We like to start our Sunday mornings by saying welcome to all of you who may be joining us
for the first time here in our sanctuary or if you're joining us online, welcome.
We're so glad that you're here to worship with us today.
I am Pastor Nathan and today we're going to be looking at Revelation chapter 9 and the
topic is hell is unleashed.
So if you were here hoping for a happy study today, well we have salvation in Christ so
it's always a happy study, but you know the topic of devils and demons is something that
in our culture is often propped up by comedians and philosophers and even movies and entertainment
to taunt Christians for their professions of faith, to mock them.
You know the very concept of a supernatural being of any kind being real is something
that's just mocked by many in the world.
You know some will mock Christians by saying we believe in the big daddy in the sky when
we talk about God.
And so the ideas of the supernatural, God, Satan, angels, demons are relegated in many
ways to the spheres of entertainment and mythology.
You know the doubt of devils and demons being real is even something that affects professed
believers, professed Christians.
In an older study from 2009, Barna did a study where they looked at 1871 professed Christians
and they asked them some questions about their beliefs, questions about God, Jesus, the Holy
Spirit, Satan, and demons.
And in this study they did, they found that 78% of these professed Christians, which is
going to be weird, only 78%, but said that they do believe that God is the all-powerful,
all-knowing creator of the universe who rules the world today.
And that's a fairly core belief of Christians, right?
But only six in ten said that they believe Satan is a real being and not just some metaphorical
symbol of evil.
You know as humans we can tend to disregard what we can't understand.
We tend to disregard that which we can't wrap our minds around and we're inclined to just
write off things that we cannot see.
And sometimes people say, you know, if I could just see angels and demons, if I could see
God then I would believe.
But just because something is mysterious, just because something is a little bit beyond
our understanding doesn't automatically mean it isn't real.
The author C.S.
Lewis said, there are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about
the devils.
One is to disbelieve in their existence.
The other error is to believe and then to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in
them.
They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician
with the same delight.
You know as believers who read and study the word of God, the truth is Satan and demons
are real.
They are very real.
They are a very real restless evil that is constantly looking for ways to destroy lives.
And during the tribulation period that we've been studying in Revelation, any who doubt
that truth will be sorely and severely corrected.
Revelation 9 brings us to what many consider to be the midpoint of the tribulation.
There's many different views on the layout of Revelation.
Some look at the seven seals and the seven trumpets and the seven bowls as 21 consecutive
judgments and there's a lot of support for that.
Some look at the seven seals and the seven trumpets and the seven bowls as a retelling
of the same seven year tribulation period and there's some merit to that view as well.
But most agree that by the time you get to Revelation 9 or at least the events of Revelation
9 are describing the midpoint of the tribulation.
You know the tribulation period which is spoken of in Daniel chapter 9 often referred to as
the 70th week of Daniel, the midpoint is when the tribulation becomes what's called the
great tribulation.
The last three and a half years of this seven year period of God's judgment coming upon
the earth.
A period that was spoken of in great detail by Jesus himself in Matthew chapter 24 and
25.
This last three and a half years is preceded by what we've studied so far with the church
being raptured out of the world and then God beginning to bring his judgment upon the world
for its sin and its rejection of him.
This judgment that came upon the world itself, creation itself as well as the inhabitants
of the world.
We saw this judgment being poured out by the seven seals being broken and the first four
trumpet judgments that we've looked at so far.
In Daniel chapter 9 it paints more of the picture of what's taking place during this
period as the Antichrist comes on the scene which we saw in the first seal being broken.
At that time he makes his seven year covenant with the nation of Israel allowing them to
rebuild their temple and to resume their sacrifices in the temple.
It was during this first three and a half years of the tribulation period that we saw
144,000 Jews sealed.
We're going to see a little bit later that there was also two witnesses that were preaching
the gospel of Jesus Christ during this time worldwide.
Over this first half of the tribulation period we saw a number of what people refer to as
partial judgments of God.
The one third judgments, right?
One third of the sea, one third of the land, one third of the rivers as God was judging
the very creation that mankind has risen up to be their God as they wanted to worship
Mother Earth and ask for the mountains and rocks to protect them.
In all this God is demonstrating his authority over the land, over the salt water, over the
clean water and over the sky.
God is saying to the people who worship creation, I am the creator.
I am the one to be worshiped, not my creation.
But in the middle of that seven year period, right at the three and a half year mark, it
tells us that the Antichrist will then break his covenant with Israel, that he will stop
their worship in the temple and that he himself will enter into the temple and demand to be
worshiped himself as God.
