Rev. 9:13- 21 It is time to Wake up

 

Intro: Doc Severson / Herb Albert / Dizzy Gilespy / Phil Driscol – the Angel of the Lord All TALENTED  trumpeters

A)   Now you might enjoy the talents of some that I mentioned – but quite frankly you will not want to be HERE to HEAR the ANGELS who blow their trumpets in Rev. 8,9,10,11

 

B)   REASON: If you have been w/ us you know that we are currently in that section of the book of Rev. that deals w/ that time Known as the Trib.

1)                 Time when the Wrath of God is being poured out upon a Christ Rejecting world

 

A)   So far we have seen  ¼ of the Earth’s population  Killed / we have seen various cataclysmic event – happen to the earth

1)                 And in our study Last time in the first half of Ch. 9 /5th Trumpet Sounded

 

A)   Resulting in  a Horde of Demons let out of the Bottomless pit – run rampant on the earth 5 mths

1)                 Inflicting people w/ great Pain & torment

 

A)   And We  ended our study last time by noting in v.6 that men at that time would want to die / but would not be able to/ Death took Vacation

 

Today we pick up in v.13 of Ch. 9 where we see More Demonic activity

( Demons Round two )

A)   But unlike the Previous section where men wanted to die & were not able to – this attack results in Massive Death

 

B)And at the end of Ch.13 when MEN NEED to REPENT – they refuse to

      DO SO !!!!!     READ V.13-21

 

 

 

Now here we see that when the 6th ANGEL blows his trumpet – these

 4 ANGELS  are released who are bound at the great river Euphrates

A)    Who are these – Angels ?

 

B)    Well first of all when you read the name Angel – don’t assume that the name Angel means a Good Guy !!!

1)                 Angel simply means MESSENGER –

 

C) We have already talked about how Satan was cast out of Heaven & was Took a 1/3 of the Angels w/ him ( Became Demons – Principalities Powers)

1)                 These 4 Angels are Demonic Beings who were Bound in the Area of the Euphrates river for a Long period of time

 

D)  No GOOD ANGELS are ever referred to as being bound

 

Why are they bound there at the River Euphrates ?

A)    The Euphrates flows out of the mountains of Armenia down through the present lands of Iraq and Iran and on to the Persian Gulf.

 

B)    In the ancient world it formed the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire.

1)               Which should interest us because during the tribulation under the Rule of the AntiChrist – Ancient Roman Empire is going be Revived

 

A)     Ancient Israel had  lived in fear of invasion from across the Euphrates from their most oppressive enemies

1)               Assyria, Babylon, the Ninevites & the Medes & the Persians

 

A)    And in our own Era the Euphrates river was strategically important during the 1991 gulf war which Liberated Kuwait

1)               It was at the Euphrates River that U.S. forces trapped the Elite Republican Guard of Iraq

 

( Being Unable to escape the Iraqi forces were decimated)

 

But this area by the Euphrates goes even deeper – this area has been a fountain head for Weirdness & Wickedness since the Beginning

A)    See it is somewhere in this area of the Euphrates River near the Persian Gulf that the Garden of Eden once Stood ( Read in Gen. The River flowed)

 

B)   So it was in this area where the Satan first infiltrated as the serpent

1)               First Lie was told / First Sin was committed / First Murder took place

And the First Grave was Dug !!!!

 

A)   So this Historic place will be a Focal pt. In the Last days – which is why we need to pay attention to what is going on in that AREA !!!

1)                 So Four Demons are released who were bound in this area by the Euphrates

 

 

Notice ALSO they have been bound for a set period of time – they had been prepared for the hour and day and month & year, now are released

A)   Just like the Demons who came out of the Abusso – 5mths – this reminds us that the Demons operate under God’s Authority & time Schedules

 

B)   This speaks to us of God’s Control over the Demonic world /

 

C)   Many people wonder can a Christian be Demon Possessed – the Answer is no!!!

1)                 Really Simple : 1st God is Light ….. no Darkness / Jesus the Light of the World is in You a Demon can’t be !!!

