For Such A Time as This
Revelation Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsGod continues to judge an unbelieving world by allowing demonic forces to destroy their own followers.
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Introduction:
In 1917, an American Army officer, Charles Stanton, stood in for General Pershing at a ceremony in Paris. The occasion, being July 4th, was America’s Independence celebration. But this particular celebratory ceremony was not in America; it was in France, 1917, in a city and a country torn by the First World War. The location in Paris was a cemetery, specifically the tomb of the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette, you might know, was a French soldier who had come to America a century and half earlier and had played a crucial role in helping the early colonies gain their freedom.
Now, at Lafayette’s tomb, in Lafayette’s devastated land, the sons of his American achievement had arrived to push back the forces of tyranny. Stanton, as spokesman for the American Expeditionary Force, drew back his shoulders, saluted the general’s tomb, and announced, "Lafayette, we are here."
What did he mean? Lafayette had helped us, back in history; we are here now to do what we can do for his country. Lafayette, you did something for us; it inspires us now, at his tomb, to do something for him, for his people. "Lafayette, we are here."
I wasn’t there, you were not ether, but we are here.
In a much deeper way, were we there when they crucified our Messiah? No, but, for the Christ, Jesus, we are here, to be like Him and to carry on His work and word. We are here, to die to us and to live for Christ. Jesus, we are here for such a time as this.
Transition:
The title might remind you of the Book of Esther where her Uncle Mordecai says to her, “...And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” However, we are not going to examine Esther this morning. We are going to continue in the book of Revelation Chapter 9 at the sixth trumpet.
The judgment that began with the fifth trumpet (the first woe) now continues with the sixth trumpet (the second woe). In both cases, YHWH pours out his wrath on rebellious humanity in response to the cries of His people for justice ().
Scripture Reading:
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.
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.
The fifth and sixth trumpet judgments use a similar pattern: YHWH gives permission to release the demonic agents of judgment, and the agents are given instructions/limitations before being described in grotesque detail. My outline this morning follows this pattern. The sixth trumpet intensifies the fifth as the demonic army moves from torturing to killing. In the end of this chapter, rebellious humans who have experienced these judgments refuse to repent, which is a foretaste of the attitudes of those at the end of the tribulation - preferring instead to hold on to idolatry and immorality, even when it brings suffering and sure death. Before the seventh and final trumpet judgment (11:14–19), there is the second, more extensive interlude in chapters 10:1–11:13.
Transition:
There are at least three aspects of this trumpet judgment that John is communicating to us. First is:
I. Releasing The Angels (vv.13–15)
I. Releasing The Angels (vv.13–15)
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,
Although the exact speaker of this voice John hears here is not specifically identified, it is possible it is the angel who presented the saints’ prayers to God at the golden altar in 8:3–5. If so, this would then serve as a good reminder of how YHWH’s judgments come in response to the prayers of His people. The voice comes from the four horns of the one heavenly altar. As we’ll see again in Chapter 14:18 and in Chapter 16:7, YHWH uses other heavenly beings to give instructions for carrying out His will— perhaps similar to Him choosing us to build His kingdom here right now on Earth.
saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
The voice from the altar now gives divine authorization for the sixth angel to release four other angels who are currently “bound.” Likely, these four are fallen angels—the need to be bound suggests their demonic character. Unlike the four angels of 7:1 who hold back the four winds, these four angels appear to be evil in character. The four angels appear to lead the demonic horsemen described in the following verses, much like the angel of the Abyss leads the army of demonic locusts in last week’s fifth trumpet judgment. Historically, the river Euphrates marked the boundary between Israel and its enemies (e.g., Assyria, Babylonia) and later between Rome and its enemies (e.g., the Parthians). As a result, the Euphrates became a symbol of enemy invasion and anticipates the sixth bowl judgment of 16:12–16.
Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.
Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
The four angels appear to lead the demonic horsemen described in 9:16–19, much like the angel of the Abyss leads the army of demonic locusts in the fifth trumpet judgment. Historically, the river Euphrates marked the boundary between Israel and its enemies (e.g., Assyria, Babylonia) and later between Rome and its enemies (e.g., the Parthians). As a result, the Euphrates became a symbol of enemy invasion and anticipates the sixth bowl judgment of 16:12–16.
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.
