"Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.
7 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 the faces of men. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord. It is a privilege to have you here with us today. We are especially grateful for those of you who have been continuing to share the ministry website with all of your family and friends. Your faithfulness to share God's Word with others continues to bring about tremendous results. People are responding to God's Word!
I want to let all of you know how grateful I am for all of you. We are so thankful your prayers. Prayer is powerful tool, and a mighty weapon against the adversary. And through your sharing, God continues to bring a number of people to faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God! May He continue to use you and this ministry mightily to effect change in even more lives. All for His glory!
As we’ve seen consistently throughout the book of Revelation, the key to making this passage relevant to our lives is to make sure we don’t get so bogged down in the smaller details, so that we miss the bigger picture. John is seeing things that are absolutely indescribable in human terms. Because the imagery is extraordinary, and are unfamiliar to his readers, in order to give them some sense of what is going on, he uses the word "like" nine times in these first 12 verses.
In our society today, we often hear people use the phrase "hell on earth" to describe a particularly difficult situation. However, none of the difficulties we face today can even begin to compare to the literal "hell on earth" that is described in this passage, which are going to take place.
Today's Message: A Time Of Torment On Earth - Part II
As we looked at the first four trumpet judgements, the first trumpet was judgment on the land, the second trumpet was judgment on the sea, the third trumpet was judgment on the fresh waters, the fourth trumpet was judgment on the sun, the moon and the stars; the heavenly bodies. With the end of the first four trumpets, heaven is unfolding, it's unraveling. However, in what heaven has been doing to devastate the earth is nothing like what hell is going to do, in the frightening reality of this fifth trumpet judgement.
Last time, you will remember, when we left off, we saw the pit of hell was opened and the blackness and the heat start billowing out it darkened the sun and the air by the smoke of the pit.Then, we saw the locusts unleashed upon the earth and power was given them as the scorpions, and they were given the ability to create immense pain for a period of five months. It’s a demonic infestation, a severe judgment to those who don’t repent, from which there is no escape. Every unregenerate person on the face of the earth is in excruciating agony. And, everybody is wanting to die, however, death eludes them. No matter what they do, they cannot die.
I Invite you to follow along with me as I read verses 1 through 12, to refresh the text in our minds as we prepare our hearts for what the Spirit is saying to each of us. Revelation 9:1-12
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 the faces of men. They had hair like the hair 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, of many horses rushing to battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things."
As we pick up in verse seven, the appearance of the locusts is revealed. "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 the faces of men."
These locusts that John sees in his vision is as some kind of formidable spiritual army. The phrase "like horses prepared for battle" indicates they are wearing protective armor for battle. They’re powerful, they are warlike, and hell bent on destruction. The appearance of the features of these locusts are exaggerated, because they do not describe any kind of locust that the world has ever seen. As I mentioned earlier, that's why John uses the words "like" or "as" in his descriptions used nine times in these twelve verses. Notice that John begins with the head and then moves backward to their tails, which is the source of their power to inflict torment for the five months. God won’t allow people to die because He desires that they repent and turn to Him.
John then says "and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold." They have the crown, the "stephanos," which is the victor’s crown. The crowns they wear indicate they are conquerors. In other words, they are invincible. There’s no cure for their strength or sting. Nothing stops them. They are the worst of the demons of Satan. These are rational, intelligent beings,"their faces were like the faces of men."
In verse 8, he adds to their description, "They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions." Perhaps they possess some luring ability, with the attractiveness of women's hair. Their feminine hair makes them seductive, which makes man an easy prey, luring unsuspecting unbelievers to come close to them. Most men today are drawn to a woman with beautiful hair, making them impossible to resist. Then he says "their teeth were like the teeth of lions," indicating these creatures are fierce and powerful and perhaps even deadly.
In verse 9, John tells us "They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle." Their breastplates are not vulnerable, they're like iron. Even bullets would not penetrate them. And "the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle." Their wings symbolize swiftness, they are mobile and fast. The noise of their flight, being so dense, resembles the loud sound of chariots and horses fiercely rushing into battle. This is a formidable army of demon-locusts right out of hell. They are a dominant, destructive, inescapable force, they cannot be destroyed. There is nowhere to run and hide from them. It will be a literal hell on earth.
Then, verse 10 says "They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months." Here again, we see their torment of men is limited to 5 months. I believe it's the third time that the Holy Spirit says it, He wants to say that again just so everybody gets it. These hordes of demonic spirits have one purpose, to cause excruciating pain. John's description here defies imagination. However, they will be real.
In Proverbs 30 Solomon says, "The locusts have no king, yet all of them go out in ranks." The point being, you can’t wipe out a locust swarm by killing their king, because they don't have one.
In verse 11, we discover that these locusts have a king. In fact, we find even learn his name. "They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. Abaddon means destroyer, a place of destruction or ruin. Apollýōn, meaning essentially the same thing. It comes from the root word "apóllymi," which means to "cause to perish." He is the angel of the abyss. As a footnote, they are only used here in Revelation 9:11.
Many scholars disagree as to whether this is Satan or not. Scripture refers to Satan as the prince of the power of the air, not the king of the pit. He's running loose all over, even to throne of God to accuse the saints. Satan is however, king over the demons. Job 26 says, "Naked is Sheol before Him and Abaddon has no covering," so we know he is associated with Sheol. The pit was opened by Satan and this king came out of it, so I do not believe this can be Satan. So, I believe it's best to see this is as a fallen demon who is in charge of the pit who leads the demons out. But whoever it is, the devastating destruction that occurs is going to be unthinkable.
That brings us to verse 12, "The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things."
With the first woe now behind us, we are informed that the next two woes are still to come. Tragically, as devastating and fearful as the first woe is in its torment, it is only the first, of three.
Paul writes in II Thessalonians 2, "And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."
In Closing..
Understand, I have not exaggerating the horrors of the coming judgment upon the earth, it is right here in the Scriptures and this is only a foretaste of an eternal hell to follow.
Because the deeds of men are evil, they love darkness rather than light. It bears mentioning again, all of this happens because men have rejected God and rejected Jesus Christ. Only God alone can stop Satan, and now, He does not want to. In fact, God is allowing, even ordering these events to take place. Yet, as terrible as this judgment is, the worst is still to come. And in His mercy and grace, God is providing people another with another opportunity to accept Christ and receive salvation.
I can't imagine anyone wanting their loved one to be on earth when this all takes place. The Good News is, they don't have to be! That's why we must tell them about salvation offered through Jesus Christ!
I strongly urge you do not wait until it is too late, when there will be no deliverance from the power of Satan.
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen