Revelation 9:1-12 THE FIRST WOE !!!!!

 

Intro: I have entitled this Message the First Woe !!! – We noted how  Ch. 8 ended w/ these Words

13      And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"

 

A)   Contrast to other Angelic Messengers that came to Earth – Bringing GLAD TIDING OF GREAT JOY /  MESSAGE OF PEACE

1)                 This Angel has No such Message -  ( Instead Woe / Woe / Woe

 

A)   Woe interesting word :  Horse – Woe

1)                 Reminded of the Story of the Guy who bought a Christian Horse

 

Told two important things couldn’t forget – If he wanted the Horse to go PTL / Stop Hallelujah

No Sooner did He get the Horse home – out for a ride – horse had great pick up – off & running – suddenly man noticed cliff /

                Couldn’t remember how to get the horse to stop

 

Woe !!!! / stop !!!/ Play dead !!!!! /God Loves you!!!/ Right before he was about to reach the edge of the Cliff – Remembered Hallelujah

 / Horse came to a complete stop right at the edge ( Guys relieved said PTL 

 

So that is one way the word Woe is Used !!!! Horse stop / Reaction of those on the Earth – Please make it Stop !!!!!!

A)   Another is – Woe -  Like in WOW!!! – All the surfers in Heaven – Woe Dude – Check it out ( Reaction to this Scene )

 

B)   3RD WAY – Woe as in – Watch out – get Ready – BEWARE!!!!!!

1)                 That is what we see here -  Very intense

 

A)   So Glad Brian is w/ us this Morning – ( Sort of Softens the Blow a little)

 

There is a Clothing line that is very popular today – who’s slogan reads NO FEAR !!!!! ( Seen the Shirts – Absolutely positively – No fear)

A)   That will be one shirt that doesn’t sell during the Tribulation period

 

B)    Jesus said of that time : Lk.21 26  "men's hearts WOULD fail them from fear and the anticipation  of those things which are coming on the earth

 

C)    Revelation is anything but light Bed time reading !!! ( Not stuff Memorize – put in your book of Promises

1       1) Sometimes the temptation is to just some up Ch. 6-19 / IT was very

2            BAD !!

3        

A)     Jesus also said concerning the Tribe. - 22  If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive,

 

 

Now we have seen:   War / Famine / Death/ - to the point where Ό of the earth’s population is killed /Approx. – 1billion people after rapture

A)   2 Great Earthquakes – so frightening that – Men’s response – Mts. fall on us & crush us – Hide us from the wrath of the Lamb

 

B)   Sun darkened – moon blood – Waters Contaminated –1/3 of oceans / rivers springs / Hail & fire from heaven / Giant Meteorites

1) WHAT COULD BE WORSE ???? /

 

C)   Ch. 9 gets Worse! – All Hell Literally Breaks Lose/ what heaven doesn’t finish in Ch.8 / Hell seeks to accomplish in Ch.9

1) Hell Literally Visits the Earth   ( READ V.1-12)

 

The verses we are covering today can be divided into 4 sections

 

                         V.1- A STAR is UNFIXED

                             V.2 A PIT IS UNLOCKED

                                 V.3-12 A HORDE IS UNLEASHED

                                       V.6 A WORLD IS UNERVED

I. A STAR IS UNFIXED : V.1

Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

 

A)   Now this is  Different From the Star that we read about in Ch. 8

      several reasons

1)                 1st being this Star has a Personality – TO HIM was given the key to the bottomless pit. 

 

A)   Notice also that this is not speaking of a Falling Star – but Literally reads ( A Star that HAD FALLEN  )

1)                 Lit. speaks of an event that had already happened – Event that happened at an earlier date ( but has had lingering results)

 

A)   Guys who is This Star that HAD FALLEN ? This  is none other than Satan himself – Isa. 14 tells about his fall

12  "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

13  "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

14  'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'    ( That is what Satan Said & Did – here is how God responded)

15  "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

 

D) Jesus also spoke of this event : Luke 10:18  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

 

 

So we learn from the Scriptures that Satan was once an Angelic being [Involved in Worship]who desired to Raise himself up above God - 

A)   His heart was filled w/ Pride -  Result – got the Boot

 

 

Guys notes this can happen to anyone being used of the Lord

Start thinking that Everything revolves around You ( Big Mistake )

    Your focused on You – so you think everyone else is too

 

    If you are only focused on Yourself that is a Miserable existence to have

          Until you take the I in your life & bend it into the shape of a C – so that   

          you become less self centered & more Christ centered – Miserable

 

    But when you lose your life in the cause of Christ & for the sake of Christ  

     that is when You really start to live / LIFE IS ABOUT !!!!

          JOY!!!!!

