1 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,720 So far as we've been looking at the book of Revelation, we can 2 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,680 see that the visions that it presents to us enable us to look 3 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:20,240 on history. 4 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:25,200 But it's history from the perspective of God's throne in heaven. 5 00:00:26,330 --> 00:00:30,650 That's why we often talk about the curtain being pulled back so 6 00:00:30,650 --> 00:00:35,610 that we can see, not from our perspective, but from God's perspective, 7 00:00:35,610 --> 00:00:40,250 what he is doing and what he will do in human history. 8 00:00:41,850 --> 00:00:45,690 And we see through the opening of the seven seals that we took a 9 00:00:45,690 --> 00:00:50,490 number of weeks to go through, that God is guarding his servants, 10 00:00:51,220 --> 00:00:54,500 he's guarding his people to pass through the great tribulation 11 00:00:54,580 --> 00:00:58,340 of earth and to arrive safely into heaven. 12 00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:01,820 And we see now, through the blowing of the seven trumpets, God's 13 00:01:01,820 --> 00:01:06,340 judgments that declare the inevitable victory of Christ and 14 00:01:06,420 --> 00:01:10,180 call adulterous humanity to repent of sin. 15 00:01:11,140 --> 00:01:15,940 And so when we sing Christos Victor, Amen, and that last verse 16 00:01:15,940 --> 00:01:21,260 says, and he will stand Christ the victor, that's what we're talking 17 00:01:21,260 --> 00:01:21,620 about. 18 00:01:22,100 --> 00:01:26,180 It's what revelation is telling us is the ultimate outcome, 19 00:01:26,820 --> 00:01:32,660 the inevitable victory of Christ, and He will win. 20 00:01:35,380 --> 00:01:40,100 But revelation, as we see the victorious Christ, is also a call 21 00:01:40,100 --> 00:01:43,860 to us as adulterous humanity to repent of sin. 22 00:01:44,740 --> 00:01:46,900 And so the Lord is gracious in Revelation. 23 00:01:47,620 --> 00:01:51,220 He's still giving us time to repent. 24 00:01:52,340 --> 00:01:56,940 And so when we get to the seven bowls as will come, we see 25 00:01:56,940 --> 00:02:01,500 through them the judging punishments from God that destroy 26 00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:05,220 the fortresses and the pleasure places of this age. 27 00:02:06,340 --> 00:02:09,060 But for now, we're in the seven trumpets. 28 00:02:09,950 --> 00:02:12,390 And as we come to chapter nine and the blowing of the fifth and 29 00:02:12,390 --> 00:02:16,870 the sixth trumpets, we see through them horrors that fill us 30 00:02:16,870 --> 00:02:17,710 with dismay. 31 00:02:18,670 --> 00:02:21,470 So let me remind you of what these seven trumpets are. 32 00:02:21,790 --> 00:02:24,910 And we've been looking at them from chapter eight, and we will continue 33 00:02:24,990 --> 00:02:28,670 to look at them until the seventh trumpet is sounded in chapter 34 00:02:28,670 --> 00:02:29,870 11 to its end. 35 00:02:30,350 --> 00:02:33,670 Trumpet one was about the earth that heal fire and blood would 36 00:02:33,670 --> 00:02:35,800 come on the land again. 37 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,520 We see this echoes from Exodus and what happened there. 38 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:45,080 Trumpet 2 was about the seas burning mountains thrown into the 39 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:50,520 sea, the unthinkable, but yet demonstrating God's power and his 40 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:52,680 judgments, even on the seas. 41 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:56,600 Trumpet three was to do with the rivers and the springs, burning 42 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:01,400 star falls and rivers and springs, and making them unusable, 43 00:03:01,950 --> 00:03:04,990 much like what happened in the waters in Egypt. 44 00:03:05,310 --> 00:03:08,230 And then trumpet four, as we finished last week, was about the 45 00:03:08,230 --> 00:03:13,150 sun and the moon and the stars darkened, so that once again we would 46 00:03:13,150 --> 00:03:15,870 know the significance of God's judgment on humanity. 47 00:03:15,870 --> 00:03:19,206 And so now, as we come to these next number of chapters 9, 48 00:03:19,254 --> 00:03:24,550 10, and 11, we're going to see three woes with trumpet 5, 6, and 49 00:03:24,550 --> 00:03:24,910 7. 50 00:03:25,630 --> 00:03:28,710 The first and second woe that we look at this evening are demons 51 00:03:28,710 --> 00:03:31,070 from the abyss and then demons from the east. 52 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,120 Then as we get to chapter 11, because there's an interlude between 53 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,800 the sixth trumpet and the seventh, we come to the third woe, 54 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:43,800 which is about the kingdom come and the Almighty and amazing 55 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:50,840 judgment of God with the full force of who he is as Lord over all. 56 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:56,640 And so we must be aware that these just don't simply happen one 57 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:00,120 after the other, as Scripture records for us, that there are intervals 58 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,800 in the soundings of the trumpets that give us more detail 59 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,380 of what God is doing or to slow things down so we can pay attention 60 00:04:08,340 --> 00:04:09,940 to what is happening in this world. 