An event known as the abomination of desolation and it's at that time at that midpoint of
tribulation where the Jews are then given over to be intensely persecuted by the Antichrist
for the remaining three and a half years of tribulation.
A time also references Jacob's trouble.
So it's at this midpoint of the tribulation when things start to escalate dramatically.
Things start to get really, really bad.
And it's at this time when the supernatural starts to seep into the reality as people
are living.
The supernatural becomes evident.
Demonic activity becomes very clearly seen as Satan moves from working invisibly, working
behind the scenes, which he has been doing for so long at this point, to then begin working
overtly and overt activity upon the earth.
And these judgments, because God is allowing these judgments onto the earth, it's like
God saying to mankind, you want sin?
You want a world without me?
You want a world controlled and given over to your pleasures and Satan himself?
You want unrestrained indulgence and all of that?
Well here you go, and all hell is unleashed.
That's what we're going to be looking at today, but first we're going to worship God.
Because we the church know that we've been saved, we've been forgiven, and we know that
we will be saved from this time of judgment.
And we are still in a time where we have a gospel to preach to so many that they would
be saved as well.
And so we're so thankful and grateful to God for the salvation we have, the salvation from
the judgment on our sin, but also to be saved from this terrible time of judgment that is
coming upon the earth.
And so with that, let's pray and let's worship God.
Father, Lord, as we look at Revelation, it's heavy stuff.
It's heavy stuff, it's terrible stuff, it's horrific, Lord, what is coming upon the earth.
But Lord, you gave it to us in your word that we would study it, that we would know it,
that we would learn it.
Lord, we know that this entire book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ, Lord, in
every single letter that is in Revelation is something that teaches us about you.
And Lord, I pray, God, that as we move through this terrible time of tribulation that is
prophesied in this book, Lord, that we would learn about you.
And God, what we do learn about you is how you feel about sin.
Lord, that sin is not something to be dealt with lightly.
Sin is not something that is to be just sloughed off, Lord.
The supernatural world is real.
You are real, angels are real, Satan and the demons are real, God.
And Lord, we should take all of that very seriously in our lives, that we would be people
who live with eternity in mind.
People who say we believe in God, we believe in Jesus, Jesus, we believe in sin, we believe
in forgiveness, we believe in salvation.
This also means, Lord, we believe in your word and everything that's in it, and we know
this time is coming.
So God, we just want to start as we're going to look at it today, Lord, praising you and
thanking you, God, for the salvation that you have granted to us.
Lord, we love you so much.
We thank you for saving us.
We thank you for the salvation you've given us, Lord.
May we read these things and study these things, God, and be motivated to go out and warn those
who don't yet know you about the judgment to come.
God, we thank you.
We love you in Jesus' name.
Amen.
All right.
So we are in Revelation chapter 9, if you will turn or swipe there with me.
Revelation 9 opens up with the fifth trumpet judgment.
It's the first of the final three trumpet judgments, the first of what are called the
three woes at the end of Revelation chapter 8.
If you remember at the end of Revelation 8 there, there was an angel or an eagle in the
sky.
It depends on how you interpret the word there.
But some messenger of some type that declared, woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth
for the remaining trumpets are about to sound.
And these three woes, that word woe is used to indicate that dramatically intensified
judgment is about to come.
And a part of the reason that these final three trumpet judgments are dramatically intensified
is that unlike the first four trumpets, these judgments now target people.
If you remember the first four trumpet judgments targeted creation.
They targeted the earth.
They targeted the land and the sea and the sky.
But now the judgments that God is allowing to be poured out, declared upon the earth,
are now targeting human beings themselves rather than the natural systems around them.
And so this morning we're going to look at the first of the woes, the fifth trumpet this
morning and the onset, what it shows us of rampant demonic activity.
So read with me in Revelation 9 verse 1.
It says the fifth angel blew his trumpet and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to
earth.
The key for the shaft to the abyss was given to him.
Now that word star there is the same word that was used in the previous chapters when
it says a star fell from heaven.
And if you remember that word in the Greek is where we get our English word asteroid
from.
The idea was that over the course of the first four judgments there were meteor showers or
asteroids that fell upon the earth and struck the earth causing the judgments that we read
about there.
And this is the same exact word but there are clues that here the word star is being
used metaphorically to refer to a person instead of an asteroid.
Similar to the way we might use the word star to refer to a famous person, right?
A pop star, a Hollywood star, a sports star, that kind of idea.
And those clues are simply in what they say this star that had fallen from heaven to earth
does.
It says the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him.
So there's a personality, a personification associated with this star.
In verse 2 it says he opened the shaft to the abyss.
And so this star has an identity, an identity and a personality attached to it.
