" by the Jews.

For a time, it appeared that the Peace Accord might die, but the massacre strangely produced an opposite effect over the following months. It drove Israel, by a torrent of Palestinian outrage and indignation from the world, to finally sign Phase I of the land-for-peace trade on May 4, 1994. This date was to begin a five-year peace process intended to conclude all the provisions of the Peace Accord. 

This Peace Accord remained Israel's chief policy issue through the ensuing years, as may be seen by the following chronology of major happenings within that nation:

1. On September 25, 1995, also Rosh Hashanah, phase II of the Accord was implemented, requiring Israel to begin pulling out from seven cities and 450 villages throughout the West Bank.

2. On November 4, 1995, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the chief visionary and architect of the original Oslo Peace Accord, was assassinated by a Jewish zealot insanely opposed to it.

3. During the remaining months of the Levitical year following the Rabin assassination, until the advent of Passover, 1996, 27% of the Land under consideration in Phase II of the Peace Accord was actually transferred by the newly installed Prime Minister, Shimon Peres. However, a series of Hamas terrorist raids against Jerusalem and Tel Aviv just before Passover, 1996, brought the transfer process to a halt, and seriously weakened Peres' ability to continue his tenure in office.

4. In May, 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu was elected to become Israel's new Prime Minister. He initially took a hard line against the basic Land-for-peace concept of the Peace Accord, stalling that peace process until the fall of 1998. Then in October of that year, the U.S. hosted a conference at Wye, Maryland, with all the participants involved in the peace process, for the express purpose of jump-starting the Peace Accord. It produced a new Wye Accord, designed to resume the trading of Land-for-peace. During that moment of truth, Netanyahu's willingness to sign the agreement was criticized by many Israelis as a major capitulation from his earlier hard-line position against that concept, later becoming a major element in forcing new elections in May, 1999.

5. In that election, Ehud Barak of the Labor party defeated Benjamin Netanyahu, swinging Israel back once more, toward accelerated implementation of the Land-for-peace Accord.

6. Barak's energetic pursuit of this philosophy eventually propelled him to a July, 2000 summit at Camp David, instigated by President Clinton, for the purpose of finally resolving all of the remaining disputes and securing a finished peace deal. This summit was convened on the grounds that Yassir Arafat had threatened to declare unilaterally an independent Palestinian State on the following September, 13, that date marking exactly seven years since the September, 13, 1993 initial signing of the Peace Accord. Barak's seemingly myopic commitment to peace at almost any cost moved him to make extreme concessions during the summit that were opposed by both his own Knesset coalition and the vast majority of Israelis, so that when the Palestinians rejected them anyhow, he lost all credibility.

7. Although Arafat did not make good on his threat to declare an independent Palestinian State on September 13, 2000, the most intense Intifada of modern Israel's history broke out on September 30, also Rosh Hashanah, allegedly induced by Ariel Sharon's appearance on the Temple Mount, in the vicinity of the Mosque of Omar. We can now say in retrospect that the advent of this new phase of violence spelled the death knell for the Oslo Peace Accord after a little over seven years.

(Revelation 9.1-4) clearly establishes that Trumpet 5/Woe 1 was a Satanic attack against Israel, and its association with the Israeli/Palestinian Peace Accord suggests that it was launched under the guise of a beneficent peace treaty. Although it is clear from the above history of the Peace Accord that it never did produce peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, we are still momentarily confounded, because peace is always good. What could be the possible harm in trying to work out a Peace Accord with your implacable enemies? The following verses provide the clues necessary to answer that question.

It is surely true that the Peace Accord caused far more general torment than blessing for all parties concerned over its seven-year life span, but notice that the specific "torment" (to test, vex, or harass) identified in Trumpet 5/Woe 1 occurred near its beginning, and lasted for a period of only "five months". During that period, those men not sealed by God would "seek death" but be unable to achieve it. They would "desire to die", but would be unable to do so.

The mention of that "five month" period is very significant when we review the above history of the Peace Accord, because it turns out that for a period of "five months", i.e. from the advent of Tabernacles on Tishri 14, 1993 until the Hebron massacre on Adar 14 of Purim, 1994, exactly 150 days, counted in a 360 day calendar, elapsed. That five month period was marked by acts of Islamic terrorism, and coincided with the initial negotiations to transfer portions of the Land, when no agreement could be reached. It was only after that period that Palestinian rage over the Hebron massacre, coupled with the United Nations' indignation, compelled Israel to sign the Phase I implementation agreement, transferring the first parcels of Land to the Palestinians.

