A Demonic Invasion of Planet Earth – Revelation 9:1-21

In this sermon we will study the fifth and sixth trumpet (first and second woe) as God continues to pour out His judgment in the 7-year tribulation period.

Brief review of first four trumpet judgments:

• Trumpet # 1: Devastation upon Vegetation (Agricultural) (Rev. 8:7)
• Trumpet # 2: Devastation upon Oceans (Oceanological) (Rev. 8:8-9)
• Trumpet # 3: Devastation upon Rivers (Hydrological) (Rev. 8:10-11)
• Trumpet # 4: Devastation in the Heavens (Astronomical) (Rev. 8:12)

The first four trumpet judgments were directed against the earth itself whereas the final three are directed against man himself.

Demon Tormentors (Vs. 1-12)

The Pit they Inhabit (Vs. 1-3)

A Sealed Pit (Vs. 1)

1. “a star fall from heaven” = not a literal star but a personality (See Job 38:7). Likely Satan (See Isaiah 14:12; Luke 10:18).
2. “to him was given the key” = this pit is a place of incarceration of which God holds the key.
3. “the bottomless pit” = lit. “the pit of the abyss”. The bottomless pit is mentioned 7 times in Revelation. Satan will be imprisoned there during the Millennial reign of Christ (Rev. 20:1-3). The demons know of this place of judgment. It is called “the deep” in Luke 8:31. This could be the same place referred to in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6.

A Smoking Pit (Vs. 2)

1. “the smoke of a great furnace” = this pit is clearly a place of fiery torment.
2. Christ likened hell to a “furnace of fire” (Matt. 13:42; 50).

A Satanic Pit (Vs. 3)

1. ‘locusts’ = these demonic creatures are likened to locusts. Locusts travel in large hordes and as history records, sometimes in swarms as large as 30 meters deep and 3 kilometers in length. They can come in groups so large that they literally block out the sunlight (Jeffress). Remember the plague of locusts God sent on Egypt? Exodus 10:13-15 “And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.”
2. ‘scorpions’ = clearly these are no ordinary locusts as the following verses will further indicate. They have power to inflict pain like a scorpion.
3. Illustration: Imagine what the world would be like if it were to open the doors of all the penitentiaries (prisons) and set free the world’s most vicious and violent criminals, giving them full reign to practice their infamies upon mankind. (Phillips)

The Pain they Inflict (Vs. 4-6, 10)

The Targets of their Torture (Vs. 4)

1. What they do not target – unlike natural locusts, they do not target earth’s vegetation.
2. Who they do target – unsaved, unrepentant men. The 144,000 sealed servants of God are exempted this judgment.

The Timeframe of their Torture (Vs. 5a)

1. The limits – God sets the parameters of their activity. They are not permitted to take men’s lives.
2. The length – they are set a timeframe of 5 months to inflict their diabolical deeds. The 5 months corresponds with the normal lifespan of locusts from May to September.

The Terrors of their Torture (Vs. 5b-6)

1. Excruciating torments – “as the torment of a scorpion”
   1. Scorpion bites are reportedly one of the most if not the most painful sting one can experience. William Newell remarks, “The writer was once struck on the heel by a small scorpion, and the un-relievable, indescribable anguish extended clear to the head.”
   2. According to healthline.com¹, the symptoms of scorpion bite are as follows:
      • Symptoms at the site of the sting can include: tingling and numbness around the sting and swelling around the sting.
      • Symptoms related to widespread effects of venom can include: breathing difficulties; muscle thrashing or twitching; unusual movements of the neck, head, and eyes; dribbling or drooling; sweating; nausea & vomiting; high blood pressure; accelerated heart rate and irregular heartbeat; restlessness, excitability or inconsolable crying.

Enduring torments – “in those days shall men seek death”

1. So grievous will be the torments of this judgment that men will pursue death but God will not allow them to die. Death will escape them like a swift runner.
2. Note: How tragic that rather than seeking Christ, they seek death. How often people are deluded into thinking that death will provide them a relief and escape from their present suffering (i.e. suicide) when in reality, death is only the doorway into eternal torments.
3. Challenge: The ONLY hope for sinful men is to REPENT of their sin and RECEIVE the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The Picture they Illustrate (Vs. 7-10)

These demonic creatures combine both human and animal charactistics.