Now when it says I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, this also indicates
a difference between the previous stars because the previous stars which were actually asteroids,
it says John saw them fall.
He saw them in the process of falling to the earth as he was observing these judgments
from heaven.
But this one he says it had fallen from heaven to earth.
The idea there is that this Greek verb is in the present tense meaning that he saw a
star or a he who had in the past fallen from heaven to the earth and now still exists in
that fallen state.
That's what that present tense means in the Greek.
So it means that the star had fallen at some point in the past and now exists in a continued
state of being fallen.
And so that raises the questions, who is this star?
Is it some famous Hollywood star?
Is it someone we know?
There's a few different ideas that people have but I believe it's likely Satan, the
star who had lost his residence in heaven after his rebellion.
And we read about that, him even being called a star back in Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12
where it says this, shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens, you
destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground.
And so biblically we know that right now today in our timeline and chronology of living
that Satan doesn't live in heaven anymore.
Heaven is no longer his residence but according to Job chapter 1 verse 6 we know that Satan
still has access to heaven because in Job chapter 1 verse 6 we read this, one day the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and that's referring to the angels
and it says what?
And Satan also came with them.
So even though he doesn't have an address in heaven anymore he can still visit and we
know that he visits there in Job to say hey God, what about that Christian?
Let me torment them, right?
And so something that I hope he doesn't ask of me but you know sometimes I feel like he
does.
Now the idea here is up in Revelation chapter 12 when we get there what we're going to see
in Revelation 12 is John gives a brief prophetic look back to the symbolic relationship between
Israel and the devil.
And when we get to Revelation chapter 12 what it's going to show us there is during this
tribulation period right about this midpoint of the tribulation Satan is cast out of heaven
permanently that there is an actual battle that takes place.
Michael the archangel leads this battle and there is a war in heaven where the devil is
permanently kicked out so he's no longer allowed to visit.
Now him being kicked out of heaven and falling down to the earth and the fury because it
tells us there in Revelation 12 that the devil is not happy about being kicked out of heaven
and it literally tells us that he has great fury knowing his time is short.
The fury that the devil has for being kicked out of heaven permanently is what we see unleashed
here in the fifth trumpet and the sixth trumpet and so on and so forth.
So the fifth and sixth trumpet record what I believe is the fury of the devil being kicked
out of heaven and what it says here in God's allowing this judgment to happen and this
battle taking place and the devil being kicked out of heaven it says he was given a key for
the shaft to the abyss.
Given by who?
God.
God gave him the key and we're going to answer why in a moment but what is the abyss?
What is the abyss?
If you have an older translation or I'll say traditional translation of the Bible it may
say bottomless pit instead of abyss there but this place the bottomless pit the abyss
was a place of incarceration for really really bad demons who did stuff requiring them being
locked up for all time.
The bottomless pit or the abyss is thought by some theologians to literally be at the
center of the earth right because it's described as a pit of great heat and it's described
to be an access by a shaft and so but I did a study on this abyss and the warfare and
who I believe the spirits in prison are that are there in great detail when I studied when
I taught through first Peter chapter 3.
If you want to go dive into that in detail the title that study is the unseen war you
could find it on our YouTube channel so I'm not going to belabor all of that for this
morning but I will share this that this abyss this bottomless pit is referenced in first
Peter 3 and it's called a prison because he references the spirits that are in prison.
In Jude verse 6 it's referenced as a place of eternal chains in deep darkness.
In second Peter chapter 2 verses 4 and 5 it's referred to as a place of chains of utter
darkness and so it's a prison of some type a place of incarceration.
Now it was a place that was feared even by the demons because in Luke chapter 8 verse
28 we read the story that when Jesus was in the region of the Gatarenes there was a demon
possessed man there that that that presented himself before Jesus and Jesus asked the possession
you know what is your name and they said we are legion if you guys remember that story
that he was possessed by a legion of demons.