As if to certify that those initial months of the Peace Accord had Satanic overtones, the time period from that earlier August 30, 1993, Trumpet 4 date, when Israel first endorsed a Palestinian takeover of the occupied territories, until the Adar 14, 1994 Hebron massacre date, was exactly 180 days, or "6 months" counted in a 360 day calendar. However, this "6 month" period, unlike those earlier "7 month" periods associated with God's judgements on Iraq and the Soviet Union, indicated a Satanic presence, and the fact that both the 150 days and 180 days ended at the Purim Hebron massacre, made that a hallmark event.

These facts suggest that there was nothing wrong with the idea of peace per se, but only the exchange of Land for it. It also suggests that the trading of the Land would somehow be tantamount to the "death" of those Israelis who enacted it. 

Such a conclusion might seem extreme until we examine the Biblical implications of dividing the Land of Israel. Scriptures in the Bible and findings in this prophetic study allow us to make the following pertinent observations.

• The Land of Israel is owned neither by the Israelis nor the Palestinians; it is owned by God to do with whatsoever He chooses (Leviticus 25.23-24).

• Among other things, He is adamantly opposed to dividing it, and warns that those who conspire to do so will be subject to His judgement (Joel 3.1-2).

The End Times in which we live should make these edicts especially sobering, because this study indicates that the Lord is about ready to redeem those Jews who are faithful to His promises concerning their inheritance in the Land, and to resurrect those Old Testament saints who already have the promise (Ezekiel 37. 11-28). Therefore, from a Biblical perspective, actions by restored 20th century Israel to trade Land-for-peace at this particular time are equivalent to giving away their eternal inheritance! It appears that this provision of the Peace Accord was the Satanic bait dangled before Israel, for by accepting that stipulation they would be forfeiting their eternal inheritance, bringing about their "death". 

Unfortunately, Israel's handling of the Peace Accord indicates that their leadership swallowed that bait, hook, line, and sinker. Furthermore, those leaders who had policy making roles following the first few months generally acquiesced to its root principle of Land-for-peace over most of the Accord's tenure, so that starting shortly after its Phase II implementation on September 25, 1995, significant portions of the Land were transferred, and by the summer of 2000, about 50% of the Land subject to the Peace Accord was under Palestinian control. 

(Revelation 9.10) substantiates this view, because it indicates that the men who were simply "tormented" during the first "five months", would be "hurt" (to inflict wickedly, causing physical or moral harm) during a second five months. It is most significant to discover that a second five month, 150 day, period did occur. It began with Rabin's November 4, 1995 assassination, and ended on the Nisan 13 advent of Passover, 1996. The above history records that this was the very same period when 27% of the Land subject to the Phase II provisions of the Peace Accord, was actually transferred to Palestinian control. Thus, the wording of Trumpet 5/Woe 1 supports the notion that those Israelis who instigated the actual transfer of the Land would have become subject to "moral" harm, baring themselves to God's judgement for dividing the Land of Israel. 

Of course, it should be added that the final disposition of the Land in the near-term will have no effect on God's long-term Plan to have believing Israel possess it; the punishment for disregarding His Plan will simply fall on those individuals who finally choose to reject it.

By applying these word pictures to our "search engine" technique for the Revelation, attention will be directed to the Old Testament prophet Joel, who prophesied of a future attack against Israel during "the day of the Lord".

Bible scholars have noticed a strange thing about the Joel texts. On the one hand, some believe the imagery clearly depicts an invasion of literal locusts, who were called "burners of the land", and were a terrible scourge in the Middle East during Biblical times, being capable of defoliating entire regions within days. Yet on the other hand, there is the mention of "people" and a "nation", seeming to connote human beings rather than insects. This apparent dichotomy of meaning has created numerous debates about the proper interpretation for these scriptures. Do they refer to people or locusts? 

Now, this study of Trumpet 5/Woe 1 provides a third alternative. What if they are demons working through people, to achieve their pernicious goals? Joel indicates these attacks are to occur during the "day of the Lord", and his imagery has obvious similarities to Trumpet 5/Woe 1 and Trumpet 6/Woe 2, both of which are conducted by fallen angels. It is amazing that Matthew Henry detected this connection over four hundred years ago, and then described the meaning of Trumpet 5/Woe 1 in a way that seems so accurately to represent the actions and underlying motivations of Palestinian leadership with respect to the Peace Accord. 

 

(Revelation 9.11) And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. NKJV

Matthew Henry adds these final comments to his understanding of Woe 1.

World Trade Towers

TRUMPET 6 (WOE 2): "9/11" TERRORIST ATTACK

This picture of the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center appeared in the September 24, 2001 issue of the U.S. News & World Report. The carnage it wrought, along with similar destruction by other terrorists at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., caused the death of almost 3000 Americans. The scenes had an almost surreal quality, but the reality of this horrific event was unparalleled in the annals of U.S. history.