 

      Position JESUS – as the center – covers the first command

         OTHERS – Covers the 2nd command – ( Jesus said all the 

          commandments are summed up in those two)

 

      YOU : The Lord takes care of the rest !!!!/  Great Life !!!!!

 

But if you invert it YOJ -  ( It makes no sense – neither does your life)

     That is what Satan Did – result – boot !!!!!

 

B)   As a result He was cast out of Heaven / Rev.12 tells us that 1/3 of the Stars were cast out w/ him !!!!!

1)                 How many Angels is that ? We don’t know – but when Jesus met the man in Genneserat – What is Your name ? ( Legion = 6,000 or more)

 

A)   In v. 11 that he is called by 2 names  Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.   Both  Which mean- Destroyer

 

 

Now we can learn a lot from names in the Bible ( fame /

A) Jesus = Savior & certainly He is that !!!

 

B)Abraham = The Father of many -  Certainly He is that !!!

1) Enoch  = Dedicated -       “””””””””””””

C)SATAN= opposition – opposition , contrary opposed to !!!

1)                 That certainly is His fame – what He is about !!

 

D) It also is His game plan: Anything in our lives that the Lord is seeking to build / Satan wants to tear down & oppose

2)                 That is his NATURE – Kill to Rob & Destroy !!!

 

A)   You are trying to build a home w/ Christian Principles – He wants to destroy that / He will come against that !!!! Who He is !!!!

1) Come to Kill to Rob & Destroy !!!!!!   John10

 

d)But Contrast that w/ what Jesus said – I came to give Life to the Fullest

1) What a Contrast /      Satan is not your Friend !!!!

 

A)    DEVIL – take away the E / EVIL - / VIL he is vile  / IL what he wants to make you sick  /

1) What happens when you take away the D/ E/ V/ I/ -   leaves you w/ L that is right where he wants to take you is to L ( all you need to Know)

 

( Some of you that was Stupid -  but tomorrow – Guess what learn something from the name Devil )

 

 

 II. A Pit is unlocked v.2

To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2  And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun & the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.

 

A)    The Phrase Bottomless pit is actually ABUSSO in the Grk – it appears 7 times in the book of Revelation –

1)                 And always is in Reference to the ABODE of some Incarcerated Demons

 

A)    Satan himself is going to be locked up there during the 1000 yr. Mill.

& then let lose for a season – Deceive before thrown into Lake of fire

 2 Pet.2:4 Speaks of this group - 4  For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

 

A)    So we have this group Angels who sinned – kept in this place reserved for Judgement – ( THIERS or This – Employed by God for  this time)

 

B) What was their Sin !!!!!-

Jude 6  And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

 

A)   So Putting these passages together – we are told that there was a group of Angels who sinned in a way that really Angered God

1)                 Jude says they left their Domain - & that their sin was reminiscent of Sodom & Gomorrah -  Sexual in Nature

 

A)   They went after Strange Flesh hard to comprehend ( But Many Bible teachers think this refers to Gen. 6 ) 

1)                 ( Sons of God ( O.T. ref. To Angels had relations w/ Daughters of men and an unredeemable race was started – ( Result flood)

 

A)   That is one theory ( can’t be dogmatic)  but needless to say whatever they did it was bad

1)                 Caused them to be thrown into this pit !!!! – Demon Jail

 

D) Demons feared at all cost : Luke 8 Demons man at Gennesart 31  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

 

A)   So as Satan unlocks the Pit – smoke comes out – darkens the sun – this was an Eerie scene – ( Hear the suspenseful music )

 

III.        A horde is unleashed : v.3-5

3  Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4       They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5  And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

 

Locusts are used 22 times in the Bible from Exodus to Mal. – always in the form of Judgement – Travel in Masses ( Symbolizes Mass Destruction

A)    These were not normal Locust : -

 

1st –Notice what they eat v. 4 Normal locusts eat grass & tree Leaves –green vegetation ( looks like a Fire)  (  But  these locusts feast on People)

 

2nd  – THEY HAVE A KING – v.11  And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit,

 

B)    Prov. 30: 27  The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;

1) Real locusts unlike the Bees or Ants – have No King

 

C) But these Locusts have a King - 

 

3rd Their appearance : v.7-10

7  The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.  They had hair like women's hair,& their teeth were like lions' teeth.

