2024 March 10th, Sunday Morning Service

God's word speaks his truth to us. This morning. We're going to open Revelation chapter 9. As we approach the serious and scary passage. We need to remember that in a very real sense. We are being taken Back to the Future back to the Book of Revelation written in the first century, which takes us into the future. We find ourselves arriving in a. Of time yet to come a future time called the tribulation. We are seeing the very event to take place in what is known as the day of the Lord the day when the Lord comes and final Fury destroying the ungodly in the work of Satan and his demons setting up his kingdom where he will reign on Earth for a thousand years that is followed by the new heavens and a new Earth. We are going to be looking at the fifth trumpet judgment you remember there are seven seals which unfold the seven-year period within that seventh seal seventh seal. There are seven trumpet judgments and then within that final seventh trumpet, there will be seven more jump judgments called the seven Bowl judgments. The Apostle John who was seeing these visions and receiving the Revelation isn't in Exile on the island of Patmos for preaching the Good News. And God is giving him some spectacular visions of the future when the wrath of God will fall in the Lord. Jesus Christ will take back his Universe from Satan and from sin. There is one scroll sealed seven times and each time a seal is opened another judgment event hits when we hit the Sixth Seal back in chapter 6 we entered into the day of the Lord then we came to the seventh seal in chapter eight and in it are the seven trumpets and the final trumpet the seven bowls. Last time we looked at the first four trumpets and you will remember that the first trumpet was judgement on the land and the second was judgement on the C. The third was judgement on the fresh waters and the fourth was judgement on the heavenly bodies. The judgment on the land was fierce and destroyed a third of the trees and shrubs and all of the green grass. The judgment on the sea was like a mountain catapulting out of space to hit the waters and devastated to see killing a third of what was in it and destroying a third of the ships. Then the judgement on the fresh water was a judgment that resulted in death because man can't live without fresh water and then more collapsing sky as frightening as those were and is terrorizing as they were there only a preliminary to the fierce in judgment that comes in the fifth trumpet for Millennia. The heavens had declared the glory of God and is shown forth his handiwork. And now the heavens are declaring his wrath when you come to the end of those first four trumpets. Heaven is unraveling as you coming to chapter 9 the focus changes from Heaven to Hell. Whatever Heaven could do to devastate the Earth is nothing like what he'll can do. Revelation 8 verse 13 provides a transition for us then I looked and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven saying with the loud voice whoa, whoa whoa to those who live on the earth because of the remaining Blast Of The Trumpet of the Three Angels who are about to sound. We've already heard four and John looks again and here comes an eagle and this Eagle can speak and he says with a loud voice whoa, whoa. Whoa that word means damnation judgment and execution woe to those who live on the earth. That's a very important phrase. It's used in chapter 3 6 8 11 13 and 17 is a technical term for unbelieving people woe to those unbelievers on Earth because of the remaining Blast Of The Trumpet of the Three Angels who are about to sound Why is this eagle flying through Heaven saying this I believe the warning is Mercy, I believe God is warning people that they still have time to turn to repent and to believe to be saved before the next judgment comes Ezekiel 33 Levinson save them as I live declares the Lord God. I take no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live turn back turn back your evil ways. I suppose that's why there are over six hundred warnings in scripture about hell. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance is always eager to warn the lost about judgment to come and even in the midst of activities of judgment in the day of the Lord itself. There is warning the rising Crescendo judgment on the earth now introduces the final three woes the consummate the final seal the final expression of God's Wrath in part yet to be followed by 1/6 and 1/7 and 7 Bowl judgments before Christ takes the Earth. There's still time to more trumpets and the last one including all the Bulls. There's still a little time if they can make it through this one. It seems as though they are fixed in their hardness the first for trumpets involve the devastation of physical nature and I was fascinated in the study of that particularly against the backdrop of the environmental cult that exist today people have had a false Security in the idea that everything is always going to continue the same from the beginning. The day is coming. However when the already unpredictable elements of nature will become Earth's Destroyer. And the Earth is going to yield to the fact of the catastrophe just like it did in the flood what they take for granted about. The stability of the universe is going to come apart, but that's really nothing compared to the frightening reality of this fifth trumpet. Revelation 9 verses 1 through 11 Then the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star from Heaven which has fallen to the earth and the key to the shaft of the Abyss was given to him. He opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke a send it out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace and the Sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft then out of the smoke came Locust and palm your Earth and power was given to them as the Scorpions of the Earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree but only the people who do not have the Seal of God on their foreheads and they were not permitted to kill anyone but to torment for 5 months and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person