 

A)   2nd – The Demons are subject to God -  ( they are Afraid of God – always seen in gospels – ( Demons begging Jesus leave us Alone )

1)                 They are subject to God

 

A)   And  because the Lord Loves you He is not going to allow something to invade your life that you have no power over

1)                 And  that has the Power to DESTROY YOU!!!!

So these 4 Demons are RELEASED & given Power to kill 1/3 of mankind

A)   Add this to the ¼ killed in Ch.6 –during the seal Judgement & it means a little over ½ the Earth is now Killed !!!!  Amazing

 

B) How does the Killing take place ?

16  Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

 

The LARGE ARMY !!!!!

A)  Talking Big Army – put in a square = 1 mile wide & 87 miles long !!!!

1)                 From Brengle to Vista Way / all the to L.A. / Gulf war / all the nations who teamed up together against Iraq ( 1 Million men ) picture 200X

 

B)At the Time of Johns writing – scoffers laughed – ( because there wasn’t

     200 million people on the Planet )

1) Is it possible to assemble such a Large Army today ?

 

C)In 1965 – The President of China Boasted that  China could field an

      Army of 200 Million men ( Today even bigger )

1)                           Many Bible commentators have linked this Passage w/ Rev. 16:12 where Armies from the east (China)  are formed – Battle of Armeg.

 

A)   But here in Ch. 9 there is no reference to the Kings of the East or of Armageddon – Different Battle altogether

 

 

But is this an army of men ? Or something Else –Note Description

17  And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18  By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed; by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

19     For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.

Now I tried to picture this in my mind last night – very similar to the Horde of Demons mentioned in v.7-10 ( weird Locust)

A)Horses in body /heads like Lions / Tails that like Snakes that Bite people

 

A)   WHAT IS THIS :  I have looked through commentary after commentary – read this commentator & that one

1)                 These Guys are not very Common on this – Everybody has a different opinion on what this is to the point where this is what I Think !!!

 

A)   I DON’T KNOW – I DON’T HAVE A CLUE & to be Honest I don’t think anybody really seems to Know !!!!

1)                 And You know what I don’t Care / I don’t want to see these guys

           I don’t want to be here when this comes down !!! /

 

Now some Bible Commentators have tried to suggest that what John is seeing here is really – 2oth Century Weaponry (tanks/ Helicopters)

A)   He is just trying to describe it the best way that a man living in the First Century could ( Maybe so –but purely Conjecture)

 

B)   Others suggest it’s  a whole bunch of other Demonic Spirits – but whatever it is it is really Bad !!! Really Frightening / & Really Deadly

1)                 They Kill off 1/3 of the Earth’s remaining Population

 

A)   Their soul Purpose is Destruction – Mayhem – there is no Peace Keeping operation planned here /  This isn’t about gaining territory

1)                 This is ONLY ABOUT killing / destroying

 

A)   Death which took a Holiday under the 5th trumpet now returns w/ a Vengeance !!!!!

 

E) Mass Destruction !!!!!!

 

 

 

 

III. The response of the Audience

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.

19     And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries ( Phramakeia)

Drug use or their sexual immorality ( Porneia) Pornography or their thefts.

 

A)   These people are so in Love w/ Darkness & so Bound in their Idolatry / their love of violence & Perversion

1)                 That Even when the World is being destroyed around them & lives are being taken – they REFUSE TO REPENT

 

A)   This is really hard to believe – but we see a Precursor to this today in our own nation

1)                 Jesus said in Matt. 24 that a Characteristic of the time leading up to His Coming – Be like the days of Noah

 

A)   The Days of Noah marked by an Increase in Violence – Sexual immorality & Perversion

 

B)   That my friends is a Description of the day & age in Which we are living in !!!! ( Especially here in the U.S. )

1)                 Violence – Constantly reminded –Recent  Shootings/ Church tonight subject of Persecution

 

Consider

A)  From 1990 – to 1999 the Murder rate has tripled going from 1.5 per 100,000 people to 6.8 per 100,000 currently /

1)                  that is an increase of almost 2,000 murders a year

 

B)And Since 1960 ( U.S. News & World report – 371% increase )

 

 

 

School violence

A.)   Everyday approximately 100,000 children are assaulted at school.

1)                        Additionally, 5,000 teachers are threatened with physical violence

      and 200 are actually attacked.