Now in Luke chapter 8 verse 31 it says this and they begged him Jesus not to banish them
to the abyss the demons please don't send us to the abyss and the word abyss there
is the same exact word we read here in Revelation chapter 9 but that just gives us some insight
to this place this abyss you know the demons begged them they said instead please send
us into the pigs just don't send us to the abyss send us into the pigs and Jesus did
that and then the pigs ran off the cliff and so this idea is that this abyss was a place
of incarceration for demons that other demons were afraid to go to it's where the really
bad demons were and these demons in Luke 8 begged him said please send us anywhere but
this place and so it was locked up tight by God again if you want to get into the details
of who is there and why look up the study the unseen war that I did but the idea here
is that this abyss this place of incarceration where some really really bad demons have been
locked up for centuries and centuries Satan has given the key to open it up why why would
God give Satan the key to let out the really bad demons well I believe it's because it's
what mankind wants in mankind's rejection of God God we want nothing to do with you
we want to pursue our own needs our own ends we want to do whatever we want we want no
rules no restrictions just let us just go wild well the influence behind all of that
the Bible tells us is our flesh and it's the devil and so in a way God's judgment upon
the earth is you want that unrestrained unbridled just do whatever you want without restriction
great well then I'm going to let the guy who's behind all of that let out the ones who's
really going to push all of that in your lives and so Satan goes and unlocks this abyss
now the rebellion of mankind what's behind all of this Revelation chapter 9 verses 20
through 21 tells us it tells us very specifically what the rebellious sin of mankind is at this
point in time what the heart of man is engaged in or pursuing during this time of tribulation
when God says here you go let the demons out it says in Revelation 9 verse 20 they did
not repent of the works of their hands to what stop worshipping demons and idols of
gold silver bronze stone and wood which cannot see hear or walk we see it today we see it
today with people going oh yeah we're part of the church of Satan and hey if there's
Christian clubs on campuses the church of Satan should allow Christian or Satan clubs
on campus and people that are openly and aggressively going no no we worship demons we worship Satan
it's a thing today and it's only going to get worse because it's a symptom of man's
rejection of God and so him given the key to Satan is like God saying this is what you
want then I'm going to allow you to have it I think that's one of the scariest most horrific
things for us sometimes is when God lets us have our way because we don't know what's
best for us we just want what we think makes us happy or makes us feel good and I think
the worst thing that can happen is when God says okay you want it so bad have it because
then we experience all kinds of misery and just bad stuff but God says here you go Satan
here's the key to the abyss imagine imagine if you will that every prison worldwide holding
the worst criminals that mankind has locked up the worst of the worst all at the same time
doors open they're all set free and go do whatever you want can you imagine that happening
the havoc that would take place worldwide in every society well this is what's going
to take place on a demonic scale because these criminals are not people these criminals are
a horde of demons unleashed to bring torment on mankind but still in his mercy they're
only allowed to torment mankind as far as God will allow look at verse 2 so he opened
the shaft to the abyss and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great furnace
so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft now again this
smoke here we read it's darkening the sun and this is likely what Joel prophesied would
happen during the tribulation period in Joel chapter 2 verse 30 it says I will display
wonders in the heavens and on the earth blood fire and columns of smoke and then verse 31
it says the sun will be turned to darkness and if you've been with us through a study
of revelation so far this isn't the first time that the light has been dimmed the sun
has been darkened the moon has been darkened there's numerous instances through this judgment
upon the earth of God snuffing out the light during tribulation and I just think that's
just a picture of what is spiritually taking place in the heart of man that the heart of
man consistently says we want darkness instead of the light and God's going okay but you're
not going to like it no give it to me I want dark don't tell me what to do God I don't
want to follow you I just want darkness and sin and we see this happening again here as
the smoke is darkening the light verse 3 then the locusts came out of the smoke onto the
earth and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth they
were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree but only those
who do not have God seal on their foreheads they were not permitted to kill them but were
to torment them for five months their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when
it stings someone so when you're reading this or at least when I was reading this you know
one of the questions that that is good to ask is are these real locusts right are they
real like earth locusts we're familiar with locusts right and you've heard of the locust
plague or locust swarms there are these little bugs that that can swarm in columns you know
hundreds of of feet wide and tall and they just decimate areas is that what he's talking
about here is that was what was locked up in the abyss is our locusts that bad that
that God said we're gonna lock you up in a spiritual prison that even demons are afraid
of or are they possessed mutated locusts as some think you know like their actual physical
locusts that have demons inside them or is locusts being used here as a term just to
describe a type of demon well we don't know for sure obviously right definitively but
I'm pretty confident that they're not actual earth locusts that what is being described
here is actually a type of demon or a demon that looks like a locust to John biblically
if you study the Bible you'll see that locusts are seen often and used both literally as
is real earth locust and also used figuratively literally obviously we read that John the
Baptist in the New Testament he ate them for food right we read in Exodus that there was
an actual overrunning of Egypt during the eighth plague of locusts actual locusts but
then figuratively they're often used throughout the Old Testament to describe any great horde
an army or anything that that is that is acting like locusts that's swarming through an area
and destroying everything and so the idea is that any any group of something swarming
beyond count decimating everything they touch and so I believe here it's likely a figurative
description for these demons that John is seeing coming out of the abyss and I believe
there's a number of reasons for that one they're specifically given power like scorpions okay
locusts of earth they don't they don't have any power like scorpions right one they're
told what they can and can't do and they listen all right so there's some type of sentience
there they're able to tell who has God seal and who doesn't have God seal as they go out
to to torment people and then earth locusts typically devour vegetation and these ones
specifically don't and then on top of that you have this really interesting description
of these things in verses seven through eleven so jump down to verse seven with me as we
look at these locusts these demons that are let out of the abyss the appearance of the
locusts was like horses prepared for battle something like golden crowns was on their
heads their faces were like human faces they had hair like women's hair their teeth were
like lion's teeth they had chests like iron breastplates the sound of their wings was
like the sound of many chariots with horses rushing into battle they had tails with stingers
like scorpions so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months
did you notice the word like there over and over and over again right it's called a similitude
it's John using the best words he can think of to describe what he's seeing he's trying
to give the best approximate representation of this thing this demonic creature that he
sees coming out of the abyss and he's using things that he's familiar with to describe
it things that his readers might be familiar with now before we jump into the specific
description itself you know I just want to point out that you know often times when we're
reading stuff like this that could be really interesting and weird and we have to resist
the urge to over symbolize and over spiritualize stuff like this I just think it's unwise to
read something like this and instantaneously think of you know some overly spiritualized
thing now there are some commentators that read this and go oh what he's describing is
a patchy attack helicopters in modern-day earth now I don't necessarily have a problem
with that because if you were John the Apostle and God was showing you in a patchy attack
helicopter what would you describe it as because nothing like that existed in his world so
so there's a possibility of that but as I've mentioned before good Bible study is you read
it and you take it at its literal reading before you start to symbolize things and overly
spiritualize things and so but the encouragement is just because you read something and it's
fantastic or it's incredible or it's unbelievable doesn't automatically mean it isn't exactly
what it says it is okay sometimes it is but but again just just take that as an encouragement
there some read this description of these locusts and they go oh this is just a metaphor
for what the condition of a sinful life is like right this is a metaphor for the sinful
life rather than this being a real escalator eschatological event a real prophetic event
in the future but like I said again good biblical interpretation always begins with a literal
reading and then you recognize figures of speech and grammatical sense and all that
kind of stuff so point being is I believe this account is an account of realities that
John is given that John is actually seeing something and he's doing his best to describe
it so it's it's it's like a horse ready for battle and it has a face like that of a man
and and it sounds like this right he's doing his best to describe what he's looking at
you know the same way that I don't know if we saw a dragonfly under a microscope and
someone said describe it we would go well it looks like right and we would start to
use things we're familiar with so let's look at the description he says they're like horses
prepared for battle and the sound of their wings are like the sound of many chariots
with horses rushing into battle now if you think of horses prepared for battle they they're
anxious they're ready they're snorting they're stomping they're they're they're they're armored
up he says the sound of many chariots of horses rushing in battle just that overwhelming sound
of movement you know you've probably seen it in the movies maybe but the idea here is
that there's this power there's this anticipation that he is picking out here now Joel the prophet
use similar terminology to describe locust plagues of his day he actually saw real locust
plagues and actually saw armies but we know that Joel also prophesied about the tribulation
period and he also used these sounds of horses in battle and the sounds like chariots to
describe prophetically what I believe Joel was seeing as this demonic host in the future
and so this idea is that this there's this overwhelming thunderous host of anticipatory
anxious power right then he goes something like golden crowns on their heads this could
be just some weird formation or or description but something that that was around their head
with points and it was gold but the idea then is the word he uses for crown there is not
the crown of authority that a king would wear it's that word referring to the wreath of
victory the kind of wreath that an Olympian was given when they won and so again the picture
here is that they will be victorious in their task it says they have a face like human faces
that's just creepy to me right can you imagine that some demonic locust coming up to you
and like hey you know like whoa step up bro but yeah the idea is is a face like human
face so so the idea is two eyes and a nose and a mouth and probably expressive to some
degree but a nerving teeth like or hair like a woman's hair culturally in the day women
had long flowing hair and so the picture here is that on its head it had some type of long
flowing mane of some kind teeth like lion's teeth well if you think of lion's teeth what
do you think of sharp fangs right tearing fangs devouring fangs a chest like an iron