61 00:04:09,940 --> 00:04:12,820 And the interval between the fourth trumpet and now the fifth 62 00:04:13,140 --> 00:04:17,060 trumpet is presented to us as an eagle crying with a loud voice 63 00:04:17,300 --> 00:04:22,220 as it flew over John's head, warning us that the blasts of the 64 00:04:22,220 --> 00:04:25,940 trumpets now to come were three woes on the earth. 65 00:04:26,420 --> 00:04:30,020 And those woes are for those on the earth who reject God's salvation. 66 00:04:30,700 --> 00:04:33,940 And these three woes are far worse than anything that has been 67 00:04:33,940 --> 00:04:34,700 seen already. 68 00:04:35,740 --> 00:04:37,820 And so we come to the blowing of the fifth trumpet. 69 00:04:37,820 --> 00:04:42,300 And John tells us in verse one, and the fifth angel blew his 70 00:04:42,300 --> 00:04:45,540 trumpet, and I saw a star fallen. 71 00:04:45,540 --> 00:04:51,380 Now, notice the word fallen, not falling, but fallen from heaven 72 00:04:51,380 --> 00:04:51,980 to earth. 73 00:04:52,460 --> 00:04:56,300 And he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pillow 74 00:04:56,450 --> 00:04:56,690 hit. 75 00:04:58,530 --> 00:05:00,770 Now, when a trumpet blows, you don't miss it. 76 00:05:00,850 --> 00:05:02,370 We talked about that last week. 77 00:05:02,370 --> 00:05:05,890 We know the sound, we know the volume of a trumpet, and so it's 78 00:05:05,890 --> 00:05:06,410 not missed. 79 00:05:06,410 --> 00:05:08,850 And so what does John see? 80 00:05:10,050 --> 00:05:14,610 Well, when the fifth angel blew his trumpet, John saw a star 81 00:05:15,010 --> 00:05:16,450 fallen from heaven. 82 00:05:17,090 --> 00:05:21,290 Now, if something is fallen, it means that it has gone from one 83 00:05:21,290 --> 00:05:24,610 position to another, not necessarily a physical drop. 84 00:05:26,100 --> 00:05:31,180 We know of fallen angels, angels that were once holy but no 85 00:05:31,180 --> 00:05:35,620 longer are because of sin and are now demons of Satan. 86 00:05:36,660 --> 00:05:39,780 So that's why I said, pay attention to the word fallen. 87 00:05:40,260 --> 00:05:44,980 It is not falling as a physical drop from one place to another, 88 00:05:45,300 --> 00:05:49,620 but fallen, a position that once was, that is now lost. 89 00:05:50,990 --> 00:05:55,470 And so this star represents one who is coming down. 90 00:05:55,950 --> 00:05:59,270 And this angel is granted the key to open the bottomless pit. 91 00:05:59,270 --> 00:06:03,790 This pit, as we see in verse 2, is a place of fire as smoke rises 92 00:06:03,790 --> 00:06:04,350 from it. 93 00:06:04,830 --> 00:06:08,230 And the key grants the angel authority and rule over those in 94 00:06:08,230 --> 00:06:11,510 the pit, implying that the angel's authority is granted him 95 00:06:11,510 --> 00:06:12,270 by God. 96 00:06:12,750 --> 00:06:15,710 And as the pit is opened and as the smoke billows out. 97 00:06:15,870 --> 00:06:20,230 The sun and air are both darkened by the smoke spreading over 98 00:06:20,230 --> 00:06:25,130 the world, representing Judg, as was seen by Isaiah in chapter 99 00:06:25,130 --> 00:06:29,050 34 in verse 10 as he was speaking of the Lord's day of vengeance. 100 00:06:29,530 --> 00:06:32,090 Night and day it shall not be quenched. 101 00:06:32,410 --> 00:06:34,490 Its smoke shall go up forever. 102 00:06:34,490 --> 00:06:38,090 From generation to generation it shall lie waste. 103 00:06:38,410 --> 00:06:41,210 None shall pass through it forever and ever. 104 00:06:41,370 --> 00:06:44,770 And what Isaiah is giving us here is a picture of desolation brought 105 00:06:44,770 --> 00:06:47,450 upon the earth as the Lord judges the wicked. 106 00:06:47,610 --> 00:06:50,090 And this is what we see coming out of the pit. 107 00:06:50,630 --> 00:06:51,190 Revelation. 108 00:06:51,270 --> 00:06:54,310 And John now looks into the smoke. 109 00:06:54,310 --> 00:06:59,110 He has to look into it, and he sees a plague of locusts coming out. 110 00:06:59,910 --> 00:07:05,430 And we've seen this image before in Joel, chapter two and verse 111 00:07:05,430 --> 00:07:05,830 ten. 112 00:07:06,630 --> 00:07:10,430 And here, there we find God's judgment spreading throughout the 113 00:07:10,430 --> 00:07:10,710 world. 114 00:07:10,950 --> 00:07:14,950 And of course, we only have to think about the 10 plagues on Egypt 115 00:07:15,430 --> 00:07:18,790 that we are looking at in the morning to see the devastation brought 116 00:07:18,790 --> 00:07:21,670 by a plague of locusts and all the crops that were left after the 117 00:07:21,670 --> 00:07:24,770 heels storm in the event of that plague. 118 00:07:25,170 --> 00:07:29,490 And once again, locusts are used here for us as judgment on the 119 00:07:29,490 --> 00:07:30,610 enemies of God. 120 00:07:31,570 --> 00:07:34,530 I don't know if you've ever seen a plague of locusts. 121 00:07:35,650 --> 00:07:36,770 They're awful. 122 00:07:37,969 --> 00:07:38,770 Quite literally. 123 00:07:39,890 --> 00:07:43,810 This is a picture from East Africa, because plagues of locusts 124 00:07:43,810 --> 00:07:48,690 still ravage the earth, where they will devour every crop. 125 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:52,860 The worst I have ever seen was a plague of caterpillars, where within 126 00:07:52,940 --> 00:07:57,780 one night, cauliflower and broccoli and brussels sprouts were 127 00:07:57,780 --> 00:08:01,660 all devoured, not ready for any harvest to be consumed. 