Revelation 9 & 10 –
Chapter Study
Some do and some don’t.
Those
who don’t say it’s cheating.
Those
who do say they read the end so that they don’t have to worry along the way
about what’s going to happen.
A book - sit in a comfy chair
and read.
Bible
- we are in it; a part of its story.
We’re
encouraged to read the ending so that we might be comforted and not worry.
Can be confusing: no context;
just random bits.
So
with out study.
We
need to step back and look at the bigger picture.
Man is the prize.
God
loves us and wants to bring us to Himself - for eternity.
Satan
hates us and wants to ruin us.
We
bear the image of the God he hates - so he lashes out to mar, destroy.
Sin
is his tactic of slash and burn to bring ruin.
But
Satan's reign of terror is limited by
God.
Though
evil is present, it’s kept in check by the gracious hand of God.
We
see the truth of this in the story of Job (Job 1-3).
God
is graciously restraining evil and the ravages of the devil, in spite of
mankind's rejection of God and His grace.
Now - here is an amazing
thing: God honors the choices people make.
If a
person receives Him: He fills them with His love and grace and peace and
promises protection.
But
if a person rejects Him; He honors
that rejection and God owes them nothing.
The time will come when a
Christ-rejecting world will receive the full result of refusing Him.
When
a person rejects God, they reject all He is and does; including His restraint
of evil.
What
we are reading about in the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls is the fruit of
mankind's rejection of God.
1Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen
from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.
The first 4 of 7 have
sounded; they brought judgments on the physical
creation.
This
trumpet announces a supernatural judgment
John sees a star, fallen from
heaven to earth.
Clear
it’s a person “him.”
John
uses “stars” as a word for angels in Rev. 12:4
The
word ‘star’ refers to their heavenly glory.
Job
38:7 – angels are called stars
This angel has fallen (past
tense) - not “falling”
Chief clue - in Isa. 14:12 the question is
asked "How are you fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the
morning?"
This is Satan (Isa. 14:12-15 1 Tim. 3:6 Luke 10:18)
He was given a key to the bottomless
pit.
Key is symbolic of authority (Rev. 1:18)
It’s given to him – meaning he is under
God's control.
Bottomless pit = abusso; abyss
Luke
Luke 8 – Gadarene demoniac
V. 31 "Legion: begged not to be
sent there.
2 Pet. 2:4 & Jude 6 - a place where some especially bad
demons are kept locked up.
Demons who left their proper place.
Crossed boundary God proscribed –
possession.
Why “Legion” in Luke 8 asked not to be sent there.
There’s coming a time when they are going to be let
loose. (Isa.24:21-22 Rev. 9:1,2,11 11:7
20:1,3)
2And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out
of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were
darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3Then out of the smoke
locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of
the earth have power. 4They were commanded not to harm the grass of
the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have
the seal of God on their foreheads. 5And they were not given authority
to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was
like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6In those days
men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death
will flee from them.
John’s description of them
proves they aren’t real locusts -
7The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for
battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were
like the faces of men. 8They had hair like women’s hair, and their
teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9And they had breastplates like
breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of
chariots with many horses running into battle. 10They had tails like
scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt
men five months. 11And 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.
When abyss opened, a great
smoke arises that obscures the light of day.
Then,
out of the smoke come these demonic bugs.
We ought not understand them
to be literal locusts in appearance, but what is locust-like is the way they swarm
and what they do.
Locusts were a terrible
scourge in the
Locusts
are largest of the grasshopper family and have two phases of life: solitary and
communal.
They
become communal when it's very hot and dry.
They go through a
physiological change; get bigger, wings enlarge, head grows.
Then
they swarm: multiply rapidly; their numbers become astronomical!
Been
measured in columns 100 feet wide and 4 miles long
One
swarm in 1889, crossed the
They
devour everything green; including the bark off the trees.
When
they fly, sound like a vast waterfall.
When
they eat, sound like a prairie fire.
Locusts became synonymous
with total devastation in the ancient
That’s what this is – a
judgment from God – but it’s not normal
locusts because they don’t eat what’s green.
They
come to torment those who don’t have the seal of God on their foreheads.
They sting like a scorpion.
[Explain]
This
plague lasts for 5 months.
Everything about this
judgment marks it as supernatural and demonic.
