May 3, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Revelation? Here’s today’s reading:
Revelation 9 (NIV)
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. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth............Continue Reading
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This Post Has 16 Comments
Shocking to think the stubbornness of man that after seeing and experiencing these things so bad people wished for death that they would still not repent and see the errors of their behavior!
God keeps me! Revelation 9 encourages me, whereby God, Jesus knows His sheep, and we cannot be removed from His hand. John 10 & Romans 8. Abaddon commands an army of beasts, hurting men five months. In this day, all the world will clearly see who is on God’s side, and who is not. Noah saw such a day. Jesus said the sheep and goats shall be separated, and chapter 9 is a future example what that could look like to the world. Extraordinary to consider, those tormented will seek death, and death will flee. What does that look like? Terror, fear, uncertainty, anger, perhaps retaliation on the saints. As Kelly noted, folks given straight warning from God, yet refuse to repent. Stiffnecked, it’s in all of us. Next, an army, 200 million strong, unleashed on men, one-third of the population destroyed. The 2/3 remnant remains unrepentant. What do I see? I see God’s mercy. As pastor said, measured wrath, which God would rather not unleash. Grace and mercy even when men are most resistant. Reminds me of myself decades ago before Christ. I see God making sure His church is not harmed. “His mercy endureth forever,”
Amen, Gordon!
This would be a very frightening chapter if we were to entertain the possibility that we would be around for it. But our Lord saves those who love him. On the other hand, the “inhabitants of the earth” refuse to repent despite what’s going on.
Wow Pastor, you are quick to review, your diligence encourages me! Final thoughts, a bit late…I have always considered Abaddon to be a “bad” angel, of Satan. Thinking about how accurate that is now. Whether correct or wrong, hypothetically, it occurs to me that if Abaddon is a good angel, of God, then I see him as a messenger leading a swarm of locusts upon men, to at best, admonish men for their evil deeds. But if of evil, then I see how true it is, that a house divided must fall, and if Satan be divided, he too has a fall. Of course, we know Satan ìs divided, and he has an end. But what is really telling, I see now, Abaddon’s locusts are actually torturing his own servants, worshippers, followers! Abaddon is forbidden, prevented from hurting Christ’s body. Satan punishes his own, and his own will not reject him! Even when God shines mercy upon the unsaved, offers opportunity and time to choose, yet still they shake their fist at God, and continue to worship Satan, their own torturer! Satan is not your friend, and there will be no party in hell. He wants to destroy. Shocking! Christ’s peace to all, -gy PS: will do better citing scripture, think most of this dialogue is readily known.
Thank you!
A star fell from heaven.[ Satan ] and he was given the key of the bottomless pit. He wages war on human kind but has limits. Only allowed to at first torment mankind but only those without the seal of God in their foreheads. Is this beasts spoken of here or is it machines like helicopters. It does say it had breastplates of iron. I have heard both over the years. All the description could sound like a helicopters. Satan will deceive many. Either way it doesn`t matter for God will win. After all the torments and latter deaths people refused to repent and turn to God. They still continued to do evil in God`s sight. How loving and patient is our God. Isn`t this the state of our world today. There is no hope without Christ. Come quickly Lord Jesus.
This comment is from Dennis
Well, now we can see why there was a warning before these tormentors were let loose. I do believe that Abaddon is an evil agent since he comes from the bottomless pit and has to be told not to harm the ones who bear God’s seal. And I am not sure that the star is satan because he is cast down to earth in chapter 12, but he could be double dipping here. This star could be a good angel that is doing God’s work to release these evil creatures and their leader to reek God’s judgment on the earth. And I do believe these are fleshly creatures, both the locusts and the horses, since, even though there are metallic aspects, there are also descriptions that are consistent with the animal kingdom that John would understand…and the connection to mechanized functions doesn’t seem clear to me as well. But so much is conjecture in the details of Jesus’ revelation to John….but the main points are not in dispute and are very clear. This will be awful and painful and relentless. I can imagine wanting to die being subject to such things (outside of the consolation and presence of God naturally). But just imagine wanting that and God supernaturally not allowing it? And even after this happens, more death and destruction comes in the 6th trumpet. Thirds of thirds is a lot of people, but still leaves quite a few left. Remember the thirds don’t add together, but multiply. If a third of humanity dies, then you have two thirds left. And then if one third of that two thirds dies, you have .8 of the two thirds still alive….and so on and so on…. And these are the ones who remarkably, in a bad way, still don’t repent. God is displaying His power and His ability to bring them to their end, but in pride they will not humble themselves. All this should increase our desire to see people saved…and maybe being saved takes on another level as well….
So an angel, good or bad, is sent by God to open the abyss where satan and his fallen angels reside and they’re told by God, who has limited the power to only harm the ones that still refuse to believe. Abaddon sounds like a destroyer. And that is his name in Greek. He leads these demons for five months to torment verse 13. Interesting on how these are all evil angels and God is completely in control of when and how many of them are released. It states that 1/3 of all people are killed in the previous chapters 1/4 of mankind was killed, so over 1/2 of the people in the world have been killed by Gods judgment. How could these people have such a hard heart? that these indescribable plagues did not drive them to God
Revelation 9
Revelation 9
So, if the believing Gentiles are still on the earth and only the Jews got a seal on their foreheads (Revelation 7), they will not be protected from the sting of the locusts?
“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.” These people are very foolish and stubborn. They continue to sin when it results in their pain and suffering and they continue to worship things that have no power to save them.
I do believe that all believers will be saved from the wrath of God. For those saved after the church is removed, they will be protected as the Jews were in Goshen during the plagues of Egypt.
Two more woes and people still don’t repent.
You would think that they would repent just for their own self interest. Not that they could fool God even in their thoughts.
“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
It is very sad indeed!