128 00:08:02,140 --> 00:08:03,660 They were gone, and that was it. 129 00:08:03,980 --> 00:08:09,260 And so when locust comes, it is total devastation upon the earth. 130 00:08:10,380 --> 00:08:14,740 But these locusts in Revelation 9 have a number of characteristics 131 00:08:14,740 --> 00:08:18,060 about them that are not normal, telling us that these invaders 132 00:08:18,140 --> 00:08:21,030 are not natural forces in our world. 133 00:08:21,670 --> 00:08:25,790 Yet the image presented to us is the same force with which they 134 00:08:25,790 --> 00:08:28,350 will bring their devastation and desolation. 135 00:08:28,350 --> 00:08:31,030 The first thing is that they have the power of scorpions. 136 00:08:32,950 --> 00:08:35,550 If you've ever seen a scorpion, you will know to run in 137 00:08:35,550 --> 00:08:36,630 the opposite direction. 138 00:08:37,110 --> 00:08:40,230 Whenever we were working at our campsite in Malawi and we'd have 139 00:08:40,230 --> 00:08:43,190 to be lifting blocks for whatever work was going on, you had 140 00:08:43,190 --> 00:08:45,550 to be very careful because these little black scorpions would 141 00:08:45,550 --> 00:08:46,230 be everywhere. 142 00:08:46,940 --> 00:08:49,940 And if they felt that they were in a position that they were 143 00:08:49,940 --> 00:08:52,140 going to be attacked, their tail would come up and you would 144 00:08:52,140 --> 00:08:53,540 see the little point in their tail. 145 00:08:53,540 --> 00:08:56,020 And as quick as anything, I mean, as quick as lightning, they 146 00:08:56,020 --> 00:08:56,740 would pounce. 147 00:08:56,740 --> 00:09:00,500 That tail on you, and before you knew it, you had a scorpion attacking 148 00:09:00,500 --> 00:09:00,780 you. 149 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:03,660 And then you had an hour to get to hospital. 150 00:09:04,380 --> 00:09:06,700 Or it could be worse than you could imagine. 151 00:09:08,220 --> 00:09:14,290 Quite literally, a scorpion's tail causes severe illness and even 152 00:09:14,290 --> 00:09:14,650 death. 153 00:09:16,570 --> 00:09:19,210 But these locusts aren't scorpions. 154 00:09:20,650 --> 00:09:20,970 Yet. 155 00:09:20,970 --> 00:09:23,930 The image that is given to John and to us is the power of these 156 00:09:23,930 --> 00:09:29,730 locusts, is the power of a scorpion's tail quick, painful and 157 00:09:29,730 --> 00:09:30,810 in need of treatment. 158 00:09:31,690 --> 00:09:34,170 Secondly, they're restricted in what they can attack. 159 00:09:34,970 --> 00:09:36,730 What do locusts do? 160 00:09:37,290 --> 00:09:39,860 Locusts devour crops. 161 00:09:40,260 --> 00:09:41,300 That's all they do. 162 00:09:41,860 --> 00:09:44,580 But look at the change in the image here from a locust. 163 00:09:44,580 --> 00:09:49,260 We would know in our normal course of nature, they're restricted 164 00:09:49,260 --> 00:09:49,940 in what they can do. 165 00:09:49,940 --> 00:09:53,020 Only those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads will 166 00:09:53,020 --> 00:09:57,940 be attacked by these locusts who have the power of a scorpion's 167 00:09:57,940 --> 00:09:58,340 tail. 168 00:09:59,300 --> 00:10:02,500 So here we're told that they are limited, yet what they're doing 169 00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:06,220 is painful and it will have far reaching consequences. 170 00:10:06,220 --> 00:10:10,520 But it's only to those who are not marked by the seal of, of Jesus 171 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:10,880 Christ. 172 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:13,760 That seal we have seen in previous chapters. 173 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,680 And thirdly, they are only allowed to torment, they're not allowed 174 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:19,120 to kill. 175 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:22,480 Now a scorpion can kill. 176 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,440 So whatever power or control of power that these locusts have 177 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,760 with a sting and a tail as powerful as scorpions is, they have 178 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,960 to regulate it or they are regulated, they cannot kill. 179 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:35,000 They can only torment. 180 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,430 And that's important for how this section closes out, because 181 00:10:39,430 --> 00:10:44,030 the outcome of their torment is such that we see the desires of 182 00:10:44,030 --> 00:10:46,550 the people of which they attack in verse six. 183 00:10:47,030 --> 00:10:50,310 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. 184 00:10:50,470 --> 00:10:53,670 They will long to die, but death will flee from them. 185 00:10:53,910 --> 00:10:57,030 They're facing such an attack that they wish they were dead. 186 00:10:58,070 --> 00:11:01,270 They can't take any more pain, they can't take any more desolation. 187 00:11:01,910 --> 00:11:05,750 They cannot see a future, only a future of death. 188 00:11:05,750 --> 00:11:09,870 But death does not come to them, because the Lord has ordained 189 00:11:10,430 --> 00:11:14,870 that these locusts are restricted to only torment and not 190 00:11:14,870 --> 00:11:15,230 kill. 191 00:11:16,430 --> 00:11:18,510 Now remember, this is a judgment on the people. 