John’s
description of the bugs in vs 7-11 may mean these demons that are set loose
from the abyss take on a physical manifestation, or that they are some kind of
genetic experiment gone haywire.
My view – Genetic mistake.
Plagues
of
Science
& technology trusted & worshipped.
4th
horseman – death by the beasts, plagues, and pestilence.
Genetic
engineering to combat?
Ladybugs
/ aphids.
Ants
in forests.
Killer
bees.
Maybe
here – only gone haywire – then demons possess.
These
are the demons who do that.
In
2 Peter 2 & Jude 6 is says they are reserved in chains of darkness FOR
judgment!
The point is that they bring
great suffering to those who aren’t sealed.
Rev.
7 – 144,000 Jews.
May
be more – Ephesians, all believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit.
This plague lasts for 5
months, which is the lifespan of a locust – so this may be a sign these are
indeed some kind of genetically
engineered pest.
Torment they inflict so
great, people will try to kill themselves – but death will take a holiday at
this time.
It
will elude them - suicide attempts will be unsuccessful!
Death a manifestation of God’s grace!
Release
from pain!
Not
at this time.
One
more manifestation of His grace God removes to confront man with how foolish it
is to reject God.
V. 11 clinches the identity
of these locusts –
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.
These locusts are not natural
for Proverbs 30:27 says natural locusts have no leader, no king
These
do - their leader is the angel of the abyss.
In
Rev. 20:3, THE angel of the abyss is Satan.
Here he’s given the title of Abaddon
& Apollyon = “Destroyer”
A fitting
name for the devil as Jesus says in John 10 – the devil comes to steal, kill,
and destroy.
12One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are
coming after these things.
First 4 trumpets were bad. 5th
terrifying. 2 more coming . . .
13Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from
the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14saying to
the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at
the great river
When the 6th trumpet sounds,
John hears a voice from the golden altar of incense we read about in ch. 8.
A
command is given to release the 4 angels bound at the
Holy
angels are never bound so we know these are fallen angels – demons.
They are bound at the River
Euphrates, which closely associated with
These demons were bound for a
set time, and that time has now come.
Everything
happens according to God’s perfect timing.
When they’re released, they
go forth to kill 1/3 of humanity.
Add
this to the ¼ of the world’s population that has already been killed in 4
horsemen of ch. 6, means that the earth has been reduced to ½ it’s population
in about 4 yrs.
And
that’s not including those who have died from the other seals and trumpets.
6
billion now – down to 2½ to 3 billion!
Food
production / social services!
These 4 angels accomplish
their killing spree through the use of an army.
Is this a literal army or
another plague of demons?
John
hears the number – 200 million; seems to imply a literal military force.
Also,
the description of them, while just as wild and unnerving as that for the
locusts, sounds a bit more literal.
In John’s day, there were
probably not 200 million alive on earth!
At
peak strength, the combined forces of the Axis and Allies during WWII was only
70 million.
And
yet a few years ago, the premier of
Interesting
he should chose that number!
If John is attempting to describe
a modern army with modern weapons, we can understand why his description is
stretched.
He
seems more interested in the mounts of the army than with the men who comprise
it.
These
mounts are what are responsible for the lethality of the army.
They
expel fire, smoke, brimstone (burning sulphur)
Chemical
weapons?
We hear a lot about chemical
weapons today.
Modern
chemical weapons are terrible.
Blister
agents: now much worse
Blood
agents: hydrogen cyanide
Enter
blood and block energy creating enzyme - die of exhaustion within hours
Nerve
agents: soman & VX
Odorless
and colorless; can be breathed or absorbed through skin.
Impair
nerve functions in muscles.
Acetylcholine;
causes contractions of muscles - Cholinesterase;
breaks down acetylcholine.
Nerve
agents block cholinesterase - muscles contract but don't relax; lungs, heart, limbs.
From what we see here and
will see in ch. 16, demons are released who prepare way for the armies of the
east to come to the scene of the end events.
As
they make their way toward the
One would think with the 5th
& 6th trumpet judgments, humanity would repent.
But
these judgments don’t lead to repentance.
They
prove to be merely punitive on rebel man.
20But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these
plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not
worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can
neither see nor hear nor walk. 21And they did not repent of their
murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
6 sins mentioned.
Interesting
because they give us a glimpse of where people's heads will be at.
As
we consider them, see if they don't sound a lot like what is happening today.