and in those days will seek death and will not find it they will long to die and death will flee from them. The appearance of the Locust was like horses prepared for battle and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold and their faces were like human faces. They had hair like the care of women and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron and the sound of their wings was like the sound of Chariots as many horses rushing the battle. They have tails like scorpions and stings and in their tails as their power to hurt people for 5 months they have as king over there any Angel of the Abyss his name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in the Greek, he has the name of pulley on here's the frightening fifth trumpet first. There is a pit unlocked verse 1 says then the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star from Heaven which fall into the Earth and the key to the shaft of the Abyss was given to him. We've all seen our star share falling stars people living in this time. We'll have seen some the likes of which we have never seen but this is not a star like any of those Stars. This is a different star because it says about this star that the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. This is a star from the spiritual Dimension this star it says which had fallen to the Earth. This is a falling star falling already with ongoing results. The fall is in the past with continuing reality. Who is this falling star? Me ask you Satan the Daystar the son of the morning who fell Isaiah describes. The fall of Lucifer says in Isaiah 14 12 through 15 how you have fallen from Heaven you starve the morning, son of the Dawn you have been cut down to earth you who defeated the nation's what you said in your heart. I will Ascend to Heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God and I will sit on the Mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will Ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high nevertheless you will be brought down to sheol to the recesses of the pit. That's describing the fall of Satan. He is an already fallen star in Luke. 10:18. Jesus says and he said to them I watched Satan fall from Heaven like lightning here is Satan the Fallen one identified Revelations 12 verse 10. Do you have a picture of a battle going on sometime during the tribulation? There is a war in heaven Michael and his angels Waging War With The Dragon we know who the dragon is because verse 9 tells us the dragon is Satan deceives the world but they're having war with the dragon and the dragon his and his angels waged War. They were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven and the Great Dragon was thrown down. The Serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world he was thrown down to the Earth and his angels were thrown down with him. This is the second time because back in verse for it tells us about an earlier time when he was thrown down and with his tail, he's Swept Away a third of the stars in heaven the first time Satan fell if third of the Demons went with him Down in verses 79 we find him thrown down a second time. And what does that mean? The first time he was thrown out of the presence of God. He was defiled he hit send and all those who send with him in the Rebellion were thrown out of heaven. But since that time Satan has had access to go back. If you question that you only need to remember Joe been 1:8 and comes before the Throne of God to accuse Saints and he's still doing it verse 10. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down the one who accuses them before our God day and night. Since Satan was thrown out as a permanent occupant he is gone back as a visitor and apparently so of his demons and they have had some access to God and here we find them thrown out of Heaven again this time Michael and his angels Waging War and they are too strong for the dragon and his angels of the dragon and all the demons with him are now thrown down to earth and this I believe happens in the time of the tribulation what that tells us is that not all of the demons are on earth. Satan isn't even on Earth all the time. And if he's up there accusing the Brethren he is not on the present, but at some point in the time of tribulation all those demons in the are engaged in the war with the Holy Angels and Satan himself are thrown to the Earth so that the number of demons on the earth is multiplied. So Satan has given the key and thrown to the Earth. And so there is a great force of demon power in the world than ever has been before and that's what makes the Great Tribulation such a Great Tribulation. If we have to wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies and the battle is as formidable as it is, what's it going to be? Like when the number of them is Multiplied because they're thrown out of heaven. And God says, all right. You want to have your dad in the world? You've got all the demons now on Earth and are even more and I'm going to give you the key to let the rest of them. And so the Lord gives him the key of the bottomless pit. Why because I'm in that pit. There are more demons God at his own discretion. That's shows some true history to incarcerate certain demons. I don't know all the criteria for that. We have some references to it. Peter 2:4 says that God did not spare the Angels who send the cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of Darkness to be reserved for judgment some demons move in the heavens and conflict with Holy Angels some demons moving the Earth among men and some demons are incarcerated in the pit. They're imprisoned what Peter tells us is that there have been fallen angels and because of the nature of their iniquity and their wickedness and their sin the Lord has taken them and plunged them down incarcerating them in Chains in this pit down below the lowest hell, And there's they're reserved for judgment and what kind of demons get thrown into this place. All I can say is it it must be the worst. Look at Jude's 6 and 7 and the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own Abode. He is