Revelation 9v1-21
Notes
Transcript
Friends if you are able - please stand for the reading of Scripture. Today we read from Revelation 9:1-21
Revelation 9:1–21 (CSB)
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. 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. Then locusts came out of the smoke on to 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 people who do not have God’s 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. In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
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 lions’ teeth; they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots with horses rushing into battle; and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months. They had as their king the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come after this.
The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the golden altar that is before God, I heard a voice say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. The number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads that inflict injury.
The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
Please pray with me. pray
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I love epic stories. Especially ones about good versus evil. Narnia. Star Wars. There are many - but a great one that has stood the test of time is the Lord of the Rings. The Movies came out a number of years ago already - but they still hold up great.
Tolkien, the author, was a devout christian, and while he rejected any suggestion that the Lord of The Rings was an allegory, he nonetheless admitted that it was decidedly christian and contained numerous Biblical themes. And That’s an understatement, really.
One scene that didn’t make it from the book into the movies is called the Scouring of the Shire. It takes place at the very end of the trilogy - it’s in fact the penultimate chapter. But after all of the events in Mordor and the destruction of the ring, the hobbits of the fellowship, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippen finally return home to the shire. However they discover that it is now being controlled and under the control of Saruman in disguise. The enemy had destroyed a lot of the shire, felling a great number of trees, destroying homes, and introducing spewing machinery which poisons the air and water.
The fellowship hobbits then get the rest of the shire-folk to come to arms, and the lead the group to a victory in the Battle of Bywater.
That this scene wasn’t contained in the movies is a bit strange, though perhaps not surprising - as it can feel a bit anticlimactic that after the destruction of Sauron, that evil still clings on. But that was the point I believe Tolkien was trying to communicate.
Even after Jesus victory on the cross - where Satan and the powers have been disgraced and disarmed, the enemy still clings and claws for any scrape of territory they can. And evil doesn’t go away easily.
In Revelation - especially this chapter - we see that God will use a hard love to do everything possible to restore order, and bring people to repentance. Dwyer writes:
“God cannot and will not let things run on forever stolen from the lamb.” Tim Dwyer; Revelation
And so we need to remember that our job is faithfulness. To ensure we have ears to hear. And to prayerfully work with God to make sure we do not fall into the hardness that leads people to choose pain over repentance. And we are called to invite others into the way of life - that is the way of Jesus. After all - The earth is Gods. And there is coming a day where all evil will be stomped out.
Today we are in Revelation 9 and, I mean we read it, it’s… a lot. IT’s one of those chapters that can make our eyes either glaze over cause it’s soo bizarre we don’t know what to do with it, or we can get so obsessed with speculating about potential future things that I think we can miss a key hermeneutic for all of Revelation.
The goal of all prophecy and especially revelation is transformation, not speculation.
The goal is transformation not speculation.
The goal is transformation not speculation.
The goal is for God to use these words to shape with us a cross shaped heart. That we would have a Cruciform Hope.
Because again - remember to whom this book was written. Remember to whom John first received these prophetic visions for. Yes ultimately for us as well, but originally for the churches in Asia Minor living at the end of the first century. So we need to be sober minder and responsible as we move into some of these texts. There are many books that use the passages we are going to enter into and read into the text.
They suggest things apache helicopters, armored tanks, flame throwers. While there may be some value is using more modern examples of devastation to make the images fresh - typically these speculations end up just causing more questions, fear, and more speculation rather than forming in us the type of hope that Jesus is trying to form in us.
We need to ask - what was Jesus trying to communicate and form in the original audience, then allow that to inform our own understanding of the trumpets. Remembering all the time - he’s using apocalyptic imagery and old testament language to do so. We need to visualize these images first. We need to picture them and let them affect us before we start speculating wildly. The power in a lot of art, music, images, is in and of themselves. They do something TO us.
The first four trumpets, if you can recall a two weeks ago, seemed to be using Old Testament imagery to inform the present. The most common reference seemed to be the plagues in Exodus - and we will see there are many allusions for these next two trumpets as well to that same end - and perhaps some allusions to peoples and events that were contemporaries to when it was written.