#1 They worship demons.
Jesus
and Paul both tells us that the Tribulation will be a time of widespread
religious deception.
Above
all, what satan wants is worship.
He
will use the career of the antichrist and the many false prophets to spread
religious deception and promote the worship of the demonic.
The
current growing interest in New Age spirituality is a set up for this.
#2 They worship idols of
gold, silver, brass, stone, wood.
Modern
man too sophisticated to worship carved images but not too sophisticated to
worship wealth, power and possessions.
During
the Tribulation, materialism will take over and people will sell their souls
for personal gain of worldly luxury.
#3 They are murderers.
The
value of human life will reach an all time low.
If
someone gets in their way or hinders their pursuit of happiness they’re fair
game to be offed.
We
see the seeds of this already at work in abortion, infanticide, euthanasia
#4 They are sorcerers.
Pharmakeia;
pharmacy - drugs
Ddrugs/sorcery,
witchcraft = synonymous in ancient world - drugs used to enter an altered
state.
Demons
would come and offer hidden wisdom
Tis
happened in our time with the hippie movement - hallucinogens; mescaline, LSD.
Spirit beings came and imparted wisdom.
When
sober, realized Eastern religions taught the same things - door was opened to
the East.
Tis
was the birth of the New Age; Western form of Hinduism.
Drugs
continue to be a problem as we all well know.
#5 They are sexually immoral.
Doesn't
take much explanation
#6 They are thieves.
When
the value of human life has been so degraded as it will be at this time, then
the rights of personal property slide with it.
This will be a period in
which the world will actually work at breaking all 10 of the Ten Commandments!
1I saw still another mighty angel coming down from
heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was
like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2He had a little
book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left
foot on the land, 3and cried with a loud voice, as when
a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4Now
when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard
a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders
uttered, and do not write them.”
5The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the
land raised up his hand to heaven 6and swore by Him who lives
forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth
and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that
there should be delay no longer, 7but in the days of the sounding of
the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished,
as He declared to His servants the prophets.
There’s another interlude
between 6th and 7th trumpet, just as there was one between the 6th
& 7th seal.
John sees a mighty angel
descend from heaven and when he speaks, it thunders.
He
starts to write what he heard but is told not to.
Why then is this
included? Why does John tell us this?
Probably
to remind us that we don't know everything.
It's easy to become fond of our interpretations of prophecy.
We
can guard them like pit bulls guarding a bone.
This
passage reminds us we don't know everything.
We need to hold our ideas
with a sense of humility and a willingness to be corrected and taught.
The way John describes this
angel, many bible students have wondered if this might be no one less than
Jesus Christ.
He
comes in a cloud – he has a rainbow around him like the rainbow around the
throne of God.
His
face shines like the sun, as Jesus’s face did in chapter 1.
His
legs and feet shone like Jesus’s did in ch. 1 . . .
Either
this is Jesus, or this is an angel who’s spent so much time in His presence,
he’s taken on some of the Lord’s appearance, just as Moses’ face shone with the
glory of God when he descended from mount Sinai.
Paul
says in 2 Cor. that as we spend time with the Lord, we too are transformed into
the same glory.
This angel takes a position
on earth that covers both the sea and the land, and in His hand is a book.
In
light of what follows this is a picture of the Lord coming to establish His
rule on Earth as the Scriptures have foretold.
The angel announced there
would be no more delay. The time had come to bring all things to an end.
The mystery of God in v. 7 is
that which has been hidden from the eyes of sinful man but declared by God to
the prophets.
The
8Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me
again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the
angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”
9So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the
little book.”
And he said to me, “Take and
eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey
in your mouth.”
10Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand
and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it,
my stomach became bitter. 11And he said to me, “You must prophesy
again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
John is told to take the
little open book from the angel’s hand and eat it.
It
tastes sweet but turns bitter and gives him heartburn.
There has been much debate
about what the book is.
I
think it is this prophecy of John's – the Book of Revelation.
Here's
why -
As
the Revelation of Jesus, it’s sweet!
We
see satan defeated.
We
see the
As
a book of judgment, its hard to take.
Finally, John is told he would
have to prophecy about more.
His
visions are not over yet. There's more
to come.
Indeed, John will now be
given some visions of the future which don’t fit into the chronology the book
has followed so far.
But that will have to wait
for our next study.