Demons, Death & Defiance
Unveiled Hope • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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When you hear the word IDOLATRY…you might think…of God’s people were guilty of in the OT.
Idolatry…is the worship of anything or anyone that replaces the one true God.
God gave them the 10 Commandments: You shall have no other gods before Me…and You shall have no graven images…and what did they do?
12 chapters later in Exodus 32 when Moses was on the mountain…Aaron & the people thinks its a good idea to make a golden calf and worship it.
Idolatry…is not something we talk a lot about these days.
Now I am not necessarily talking about the glimmering gold, silver or bronze statues made to look like beautiful gods or goddesses….or some ugly carving found by archaeologists.
I am pretty sure that most here don’t make a habit of bowing down at the graves of dead ancestors or bowing down before their bones or ashes. Though some cultures & religions today do.
QUOTE: Idolatry in our society is not so obvious but is just as real as it was in John’s day. By definition, idolatry is turning an earthly thing into a god and worshipping it rather than the God of creation. Whatever we place ahead of God in our lives is our idol. Therefore the modern world is replete with idols: money, possessions, power, pleasure, sex, success, fame, drugs. These are all tools of Satan, and there are countless stories in which these very things have tortured and killed those who pursue them. We must warn people of the cosmic powers in control of this secular world and call them to God.”
Idolatry is a heart issue…we must confess…all of us struggle with temptations toward idolatry.
In our ambition, pride & arrogance turn our full devotion away from God toward something else…
That something else is usually the unholy trinity of Me , Myself and I.
We can get so easily wrapped up in the things of this world…stuff, relationships, fortune, fame…
We don’t realize it’s a slippery path leading to a hardened heart & ultimately rejection of God.
A slippery slope….can only end in God’s discipline or God’s judgement.
So…What does IDOLATRY have to do with our study in Revelation? A lot!!
The book of Revelation describes the wrath of God coming upon the inhabitants of the world because they have REJECTED God and held on to their IDOLATRY.
You’d think that with all the severe judgements that happen in Revelation and the constant opportunities for repentance throughout the Tribulation period would result in a massive REVIVAL.
Instead, as judgements intensify…we see more clearly the hardness & depravity of the human heart.
That’s why Jeremiah said:: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” The next verse answers it for us: “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10
The Demons RELEASED…Revelation 9:13-15
In v.1-12 … 5th Trumpet…John saw the opening of the abyss and the release of demons swarming the earth like locusts…but all they did was torment.
At the blast of the 6th trumpet…John sees an even more severe demonic attack…
13 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.
John saw 4 angels of death who had been held captive at the Euphrates River (Modern day Iraq)
Horrific scene…when released all the forces of hell break loose across the face of the earth.
What we see here in Revelation is God step by step…removing the restraining grace of God from the world….He is still trying to get the attention of sinful humanity.
Remember the Tribulation began with 4 horsemen…Conquest…War…Famine…Death…
Then came cataclysmic catastrophes…
Then silence in heaven…
Trumpet judgements of hail fire & blood…
The sea becoming blood…
A star falling from heaven,
Bitter waters…
A third of the light…
And now Satan is allowed with his demons to destroy the earth.
Re: Location…this scene of judgment centres on a particular part of the world…the Middle East.
Much of the book of Revelation centres on/around Israel and its surrounding nations.
Most people today consider the Mid-East a ticking time bomb ready to explode and move the whole world into the end times at any moment.
Please know I am not a Mid East expert…nor a conspiracy theorist/sensationalist I am just telling you what God’s Word actually tells us.
But on the basis of God’s Word I can say with certainty…that…our times are in God’s hands alone.
He can bring them tomorrow or a century from now.
On the other hand…I want to take the Bible at face value. Let the Bible say…what it says.
If it says “the great river Euphrates” we should know that it is the great river Euphrates that flows right through the Middle East. Both the Tigris and the Euphrates originate in Turkey…winds through Syria and the centre of Iraq before joining the Tigris River and emptying into the Persian Gulf.
Re: The 4 Angels..We are not told who these angels are…they are most likely evil.
Probably 4 prominent high ranking fallen angels.
It could be they are an invisible demonic influence behind 4 ungodly nations in power at this time.
