Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Revelation 9:1-11 ~ Jeff Ludington
Revelation 9
Revelation in 7 Sections:
• 7 Views from John
• Same relative starting point
• Different descriptions – of different segments
• We are in the 3rd Section
o The 7 Trumpet Blasts
Last week:
• The first 4 trumpets sounded last week
o We saw that preceded by the prayers of the Saints
o And by the prayers of Jesus
• We talked about the destruction of what we take for granted
o Earth, trees, and grass
o Seas and Oceans contaminated
o Fresh Waters – rivers and lakes contaminated
o 1/3 of the Sun, Moon, and Stars taken away
• I asked you the question:
o How can you trust someone you don’t know?
o Answer: we learn to know and trust God in prayer
Remember Jesus’ words:
“Take heart, I have overcome the world”
• But you have to know Him, to trust Him
Tonight we move into the final three trumpet blasts.
PRAY
Last verse of Chapter 8
Vs. 13
13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
• As if last week wasn’t bad enough
• This week it is going to get worse
• The final three trumpets are worse than the first four
• There is an increase in intensity
I didn’t want to worry you, that’s why we didn’t read this verse last week!
Vs. 1-2
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.
• Each week we study some kind of picturesque language:
• Each week I tell you if it is clearly defined for us or not
When it isn’t I ask the more important questions
• Why is it here then?
• Why was John told to write something that was vague or unclear?
• Was it clear to the Jewish or Roman person alive then?
OR: Was it written to illustrate an important lesson?
• I am going to give you an example of what theologians have said about the 5th Trumpet
Many scholars and theologians believe the 5th Trumpet to be about Mohammed and the rise in Islam 1000 years ago:
• They are looking back 1000 years to the large growth of Islam
• Mohammed lived in the late 6th century
• But Islam really grew strong a few hundred years after he died
“A star that had fallen from the sky to the Earth”
• Mohammed was born of royal family as a prince
• He was degraded and deprived of his rank
• When his family lost it’s rule a generation before his birth
“The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss”
• This key is said to represent a system of teaching
• Obviously when attached to the Abyss – it is a false teaching
• So, as we know, Mohammed came in and brought the teachings of the Koran
There is an amazing parallel verse in the Koran:
“Destroy no palm trees, nor any fields. Of corn, cut down no fruit trees.”
• Mohammed teaches this in the Koran
• Just an interesting parallel
• I don’t think it is proof-worthy
“Smoke rose from (the Abyss) like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.
• Smoke is something that clouds the vision and makes it hard to see clearly
• If you have ever been in something very smoky, you know this
• A fire, a smoky bar, …
False teaching is like that:
• It clouds the mind so that you have a hard time seeing clearly
“The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke”
• Again, same idea, just hard to see clearly
So: do I think that this verse is about Mohammed?
• The answer is “yes and no”
• Yes, Mohammed fits the profile
• But no:
o So does Joseph Smith 200 years ago
o So does Hitler 60 years ago
o And even Pelagius 1600 years ago
• If you lived in the 1800’s you would have heard this taught about Joseph Smith
• If you lived in during WWII you would have heard this taught about Hitler
• If you lived in the 1980’s, this was Communism!
Do you see my point?
• This is about strife where we live
• And it is directed at our Faith
Is our Faith under attack today?
• Yes!
• Freedom to say Jesus on TV proves it
• Prayer in Schools
• 10 Commandments in public buildings
• The marriage issues today are a faith-based conversation
We have this issue before us today!
Therefore, Mohammed and Islam is a good example of an ongoing struggle against our relationship with God.
• And it still exists today
Vs. 3
And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.
• Locusts devour all the living crops that you have
o They are used throughout scripture
• Plagues of locusts are used in the Book of Joel
o They are to show the people of God how sin corrupts and destroys what you have
• Plagues of locusts are used in the Book of Exodus
o This is the 8th plague against Egypt
o To persecute the people of Egypt for persecuting the people of God
o And to get them to set them free
Locusts come in and destroy everything!
• And these locusts are given power like scorpions
• Scorpions are a symbol of great strength
In other words, these are like locusts on steroids!