1. The description of their general appearance (Vs. 7a) Their overall appearance is like horses prepared for battle so they must be very large.
2. The description of their individual characteristics (Vs. 7b-10) John begins with the head and moves progressively toward the tail of the creatures in his description.
   1. Kinglike heads – speaks of their mastery (7b)
   2. Manlike faces – speaks of their savvy (7c)
   3. Womanlike hair – speaks of their perversity (8a) Sorenson: “The appearance of these grotesque demonic creatures is strikingly similar to the imagery of modern hard-rock groups.” If you have a man’s face and a woman’s hair, you don’t look cool. You look demonic! (1 Cor. 11:14)
   4. Lionlike teeth – speaks of their ferocity (8b)
   5. Ironlike armor – speaks of their indestructibility (9a)
   6. Warlike wings – speaks of their rapidity (9b) Their wings allow them to move quickly, making them inescapable.
   7. Scorpion-like tails – speaks of their hostility (10)

The Prince they Imitate (Vs. 11-12)

1. Prov. 30:27 says that “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;” so it is again clear that these are not literal locusts but supernatural personages.
2. “a king…the angel of the bottomless pit” = possibly Satan but more likely one of his high-ranking devils.
3. This evil prince’s name is given in both Hebrew and Greek, indicating that both unconverted Jews and Gentiles will be affected by this judgment.
4. Both names, Abaddon & Apollyon, mean Destroyer. The true character of Satan and his demon hosts is revealed.

Demon Aggressors (Vs. 13-19)

The Angels (Vs. 13-15)

Their location (Vs. 13-14)

1. “a voice from the four horns of the golden altar” = a connection is again highlighted between what is happening on earth and the saint’s prayers in heaven. Your prayers have power before the throne of God!
2. “the great river Euphrates” = this river is “in the region of the ancient kingdom of Babel (Gen 10). It is located in the part of the world that from the beginning was associated with rebellion against God and with mystery religions and idolatry and demon worship” (Cloud). It plays a key role in the 7-year tribulation. For example, it is the river that the enemies of God will cross prior to the last conflict before the Millennium (Rev. 16:12). It forms a dividing line between east and west and the area beyond the Euphrates to the east is traditionally the source from which enemy attacks came against Israel. (Thomas)

Their loosing (Vs. 15)

1. The fact these angels are bound clearly indicates they are fallen angels as good angels are never bound in Scripture.
2. “an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year” = the timeframe ordained by God. They will exert their influence for just over 13 months.
3. “to slay the third part of men” = most of the trumpet judgments affect things in thirds. A third of trees (first trumpet – 8:7); a third of the sea turned to blood, a third of sea creatures die, a third of ships destroyed (second trumpet – 8:8-9); a third of fresh water contaminated/poisoned (third trumpet – 8:10-11); a third of light smitten (fourth trumpet – 8:12) and now a third of the population is killed under the sixth trumpet (9:15, 18). A fourth of the world’s population has already died under the seal judgments. This means by the end of the sixth trumpet judgment, over half of the world’s population has perished.

The Army (Vs. 16-19)

There is a clear connection between the releasing of the four angels and the sudden appearance of this end times army.

The calculation of this army (Vs. 16)

this army is 200 million strong. This is likely a war in Asia. China’s current army is 1.6 million and India’s is 1.2 million² but they have hundreds of million of young men and women who are battle ready. Walvoord writes, “It is fascinating that China alone is reported to have over 314 million men aged 16 to 49 who are “fit for military service” along with over 298 million women in this category!” If war broke out in Asia, the combatants could easily number 200 million.

The description of this army (Vs. 17)

1. The description of the riders (17a) The main feature of the riders described is their breastplates which are of a glowing appearance.
   1. “of fire” = a fiery red
   2. ‘jacinth’ = a deep blue
   3. ‘brimstone’ = a sulfurous yellow
2. The description of the horses (17b)
   1. Their heads – “as the heads of lions”
   2. Their tails – “for their tails were like unto serpents” (19)
   3. Note: It could be that John in the first century is describing in terms familiar to him, an end times army with modern weapons.
3. The destruction from the horses (18-19)
   1. A third of men killed by the fire, smoke and brimstone that spews out of the horse’s mouths.
   2. Note: Like the plague of demon locusts, this could be a demonic army. Whatever it is, it is demonically inspired and orchestrated as it is clearly connected to the four fallen angels which are released.