breastplate sturdy solid hard to crack and then stingers like a scorpion's tail and
then tells us that the torment from the stinger is like the torment caused by a scorpion when
it stings someone and so the idea is that these demons have the power to hurt to bring
pain to cause great pain and suffering now that word for stinger is the same word used
in first Corinthians 1555 metaphorically when Paul said where death is your sting where
is your ability to cause pain and suffering and so the stinger that these things have
gives them the ability to cause pain and suffering and and I don't know if any of you here have
ever been stung by a scorpion I hope you haven't because what I read about it is it's a pretty
miserable experience that there's basically two types of scorpion stings one is not so
bad but hurts but one is is it causes the the victim to writhe on the ground and foam
at the mouth and grind their teeth in agony it's extreme excruciating pain and that's
the idea that we're seeing here that these demons have the power to do and remember these
demons have been locked up in this abyss for a very long time and so they're eager to cause
as much pain and havoc as possible and then verse 11 it says they had as their king the
angel of the abyss his name in Hebrew is Abaddon or Abaddon and in Greek he has the name of
Polyon now this is another reason why I don't think these are natural locusts or some natural
locust plague because natural locusts have no king they just go by instinct but on top
of that Proverbs chapter 30 verse 27 specifically says locusts have no king yet all of them
march in ranks right so but these demonic creatures they do have a king and it's the
king as their king is the angel of the abyss now when it says angel of the abyss there's
some different you know ideas of who this is but that word of there is is that word
that means from okay so the angel from the abyss and so some people go oh this angel
from the abyss it's Satan he's the king of the demons but but Satan's on the outside
of the abyss unlocking the door so the angel from the abyss the angel inside the abyss
is likely somebody else that isn't Satan but some other demon of rank and authority and
we know that's possible because the Bible speaks of that that there's principalities
and powers and so there's demons of different rank and I don't know this one might have
been the highest ranking demon in Satan's army that had been locked up this whole time
we don't know but his name is Abaddon and a Polyon which both mean destruction or destructor
which speaks to the nature and purpose of this demon and the army that he leads in Satan's
army but the overall idea of all of this is that these demons are a real visible swarming
plague upon the earth and that word plague is exactly what they are called in verse eighteen
and twenty of Revelation chapter nine that they're a plague and the idea of plague is
something that is widespread something that spreads everywhere into everyone and these
demons are a plague just like that now some read this and they go wait a second it said
that these demons were were told not to harm the grass and you might say I thought all
the grass was burned up in the first trumpet blast go back to it and you'll read that all
the grass was burned up well yeah time has passed okay if these judgments are chronological
which I believe they are time has passed as judgments being progressive and escalating
one after the other simply means that the grass was burned up during the first trumpet
blast but it doesn't say it was permanently destroyed so some of the grass at least has
grown back at this point but they were told as these locust type demons don't destroy
the creation we're not doing that anymore we're going after the people and so it tells
us in verse four if you go back there that they can only harm those who do not have God's
seal on their foreheads now again with the seals and the trumpets and the bold judgments
being looked at as progressive judgments we saw between the sixth and seventh seal that
there was a break there where the hundred and forty four thousand Jewish evangelists were specifically
sealed on their foreheads with God's seal we see that these were sealed and then in
revelation 14 we see that they are protected and saved all the way through tribulation
and the judgments of tribulation so naturally it would say that the ones who are sealed
those hundred forty four thousand evangelists are protected from the sting of these demons
the torment that these demons bring however in revelation twenty two verse four it also
tells us that the great multitude of all of those who are saved through tribulation also
have the name of Christ on their foreheads and the name of Christ is specifically referenced
as the seal of the hundred forty four thousand in revelation fourteen so it could be referring
to that all of the saved people on the earth during that time both the hundred forty four
thousand evangelists and everybody who gives their life to Christ during this time are
protected from these demons so that these demons are allowed to torment people for five
months now the language there for five months is literal it's not a metaphorical reference
it's a literal five months and it's interesting because the first time God judged the entire
world during the flood guess how long the water prevailed over the earth for five months
right so there's no reason to see this five months as being symbolic or metaphorical it's
an actual five months of time possibly the first five months after the midpoint of tribulation
but the point being is it's a terrible terrible time and all this supernatural activity will
just unnerve the inhabitants of the earth it will just mess people up because we see
in verse six and I know I'm jumping around here but follow me verse six it says in those
days people will seek death and will not find it they will long to die but death will flee
from them that's a scary verse that's a scary verse things will be so bad it says there
that people on the earth will see no future they will see no hope and they will want to
end it all people in that time due to the torment the judgments being unleashed on the
earth will see death as a blessing just just just let me die but what does it say there
death will flee from them they will long to die but death will flee from them they will
want to die but death will be inaccessible even that will be taken away from them now
when it says they will long to die it means that they would have an intense desire to
do so or the other idea is to lust after it so in the same way that they have lusted after