Vs. 4-5a
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months.
• Now we see that they are not real locusts
o They are a picture of something that destroys
• We see that because they are not eating plant life
o Which is all that locusts eat are grass and crops
• These locusts are commanded to affect people, but not to kill them
o It actually says, “to torture them”
BUT: not the people of God!
• This verse says:
• “Only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads”
• The seal is the Holy Spirit
IF you are you a child of God, God is able to keep you:
• God’s sovereignty says that all those He has chosen for salvation will persevere
• If you are a child of God, you will not be mislead
• You are sealed by the Holy Spirit
So who is this talking about:
• Those who are not children of God
• Those all around us that are buying into all kinds of faith-based lies
Example:
• How many people are buying into Scientology now that they have a popular face with it – Tom Cruise
• What about Kabala and Madonna
• Examples of stars falling from the sky to put smoke in front of our eyes!
Take your average person who is without any form of religious practice, and notice how many options that they have today:
• Consider that 250 years ago in the US, there wasn’t as many options
• Can you see that the locust is a plague on our religious climate today?
Vs. 5b-6
And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
• Pain and suffering will be so bad people will want to die
We don’t want to take this as some prophecy ONLY dealing with future either:
• Granted, there may be a more fully realized time later
o But that doesn’t take away the need to understand it today
• Consider how many people today are plagued by depression and pain
o Many people wish they were dead
o Many people try to kill themselves
o Some have success
o Some don’t
The point is not to put this in some other time that we don’t live in:
• Either by over-defining it as an occurrence in another century
o (Mohammed 600ad – or Islam in 1000ad)
• Or to under-define as an event as yet to come
o Much like the Left Behind series does
It is something we are undergoing every day!
Vs. 7-8
The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.
• “Faces like human faces”
o Again, we have put faces to different beliefs
o Tom Cruise, Madonna, etc
• Hair and teeth are described
I want to look at the Crowns: “like crowns of gold”:
• This the word “stephanos” in Greek
“stephanos”
• Greek word that means “crown of victory”
• This is the only use in Revelation where it isn’t talking about Christ or the Saints
• That is because it is a mock-victory
o Temporary
o Not a real victory
o A temporary victory
“Like crowns of gold”:
• It isn’t even real gold
• Just “like crowns of gold”
That is what we find of many things outside of Christianity:
• They don’t offer what they promise
• They are misleading
Vs. 9-10
They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.
• More description – mostly focused on the power
• “Breastplates like breastplates of iron”
o Again – not iron, but like iron
o Not impenetrable, but difficult
This is a powerful plague:
• Thundering sound
• Rushing into battle
• Tails that sting like scorpions
• All very powerful things
“the power to torment for 5 months”
• (Mentioned in Vs. 5 & 10)
• Notice that the power is limited
• It isn’t a very long time
• And
o Most importantly
o It is pre-determined by God!
All of these plagues are limited:
• What we need to know is that
o God is sovereign
o God is faithful
o Jesus is still victorious
• We are safe in the midst of these trials
• Because our God isn’t just smoke!
• He is the real thing
Vs. 11
They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
• Abaddon and Apollyon mean destruction and destroyer
• That is what we need to hear tonight
There is a force of evil out to destroy our faith:
• The Enemy would love nothing more than to see Christianity disappear in the next generation
How do we prevent that from happening?
We have to get beyond the smoke:
• We need to be grounded in the truth
2 things are important here:
1: understand that your relationship with God is secure
• If you are a Christ-follower
o You are protected by a sovereign God
o You are safe in the hands of Christ
• Your relationship is protected by the Almighty God who saved you
2: there is a battle for the life and souls of others
• We are called to engage in our culture
• And to be teaching the truth to others
• We are called to battle the locusts
How do we do that?
• By knowing the truth
• We must be grounded in the Word of God in order to be a force for the truth
IF you are only in the Bible on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings, you are not ready for the battle.
• The battle for our loved ones is real
• The battle for our neighbors is real
• Someone is going to win
• Someone will lead them somewhere
WILL IT BE YOU?