On September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorists commandeered four United States airliners, intending to use them as fiery “missiles” to destroy high profile targets within the United States. Three of the four managed to carry out their missions, by flying two of the planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and the third into the Pentagon. The fourth was apparently intended for a fourth target in the Washington, D.C. area, but its heroic passengers were able to overcome the terrorists, causing it to crash in Pennsylvania.

The various aspects of the "9/11" terrorist attack, along with subsequent military actions by the United States thereafter, now makes it possible to positively associate those tragic events with Woe 2.  

• The nature of the September 11 terrorist attack was like the nature of the "four angels" who motivated it.
  
  The fact that there were four angels released from the river Euphrates, and also four coordinated terrorist attacks seems more than coincidental. However, of greatest relevance was the nature of the attacks in relation to the character of the four angels. These angels had been “bound” in the river Euphrates prior to their release, therefore we may surmise that they were fallen angels, i.e. of a demonic nature. This would make it quite natural for them to use individuals of like kind, i.e. people who had become captured by satanic influences, and thereby driven by evil desires against their fellow man.
  
  

• The origin of the September 11 terrorist attack had to come from that region of the world identified by the prophetic reference to the “river Euphrates”.
  
  The river Euphrates will one day mark the eastern boundary of the Promised Land (Genesis 15.18), but throughout history it has also defined the border of that region to its east from which those ancient empires of Assyria, Babylon, and Medo-Persia descended upon Israel. In this regard, it also marks the boundary beyond which the nation of Afghanistan is located. This fact made that prophetic reference particularly appropriate when it was discovered shortly after the terrorist attack that it was directed by the Al-Qaida, whose main base of operations was in Afghanistan.
  
  

• When the timing of the September 11 terrorist attack is referenced to Afghanistan, the origin of the terrorist attack, is is discovered to be a date in the Post-Exilic prophetic book of Haggai. 
  
  (Revelation 9.15) states that the initial event associated with Woe 2 would be timed according to the moment that the four angels were released, “for the hour and day and month and year”. The fact that Woe 2 was to be so precisely timed to within an hour made it unique among the first six Trumpets, and permitted it to be identified simply on this basis. As such, here is the record of the September 11 attack:
  
  American Airlines 11 crashed into North Trade Center tower at 8:46 AM
  United Airlines 175 crashed into South Trade Center tower at 9:03 AM
  American Airlines 77 crashed into Pentagon at 9:40 AM
  United Airlines 93 crashed at Shanksville, Pa. at 10:10 AM
  
  The geographical coordinates for New York, Washington D.C. and Afghanistan are as follows:
      New York: 40 degrees 42 minutes North; 74 degrees 0 minutes West
      Washington D.C. 38 degrees 51 minutes North; 77 degrees 2 minutes West
      Kabul, Afghanistan: 34 degrees 31 minutes North; 69 degrees 12 minutes East
  
  Therefore, the Longitude difference between New York and Kabul, Afghanistan is:
      74 degrees 00 minutes West (New York)
      69 degrees 12 minutes East (Kabul)
    143 degrees 12 minutes
  
  So the time difference between New York and Kabul, Afghanistan @ 15 degrees = 60 minutes is, 143 degrees 12 minutes = 9 hours 33 minutes.
  
  Consequently, the New York terrorist attacks in Kabul time were,
  
     Kabul time for the AA 11 crash into North Trade Center tower:
        8:46 AM + (9 hrs 33 min) = 6:19 PM
     Kabul time for the UA 175 crash into South Trade Center tower:
        9:03 AM + (9 hrs 33 min) = 6:36 PM
     Kabul time for the AA 77 crash into Pentagon:
        9:40 AM + (9 hrs 33 min) = 7:13 PM
     Kabul time for the UA 93 crash at Shanksville, PA
        10:10 AM + (9 hrs 33 min) = 7:43 PM
  
  September 11, 2001 was Elul 23 in the Hebrew calendar, on the east coast of the United States, until 6:00 PM. However, the 9 hour 33 minute time difference between New York and Kabul, Afghanistan, caused the terrorist attacks to begin after 6:00 PM Afghan time, as seen above. This translates to the Hebrew calendar date of Elul 24 in Afghanistan, the point of origin of the attack. Consequently, it is discovered that the "9/11" terrorist attack was timed to begin in the first hour of a date recorded in the Bible for the beginning of the rebuilding of the "temple" (Haggai 1.15).
  