192 00:11:18,510 --> 00:11:21,390 And how unbearable this judgment is upon them. 193 00:11:21,950 --> 00:11:26,230 They have no respite available to them and they continue to be confronted 194 00:11:26,230 --> 00:11:30,510 by these beasts that are beyond what has been seen before. 195 00:11:31,900 --> 00:11:35,340 And verses seven through nine go on to tell us of what they look 196 00:11:35,340 --> 00:11:35,620 like. 197 00:11:35,620 --> 00:11:39,740 So we've now been told about their power and what their power 198 00:11:39,740 --> 00:11:40,620 is limited to. 199 00:11:41,020 --> 00:11:42,580 But now what do they look like? 200 00:11:42,580 --> 00:11:44,380 Because imagery is important. 201 00:11:45,580 --> 00:11:48,500 Cast your eye over these verses and you'll see John's repeated 202 00:11:48,500 --> 00:11:49,740 use of like. 203 00:11:50,460 --> 00:11:55,180 He uses the word like to give us a vivid sense of these demonic 204 00:11:55,180 --> 00:11:58,940 creatures that bring a spiritual plague of misery upon humanity. 205 00:11:59,580 --> 00:12:02,700 It's as if John is struggling to describe what he's seeing in a 206 00:12:02,700 --> 00:12:06,380 way that will communicate the reality and the fullness of their 207 00:12:06,380 --> 00:12:07,500 demonic nature. 208 00:12:08,460 --> 00:12:11,980 We know they're demonic because we're told in verse 11 where 209 00:12:11,980 --> 00:12:14,460 they come from and who is king over them. 210 00:12:14,460 --> 00:12:18,220 Because verse 11 says they have a king over them, the angel 211 00:12:18,220 --> 00:12:19,580 of the bottomless pit. 212 00:12:20,140 --> 00:12:26,030 His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. 213 00:12:26,750 --> 00:12:28,990 Now these demons appear, commanding. 214 00:12:29,310 --> 00:12:33,110 They look as if they're instructable in the guise of locusts. 215 00:12:33,110 --> 00:12:38,230 They're seductive and they're cunning, but they sting and they 216 00:12:38,230 --> 00:12:39,950 hurt and they torment. 217 00:12:40,750 --> 00:12:44,710 The power to hurt people is in their tails, in the devastation left 218 00:12:44,710 --> 00:12:47,070 behind after the fun has ended. 219 00:12:48,030 --> 00:12:50,990 And doesn't this seem to reflect the reality that so many 220 00:12:50,990 --> 00:12:55,020 things that seem so empowering, so natural and so enjoyable 221 00:12:55,020 --> 00:12:59,580 on the surface of this current age actually end up bringing misery, 222 00:13:01,580 --> 00:13:07,180 Reveling in supposed freedom to indulge, so many people find themselves 223 00:13:07,180 --> 00:13:11,100 enslaved to things that are quite literally killing them. 224 00:13:12,300 --> 00:13:15,860 So many people indulge in things that they think will add to 225 00:13:15,860 --> 00:13:19,920 their lives, but really only take and take from their lives. 226 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:26,320 That's because they come from the pit of hell, from the one who, 227 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:32,280 as Jesus says, comes only to steal and kill and destroy, as he 228 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,160 says in John 10:10. 229 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:37,920 John gives us his name here in Revelation. 230 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,680 It's presented to us in both Hebrew and Greek. 231 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:41,040 Why? 232 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:44,680 Because remember, we're talking about the full church of 233 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:45,280 God, his. 234 00:13:45,550 --> 00:13:49,550 His full people, the full account of his people. 235 00:13:50,030 --> 00:13:53,510 Thereby, the language is reflecting both the Old and the New 236 00:13:53,510 --> 00:13:59,070 Testaments, and in both languages, his name means the destroyer. 237 00:14:00,270 --> 00:14:02,830 Apollyon is Satan himself. 238 00:14:03,550 --> 00:14:04,990 He is the one who destroys. 239 00:14:04,990 --> 00:14:06,870 He is the one who ruins human beings. 240 00:14:06,870 --> 00:14:10,590 And the locusts become the agent of this destruction. 241 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,800 The Hebrew Abaddon has the same meaning in this context, describing 242 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:17,160 Satan's destructive power. 243 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:21,720 In the Old Testament, Abaddon is often paralleled with Sheol and 244 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:26,160 names for us the place of the dead and the place of the power of 245 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:26,440 death. 246 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:31,120 And so John develops this meaning in this first woe and tells 247 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,320 us that the place of death is now personified, for there is a king 248 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:37,800 over the dead, and it is Satan himself. 249 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,320 The writer of Hebrews confirms this in Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 250 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:42,640 15. 