reserved and everlasting chains under Darkness for the Judgment of the great day as Sodom and Gomorrah in the cities around them in similar manner to these have given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh are set forth as an example suffering the Vengeance of Eternal fire. Now we know that some of the beans that have been sent down. There are there for good the chains are Eternal and unbreakable. What did they do? Well, they abandon their proper Domaine. They stepped out of their proper realm what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah homosexuality were men left their proper realm and domain of relationships with women and went after men and somehow there are some angels that left the domain of Fallen Angels demons and entered into another domain and it says in verse 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah and the perversion of homosexuality these demons indulged in Gross immorality and went after strange flesh. You know what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah man tried to have sex with angels. Do you know what Jude is saying? There was a time when demons tried to have sex with women. It is described in Genesis 6 when the sons of God when after the daughters of men the result was monsters in the world that God had to drown in the Universal flow and I believe that those are some of the demons that the Lord set of sins so violently that he put them in the pit. Look at 1st Peter 3 and I want you to understand this. So just a little bunny trail 1st Peter 3 18 and 19. It talks about Christ died. And now his body was dead versus 18 and 19 says that he was being put to death in the flesh but made a live by the Spirit by whom also he went and preach to the spirits in prison who formerly were disobedient. So in his Spirit was alive he preached to the spirits in prison, that's interesting, you know, all those neat demons down there the ones that got there because they send and Genesis 6 and other demons that have been sent down there. How do you know there are more Luke 831 when Jesus cast out all those demons out and they begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss. Even the demons don't want to go there they want to be free to do their wickedness. So they must have known that God was in the habit of sending demons down there that it isn't just those who sinned in Genesis 6, it was not just them but others that God at his own will and discretion would Through the Ages send into that pit as a holding place to keep them there because they were so filthy and so vile until the final day of judgment when they're thrown into the Lake of Fire. So to sum up you have demons in the air you have demons on the earth and you have this massive demons. However, many there maybe that have been added from the original group. Now you have a little bit of understanding what's going to happen in the world in Revelation 9. Let's go back to it. When it says the star from Heaven who had fallen who was Satan was given the key to the abyss to open the shaft and let all the demons out sin is going to run its final course. Satan is going to be able to have his entire force amassed. Now the key is the authority anytime you see a key its Authority if you have a key you have the authority because you can open and close the key doesn't belong to this Angel. Who does it belong to Christ says I am the one who lives forever more and I have the keys of death and Hades, but he takes the key if he gives it to Satan giving him temporary authority to open the pit and let all the demons loose. That's why we say chapter 9 is Hell on Earth. Let's look at versus two and three. How do you open the bottomless pit and smoke a rose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace? So the sun and the air were dark and because of the smoke in the pit then out of the smoke locusts Came Upon the earth into them was given power as a scorpions of the Earth have power one writer says quote fixture what the world would be like if we were to open the doors of all the penitentiary is of Earth and set free the world's most vicious and violent criminals giving them full rein to do what they do best. Something worse than that lies in store for the world Satan cast out of Heaven is now permitted to summon to his and the most diabolical fiends in the best to act as his agents in bringing mankind to the footstool of the Beast and quote.

The verse says that when the pit was opened smoke went up out of the pit. Now remember this is graphic language. This is meant to express things that are really inexpressible think the spiritual tone of it is it's hell belching out its corruption. It is the vile filth of the worst of the Demons incarcerated in the pit lot loose demonic oppression comes roaring out of the heart of the earth pushed out by infernal heat and pressure John writes that it's like the smoke of a great Fern billowing smoke again. I'm sure the cleaner people are going to be very distressed by all this and air quality management is going to be an utter chaos. This is going to be pollution that makes the largest fire in the deepest smog seem like pure air. Everything the save the Earth crowd is concerned about has been affected the land the plants the animals the Sea and the sky has been affected and now the air polluted Beyond anybody's wildest imagination with the foot of the deepest hell billowing up. That's the scene in the first two verses of the pit unlocked. So let's look at the second point the power that is Unleashed in the very heart of that belching black smoke verse 3 says then out of the smoke locusts Came Upon the Earth and to them was given power is the Scorpions of the Earth have power. Have you ever seen the Billow Cloud that comes from Atomic blast or something like a volcanic eruption the covers the whole world a strange and panic generating Blackness the fills the sky and stifles the world's breathing. And it blocks out whatever is left of the sun and the moon and the stars in the sky and then the middle of it comes something like Locust ordinary Locust plagues are unimaginable locusts end of the Earth and such