9  And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.

10  They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.

 

 

Imagine the worst Criminals being let lose ( Mansion Ramariez – those like them – run lose ( No restraints )

A)  As bad as that would be it doesn’t Even compare w/ this

 

Henry Morris : The inhabitants of the earth are going to get a taste of who their neighbors are going to be in the lake of fire

 

B) Note this description:

 

Their shape WAS LIKE  horses prepared for battle –

A)  This speaks of their Power & Defiance – Black Stallion – Man from snowy river/ Brombie – Standing Pawing the Ground Catch me if you can

1) Eager to Charge into their mission of Death

 

B) THEIR FACES LIKE THE FACES OF MEN –

1)               This speaks of their intelligence – they seem Rational – might be a part of their Deception

 

A) THEIR HAIR WAS LIKE – WOMENS HAIR – ( LONG)

1)               This speaks of their Seductiveness /

 

A) TEETH LIKE LIONS -  the ability to Devour tear a part ( they bite)

 

B) Breastplates of iron : Suggest they are Indestructible

 

C) Sound of their wings like many Chariots – their ability to Travel at very high speeds & cannot be escaped

 

D) Tales Like Scorpions – Told this 5 times – get the picture of the kind of torment they can inflict

 

Most Scorpions are not deadly – don’t kill if  they bite you unless you are a small Child But the affect they do have is tormenting

A)    Because when bit by a powerful scorpion it affects your Nervous system feels like it is set on fire Foam at the mouth grind teeth /

B)   So They don’t Kill but they make you go Crazy

1)                 Recent report – 74%  of Americans believe in Angels – How many this

Kind ? 

 

UFO sightings – (  40,000 mph ) 90 degree turns

     1)Message : Deception – everything is Ok – False Assurance or Just a  

      major distraction

 

 

Note something else about Satan & this Horde of Demons – their Power is Limited :

A)   Satan is given a Key to the Abusso- which means that he can’t open it anytime he wants –( but only at this time when God permits)

 

B)   These Demon are given power for a Short season : 5 months - & they are not allowed to Kill – they just torment !!!!

 

C)   This is one thing we always need to keep in Proper perspective when talking about Satan -  He is not even close to God

1)                 God is the Creator – Satan & the Demons are Created Beings – fallen Angels

 

A)   God is OMNIPOTENT = All Powerful – God can do whatever He wants when He wants

1)                 Satan’s Power is Limited – he can only do what God allows him to do & when God allows him to do it !!!!

 

A)   It is interesting when studying the gospels in seeing Jesus encounter w/ Demons – ( When He came on the scene they trembled)

1) When He spoke they fled

 

 

Sometimes People wonder - Can a Christian be demon possessed/

A)  Answer is NO - reason is simple - HOW CAN JESUS & A DEMON CO- EXIST IN THE SAME - BODY - IMPOSSIBLE

Listen The way to overcome the darkness is not by trying to deal w/ the darkness Shout / rebuke / seminars ?

 A) Go into a dark room - what do you do ?  YOU TURN ON THE LIGHT

       No battle at the light switch !!!

 

B) Light & darkness cannot Dwell together in the same place at the same time

1)  Container is either going to be light - or dark - can’t be both

 

C) That is why those who say Christians can be demon possessed are so wrong - because –

1)               Satan or a Demon cannot dwell in you if Jesus the light of the world is living in your heart

 

C) In all the cases of Demonic Possession in the N.T. You will not find one where – a demon possessed someone who was a Christian

1) After Calvary – after meeting Jesus – ( Jesus comes they are gone)

 

D)  The Demons don’t want to be where Jesus is

1)  And they are in total submission to Him !!!!!

 

So if you are a Christian / that means the H.S. lives in your heart - He will not allow a Demonic force to co- exist there / really that simple

 

So God is Omnipotent – Satan & Demons are not God is Omniscient = All knowing – Satan is not ( can’t read your mind )

A)   God who loves you & Desires rightness for you is not going to allow a power in your life that causes you to Rebel against Him !!!

 

B)   God is Omni present – Always present – Satan is Not !!!!

 

So Satan & these demons are given power for 5months –

 

 

Now You would think that after reading this people would turn to the Lord – they would say Enough – UNCLE – many will / but most won’t

20  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.

21  And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

 

A) A World is UNNERVED !!!! Isn’t that Just Amazing: In fact v.6 Tells us

6In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

 

A)  DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY – What this means is that people are going to be attempting Suicide & it is not going to work

1)                 People are going to be left permanently maimed from Gun shot wounds ( permanently demented from Drug Over doses) but still alive

 

A)  Guys is this not the Worst thing that you have ever read about !!!

1)               This is literally a little For taste of Hell- 5months of Hell on earth – Just think what Eternity is going to be like for those who reject Christ

 

D) Jesus said Unless those days were shortened no one would Survive!!

 

Sometimes I meet people or Listen to People’s testimonies who talk about how much they gave up to follow Christ

A)   Their long list of Stuff – that is all going to Perish any way – I often think – what did You really give up ? Hell & Torment

 

B)    The Real issue is not what we gave up / but what God gave up to redeem you so you would have to go through this

1) He Gave His Son !!!!!