251 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,360 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself 252 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,400 likewise partook of the same things that through Death. 253 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:54,119 He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the 254 00:14:54,119 --> 00:14:59,040 devil, and deliver all those who, through fear of death, were 255 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:01,280 subject to lifelong slavery. 256 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,240 So here in the middle of these verses, we see the king over the 257 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,160 dead, the one who has authority of death. 258 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,720 And it is he whom Jesus has come to defeat. 259 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:18,240 Although Satan's power is limited, he still needs to be defeated 260 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:22,080 to prove the power and authority of salvation in Jesus. 261 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,760 And as verse 12 tells us that the first woe is over, so we must 262 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,080 pause and consider its truth and its truth for each of us. 263 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:35,170 Ultimately, God is sovereign even over the actions of the devil 264 00:15:35,170 --> 00:15:36,170 and demons. 265 00:15:36,810 --> 00:15:40,330 But at the same time, God is sovereign over the torment human 266 00:15:40,410 --> 00:15:44,890 beings feel because it is the punishment on the ungodly. 267 00:15:45,850 --> 00:15:50,090 Yet he uses the devil and demons as his agents in inflicting 268 00:15:50,090 --> 00:15:50,570 misery. 269 00:15:51,130 --> 00:15:54,650 But still, God's role in what happens to humans is dramatically 270 00:15:54,650 --> 00:15:57,050 different from that of the devil and demons. 271 00:15:57,130 --> 00:16:02,970 For God always does what is holy and what is just, while the 272 00:16:02,970 --> 00:16:06,770 devil and demons are filled with hate and spite. 273 00:16:07,730 --> 00:16:11,970 We also learn from this text that sin brings anguish and torment. 274 00:16:12,530 --> 00:16:15,890 Initially it may be pleasurable, but there is a sting 275 00:16:15,890 --> 00:16:20,050 in the tail, quite literally, and the end result is grief. 276 00:16:21,010 --> 00:16:25,330 When we see human beings controlled by self pity, by anger, 277 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:30,600 by lust and jealousy, full of unhappiness and rage against life, 278 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,720 it is part of the judgment of God. 279 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:36,920 They are under Satan's dominion. 280 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,919 Their lives are slowly unraveling, and pretty soon the thread 281 00:16:41,919 --> 00:16:45,720 is gone and only foolhardiness remains. 282 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:51,970 Quite literally, everyone in hell is insane. 283 00:16:52,850 --> 00:16:56,810 For there is nothing more insane than the worship of self and 284 00:16:56,810 --> 00:16:58,130 the hatred of God. 285 00:16:58,770 --> 00:17:01,730 And this too is part of God's judgment on the human race. 286 00:17:02,050 --> 00:17:05,930 That's why Paul writes what he does in Romans 2 and verses 5 to 287 00:17:05,930 --> 00:17:06,290 6. 288 00:17:06,530 --> 00:17:10,370 But because of your hard and impotent heart, you are storing up 289 00:17:10,370 --> 00:17:11,610 wrath for yourself. 290 00:17:11,610 --> 00:17:15,050 On the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be 291 00:17:15,050 --> 00:17:21,459 revealed, he will render to each one according to his works. 292 00:17:23,459 --> 00:17:28,819 See, God acts in ways that are holy and just. 293 00:17:30,419 --> 00:17:35,699 He has said he will punish sin because it is an abomination to him, 294 00:17:36,739 --> 00:17:37,779 and that he will. 295 00:17:39,219 --> 00:17:43,219 The devil and his demons, however, are not holy. 296 00:17:44,099 --> 00:17:45,299 And they are not just. 297 00:17:46,910 --> 00:17:49,070 Their desire is to pull you away. 298 00:17:50,590 --> 00:17:55,350 Their desire is to, as it were, tickle your heart to their 299 00:17:55,350 --> 00:18:00,070 ways so that you will be more inclined to what they present as 300 00:18:00,070 --> 00:18:06,430 the pleasures of this world, with every pun intended, that inevitable 301 00:18:06,430 --> 00:18:07,630 sting in the tail. 302 00:18:10,750 --> 00:18:15,530 So why are you trying to fool yourself and to fool God? 303 00:18:16,810 --> 00:18:22,370 If he is holy and he is just, then sin will be punished for what 304 00:18:22,370 --> 00:18:22,810 it is. 305 00:18:24,890 --> 00:18:28,330 To simply live in sin and think you can get away with it is 306 00:18:28,330 --> 00:18:34,890 foolhardiness and only playing into the hate and spite of the devil. 307 00:18:36,730 --> 00:18:37,770 So which will it be? 308 00:18:39,460 --> 00:18:42,540 Will you avoid the judgment and the wrath of God by trusting 309 00:18:42,540 --> 00:18:43,300 in the Savior? 310 00:18:44,580 --> 00:18:49,700 Or will you continue to live in it and know that eternal punishment 311 00:18:49,700 --> 00:18:53,900 of those locusts with the power of a scorpion's tail to in 312 00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:59,060 a moment as quick as a flash to pince you and to know that you 313 00:18:59,060 --> 00:19:01,940 are mortally wounded for all eternity? 