Rev 9
The torment of the previous trumpet now gives way to death. Whereas the fourth seal brought death to a fourth of the earth (6:8), the demonic army now kills a third of humanity. Again the context suggests that only people hostile to God are vulnerable to attack (6:10; 8:13), while believers are protected by God’s seal (3:10; 7:1–8; 9:4).
The passive verb “had been prepared”, along with the hour-day-month-year reference, signals again God’s sovereignty over the specific timing of the coming judgment for “such a time as this.”
Illustration:
Transition:
So now we have the scene set for the slaughter. John now moves to:
II. Describing The Army (vv.16–19)
II. Describing The Army (vv.16–19)
Just like when he moved to describing in detail the locusts at the beginning of this chapter, he describes this next demonic army in detail:
Rev
The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.
John hears that the demonic cavalry will number as other translations word it “two myriads of myriads,” this actually is double the number of angels worshiping around the Father’s throne in . What would this number mean to the first century church?
The standing Roman army at the time he wrote this was numbered around 150,000 with an auxiliary army of roughly the same size upping the total to 300,000. The demonic army would be almost 700 times larger than the world’s most powerful army at that time, and John’s first audience would have been shocked and overwhelmed by this number. For today’s equivalent you would need to multiply the number of the world’s largest army by 700. It’s shocking, really, to realize how small God’s army --144,000 from the twelve tribes-- seems by comparison. The Lord seems to take pleasure to do His most powerful work through perceived weakness.
This is great news to us today! We, here at Grace Baptist Church, are a very small portion of God’s current army. We don’t need big numbers to do big things!
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.
17
The colors—red (fire), blue (sapphire) and yellow (sulfur)—identify this particular demonic horde as they relate to the three plagues of fire, blue smoke and sulphur mentioned in the next verse:
The colors—red (fire), blue (sapphire) and yellow (sulfur)—identify this particular demonic horde as they relate to the three plagues of fire, blue smoke and sulphur mentioned in the next verse:
By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming 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.
John now sees the demonic army he had just heard about. The damage is done not by the riders but by their horses, which have heads like lions and tails like snakes.. These demonic creatures spew forth three separate plagues of “fire, smoke and sulfur,” similar to some divine judgments in the Old Testament (e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah in ).
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.
“in their mouths”
John now sees the demonic army he had just heard about. The damage is done not by the riders but by their horses, which have heads like lions and tails like snakes. The fire-breathing sea monster Leviathan mentioned in the Old Testament may provide the background for John’s imagery (e.g., ). These diabolical creatures spew forth three separate plagues of “fire, smoke and sulfur,” an image often depicting divine judgment in the Old Testament (e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah in , ; cf. ). The spoken nature of these plagues may indicate a connection with false teaching and deception that encourages people to participate in idolatry and immorality. Most importantly, the comparison to snakes indicates the demonic nature of their attacks that bring suffering and death.
The spoken nature of these plagues may indicate a connection with false teaching and deception that encourages people to participate in idolatry and immorality. Most importantly, the comparison to snakes indicates the demonic nature of their attacks that bring suffering and death.
Illustration:
Transition:
So John has described the start, described the army, now we see results:
III. Condemning The Unrepentant (vv.20–21)
III. Condemning The Unrepentant (vv.20–21)
The Judgment has now been administered and John now records the results:
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,
Illustration:
The utter deception of sin occurs when unbelievers who are not killed by the demonic plagues continue to worship the forces that are trying to destroy them.
As Robert H. Mounce writes, “Once the heart is set in its hostility toward God not even the scourge of death will lead people to repentance.”
As archaeologists sift through the sands of the Holy Land, they can come across ancient settlement mounds, or “tells.” These sites can hold the history of many thousands of years, town built upon town. Diggers find clay jars, amulets, earrings, necklaces, and knives once used by ancient Israelites. One striking feature of these finds is just how much Israel had in common with the nations around it. Just like those nations, Israelites liked to wear “lucky charms” with the likeness of pagan gods. They had their household statues, just like the people around them. What stands out? Simply this: God’s people can easily be led astray by the deceptive power of idolatry.
I fear the American church has way too much in common with the world around us. Unbelievers have compromised many of the American believers into worshipping the idols of supposed “tolerance” and supposed “rights” — rights to kill the unborn, rights to choose gender, rights to do whatever is right in our own eyes:
nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Rev
Knowing they are wrong and knowing what is right, they still stubbornly and arrogantly refuse repentance.
