Revelation 9![]() The world must make a choice: life or death. As a believer, are you offering them the gift of life in Jesus Christ? Are you sharing the reason for your hope? “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:19–20 (ESV)” In describing the torment and destruction on Revelation 9, Dr. Tony Evans writes in His study Bible, “The star is not an inanimate object but has a personal identity, for John says a key was given to him. Specifically, the star represents Satan. In Isaiah 14:12, the prophet says the “shining morning star” had “fallen from the heavens.” The subsequent description of that star in Isaiah 14:12–14 has led many Bible interpreters to conclude that the passage is describing Satan, in addition to its reference to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In other words, Isaiah spoke of Satan’s original fall into rebellion and applied it to Babylon’s prideful king... Just as a key grants access to a jail, this key grants Satan access to the shaft to the abyss. The abyss is the abode of demons. During the tribulation, Satan will be granted authority to unlock it. A principle illustrated in this verse is that Satan only has as much authority as God grants him. Nowhere in Scripture is that principle more prominently displayed than in Job 1:12 and 2:6, in which Satan cannot harm Job without God’s permission. But what the devil intends for evil, God intends for good.” “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. 7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. 12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.” Revelation 9:1–12 (ESV) This passage marks a departure from the activity of normal locusts, which eat grass, plants, and trees. But as indicated by their origin in the abode of demons, these “locusts” are demonic. The seal represents God’s divine protection of believers. These demons will have to leave followers of Jesus alone. Unbelievers will be forced to live through a period of prolonged demonic suffering intended for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior. This description emphasizes the ferociousness of the locusts and their intimidating looks. In the Old Testament, locusts were instruments of judgment, as in the eighth plague God brought upon the Egyptians. The placement of something like golden crowns … on their heads signifies authority—in this case, authority from hell. Dr. Evans writes, “The angel of the abyss, the Hebrew name Abaddon, and the Greek name Apollyon are references to Satan. He is directing the entire locust attack.” “Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Revelation 9:13–21 (ESV) The deaths noted here, combined with the fourth of the earth killed in 6:8, bring the death total during the first three and a half years of the tribulation to more than half of the world’s population. “Dr. Tony Evans also writes, “This is a picture of utterly hardened hearts. Already, technology could allow every human on the planet to witness these catastrophic judgments; and as 6:16–17 explained, all will know that God is the source of them. Yet most men and women won’t repent. The anti-God movement in America today is a harbinger of this tragic reality.” “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” Romans 1:21–25 (ESV) Those consequences come in the form of passive wrath during the church age, in which God’s hand of restraint and protection are removed. But during the tribulation period, His wrath will be active. Warren Wiersbe writes in His Word Commentary, “The world will not come to the altar for forgiveness, so the altar sends forth judgment. Heaven and earth are struck as the trumpets sound, and the bottomless pit belches out demonic creatures to torment mankind. Rather than repent, people will try to commit suicide; but they will not be able to die. They will continue in their sins: occult practices, murder, immorality, and thievery, all of which sound very contemporary.” At the right time, and torment will be replaced by death. Men want to die, so God will send His servants to do the job. One-third of mankind will be killed, which means that half of the world’s population is now dead! Dr. Harold Wilmington writes in His Bible Handbook, “If the unbelievers of Tribulation times seem callous and unrepentant, one need only remember other historic examples of unbelief: •the pre-Flood people, all but eight of whom were destroyed (see 1 Pet. 3:20) •Sodom, where not even 10 were righteous (see Gen. 18:32) •the Exodus Israelites, all but two of whom died for unbelief (see Num. 14:29–30) •the Canaanites, destroyed for their sin (see Deut. 9:4) •Israel, destroyed for disobedience (see 2 Kings 17:7–23; 2 Chron. 36:14–16) •the Jewish majority that rejected Christ (see Acts 7:51–53) Note the similarities of John’s and Isaiah’s contemptuous descriptions of idol worship. (Isa. 44:6–28). It has been estimated that the army of 200 million would, in human terms, occupy an area of 100 square miles. The Euphrates River valley, land of Babylon, is where evil began on earth (Gen. 3), where false religion began (Gen. 4:3; 11:1–9), and where false religion will meet its end." This is one of the most terrifying chapters in scripture. Obviously, this torment and gruesome death does not apply to those in relationship with Jesus, the Son of God. Are you in a relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you repented of your sin and chosen to follow the One who was born to bear the sin of the world? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross of calvary to pay for your sin debt? Do you believe that His rose from the tomb by the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you believe that He ascended to Heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father? Will you, if you haven’t already, accept His salvation by faithfully trusting in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Will you surrender to follow Him by faith, as He is merciful, gracious, and longsuffering up to this point? Today, reach out to those around you to help them understand the severity of their consequences; but even more the love of God who is long-suffering.
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Shan SmithJesus follower, Husband, Father, ISU-FCA Area Rep, NationsofCoaches Character Coach, TH Rex Chaplain Archives
January 2024
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