 

A.)   There have been 10 school shootings in the last 3 yrs // At 8 of the ten/  people were killed!

 

Sexual Immorality

 On a given day in America 480 teenagers get a sexually transmitted disease   1,115 teenagers have abortions / 2,781 teens get pregnant / 8,400 teens become sexually active

 

Did you Know One out of five Americans now suffers from a STD

 56 million people in the United States are infected with a STD , & more than 1/2 of those sufferers have sexual diseases that are incurable. 

 

Perversion

Pornography is big business. According to U.S. News and World Report, the industry grossed an estimated $8 billion in 1998

 

A) Right now here in Calif   Anti-family legislators have introduced 4 bills to push homosexuality on all parts of society & penalize citizens who are morally opposed to homosexual behavior.

 

A) Bills that would result in homosexual curriculum and promotion of homosexual “marriage” to students in K-12 public schools, public colleges and universities.

 

B) Bills Promoting same sex Marriages & Benefits to “Partners” of Homosexual relationships

 

D) A Bill that would require homosexual curriculum to be taught to

      schoolchildren as young as kindergarten,

1)                           including mandated sessions on “homophobia.”

Hearts are growing harder & Harder / as Society gets darker & Darker

Even though more Killing / More Dying of aids ( NO REPENTENCE

A)   But notice the connection between v.20,21 – they didn’t repent of their worship of Demons & Idols v.20

 

B)   Resulting in v.21 – Murders / Drug abuse / Pornography & sexual immorality & thefts /  But here is something we must See

1)                 Psa.95:6  in the Grk Septuagint version says that all the gods of the peoples are Demons

 

A)   Behind every Idol is a Demon !!!

 

That is the thing that so many people fail to realize –as they try to analyze why so many people get hooked on drugs

A)   As they try to determine why there is an Increase of violence & murders occurring in our nation

 

a)   What is Wrong w/ Kids – are guns too accessible? Is it  Movies / is it

      Music / Is it Video games /  What is the ISSUE

 

A)   Why more & more people are getting hooked on Pornography

1) Why the number of H.S. students using LSD has doubled  since 1985

 

C)  Why there are currently over 18 million Alcoholics in the U.S.

And That number is increases by an additional 73,000 people each yr.

 

 

Here’s the Thing that WE MUST SEE !!!!

A)   The source behind all of these things is Demonic spirits who’s soul desire is to get their hooks into people / into a Generation

 

B)    Understand when a Person smokes crack when a person abuses alcohol when a person takes a toke

1)                 We need to understand there is a spiritual issue involved

           There is a Spiritual Being at Work –

D)No I’m not talking about Oh the Devil made me do it type of a thing  –

1) But when a Person – exposes himself to those types of things they are opening the Door for the Demonic to get a foothold in their Life

 

 

Listen Drugs are not Primarily about how they affect the Mind ( it does that but it is much deeper than that

A)    The World thinks that Drugs are about Psychological problems & Mind tampering (which it does affect/ but the damage goes much deeper )

 

B)   It is a SOUL ISSUE /  It opens up the door to the spiritual realm it opens the door to Demonic Influence –

1)                  Brandon Wilson – ( Was he Sane – sane enough to Know what he was doing  ( But Possessed ?  Probably so )

 

C) Why you see these People – they commit these horrible murders / then

       they seem so different in court – why? ( Demonic Possession )

       1) Drugs ? Alcohol open up the soul to that type of Influence

 

D)And the world fails to see that there is a spiritual Problem at Stake / fails to see the Spiritual Issues behind the increase of Violence today

1)                 And The World makes the same mistake in relationship to Sex

 

The World  says that the problem w/ Sex is AIDS or PREGNANCY  & if we can just teach people how to have safe Sex – things will be OK

A)   But the world doesn’t have a Clue / You see there is a Bigger issue

       involved than Disease & Pregnancy

 

B)   It is about a Spiritual union that takes place & the Bible rightly says that he who commits fornication or Adultery is Unwise & Destroys his what ?

1)                 His soul It doesn’t talk about Herpes / as bad as that can be / it doesn’t even talk about Aids ( as deadly & Damaging as that can be)

 

A)   The Bible says that it is a SOUL ISSUE  – it is about the SOUL

       It destroys your soul !!!!