Here we have the first of three vice lists in Revelation (also in 21:8, which describes those who will experience the second death, and 22:15, which explains who will be excluded from the new Jerusalem). Those without the seal of God continue in idolatry, murdering, demonic sorceries/magic arts, immorality, and thieving. Four of the five are prohibited in the Ten Commandments, and the addition of “sorceries or magic arts” relates specifically to the local context of the churches in Asia, where the practice of magic was demonic and presented an enormous challenge for believers. The emphasis falls on the sin of idolatry, which is defined here as demon worship.
How could this happen?!? how is it that after all this judgment, they still don’t repent?! That could never be the case with me! Now, wait a minute!
Illustration:
Tragically, many people prefer idolatry and immorality to repentance
Human experience proves this true:
Many people can identify with the struggle to eat more healthy food. Some of us here know somebody that is literally eating themselves to death. These loved ones eat things that are killing them whether it is salt with congestive heart failure or high fructose corn syrup for the diabetic. For many of us, even the knowledge that certain foods are much better for us and will prolong our lives and make us feel better is not enough to change our behavior. We can become addicted to certain flavors and foods that, in the end, are terrible for us and can even kill us. For some, not even the knowledge of immanent death will change their ways. This is worshipping the idol of food.
Many people can identify with the struggle to eat more healthy food. Share from your own experience of this struggle or perhaps a contemporary news story. For many of us, even the knowledge that certain foods are much better for us is not enough to change our behavior. We can become addicted to certain flavors and food textures that, in the end, are terrible for us.
I know of several pastors, who chose immorality over repentance, fully aware of the consequences. To them, adultery was more appealing than the God they served.
The only salvation for those not killed by the plagues of the trumpet judgments is repentance and faith. However, since their names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life (), they will not repent.
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.
So What?
So What?
This passage reasserts a theme that runs throughout the entire Bible: God’s justice in the face of human sinfulness. God’s judgments are not arbitrary or frivolous but are poured out on those who stubbornly refuse to repent. Such people have repeatedly rejected God’s gracious love and have preferred instead gods of their own making. This passage also affirms the depth and deadliness of human sin. Idol worship is, in reality, demon worship, and these evil spirits are destroying their own followers. In spite of repeated invitations to repent and find life, sinful humanity remains hostile to God and His people. God’s judgments are indeed just. Why?
1. God is patient and long-suffering, desiring all people to repent and find life. Craig Keener reminds us that “the death of one-third of the world is judgment, but it is also mercy.” We see God’s patience in the progressive nature of the judgments (e.g., from a fourth in the seals to a third in the trumpets and from judging the surrounding environment before moving directly to the people themselves). The implied invitation to repent accompanies the judgments. Throughout the prophetic passages in the entire Bible, God has regularly judged people out of His desire that they would repent (e.g., ; ; ; ; ; ). Obviously for us right now, it is not too late to repent, so repent! repent! repent! this is my message to others around me: repent before it is too late! repent! repent!
2. God is also holy and righteous and will judge sin when people refuse to repent. In our churches today, we strongly emphasize the love and compassion of our God, sometimes to the neglect of his holiness and righteousness. People need to know, as Paul told the Galatians, that we should not be deceived since “God cannot be mocked. (;
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
We should not mistake the patience of God for any sort of compromise with sin. ).
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
The power of sin offends God and hurts people and will be destroyed in the end.
Throughout the book of Revelation, YHWH’s justice continues to tighten around human beings who not only refuse to repent but become more aggressive and bold in their rebellion. The great tragedy of human depravity is that people rush after the very things that will eventually destroy them. The essence of sin is seeking to live independently away from God.
3. Believers should be warned not to be deceived by idolatry. An idol is anything that takes God’s place in our lives (e.g., money, relationships, entertainment, power, work). Idolatry casts a powerful spell over its devotees with its ability to deceive and to destroy. This passage is not unique in asserting that demonic powers use idols to keep people in darkness. As in the messages to the seven churches, those who compromise with secular culture are inviting God’s judgment. Believers need to be alert to the subtle and deceiving power of idol worship.
Conclusion:
▪God’s judgments are just.
▪As a form of judgment, God sometimes permits evil forces to turn on their own followers.
▪Human sinfulness leads to self-deception and self-destruction.
▪Tragically, those hostile to God sometimes prefer idolatry and immorality to repentance.
Run to Jesus, run now to Jesus.