Let’s start are journey into these trumpets, let’s look at Revelation 9:1-2
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. 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.
As the fifth angels blows the trumpet - we read a star falls from heaven to earth - then immediately, that star is personified and it says that the key for the shaft to the abyss was given to him.
Starts and other celestial bodies in the sky were often used as angelic or heavenly representation in ancient thought, jewish thought included. So we are seeing some form of an angelic entity descending from heaven to earth - and he as the key given to him to the abyss.
Scholars tend to agree that this angel is either Satan or one of his highest generals.
What’s important to note is that Satan has no authority in and of himself. He is given the key to the abyss. He is being used as a part of the trumpets. Even the evil one is being used to play a part in God’s ultimate plan.
Abyss is often used in the old testament as the place of the dead - also we read else where that spirits and demons were sent there to be punished.
But he opens the shaft to the abyss, and we see smoke spewing out from the depths - to the extent that the sun and air were now dark and thickened with smoke.
There seems to be an unleashing of a demonic swarm taking place. And now we see the form that the demons take - let’s read on. verses 3-11
Then locusts came out of the smoke on to 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 people who do not have God’s 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. In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
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 lions’ teeth; they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots with horses rushing into battle; and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months. They had as their king the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
With an allusion back to the exodus plague of locust which blocked out the sun, we see this demonic swarm go forth. They are given ability to sting, and cause pain like a scorpion. But they have limitations.
They are told not to harm the grass or and plant or tree - just those who do NOT have God’s seal on their foreheads. This goes back to Revelation 7 and the 144000 and the great multitude. The people of God whom are sealed and set apart. The locusts are NOT allowed to harm those whom God has taken as his possession.
And their ability even to harm those who are not of the redeemed is limited look at verse 5 and 6 again
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. In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
They are to torment them for five months. In my study is seemed that 5 months was the approximate life cycle for a locust, but the idea is its a brutal and temporary torment, which leads people to wish they could just die - but the torment continues without death.
And then John talks more about the appearance is we can put verses 7-11 back up
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 lions’ teeth; they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots with horses rushing into battle; and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months. They had as their king the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
Make no mistake - these are not just locusts. This is a demonic swarm. Like horses prepared for battle. With crowns on their heads. They had human faces and long hair. i mean what a description.
Craig KEener sees significant allusions in both of these trumpets to that of the PArthians in the east. We’ve talked about the parthians before - but they were the great enemy of Rome on their eastern border. They were horse archers and typically wore longer hair then roman men, and would shoot their bows backwards as they road away from the romans. The parthians were terrifying to the romans - especially those on the eastern edge, such as all of these seven churches.
So perhaps this image is being used to, again, show that God can use any force to bring people to repentance. And to not trust in the roman power. Remember in the seven churches, they all felt the desire to compromise and give in to roman idolatry and identity. Woe to them - the enemies are at the gates and will torment. You are not safe as a roman - only as one marked by God.
This last verse is interesting - the king being the king of abyss - the name in hebrew is Abaddon - or destruction. Perhaps a moniker for the satan. In greek - the name is Apollyon. This is a clear reference to the greek God Apollo. The Emperor Nero claimed Apollo as his patron God, and he was the emperor who killed Paul and Peter and many other believers.
And perhaps in the contemporary time - Domitian, emperor at the end of the first century - claimed to be Apollo incarnate.
Again - we see that the Romans, whom christians are tempted to capitulate to - are being revealed as demonic. We are not called to be Romans. We don’t conquer that way. We conquer by following the Lamb into new jerusalem.
Verse 12:
The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come after this.
Woah indeed. There is more to come - another invasion. let’s look at verses 13 and 14
The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the golden altar that is before God, I heard a voice say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.”
From the altar of God - where we know the souls of the saints that were slain are - we hear a voice. PErhaps the voice of Christ speaking on behalf of his people?
And the command goes forth that there will be four angels released who were bound at the great river Euphrates.