B)   See When two people get married they become one in the sexual relationship –

1)                 there is a God designed intimacy & Union that takes place very important to the marriage relationship

 

E) But when sex takes place outside of marriage – You destroy each other

1)                           You give away a part of yourself that you are never going to get

      back  again/ (Those who are very promiscuous are like a shell)

 

F)Like peeling away the layers of an Onion – to the point where there is

      nothing left !!!!

 

 

So it is a spiritual issue - He who commits sexual immorality destroys his own soul

A)And  the World laughs at us / calls US/  two Narrow / Prudish & Uncool /

 

B)But when people engage in this type of Behavior they are opening

     themselves up to the Demonic World

 

A)    And Presently in our nation we are seeing the EFFECTS OF this type of DEMONIC influence

1)                 Only gets worse if there is no Repentance –Here in Rev. when men ought to Repent they don’t

 

A)    What about us here today ???

 

Perhaps you are thinking Well I don’t do any of that Stuff – I don’t know anyone that does either

A)Well lets take it one step further –

 

B)In Romans ch.1 Paul is outlines how the World rejected God & turned

      to Idols ( Creature rather than Creator / refused to give glory)

1)                           For that reason God gave them over to their Vile Passions / to pursue their own lust that which was in their hearts

A)    Result was GREAT PERVERSION – Including Homosexuality as they opted for that which was not Natural

1)  listen to how Paul ends that section

 

28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

29  being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

30  backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31  undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;

32  who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

 

Did you catch that Last thing : Those who approve of such things

A)  Wait you say I don’t approve of that kind of lifestyle !   Word approve could literally be translated takes pleasure in !

 

B)  Suggest to you that we are approving of these things / taking pleasure in

….. things every time we watch a movie or T.V. program where portrayed

1)                           Guess what it is Portrayed a lot !!!!!

 

A)  Average T.V. viewer sees 9,230 sexual acts or implied sexual acts on Telv. Each yr. 83% are out of marriage / 10yrs over 93,000 sex acts

 

B)  Average TV viewer will also see by the time 18 / 250,000 acts of violence on TV. - & 33,000 murders

1)                 Mr. Barger – Polled 4th & 5th Graders how many of them – Seen R-rated Movies -  TOO MANY

 

E) Hey you say – I have that Liberty !!!!!  Maybe so – but Know this:

E     1) Each time you watch something that is inappropriate -You open the door for the enemy ( the Demonic ) to gain a foothold in your life

Wait a Minute I thought you just said that I couldn’t be demon possessed if I was a Christian –

A)   You Can’t – but I am not talking about possession/  But I am talking

      about – oppression -  

 

B)   And when we engage ourselves in these type of things we are opening up the door to Satan to gain a foothold in our lives / in our families

1)                 Your Family will go through Tribulation & Difficulty Unnecessarily because of these things

 

C) I personally don’t want to risk that ( Harry Potter – Witches & wizards)

1)                           I would rather be overly cautious than too lenient & risk giving the Devil a Foothold in My family

 

My Prayer is / as we read about these trumpets being Blown ( Purpose is to Wake up / call to War )

A)   My prayer is that it will result in a Spiritual Awakening in us / A call to war in our individual families / Lives Individually

 

B)    That we wouldn’t be Guilty of the same Mistake as those we are reading about here – UNREPENTENCE /  Instead desire PURITY !!!

 

C)    Perhaps you are here today – Bound in your own Idolatry – some Vice / some sin – has control of your Life / REPENT – change mind attitude

1)                 see it as Sin / Call out to the Lord – Whoever calls ….saved

 

Maybe you are here & you realize that you have given a foothold to Satan – let him get his foot in the door – certain area of Home / family/ life

A)   Through something you have allowed to come into your Home that is Unappropriate ( You can Change that today – REPENT)

 

14  "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

And this is what Pastor Jon is writing to his people about saying Hey yes you are going through trouble right now – but as you read about these trumpets sounding my prayer is that – these trumpets would call you to an awakening Spiritually

 

Yes the world is going to get cleaned up but the real question is how are you going to react – RIGHT NOW TODAY in regards to these things