314 00:19:03,780 --> 00:19:08,550 So as we move on from the sounding of the fifth trumpet and 315 00:19:08,550 --> 00:19:12,550 the first woe is over, at the sounding of the sixth trumpet, we 316 00:19:12,550 --> 00:19:15,710 are told what John hears rather than what he sees. 317 00:19:16,350 --> 00:19:20,670 We've come across this before because we know that John saw in 318 00:19:20,670 --> 00:19:22,590 the throne room of heaven and then he heard. 319 00:19:22,990 --> 00:19:26,110 And so now in this second woe with the sixth trumpet, it's again 320 00:19:26,110 --> 00:19:27,390 what he hears. 321 00:19:27,630 --> 00:19:30,270 And in verse 13, we told that he hears a voice. 322 00:19:30,750 --> 00:19:35,610 And the voice is coming from the horns of the golden altar before 323 00:19:35,690 --> 00:19:36,170 God. 324 00:19:37,130 --> 00:19:39,930 Now, the trumpet judgments are from a censer. 325 00:19:40,410 --> 00:19:44,650 And if you'll recall, that censer is like a pan that has hot 326 00:19:44,650 --> 00:19:48,970 coals in it that was incense, and it was heaped onto the earth. 327 00:19:49,610 --> 00:19:53,050 And we saw that in the first five verses of chapter eight. 328 00:19:53,450 --> 00:19:56,730 Well, the horns on altars generally don't speak. 329 00:19:57,850 --> 00:20:01,570 But in what John is telling us here, he's reminding us that the 330 00:20:01,570 --> 00:20:05,590 judgments are taking place, are in answer to the prayers of the 331 00:20:05,590 --> 00:20:06,150 saints. 332 00:20:06,630 --> 00:20:11,270 And the voice that John hears now speaks in verse 14, saying to 333 00:20:11,270 --> 00:20:15,230 the sixth angel who had the trumpet release the four angels who 334 00:20:15,230 --> 00:20:17,830 are bound at the great river Euphrates. 335 00:20:18,950 --> 00:20:22,470 These four angels are not angels from heaven, but are once 336 00:20:22,470 --> 00:20:24,070 again fallen angels. 337 00:20:24,710 --> 00:20:27,670 In Scripture, angels from heaven are sent. 338 00:20:28,150 --> 00:20:31,270 They're commissioned to do the work and the will of God. 339 00:20:32,530 --> 00:20:35,970 These four angels are neither sent nor commissioned. 340 00:20:37,170 --> 00:20:41,730 They are bound because they can only be released if they are 341 00:20:41,730 --> 00:20:42,210 bound. 342 00:20:42,770 --> 00:20:45,890 And so to be released means that they have been imprisoned or 343 00:20:45,890 --> 00:20:47,090 they have been held back. 344 00:20:47,570 --> 00:20:51,450 And the place at which they are held is significant because the 345 00:20:51,450 --> 00:20:56,210 Euphrates river was the ideal boundary of Israel as promised by 346 00:20:56,210 --> 00:20:56,610 God. 347 00:20:57,180 --> 00:21:00,420 Therefore, these horsemen represent invading enemies from the 348 00:21:00,420 --> 00:21:00,700 world. 349 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:04,740 In the Old Testament, God sent the Assyrians and then the Babylonians 350 00:21:04,740 --> 00:21:09,100 across the Euphrates to bring judgment onto Israel for her idolatry. 351 00:21:09,580 --> 00:21:14,540 Jeremiah warned those of his time of a nation that would be cruel, 352 00:21:14,540 --> 00:21:18,620 coming from the east and have no mercy, riding on horses, to attack 353 00:21:18,940 --> 00:21:19,580 and to kill. 354 00:21:19,580 --> 00:21:21,340 And that's in Jeremiah chapter 6. 355 00:21:22,060 --> 00:21:25,860 Even in the time of John's writing, the Euphrates was the border 356 00:21:25,860 --> 00:21:27,180 of the Roman Empire. 357 00:21:27,850 --> 00:21:30,970 Quite literally, the world ended at the Euphrates. 358 00:21:31,290 --> 00:21:35,570 Beyond it, there were terrifying horsemen of the Parthian 359 00:21:35,570 --> 00:21:36,090 Empire. 360 00:21:36,650 --> 00:21:40,170 Now, that Parthian Empire would eventually be conquered by 361 00:21:40,410 --> 00:21:43,450 Trajan in AD114.16. 362 00:21:44,410 --> 00:21:48,890 But before then, these enemies stalked the nightmares of those living 363 00:21:48,890 --> 00:21:52,650 within Rome's borders along the Euphrates River. 364 00:21:53,540 --> 00:21:56,980 It is possible that then, the description of these horsemen breathing 365 00:21:56,980 --> 00:22:00,660 out of their mouths and stinging with their tails would remind 366 00:22:00,820 --> 00:22:05,380 John's readers of the way in which Parthian horse archers fired 367 00:22:05,380 --> 00:22:09,820 both while advancing and while retreating, not simply running away, 368 00:22:09,820 --> 00:22:11,860 but taking every last shot they could. 369 00:22:13,460 --> 00:22:16,780 You see, this was a real war and battle going on at the time of 370 00:22:16,780 --> 00:22:17,060 John. 371 00:22:17,860 --> 00:22:21,180 And so the imagery is rich, running from the Old Testament into 372 00:22:21,180 --> 00:22:21,700 the new. 373 00:22:22,860 --> 00:22:24,860 And can't we still see it today? 374 00:22:26,940 --> 00:22:30,420 Verse 15 confirms that these fallen angels were sent to kill a 375 00:22:30,420 --> 00:22:31,420 third of mankind. 376 00:22:31,980 --> 00:22:33,220 And we've seen this before. 377 00:22:33,220 --> 00:22:36,420 But this tells us that their attacks lead to the death of a great 378 00:22:36,420 --> 00:22:37,260 number of people. 379 00:22:38,140 --> 00:22:41,340 And this was demonstrated in the blast of previous judgments. 