Revelation in 7 Sections:
• 7 Views from John
• Same relative starting point
• Different descriptions – of different segments
• We are in the 3rd Section
o The 7 Trumpet Blasts
Last week:
• The first 4 trumpets sounded last week
o We saw that preceded by the prayers of the Saints
o And by the prayers of Jesus
• We talked about the destruction of what we take for granted
o Earth, trees, and grass
o Seas and Oceans contaminated
o Fresh Waters – rivers and lakes contaminated
o 1/3 of the Sun, Moon, and Stars taken away
• I asked you the question:
o How can you trust someone you don’t know?
o Answer: we learn to know and trust God in prayer
Remember Jesus’ words:
“Take heart, I have overcome the world”
• But you have to know Him, to trust Him
Tonight we move into the final three trumpet blasts.
PRAY
Last verse of Chapter 8
Vs. 13
13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
• As if last week wasn’t bad enough
• This week it is going to get worse
• The final three trumpets are worse than the first four
• There is an increase in intensity
I didn’t want to worry you, that’s why we didn’t read this verse last week!
Vs. 1-2
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.
• Each week we study some kind of picturesque language:
• Each week I tell you if it is clearly defined for us or not
When it isn’t I ask the more important questions
• Why is it here then?
• Why was John told to write something that was vague or unclear?
• Was it clear to the Jewish or Roman person alive then?
OR: Was it written to illustrate an important lesson?
• I am going to give you an example of what theologians have said about the 5th Trumpet
Many scholars and theologians believe the 5th Trumpet to be about Mohammed and the rise in Islam 1000 years ago:
• They are looking back 1000 years to the large growth of Islam
• Mohammed lived in the late 6th century
• But Islam really grew strong a few hundred years after he died
“A star that had fallen from the sky to the Earth”
• Mohammed was born of royal family as a prince
• He was degraded and deprived of his rank
• When his family lost it’s rule a generation before his birth
“The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss”
• This key is said to represent a system of teaching
• Obviously when attached to the Abyss – it is a false teaching
• So, as we know, Mohammed came in and brought the teachings of the Koran
There is an amazing parallel verse in the Koran:
“Destroy no palm trees, nor any fields. Of corn, cut down no fruit trees.”
• Mohammed teaches this in the Koran
• Just an interesting parallel
• I don’t think it is proof-worthy
“Smoke rose from (the Abyss) like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.
• Smoke is something that clouds the vision and makes it hard to see clearly
• If you have ever been in something very smoky, you know this
• A fire, a smoky bar, …
False teaching is like that:
• It clouds the mind so that you have a hard time seeing clearly
“The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke”
• Again, same idea, just hard to see clearly
So: do I think that this verse is about Mohammed?
• The answer is “yes and no”
• Yes, Mohammed fits the profile
• But no:
o So does Joseph Smith 200 years ago
o So does Hitler 60 years ago
o And even Pelagius 1600 years ago
• If you lived in the 1800’s you would have heard this taught about Joseph Smith
• If you lived in during WWII you would have heard this taught about Hitler
• If you lived in the 1980’s, this was Communism!
Do you see my point?
• This is about strife where we live
• And it is directed at our Faith
Is our Faith under attack today?
• Yes!
• Freedom to say Jesus on TV proves it
• Prayer in Schools
• 10 Commandments in public buildings
• The marriage issues today are a faith-based conversation
We have this issue before us today!
Therefore, Mohammed and Islam is a good example of an ongoing struggle against our relationship with God.
• And it still exists today
Vs. 3
And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.
• Locusts devour all the living crops that you have
o They are used throughout scripture
• Plagues of locusts are used in the Book of Joel
o They are to show the people of God how sin corrupts and destroys what you have
• Plagues of locusts are used in the Book of Exodus
o This is the 8th plague against Egypt
o To persecute the people of Egypt for persecuting the people of God
o And to get them to set them free
Locusts come in and destroy everything!
• And these locusts are given power like scorpions
• Scorpions are a symbol of great strength
In other words, these are like locusts on steroids!