  

• The subsequent aerial attack on Afghanistan by U.S. forces a few weeks later occurred on another prophetic date in Haggai, associated with the rebuilding of the "temple" during the End Times. 
  
  The United States began to bomb Afghanistan on October 8 at 11:15 AM EST. Since October 8, 2001 was Tishri 21 in the Hebrew Calendar at the source of the attack, the bombing actually began on the second of the three dates given in (Haggai 2.1), when Haggai prophesied "I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory". This text is generally understood by Bible scholars to have its fulfillment during the End Times.
  
  

• The fall of the Taliban regime, ruling government in Afghanistan, occurred on the final End Times prophetic date in Haggai, associated with the overthrow of Gentile kingdoms.
  
  The five-year rule of the Taliban came to an official end on Sunday, December 9, 2001, as the last Afghan province slipped from its control. Since December 9 was Chislev 24 in the Hebrew Calendar, the Taliban regime fell on the third prophetic date given in (Haggai 2.20-22), when the overthrow of Gentiles kingdoms is predicted in the End Times.

It is seen that the "9/11" terrorist attack appears to have direct connections with Woe 2, not only by virtue of its origin and precise timing, but also by the fact that the initial attack was followed by actions coinciding with End Time dates in Haggai. Yet, (Revelation 9.15-16) seems to indicate that the carnage would involve "a third of mankind", and employ an "army" numbering hundreds of millions. How can such statements be reconciled with the "9/11" event? Consider the following perspective:

• It is remembered that "a third" was used in connection with each of the first four Trumpet judgements, yet it was possible to associate each of those Trumpets with a specific historic event during the years 1989-1993. Indeed, that correlation revealed that "a third" was simply a part of the apocalyptic terminology used in the Revelation, and did not denote that a literal "third" of the objects under attack would be destroyed. While the Bible uses the word "third" in a literal sense with respect to all sorts of things, it is used apocalyptically in both (Ezekiel 5.2, 12) and (Zechariah 13.8-9) to denote God's dealings with selected groups of people, the context determining whether those selected were to be destroyed or preserved. Accordingly, if we adopt the same meaning here, this "third" can also refer to a selected group of people who will be the objects of the demonic attacks directed by the four angels.
  
  

• The word "army" typically brings to mind a conventional fighting force, deployed according to a traditional order of battle, on a battlefield defined by geographical limits. However, consider the following comments as they refer to a different, but very real kind of "army".

These quotes suggest an "army" quite unlike that visualized by the western mind, yet with the very same objectives of destruction and conquest over the non-Islamic world. If the "army of Islam" is the one in view in Woe 2, the other connections just established with respect to the "9/11" terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists become quite understandable. While it is difficult to define the total number of adherents to Islamic fundamentalism within the world, it is certain that it is either the prevailing, or near prevailing, ideology in middle eastern nations like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. If the entire world is included, the number of people with such an ideology would surely be hundreds of millions, just as indicated in Woe 2. By this reasoning, an understanding of Woe 2 would not require the existence of a conventional army, deployed on a regional battlefield, but simply a very large militant force, bonded together with a common purpose, and dedicated to the conquest of western society as we know it. Moreover, a careful reading of verse 16 does not require that the number of those who actually carry out the attack be in the millions, but only that the "army" be that large.

Woe 2 indicates that this attack is authorized by God, i.e. it is commanded by a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God (Revelation 9.13). It appears to have the purpose of bringing those not killed to an attitude of repentance, but unfortunately, the final verses indicate that it does not have the desired effect. In this regard, it is interesting to note that polls on America's religious activity and individual beliefs regarding the things of God, published in February, 2002, concluded that the September 11 crisis-driven "spark" did not catch fire to produce a heightened spirit of repentance or desire for a better relationship with God.

Although it is apparent that Woe 2 is a form of judgement, directed by God, but orchestrated by fallen angels, its connection with the "four horns of the golden altar" is still obscure. This leads to a brief study of these objects and to the golden altar on which they were attached, for the purpose of learning their possible relation with the activities of Woe 2. Here are some relevant findings:

• The reference here is to the "golden altar", which stands in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle in Heaven. This was the same article of furniture mentioned in (Revelation 8.3), when the One administering first mixed incense with the prayers of the "saints", then in apparent answer to those prayers, hurled the contents of the censer to earth, after filling it with fire from the golden altar. From a study of the Trumpets that followed, we now know that this action resulted in specific judgements against Gentile nations during the 1988-1995 seven-year interval.
  
  

• Now here in Woe 2, this golden altar is again the basis for another kind of judgement, but this time it emanates from the "four horns" of that altar. Thus, it might be expected that the object of the judgement will again be the Gentiles, but that its purpose will somehow be related to those "four horns".