Just like there have been many demonic principalities and power that have influenced and stood behind world leaders through out history. (See also: Daniel 10:13, 20; Ezekiel 28:2, 12)
Here in Revelation 9 These 4 angels are probably the spiritual powers of wickedness that stand behind nations that will oppose God and His people during the coming Tribulation.
Re: It is ACCORDING TO God’s Timetable…Revelation 9:14-15
They are not able to do anything…until God allows.
Their release is scheduled…for a specific hour … day and month and year. (v.15)
This is not some haphazard chaotic event happening. God has a calendar! God knows what He is doing.
Never think that life is a collection of haphazard events tossed into the air…
We can rest confident that our all knowing, omnipotent God…not only knows whatever comes our way but also…directs it according to His good purposes.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
Re: What Will the Demons Be Allowed to Do? Revelation 9:15 “ released to kill a third of mankind.”
This is the second demon inspired attack on the human race…
First by a swarm of locusts, only permitted to torment for 5 months.
This attack will be much worse…they will be allowed to kill.
The shocking, terrifying purpose for the release of these angels of death is to kill a third of humanity.
v.18 tells us they are successful…A third of humanity is close to 3 billion people
Remember 1/4 of humanity was killed by the 4th horseman in Revelation 6:8 Now a third.
Death toll from these 2 judgements is half of mankind…(not including deaths from other judgements.
{No wonder God is waiting…No wonder He restrains these wicked angels for so long.}
We may ask…Why has God waited so long? Why doesn’t He just start allow this today? Why wait?
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Believe it or not…right now…God is restraining the forces of evil in this world…
Part of the ministry of the Church…a light in the darkness…we penetrate the darkness, a city on a hill.
Today is the day of salvation…if you hear His voice do not harden your heart. Hebrews 3:7-19
2. The DESCRIPTION of the Demons…Revelation 9:16-19
16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.
Re: The Size of the Army…
How can you kill a third of mankind? It would require an unimaginable powerful force.
Look how John describes it in v.16 It is the largest number in the entire Bible. 200 Million!!
Imagine an army that large! These are the armies of the 4 angelic beings released at the Euphrates
Remember there are demons roaming the earth throughout history…
In Eph. 6:12 Paul talks about spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places…then the innumerable demons released from the abyss’s at the 5th trumpet…
“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.
John describes them as best as he can…Horses…unlike any cavalry that has ever been seen before.
“heads of the horses…like lions heads…” fire…smoke and sulphur (3x)
breastplates…the colour of fire (red), sapphire (dark blue/black) and sulphur (brimstone, yellowish)
These colours are used in Scripture to describe Hell…Revelation 14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8
v.18 “By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulphur coming out of their mouths.”
“By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.
plagues…reminds us of the plagues that God used in the release of His people from Egypt\
sulphur…also translated brimstone…reminds us of God’s judgement on Sodom & Gomorrah.
“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.”
3. The DEFIANCE…of those who will not Repent… Revelation 9:20-21
“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,
“…nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Probably the most disturbing section of this passage…
More than the death & destruction of the previous verses is
the REACTION of the survivors of these plagues in the next 2 verses.
I can hardly read them.
You’d think that the unbelieving world would finally see these supernatural events for what they are…hear of the cataclysmic disasters and then heed the preaching of the 144,000 witness passionately calling for repentance and faith in Christ.
I wish I could tell you that Revelation 9:20-21 declares that the rest of humanity upon seeing these things turn from their wicked ways and acknowledge their righteous Redeemer as Lord and God.
But sadly, John’s vision reveals that the opposite will actually happen.
Believe it or not…most people living during this awful time of God’s judgement will become even more hardened against God.
Note…They did not repent of the works of their hands…
What was the “works of their hands”?
Scripture refers to idols they make with their hands. (Deuteronomy 27:15; Psalm 135:15; Isaiah 2:8)
They are breaking the first two commandments…no other gods…no graven images…
Theis is the root of man’s problem…rejection of God…replace him with something I can understand…
When you reject God…you must replace him with something else.
People replace God with their Intellect, power, possessions
They make a god of their own making…
They cannot see..they cannot help… they cannot save.
At a time like this is…when all of hell is breaking loose…you cannot count on your gods of gold silver to save you…
Your Master Card visa card cannot save you
Note: They stubbornly didn’t give up worshipping demons & idols…
Idols which cannot see…cannot hear…cannot walk…and most importantly cannot save.