Vs. 4-5a
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months.
• Now we see that they are not real locusts
o They are a picture of something that destroys
• We see that because they are not eating plant life
o Which is all that locusts eat are grass and crops
• These locusts are commanded to affect people, but not to kill them
o It actually says, “to torture them”
BUT: not the people of God!
• This verse says:
• “Only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads”
• The seal is the Holy Spirit
IF you are you a child of God, God is able to keep you:
• God’s sovereignty says that all those He has chosen for salvation will persevere
• If you are a child of God, you will not be mislead
• You are sealed by the Holy Spirit
So who is this talking about:
• Those who are not children of God
• Those all around us that are buying into all kinds of faith-based lies
Example:
• How many people are buying into Scientology now that they have a popular face with it – Tom Cruise
• What about Kabala and Madonna
• Examples of stars falling from the sky to put smoke in front of our eyes!
Take your average person who is without any form of religious practice, and notice how many options that they have today:
• Consider that 250 years ago in the US, there wasn’t as many options
• Can you see that the locust is a plague on our religious climate today?
Vs. 5b-6
And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
• Pain and suffering will be so bad people will want to die
We don’t want to take this as some prophecy ONLY dealing with future either:
• Granted, there may be a more fully realized time later
o But that doesn’t take away the need to understand it today
• Consider how many people today are plagued by depression and pain
o Many people wish they were dead
o Many people try to kill themselves
o Some have success
o Some don’t
The point is not to put this in some other time that we don’t live in:
• Either by over-defining it as an occurrence in another century
o (Mohammed 600ad – or Islam in 1000ad)
• Or to under-define as an event as yet to come
o Much like the Left Behind series does
It is something we are undergoing every day!
Vs. 7-8
The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.
• “Faces like human faces”
o Again, we have put faces to different beliefs
o Tom Cruise, Madonna, etc
• Hair and teeth are described
I want to look at the Crowns: “like crowns of gold”:
• This the word “stephanos” in Greek
“stephanos”
• Greek word that means “crown of victory”
• This is the only use in Revelation where it isn’t talking about Christ or the Saints
• That is because it is a mock-victory
o Temporary
o Not a real victory
o A temporary victory
“Like crowns of gold”:
• It isn’t even real gold
• Just “like crowns of gold”
That is what we find of many things outside of Christianity:
• They don’t offer what they promise
• They are misleading
Vs. 9-10
They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.
• More description – mostly focused on the power
• “Breastplates like breastplates of iron”
o Again – not iron, but like iron
o Not impenetrable, but difficult
This is a powerful plague:
• Thundering sound
• Rushing into battle
• Tails that sting like scorpions
• All very powerful things
“the power to torment for 5 months”
• (Mentioned in Vs. 5 & 10)
• Notice that the power is limited
• It isn’t a very long time
• And
o Most importantly
o It is pre-determined by God!
All of these plagues are limited:
• What we need to know is that
o God is sovereign
o God is faithful
o Jesus is still victorious
• We are safe in the midst of these trials
• Because our God isn’t just smoke!
• He is the real thing
Vs. 11
They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
• Abaddon and Apollyon mean destruction and destroyer
• That is what we need to hear tonight
There is a force of evil out to destroy our faith:
• The Enemy would love nothing more than to see Christianity disappear in the next generation
How do we prevent that from happening?
We have to get beyond the smoke:
• We need to be grounded in the truth
2 things are important here:
1: understand that your relationship with God is secure
• If you are a Christ-follower
o You are protected by a sovereign God
o You are safe in the hands of Christ
• Your relationship is protected by the Almighty God who saved you
2: there is a battle for the life and souls of others
• We are called to engage in our culture
• And to be teaching the truth to others
• We are called to battle the locusts
How do we do that?
• By knowing the truth
• We must be grounded in the Word of God in order to be a force for the truth
IF you are only in the Bible on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings, you are not ready for the battle.
• The battle for our loved ones is real
• The battle for our neighbors is real
• Someone is going to win
• Someone will lead them somewhere
WILL IT BE YOU?