380 00:22:42,380 --> 00:22:46,100 Well, the demons are portrayed as troops on horses, and two times 381 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:50,020 we're told that plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur come out of 382 00:22:50,020 --> 00:22:52,620 their mouths and the mouths of the horses. 383 00:22:52,620 --> 00:22:56,460 And John hears the number of the demonic army, a staggering 200 384 00:22:56,540 --> 00:22:56,940 million. 385 00:22:57,500 --> 00:23:01,660 And earlier we noted that John heard the number of the 144,000. 386 00:23:02,460 --> 00:23:06,140 And so this number of 200 million tells us of an incalculable 387 00:23:06,140 --> 00:23:06,780 army. 388 00:23:07,100 --> 00:23:10,540 They make their way to attack and bring judgment on the earth. 389 00:23:10,700 --> 00:23:15,300 And as they do, we see a horrifying image of these invading 390 00:23:15,300 --> 00:23:15,740 forces. 391 00:23:17,050 --> 00:23:22,130 Verse 19 tells us, for the power of the horses is in their mouths 392 00:23:22,130 --> 00:23:25,930 and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, 393 00:23:26,010 --> 00:23:28,650 and by means of them they wound. 394 00:23:29,930 --> 00:23:34,450 These horses are nothing like horses in this world, for the power 395 00:23:34,450 --> 00:23:39,450 to injure people is in their mouth and in their tails, their tails 396 00:23:39,450 --> 00:23:40,250 are like serpents. 397 00:23:40,730 --> 00:23:43,610 They're telling us that it's a demonic power at work. 398 00:23:43,690 --> 00:23:47,610 And so we must remember that the language here is apocalyptic. 399 00:23:48,170 --> 00:23:50,810 John is not anticipating modern weaponry. 400 00:23:51,530 --> 00:23:52,410 How could he? 401 00:23:52,410 --> 00:23:53,690 He couldn't foresee it. 402 00:23:54,090 --> 00:23:58,410 Instead, he teaches that the plagues come from demonic powers. 403 00:23:59,530 --> 00:24:05,050 Demons destroy human beings, especially through false teaching 404 00:24:05,210 --> 00:24:07,850 that separates unbelievers from God. 405 00:24:09,210 --> 00:24:13,370 And so how sad it is for a judgment of death to be placed on 406 00:24:13,370 --> 00:24:17,690 one third of the earth, a judgment they deserve for their rejection 407 00:24:17,690 --> 00:24:18,290 of God. 408 00:24:19,490 --> 00:24:21,530 But we could easily ask, if that's just one third, what about 409 00:24:21,530 --> 00:24:22,290 the other 2/3? 410 00:24:22,290 --> 00:24:23,570 What about the remaining people? 411 00:24:24,290 --> 00:24:27,450 Well, verses 20 and 21 tell us of how they fare. 412 00:24:27,450 --> 00:24:29,810 And they don't give up on their sinful ways. 413 00:24:30,370 --> 00:24:33,970 Verse 20 tells us that they do not repent of their sin, nor do they 414 00:24:33,970 --> 00:24:36,370 stop worshipping the false gods of this age. 415 00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:39,330 The specific sins are mentioned in verse 21. 416 00:24:39,730 --> 00:24:43,170 Nor do they repent of their murders or their sorceries, or their 417 00:24:43,170 --> 00:24:45,670 sexual immorality or their thefts. 418 00:24:46,710 --> 00:24:52,630 What we have here is a zeroing in on various sins requiring repentance, 419 00:24:53,110 --> 00:24:57,830 specifically murder, sorcery, sexual immorality and theft. 420 00:24:58,550 --> 00:25:02,630 It's striking that all of these sins are forbidden in the Ten 421 00:25:02,630 --> 00:25:03,350 Commandments. 422 00:25:04,070 --> 00:25:07,910 Sorcery relies on another God besides the Lord, thereby taking 423 00:25:08,230 --> 00:25:09,270 his name in vain. 424 00:25:09,670 --> 00:25:13,950 Murder and stealing reveal how human beings secure their well being 425 00:25:13,950 --> 00:25:18,290 through their own schemes, while sexual immorality pursues pleasure 426 00:25:18,290 --> 00:25:23,250 on our terms instead of through adherence to God's standard. 427 00:25:24,130 --> 00:25:27,970 And as we hear the fifth and sixth trumpets and see the judgments 428 00:25:27,970 --> 00:25:33,570 that they will bring, we could easily ask, is there any hope? 429 00:25:35,090 --> 00:25:37,410 And the answer is yes. 430 00:25:38,690 --> 00:25:43,170 These judgments are given to us as a warning of how sin will be 431 00:25:43,170 --> 00:25:45,350 and must be punished. 432 00:25:45,590 --> 00:25:49,030 We see people caught up in their sin, unwilling to surrender 433 00:25:49,030 --> 00:25:51,430 to Christ and live by his way. 434 00:25:51,910 --> 00:25:56,470 And it should remind us of the story of the man of the Gadarenes 435 00:25:56,630 --> 00:25:59,590 that Jesus delivered from the legion of demons. 436 00:26:00,310 --> 00:26:04,310 These demons begged Jesus not to cast them into the abyss. 437 00:26:06,150 --> 00:26:09,790 Jesus instead sent them into a herd of pigs and they ran straight 438 00:26:09,790 --> 00:26:11,030 off the cliff to their death. 439 00:26:12,690 --> 00:26:17,490 But what about the man who was formerly so tormented by these demons? 440 00:26:19,010 --> 00:26:20,850 But he submitted to Jesus. 441 00:26:21,650 --> 00:26:25,010 And when the people came looking, where did they find him? 442 00:26:25,650 --> 00:26:27,730 Luke 8:35 tells us. 443 00:26:27,730 --> 00:26:30,490 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came 444 00:26:30,490 --> 00:26:35,850 to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting 445 00:26:35,850 --> 00:26:40,990 at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. 446 00:26:42,030 --> 00:26:43,630 And what was their response? 