They will stubbornly hold onto their demon worship and idolatry.
They will refuse to repent of their murders or their sorceries
In short they will close their ears to God’s message of mercy and grace…choosing instead to accept the wrath of God that will continue to increase in severity…demonically driven behaviours.
Note: The did not not repent of their murders…(Stats Canada 882 murders in 2023)
BTW…Life becomes cheap when Christians its lacks influence.
Note: They did not repent of their sorceries…(Gk pharmakia=pharmacy=drugs)
Witchcraft related to drugs…
Note: They did not repent of their sexual immorality…Gk porneia= sell oneself…
This includes all forms of sexual behaviour outside of God’s design…pornography, objectification of sex, sex outside of marriage…extramarital…adultery, rape, homosexuality, and trans-sexuality.
Note: They did not repent of their thefts…honesty will be non existent
The remaining men and women who weren’t killed by these weapons went on their merry way—didn’t change their way of life, didn’t quit worshiping demons, didn’t quit centring their lives around lumps of gold and silver and brass, hunks of stone and wood that couldn’t see or hear or move. There wasn’t a sign of a change of heart. They plunged right on in their murderous, occult, promiscuous, and thieving ways Peterson, E. The Message
SO HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO THIS PASSAGE?
It is sobering to think that the Lord will one day come to execute judgement upon all humanity for how they reject Him.
WRAP UP…PERSONAL REFLECTION & ACTION…
1. We are confronted with the SINFUL DEPRAVITY of the human heart.
2 Timothy 3:1ff tells us “…in the last days there will come times of difficulty…people will be lovers of self and lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self control, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
Judges 21:25 Some of you are reading through the book of Judges right now…everyone doing what is right in their own eyes…God allows circumstances to bring them to their knees where they cry out to God…Help me! HelpMe Help Me!
God hears them has compassion on them…raised up a deliverer time and time and time again.
Even though people see what God has done…they see all of this judgement coming upon man…still they do not repent.
2. Know that God is holy and righteous and He will Judge Sin…the righteous wrath of God.
3. Know that God is merciful and He will forgive sin…
God has provided salvation in the person of His Son…
Jesus paid the penalty for your sin…
Jesus took the wrath of God for your sin on Himself…
It is finished His final words on the cross was It is finished …paid in full.
Idolatry is SIN…it is right at the heart of humanity’s rebellion against God…
Idolatry says: I don’t want God’s rule, I’d rather gods of silver gold, stone and wood…that cannot save.
Even in the midst of God’s obvious judgements…and His repeated calls to repent and be saved.
Idolatry blinds fallen humanity to the Word of God.
By the way…before you think this is only a problem in the future…it is still an issue today even for believers…
We can so readily ignore God’s Word…reject His rule in their hearts and lives…they do what is right in their own eyes.
Heed the warning given to the church in Ephesus and to us in Ephesians 5:3-6
4. Know that God is sovereignly in control…
He sits on His throne and He rules in the heavens…
That means Satan cannot do anything without God’s permission .
5. Know that if you put your trust in Jesus Christ…you can be forgiven.
God has repeatedly told the sinful world, in no uncertain terms, to REPENT (Mark 6:12; Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 17:30).
To repent…means to change your mind from embrace sin and rejection of Christ to rejecting sin and embracing Christ.
Warning for those who refuse to repent and turn to Christ in faith…will suffer eternal consequences.
Given the fact of hell, mankind in his sin…is in a very serious (dire) situation.
Why would anyone delay repentance? Why would anyone ignore God’s gracious call to salvation
Yet many do, even while admitting their sin and claiming to see their need for salvation.
Do Not Delay!
Psalm 95:7-8 “Today is the day of salvation! If you hear His voice do not harden your heart
You do not know the day you will die…after death comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The rich fool in Jesus’ parable (Luke 12:16–20) thought he had plenty of time to enjoy life, but God had news for him: “This very night your life will be demanded from you” (v.20).
You have today…you have the present moment…you should use it wisely.
Do Not Delay!
Every time you refuse to repent of sin, you continue to sin and your heart gets harder. Hebrews 3:7-8
This is a dangerous spiritual condition to be in.
Also, the harder a person’s heart becomes, the more “force” God will have to apply to bring him to repentance.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