We may learn more of the significance of the "horns" from the following article.

From this explanation, three observations come to mind:

1. The four horns formed the most sacred part of the golden altar, employed by their anointing with the blood of only the most solemn sacrifices, in conjunction with the Levitical sacrificial system for unintentional sins.
   
   Therefore, the command from the four horns of the Heavenly altar for the Woe 2 killing of mankind suggests that the blood of those killed must have been intended to fulfill the role just specified, at this particular juncture in God's Plan for the End Times.
   
   

2. The horns of the altar had to be anointed with blood before the Old Testament Tabernacle could be used to institute the sacrificial system under the Priesthood (Leviticus 9.9).
   
   Accordingly, this action had to occur before the forgiveness of sins under the Levitical sacrificial system could begin. 
   
   

3. However, this anointing was effectual only if the recipients to this sacrificial process were not engaged in intentional sin.
   
   Accordingly, if this parallelism is correct, (Revelation 9.20-21) indicates that the blood of those killed in the 9/11 tragedy did not generally spawn an attitude of Godly repentance among those who witnessed it, so the sacrifice of those killed remained largely ineffectual for those remaining alive.

Admittedly, the meaning and implications of Woe 2 just set down seem bizarre within the context of our modern day and time, however we are reminded of two things:

• The findings of The Prophets Speak have consistently driven us to the conclusion that we are no longer living in the economy of grace, but rather in a brief transition period within Daniel's 70th Week, just prior to the setting up of the Millennial Kingdom, when some form of the Levitical system will be reinstated.
  
  

• Although the Body of Christ is not subject to the Law, Jesus Christ made it clear that it does remain in effect for those still in an attitude of rebellion against God.

Therefore, the import of Woe 2 seems to be that the Lord is currently applying the "jots and tittles" of that Law in the most severe way against those of mankind who remain unrepentant and face imminent judgement at the hands of an angry God.

With respect to the Levitical nature of Woe 2, complete this study by considering the significance of the Levitical dates in Haggai, which marked the key milestones of "9/11" and subsequent actions. Those dates of Elul 24, Tishri 21, and Chislev 24, all in the second year of Darius (520 BC), defined the milestones for the initial phases of the rebuilding of the Second Temple during Old Testament times. However, we can complete the chronology of that Temple construction by also reading (Ezra 5-6), for those chapters record its entire history, specifying that it was completed on Adar 3, in the sixth year of Darius (515 BC) (Ezra 6.15). Now since we have already associated each of the Haggai dates with those corresponding key milestones related to "9/11", we are able to project a date for completed "Temple" construction during the End Times, if it should follow that Old Testament schedule.

Notice that the projected date for the completion of the "Temple" in the End Times, if it should reproduce the schedule for the Old Testament Temple, would cause it to be completed in the spring following the completion of Daniel's 70th Week for the Sons of Daniel's people.

The text of Trumpet 5/Woe 1 and its relative placement in the End Times appear to support the following views:

Trumpet 5/Woe 1 was a Satanic attack on Israel in the guise of a peace treaty, i.e. Peace Accord, that appeared to provide a potential blessing for Israel by securing peace with the surrounding Arab nations. However, that peace treaty contained a key provision regarding the transfer, i.e. "dividing", of the Land, a provision that is in direct opposition to the will of God. Its implementation was intended to deprive Israel of the blessings afforded by the Lord's promises to their forefathers concerning an eternal inheritance in the Land. Accordingly, it will ultimately subject those who sanction or support such a step, to God's condemnation and ultimate perdition.

The instruments of this attack were the Palestinians, who were motivated by intense hatred against Israel. Their leadership approached their task with the pretense of authority in a righteous cause, displaying assurance of victory. They argued their case with the wisdom of men. So alluring was their cause that they obtained defense and protection from many Gentile nations, which they accomplished by making their appeals from country to country.

The text of Trumpet 6/Woe 2 and its relative placement in the End Times appear to support the following views:

Trumpet 6/Woe 2 is a directed attack by fallen angels against the Gentile world, using the "army" of Islamic fundamentalism as the instruments of that attack. It is commanded by God for the purpose of prompting an attitude of repentance among those Gentiles who remain outside the veil of His redemptive Plan, but as it was in the days of Noah before the final flood judgment, it is being largely unheeded.

Woe 2 also serves the purpose of initiating a timetable for the building of the "temple" of mankind who will inherit a place in the Millennial Kingdom following the conclusion of Daniel's 70th Week, that timetable apparently repeating the chronology for the building of the post-Exilic Second Temple.