their own pleasures and lusted after their own way and their own will and lusted after
all the sins and debaucheries and everything that God has said don't do that and they said
no forget you God we're going to do it anyways the judgments now being allowed to pour out
of them create a situation so bad where they start to lust after just death just let me
go let me escape from these judgments and the idea is this continual desire to find
death specifically over these five months some read this and what they say is during
this time where these these these locust type demons this this horde of horrific angels
are unleashed on the earth and causing this pain this torment like being stung by a scorpion
people will try to commit suicide to end it and they won't be able to now they won't
be able to is interpreted a couple different ways some think that people are going to try
and commit suicide and even do something that should otherwise take their life but instead
they will continue to live despite the injuries but with the pain i don't know how that is
medically possible but we're dealing in the supernatural now and i've heard people talk
about yeah someone will jump off a building and they won't die and they'll put a gun
to their mouth and they won't die but they'll live with all the pain and the torment others
interpret this is is what's going to happen during this period with these demons stinging
people is that the demons and the torment they're going to drive people to want to kill
themselves but the demons are going to keep preventing people from doing it so in the
moment where someone says okay i'm just going to pull the trigger the demon stings them
again and they're riding on the ground in pain and they're like i just want to do it
and right before they do whatever it is that they're going to try and kill themselves through
the torment the the demons keep stinging them and stinging them and stinging them and just
preventing them from the relief that they're seeking in death we don't know exactly what
this means here but what it says is they will seek death and they won't find it they will
long to die but death will flee from them terrible time terrible time and then verse
twelve tells us the first woe has passed but there are still two more woes to come after
this you mean it's going to get worse it's going to get worse than that yes it is yes
it is the sounding of the fifth trumpet will unleash hell on earth and i believe what it's
doing is bringing people a foretaste of what eternal eternal damnation is going to be like
you want to reject god you want to live for yourself you want to live for your own will
your own way well god has been telling you that that there's going to be judgment for
that there's going to be judgment for that and that judgment is forever in hell and people
are like whatever we don't believe it it's not real i'm going to do whatever i want and
as people are pursuing their own will in their own way we see our world getting more and
more debauched we see our world getting more and more perverse people want to celebrate
yay slavery exists no more while they ignore the the pandemic of sex trafficking people
want to celebrate the victory we could do whatever we want and we've come to a place
of being able to express ourselves sexually and and in all these ways and and ignore the
fact that people are going yeah and so we want to do things with kids and all this disgusting
stuff and our world is just getting darker and darker and darker and and the church has
been in the world this whole time we're in the world this whole time saying god is going
to judge sin but he has offered salvation to you if you would call out to him for it
and sadly some are going to deny that all the way to this point in the tribulation and
if the misery of those five months is so terrible imagine what hell forever will be like that's
what's taking place here and yet many will still refuse to repent still refuse to repent
why well john chapter 3 verse 19 said this this is the judgment the light has come into
the world and people love darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil
mankind wants to live in its sin wants to live contrary to god no matter what and one
of the ways they try and make it easier for themselves to do so is saying the devil's
not real demons aren't real god's not real and the warning we have for them is yes he
is yes they are selfishness greed sexual perversions homosexuality adultery lying stealing on and
on and on and on mankind wants to live its own way according to its own will according
to its own wants and some in our world today even try and create a god of their own imagination
and go no god isn't that way he's this way and if it's contrary to the word of god that
god doesn't exist you have made him up because the word of god is very clear on who god is
and what his will is and what his desire is the holy bible it's the revelation of who
god is and how we are to live according to that and it's about his will his way not ours
and if we disagree with him and his will in his way we're the ones that are wrong not
him because he is god almighty creator of the universe i think god does everything he
can to bring people to the light to bring people to salvation at the end of revelation
chapter eight he sent a creature out to the world shouting whoa whoa whoa to the world
and i believe he does that out of mercy to give people the opportunity to repent to believe
in god to turn their lives over to him to live his will his way because it's the right
way it's the best way but if you choose your will and your way without christ the end will
be suffering it'll be torment it'll be anguish and this might be why the bible gives 600
or so warnings about hell this might be why jesus spoke more about hell than anybody else
in scripture this might be why paul said in second corinthians 5 11 therefore since we
know the fear of the lord we try to persuade people heaven and hell are real god is real
so is the devil angels are real so are demons the devil is a deceiver and a liar and he
wants nothing more to convince you that what god says is sin isn't really sin he wants
nothing more to convince you to keep living in it because well after all there's no consequences
that's what the devil wants so that the end for you will be destruction and torment but
there are at the time of his grace and his long suffering consequences to come when all
of that runs out when his patience comes to an end and when it does his judgment will
