Hell Unleashed

There is coming a day of judgment on this world like we have never seen. I don’t think the most technologically advanced movie that could be made, could accurately depict all that is about to happen.

A little review

At the end of chapter 8 there is an angel or an eagle who cries out WOE.

The KJV is an older translation that was made from newer manuscripts

New translations are made from older manuscripts.

NKJV footnotes angel as eagle.

flying midair- directly in line of sight of the sun.

Woe! Disaster! Horror!

You think its been bad so far into the tribulation, it is about to get really bad.

The sounding of the last three trumpets.

Now let’s take a moment and review.

There are 7 seals. The 7th seal contains the trumpet judgments.

There are 7 trumpets. The 7th trumpet begins the 7 vial or bowls of judgments.

So within the 7 seal are all the trumpets and all the bowls.

Today we will talk about the 5th trumpet.

Demonic Torment

Revelation 9:1–12 HCSB

1 The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of 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. 3 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. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads. 5 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 strikes a man. 6 In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them. 7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses equipped for battle. Something like gold crowns was on their heads; their faces were like men’s faces; 8 they had hair like women’s hair; their teeth were like lions’ teeth; 9 they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses rushing into battle; 10 and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months. 11 They had as their king the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come after this.

The star of verse 1 is believed by many to be Satan himself. During the tribulation period he is given the key to open an abyss.

Raises a few questions.

1. Where is the abyss? I personally believe this abyss is real but beyond our normal ability to see. Maybe in a spiritual realm.

2. Why are there some demons being held there? I thought demons roamed the earth. Well I do believe there are demons roaming the earth today. But these demons seem to be extra vile, hardened creatures. One preacher I know called the abyss a “super max prison where the worst of the worst are held.” In Luke, the demons who inhabited the man of the tombs asked not to be sent to the abyss.

It makes sense to me that these are demons who swarm like locusts. They sure are not regular locusts. They don’t eat grass It is recorded that in the Middle East in 1951-1952 there was a locust swarm that covered 100’s of 1000’s of square mile leaving Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan devastated.

What John saw was swarming demonic creatures as multiplied as locusts, but they devastate people not agriculture. They have a demonic leader whose name means destruction and thats what they do!

These locust like creatures sting people and hurt them. And this goes on for 5 month. 5 months of pain so bad people want to die but don’t.

Note that those who have gotten saved, but have not died during this phase of the tribulation are protected. They have a seal on their forehead. Think of Passover. The blood on the doorposts saved those WITH that mark. We often think of the Mark of the Beast and we hear a lot about that, but Tribulation believers also have a mark. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists do, but so do other believers.

For 5 months, these locust like demonic creature torment humanity without relief, devouring as they go.

Demonic Massacre

Revelation 9:13–19 HCSB

13 The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the gold altar that is before God, I heard a voice 14 say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. 16 The number of mounted troops was 200 million; I heard their number. 17 This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 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. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads, and they inflict injury with them.

The 5th Trumpet Judgment had locust like demons that could torment mankind but not kill him. 5 Months of agony. With the 6th trumpet judgment there is the unleashing of 200 million demonic horses and riders who are empowered to kill 1/3 of the human race.

By the time the 4th seal was peeled of in chapter 6, 1/4 of the population had been killed. Here is another 1/3, plus all the other deaths. This means that by the time the 6th trumpet sounds, the world’s population would have been more than cut in 1/2.

Let’s look at some of the details.

4 angels bound. Demons are bound, not holy angels. So these have to be fallen angels.

They are located at the river Euphrates. This would be modern day Iran and Iraq. The Bible says that the first sin, the first lie, and the first murder happened near that river. The tower of Babel which is connected to Babylon was also there. In other words, this has always been a site of demonic activity.

These demons have a date set and a duty to perform (lead in the murder of 1/3 of the population)

These demons command 200 million demonic forces. I don’t think this is China or any other human mechanized army using whatever the most modern technology may be, but real, powerful and terrible demonic hordes.

Human Rebellion

Revelation 9:20–21 HCSB

20 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 are not able to see, hear, or walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

They’ve had the power witness of the 144,000. They’ve seen the martyrs by the millions stand strong through their faith in Jesus. They have watched one judgment after another after another unfold, and yet THEY DID NOT REPENT.

Work of their hands- idols they have made. What good is an idol?

Idols are demons… Think of this.. This crowd has been tormented by demons, and then they have lost 1/3 of the population to demons, but they cling to their demon empowered idolatry.

And they don’t repent of murders (must be rampant) drug abuse (especially for the religious effect to enhance their connection with whatever). stealing and sexual immorality.

Under the influence of the massive demon forces the world will descend into a morass of false religion, murder, sexual perversion, and crime unparalleled in human history.

It doesn’t seem like it will be much a jump to get to that kind of cultural climate from where we are right now.

This week, my invitation is very similar to last week.

Come to Christ. You know in your heart that He wants to save you.

Pray for others to come to know Christ. It’s about to get bad for folks.

Remember that seal on the forehead that the tribulation saints wear? Remember that if you know Christ you are sealed, protected and owned by Jesus.