Demon Worshippers (Vs. 20-21)

In spite of all this judgment from God, those left alive refuse to repent. “The most frightening thing about Revelation 9 is not the judgments that God sends but the sins that men persist in committing even while God is judging them.” (Wiersbe) They refuse to repent of:

Their Idolatries (Vs. 20)

1. Worship of things – “the works of their hands” In Scripture this phrase particularly relates to idolatry. “Idolatry is to worship anything in the place of or above God…So it refers not only to those who bow to literal idols but also to those who worship technology, politics, wealth, sport, themselves etc…” (Cloud)
2. Worship of devils – “that they should not worship devils” What blindness in light of the devastations devils have just inflicted on the earth!
   1. The explosion of the occult and new age is laying the ground work for the tribulation period that will be riddled with satanism. John Phillips writes, “The world is already being prepared for what is to come. It is one of the ironies of the age in which we live that, at a time when scientific enlightenment is at its zenith and men are educated, pragmatic, and materialistic in the extreme, millions are turning to the occult for entertainment, enlightenment, and eventual enslavement. Every year, hundreds of new books are published dealing with demonism, witchcraft, magic, spiritism, ghosts, and prophecy. Every season brings its quota of television shows featuring similar themes. Soothsayers, prophets, astrologers, fortune tellers are given avid hearing by millions. The groundwork is being laid for an enormous increase in demon activity soon to burst upon the world.”
   2. The Word of God also reveals that the worship of idols is actually the worship of demons. 1 Cor. 10:20 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
   3. Worship of idols – “and idols”

Their Iniquities’ (Vs. 21)

They also refuse to repent of:

1. Their murders – in the pre-flood world, the world was filled with violence. In Luke 17:26, Jesus said, “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” 2 Timothy 3:1-3, predicts among other things that in the last days men will be “without natural affection” and “fierce”.
   1. Illustration: Abortion – http://www.numberofabortions.com/ Note: As of today (18.4.20), there have been 148,639 deaths worldwide so far from Covid-19 but in 2019 there were 42.3 million babies murdered in their mothers wombs worldwide. So far there have been 66 deaths in Australia from Covid-19³ but over 80,000 unborn babies are murdered annually in Australia which is an average of about 220 babies per day. Every Covid- 19 death gets reported in the mainstream news and governments spend billions of dollars to save lives while at the same time supporting the mass murder of the unborn. Get some perspective dear Christian!
   2. Today with the morning after pill, the number of babies destroyed after conception is impossible to know.
2. Their sorceries – Greek word is φαρμακεία (pharmakeia) and “refers to witchcraft but there is an association with drugs. It describes the practice of dark arts of every kind.” (Cloud) It is “a broad word that can refer to poisons, amulets, charms, drugs, magic spells, or any object that is supposed to possess holiness. It can refer to witchcraft too.” (Thomas)
3. Their fornication = they will choose their depraved lusts over salvation.
   1. William Newell wrote this in the 1930s: “One has only to glance at the pictures in newspapers, at magazine covers, at the advertisements of theatres and moving pictures, to see what a wave of lust has begun to sweep the earth.” What would he say today in the digital age where every form of perversion is only a click or tap away!
   2. David Cloud writes, “Newell could not have imagined the moral vileness that we find in the entertainment business today. Homosexuality has come “out of the closet” and has grown by frightful proportions and has gained great political cloud. A recent report stated that bestiality is growing in Europe and that some farmers rent out their animals to filthy men who are engaged in this practice.”
4. Their thefts – note that the word is plural. There are many ways to steal! Failure to pay bill or fulfill financial contracts amounts is also stealing.
5. Challenge: True repentance requires repentance of sin!

Conclusion

1. What will your choice be? Sin or salvation?
2. Believer, do you have a Christian view of the world?

References

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/scorpion-sting#symptomsand-side-effects Viewed 17/4/20.
2. https://www.army-technology.com/features/feature-the-worlds-biggest-armies/ Viewed 18/4/20.
3. www.theaustralian.com.au Viewed 18/4/20.

Sermon 20 of 38 in Revelation Series