That river served as the boundary between the romans and the parthians. Let’s look at the rest of this trumpet - 15 - 19
So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. The number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads that inflict injury.
This demonic hoard is indeed allowed to kill. A significant amount - a third of the humans. Still - notice how there is limitation. They were two hundred million strong. They may has well be innumerable.
And they are demonic and non-literal. They have brilliant breastplates - the horses are perhaps like chimeras is greek literature - and they release fire smoke and sulfur - all images of death and the underworld.
Some see the emphasis on the tails as snakes again pointing to the parthians with their retreating bow strikes. You’re in danger if you face them, your in danger if you chase them. and that’s just the real parthians.
GK Beale sees false teachers in this image. The fact that they had the fire and smoke and sulfur come from their mouths perhaps relates back to the spirit of Jezebel from the seven churches. Where some are prone to only think of danger in the physical realm, Beale cautions us to remember that in the seven churches many were led astray by false teachers - who them led them into the pain and idolatry of Rome. And God hates idolatry. Following false teachers is exceptionally dangerous.
Verses 20 - 21 we see a reason WHY God allowed and directed such pain.
The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
And here we see - God was using the enemy - even the fallen angels in order to push the unrepentant to himself. Give up your idols. Repent of your sin - but those on earth would rather die then follow God.
The fifth and sixth trumpet are a lot. And there is more to come, though there will be an intermission. Next week Rick Magstadt will be here to preach, and we will be taking a break from Revelation while Ariana and the kids and I get away on a little vacation to celebrate my mother in laws 70th birthday. But even in the text - if you look at chapter 10 and the first part of chapter 11 - there is an intermission before the final trumpet.
All said - let’s ask our Question:
So What?
So What?
Friends there is so much in this section. Don’t like the imagery and how some have perhaps confused with wild speculation numb your heart from what God is trying to communicate.
First of all - remember. We are called to transformation not speculation. We are called to discipleship. To have a cruciform hope and heart in us.
It was tempting for the Christians in the first century to cozy up to the ways of the world. I mean it’s just a little idolatry….. But Jesus reveals that the only safe place is in Him. Not in rome. Not in money. Not with an idol - but with Christ. Even if that brings pain and suffering - that is the only way to conquer the grave.
As I consider the fifth and sixth trumpet more than anything I see a call to repent. We are shown here what happens to the people who do not repent - and I think the easy take away is this - don’t be like them.
But easier said then done. I have seen MANY a person, even in my own heart - that my heart can get calcified and hardened - so the idea of turning to God seems so painful.
And friend - it can be. But the way of JEsus is so much better. We need to see the danger of living in unrepentant ways - God is against the idolatrous.
So whatever you are putting your hope in OTHER than Jesus, we need to bring to God and ask him to save us. And when he is calling you - when he reveals a part of you that needs to change - it is wise to listen.
There is a famous line by CS Lewis in his work The Problem of Pain:
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.” C.S. Lewis; The Problem of Pain
In revelation 9 we see God shouting to repent before it’s too late. Are we listening?
The goal is to be like Christ.
And it’s true - friend the war has been won. Sin has been defeated. Satan has been disarmed. We are just waiting until the return of the King - where he will be fully crowned and all things are made new.
But you will find, even after the great ring has been destroyed, and sin defeated, that their may need to be a scouring of the shire. That perhaps in your heart in your home - evil has made a home. Well in the name of Christ we rise and fight back against the enemy who has FALSLEY claimed that territory as his own.
And know - that Christians are kept from some pain - but not all pain, But he WILL keep us from stumbling and protect our faith. As Jude writes in Jude 24-25
Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
Friend - if you know JEsus - take heart. He will hold you fast.
But perhaps you are here, maybe even claiming to be a christian for that’s where you were born or how your grandma raised you - but you have not chosen in your heart to follow JEsus as savior - I want to invite you to turn to jesus in faith and ask him to save you. Confess your sins, and believe that Christ is the savior, raised from the dead. And know that in Christ then - you will be saved. You will be with christ forever in paradise.
And so, I ask Would you stand with me as I pray.