447 00:26:45,150 --> 00:26:46,190 They were afraid. 448 00:26:48,670 --> 00:26:51,870 The images that we've seen in Revelation tonight may frighten us, 449 00:26:52,590 --> 00:26:56,510 and they are a stark warning for us. 450 00:26:58,270 --> 00:27:00,670 But in Christ we need not fear. 451 00:27:01,790 --> 00:27:05,700 In the Savior, as we give everything over to him, he drives 452 00:27:05,780 --> 00:27:10,340 out fear so that we can enjoy his wonderful peace. 453 00:27:11,060 --> 00:27:14,660 Those who are not in Christ are fully afraid of his power. 454 00:27:14,980 --> 00:27:19,180 Just like the people who came to find the man who had once been 455 00:27:19,180 --> 00:27:20,580 tormented by the demons. 456 00:27:21,460 --> 00:27:23,620 In Christ we do not fear the future. 457 00:27:23,620 --> 00:27:27,220 Rather, we have assurance of what he gives us here and now. 458 00:27:27,700 --> 00:27:30,740 In giving us his salvation, he gives us his peace. 459 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:34,880 And when we come to know Christ in saving faith, trusting 460 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:38,320 his redeeming work to set sinners free from judgment and misery. 461 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:40,160 Then we will know his peace. 462 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:45,280 As Jesus himself says in John 14:27, Peace, I leave with you. 463 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:46,400 My peace I give you. 464 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:48,960 Not as the world gives do I give to you. 465 00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:53,680 Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 466 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:59,440 The fifth and sixth blasts of trumpets with these first and second 467 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:05,400 woes are truly horrific of what it means to face the judgment 468 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:06,440 of God. 469 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:11,880 Is that the judgment you're going to face? 470 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:18,680 Is that the judgment that is currently awaiting you for your rejection 471 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:20,200 of God? 472 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:24,040 There is hope. 473 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:29,320 There is hope tonight to know a peace that only the Lord can give. 474 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:34,840 A peace that will drive out fear, so that we will not fear the 475 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:39,280 judgment, but will know as the first fruits, as we follow the first 476 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:43,320 fruits of his creation of that new order in heaven, we will know 477 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:44,760 the joy of salvation. 478 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:46,720 We will be free from fear. 479 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:52,000 And we will have glorious hope in a Savior who will lead us home. 480 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:57,610 The call and warning tonight is to avoid these woes. 481 00:28:58,410 --> 00:29:01,570 And the only way we can do that is not by sidestepping them 482 00:29:01,570 --> 00:29:05,050 or thinking we can sidestep them, but by trusting in Jesus. 483 00:29:05,690 --> 00:29:09,730 And so it is him who calls us tonight to take everything of our 484 00:29:09,730 --> 00:29:14,650 lives and to give it over to him for him to take our lives and 485 00:29:14,730 --> 00:29:18,730 work in us so that we can know the fullness of his goodness, his 486 00:29:18,730 --> 00:29:20,650 blessing and his glory. 487 00:29:22,100 --> 00:29:28,220 Listen, and listen well to the soundings of these trumpets that 488 00:29:28,220 --> 00:29:33,060 warn us of the judgment to come so that we will turn to Christ, 489 00:29:34,340 --> 00:29:38,580 knowing that he drives out the fear we feel and he will give us 490 00:29:38,580 --> 00:29:40,100 peace everlasting. 491 00:29:41,140 --> 00:29:44,740 And so may it be for your soul this night. 492 00:29:45,540 --> 00:29:46,340 Let us pray. 493 00:29:47,340 --> 00:29:51,860 Our Father God, your word warns us with vivid imagery of what 494 00:29:51,860 --> 00:29:54,020 it means to. 495 00:29:54,020 --> 00:29:56,860 What it means to face the punishment that our sin deserves. 496 00:29:57,580 --> 00:30:00,940 And if we're not in Christ, then this is the reality that will 497 00:30:00,940 --> 00:30:01,260 come. 498 00:30:02,700 --> 00:30:04,380 But thank you for a Savior. 499 00:30:04,860 --> 00:30:08,580 Thank you for a Savior who drives out fear so that we may know 500 00:30:08,580 --> 00:30:09,020 peace. 501 00:30:10,220 --> 00:30:13,700 So, Father in our hearts may we be honest with ourselves and honest 502 00:30:13,700 --> 00:30:20,020 with you as we eagerly seek the Savior and that wonderful assurance 503 00:30:20,580 --> 00:30:24,260 that indeed we will pass through the judgment and come to 504 00:30:24,260 --> 00:30:25,140 eternal rest. 505 00:30:26,260 --> 00:30:30,900 So Father, may we respond well to these your words this night. 506 00:30:31,220 --> 00:30:33,860 In Jesus name, amen. 507 00:30:40,260 --> 00:30:40,500 Sa.