pour out on this world if you don't know jesus christ is your lord and savior today you need
to you need to people say no the end isn't coming it's coming i read an article the other
day the world economic forum one of the directors or the leader of the world economic forum
said you know what in a matter of years ai is going to rewrite a bible that is universal
for the whole world sounds like one world religion doesn't it coming from the world
economic forum oh one world economy maybe the end is coming quickly and if you don't
know jesus christ is your lord and savior today is an opportunity for you to know him
before judgment falls let's pray father god we're grateful that we have your word even
these difficult passages lord we're grateful god for the warnings you give us in your word
god those of us that have heard your warnings and been drawn to you and put our faith in
you as our god and received the forgiveness of our sins and the salvation that you grant
to us god we're so grateful that we received that but lord there's still work to do and
you're calling all of us who have received salvation who have seen the light to go out
and share that with the dark world because judgment is coming and lord i pray god that
we would take that call seriously and i know many of us do god and i'm so grateful for
that lord that we would be people who live in the light and share the light teach the
light preach the light god that people would know the love of god the love you want to
offer them in salvation and lord we know it's tough and we know it's difficult and we know
it's hard and lord we know the world doesn't want to hear it because before we were saved
we didn't want to hear it but god someone someway somehow got the message to us lord
may we be vessels for someone else to bring them the message of the gospel lord we know
there's torment and suffering in the world today but it is nothing like what is coming
and if you're in this room today while we're praying heads bowed and eyes closed and the
warning of what is to come is speaking to your heart god is speaking to your heart about
your need for him about your need for salvation god is speaking to you about how you've been
living your life choosing to reject god and do everything about your own self and your
own pleasure and god is speaking to you today you realize that that is wrong that is sin
and without christ judgment is going to fall upon me the spirit of god has spoken that
to you this morning you're in this room i just want you to raise your hand right now
where you're seated and say i want to be forgiven i want to be saved god bless you anybody else
god bless you too god is speaking to your heart he loves you so much he wants to deliver
you from your sin deliver you from the power of sin enable you to live a life that glorifies
god that is good and right he can do that he wants to do that but he'll only do it if
you invite him in anybody else you want to receive christ this morning just raise your
hand where i could see it if you're online obviously i can't see you online but let us
know in the chat there if you want to receive jesus all right i see you too those of you
that raised your hand here in the room those of you online that want to receive christ
i want you to just pray with me right now this is a prayer to just confess your sin
to god to confess your faith in who he is and what he did for you and to invite him
into your life the bible tells us god god's word tells us that that as you come to him
in faith he comes into your life truly and so pray this prayer with me say lord god i
believe in you i believe you are god i believe that i have lived contrary to your way i believe
that what you say is sin is sin and i believe that i have committed sin god i ask you to
forgive me i believe that you came to this earth that you lived on this earth that you
died on the cross that you rose again from the dead dying for my sin paying the penalty
for my sin but granting me new life i believe thank you for loving me so much that you would
do that for me thank you for loving me so much that you would speak into my heart that
you would warn me of judgment to come that you would offer to me forgiveness and salvation
teach me how to live for you teach me how to be who you want me to be and help me learn
how to warn others of the judgment to come i love you thank you in jesus name amen well
god bless you if you prayed that prayer this morning whether you raised your hand or didn't
um we we have these little packets we want to give you it's a gift from us to you it's
called a new believers pack um but it's just something to help you establish this just
the habits of this relationship to get into a habit of reading god's word and prayer and
worship because this is all about a relationship with god it's a relationship you have with
your creator now it's a relationship that has changed your life it will continue to
change your life it is a relationship that is just more important than anything in this
whole earth and you're going to be blessed and so either come forward after service or
go out the back and just ask for a new believers pack and we'd love to give that to you if
you're online and you receive the lord this morning just let us know in chat we'll mail
you out one of these new believers packets because we just want to walk with you this
isn't about joining a religion it's not about joining a church even it's about joining the
family of god and that is what matters that is what changes everything and so guys i i'm
just it's a little tough studying through revelation i'm not going to be uh shy about
it this week because i've been a little bummed all week and i couldn't figure out why i was
like kind of like man i'm a little depressed what's going on you know and then and then
last night i was reflecting on the study and thinking about what's going to happen i was
like i think it's bumming me out but then god spoke to me and he goes you think it bums
you out and i just realized wow there's so many people that don't know him yet i gotta
get some tracks i gotta go i gotta go tell people so that they would have the opportunity
to be saved before judgment falls and so but we're going to keep studying through this
book as tough as it is because god wants us to know about all of it for a purpose and
that purpose is that he would be glorified in our lives that we would see him as king
of all king of glory king of creation king of our lives and that we would be motivated
to be subjects of his people of his to go out and tell the world about him amen amen
god bless you guys