thick masses that they can literally make it look like night in the middle of the day. They can blot out the sky the worst Locust plague in modern times struck the Middle East in 1951 and 1952. They tell us every green and growing thing was devoured across hundreds of thousands of square miles and they ate it right down to the bare ground. But as bad as that is with real insects. These are not real insects. Chapter 9 verses 7 through 10 the 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. They have hair like women's hair and their teeth were like lions teeth and 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. They have tails like scorpions and they were stings in their tails their power was to hurt man 5 months. These are some kind of special Locust what is fascinating about this is that concept of locusts is taken from the Blackness of the cloud and the devastation. These are demons since Satan can't create anything when they're finally released as Spirit beings. God must give them some form and what they do is Supernatural and it's not just swarming desolation. These are locust from hell and they're not insects. The power was given to them like the Scorpions of the Earth have power. They have the ability to create pain remember now, they've been pent up for a long time. They've been wanting to get it God and it man for a long time and they have the power to inflict excruciating pain on the inhabitants of the world suffering caused by these demons is compared to that of a scorpion sting. This insect is one of the most malignant that lives and its sting is perhaps the most agonizing that any animal can inflict on the human body in in tropical countries small children frequently died from the sting of a scorpion interesting Lee the physiological response to a scorpion sting is similar to that which has been observed in many cases of demon possession. Read that when someone is stung by a scorpion and gets the full blast of their poison. They will roll on the ground in agony foam at the mouth and grind their teeth and pain not unlike some of the demon possessed people that we read about in the Gospels. These are worse than any physical Locust or any physical scorpions. They are going to fly wherever they want. They're going to be swarming demons from hell and they're going to come into the very bodies of people and they're going to torment them. They're going to keep it up for 5 months without relief. Not remember by this time the world has experienced a lot by now. They will have known the tribulation Believers have preached the gospel all over the world and died as Martyrs for it. Summer still alive preaching they will know that among the Jews. There are 140,000 144,000 evangelists and there are two Mighty miracle-working preachers and there is an angel preaching the gospel. They will have heard the gospel. Perhaps repeatedly, they will have seen the collapse of the false World Peace the devastations of War natural disasters famines plagues the reign of terror by the Antichrist the collapse of the heavens the devastation of the earth and now this massive worldwide demon oppression and torment Henry Morris rights. God allows them to experience a little direct fellowship with the future roommates in the Lake of Fire.

You would think in the midst of this they would cry out for Redemption. Verse for says they were told not to hurt the grass of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only people who do not have the Seal of God on their foreheads. What does that tell us? First of all, it tells us grass is growing back because the grass was all destroyed and chapter 8, there's been some time and there's a little recovery in the world but these locusts or told don't eat grass. Just go after people real Locust feet on green things. These are Demi demons. So they leave the grass alone and the two-thirds of the trees that are left in the Bible is so pretty precise about that and they only go after the men who do not have the Seal of God on their foreheads. They go after people and whatever they do them is horrifyingly painful. the torment is terrorizing and I'll show you how we know it's terrorizing but they can't touch people who have the Seal of God on their foreheads 2nd Timothy 2:19, nevertheless, the Firm Foundation of God stands having this seal the Lord knows those who are his I don't think it's stretching the point to assume that God's not going to allow these demons to terrorize Believers back in Revelations. 312. It tells us the one who overcomes I will write on him the name of my God and over in revelation 22 for they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. He identifies them. They're marked out in these demons can't touch them. So caught God puts it very clear limitations on who they are allowed to attack many Saints will have been killed by then murdered died and some of the natural disasters the Gods Not About to assault them with demons out of the pit. They'll be marked and so the extent of their damage is limited and it says that they will only be able to deal with those who don't have God's seal. Then notice the first five and they were not permitted to kill anyone but to torment them for five months. That means the demons can kill. If God doesn't prevent them. It shouldn't surprise you since Satan is the one who has the power of death people can kill and demons are mightier than people. I think they come out of the pit and kill everybody if they could and again, I see mercy here because during the five months of Torment, there's opportunities to repent people are going to wish they were dead. They won't be able to die. God extends more opportunity for them to believe that's amazing grace and astounding patience. 5 months is a normal life of a locust. They live from May to September. These are demon Lucas's but are going to have the career of insect Locust has by the way, that's the very duration of the flood waters in the day of Noah. God is going to give them five months to repent their torment. It says here is like the sting of a scorpion when it stings a man. It isn't that it's like that and you're going to see the word like a lot. It's a spiritual pain not a physical one. It's all the filth and vileness of a demon Unleashed within a man and it is so bad verse 6 says and in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die and death will flee from them death takes a holiday. Again. This is judgement with Mercy it also severe judgment to those who don't repent there is no relief. There's no way out during the five months people will attempt suicide. It says that they just won't die. This again has a ton of Grace. Doesn't it? All the while gospel preaching is going on. Will it drive some to Christ surely, but those who can make it through this according to the next trumpet as I read to you indicates that they're not going to repent at all. There's no tomorrow for them. No. Hope the Earth they love and worship has been devastated. Everybody on the face of the earth is in excruciating Agony their thoughts or is vile and wicked and wretched as they can be in only by The Sovereign Grace of God. Could anyone repent in that condition? There's nothing good left and worst of all, they know there is no future no hope and they just want to die can't live without hope and here hope dies and people want death. Let's look at the third Point very quickly the appearance unveiled. Does versus seven and eight the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold and their faces were like human faces. They had hair like the hair of women and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. These are exaggerated features of these locusts and they describe a locust that nobody has ever seen John and his vision sees them as some kind of a formidable spiritual Army you'll notice like or as used nine times. So this is the description that is an attempt to describe them as if they were like locusts their appearance was like horses prepared for battle their warlike and they are armed and their powerful they're bent on destruction their heads our crowd like gold. This is shining and Sovereign they have the Victor's Crown they are invincible. There's no cure for the sting. They are dominant their faces were like the faces of men. They are intelligent beings. They have hair like women perhaps their seduction their brain ability and some of these things parallel the way a locust looks for example, Jeremiah refers to Locust is having bristles kind of like hair but their teeth are like the teeth of lions Fierce and powerful and deadly verses 9 and 10. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron and the sound of their wings was like the sound of Chariots and many horses rushing to battle. They have tails like scorpions and stings and then their tails has the power to hurt people for 5 months. They are inescapable. There's no place for Refuge there fast their mobile. Nothing can stop them. It's like the Holy Spirit wants to say that again. Just so everybody remembers it it's the third time. He said it they have one purpose give pain Boards of demonic spirits in the millions with forms prepared somehow by God in this Vision to show John what a frightening and horrible and terrorizing thing. This is that demons possess the bodies of the unregenerate and work in them and they do it for just five months then what happens to them? Revelation 20 says the angel the one who had the key to the abyss comes down from heaven this time. Another Angel has the key. He's got a chain. He gets 8 binds him for a thousand years and throws him in the pit. And I believe with him go all his forces and finally at the very end of the Millennium. They are cast into the Lake of Fire the pit unlocked the power unleashed the appearance unveiled. And one very brief Point verse 11 they have as king over them. The angel of the Abyss is named Annie Hebrew is Abaddon in in Greek. He has the name epoleon. They have a king over them. And why is that interesting? Cuz Proverbs 30-27 says the Locust have no King yet. All of them go out and ranks the point being you can't wipe out a locust swarm by killing the King. They don't have one. Nobody can figure out where the brain power is in a locust swarm. So when it says they have a king that's the spirits way of saying they are not insects. This is not describing some historical event in the past. These locusts have a king it even tells us his name. He's the angel of the Abyss. He's head over the pit. Some people think it's Satan and it could be Satan is the prince in the power of the are not the king of the pit Satan's running loose all over everywhere. He's up in heaven at the Throne of God not managing Affairs in the pit. It well could be some exalted Angel who from being in the very presence of God has now become the guy in charge of the pit the chief of the imprisoned demons. It tells us his name in Hebrew is Abaddon in Greek apollyon and both of them mean Destroyer joke, 26-6 says Shole is naked before him and Abaddon has no covering their again. Abaddon has is associated with sheol just the grave. Hell or Hades the pit. So perhaps is best to see this is some Fallen demon in charge of the pit who leads his troops out. His name is Destroyer. The devastating destruction is Unthinkable, but this is what awaits man who rejects Christ. Why would anyone go through this and continue to reject and the answer comes back as clearly as it was written originally in the Gospel of John it is because men loved Darkness rather than light for their deeds are evil. They love their sin even to death And God mercifully keeps saying Turn Turn. Why will you die? Then verse 12 says the first one was passed behold to woes are still coming after these things. Let's pray.

father God you have shown us. Things that create fear in the horrible things prepared for those who reject you. And this is but a taste of hell. If it's this bad on Earth, what will it be like in Hell? Open the hearts of those who do not know the Savior that they may escape the Terrors of your judgment. And Lord help us to stand and preach the Judgment that men may know how desperately they need to escape. Give us opportunities. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Thank you, and you are dismissed.