Revelation 9:1-12

Hell on Earth

Some minds are like finished concrete - thoroughly mixed and permanently set.

I. INTRODUCTION

A. By nature, we as human beings have an incredible gift for not dealing with things!

1. When confronted with our sins we often "project" the blame elsewhere.

a) In the Garden, when the Lord confronted Eve, she said it was the serpent's fault.

b) When the Lord confronted Adam, he blamed the Lord for the wife HE had given him.

c) There's a stanza in one of Susan Ashton's songs that pretty well describes this nature:Marco found the orientGeppetto found his boyLincoln found a unityThat Lee could not destroyLindy found the other sideGershwin found the stageMe, I found a stubbornessThat seems to grow with age

d) In spite of all that has happened on the earth, during this tribulation period, the "earth dwellers" are still rebellious toward the Lord.

e) Their hearts are still hard and they refuse to repent and admit their sins!

f) You see, up 'till now, all of the devastation has affected man only indirectly!

(1) At the first trumpet, the trees and grass were consumed by the hail and fire and blood.

(2) At the second trumpet, the sea creatures and ships were destroyed by the mass from outer space.

(3) When the third trumpet blew, another missile poisoned the underground springs.

(4) And lastly, at the fourth trumpet, the sun, and moon, and stars were put on a dimmer switch!

(a) Their brilliance was reduced by 1/3.

g) Although these judgments brought fear, and pain and death to many, but most survived with little personal suffering!

(1) When things began to return to normal, the panic went away, and mankind resumed their sinful rebellious lifestyle!

(a) Not unlike most of us, who throughout our lives called upon the Lord when things got tough, only to forget the promises after the heat was off!!

(2) You have heard the saying, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!:

(a) Well, that was the message of the flying angel where we left off in Revelation 8:13 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!" (NKJV)

(b) This time, every single person on the face of the earth will experience the wrath of God as He continues to judge the earth, and reclaims the title deed!!

(c) Now, on to the trumpet judgments!

II. TEXT

A. Revelation 9:1 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. (NKJV)

1. In order for us to better understand who or what this fallen star is, we need to take a look at the "pit", he has authority over!

a) "Bottomless" in the greek is "abussos" = translated "abyss".

b) So it is the "pit of the abyss" and it is located in a place called "HADES"!

(1) Scripture tells us that within hades there are different "compartments".

(a) The fallen angels are confined in a place called "TARTARUS".

(b) And evidently this other "nameless" compartment of the "bottomless pit" is home for many demons waiting for this 5th trumpet to sound!

2. This "star fallen" is none other that satan himself, a.k.a. "lucifer", a.k.a. "daystar"

a) Luke 10:18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (NKJV)

b) His time is almost up! He is given the key to pit of demons to torture mankind!

B. Revelation 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. (NKJV)

1. When this pit is finally opened, subterranean smoke fills the earth's atmosphere. So much so that the sun is dimmed once again.

a) The first time smoke is mentioned in scripture was in the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, here it is also seen in judgment!

C. Revelation 9:3-10 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.

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

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.

8 They had hair like women's hair, and 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. (NKJV)

1. Unlike the smoke at Sodom and Gomorrah, this is accompanied with "locust" like demons.

a) They are locusts unlike we've ever seen.

b) These "locusts" have been imprisoned for centuries and are prepared for battle.

(1) They have the power of a scorpion but hundreds of times larger and more venomous.

(2) They nave teeth that can rip and tear like lions; they have the face of men, with long flowing hair of women; and they look like and can run like horses horses!!

(a) I don't think I've ever seen and locusts like that!!!!!

(b) The prophet Joel had seen this before Joel 1:6 For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion. (NKJV)

(c) Joel 2:2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. (NKJV)

Joel 2:4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. (NKJV)

(3) Their target is any man or woman that is not God's!

(a) Please notice that these locust-like demons from hell are not allowed to kill them at this point only to torture them for 5 months

(b) People will want to die but will not be able to!

(i) Guns will misfire, knives will slip, poisons will be inaffective.

(ii) Many will mame and mutilate themselves, but none will be allowed to die!

(iii) Who knows, maybe the locusts will promise to leave people alone if they will sell their souls to satan and worship the beast!!!

D. Revelation 9:11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

1. We are given his name in both Hebrew and Greek. The Holy Spirit wants there to be no mistake whom this is!

2. Both names are translated = "the destroyer"!

3. Is it satan himself, or one of his "principalities" or "powers" (Ephesians 6:12) named Abaddon confined to the bottomless pit with the rest of the demons?

a) No one knows for sure, but one thing we can be sure of, he is fueled and commanded by satan!!!!

III. CONCLUSION

A. Revelation 9:12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things. (NKJV)

1. Moses, in speaking for the Lord asked Pharoah, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Exodus 10:3

2. Numbers 14:11...the LORD (speaking) to Moses: (asked of the children of Israel) "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? (NKJV)

3. And finally, Jesus said in " Luke 9:41..."O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?..." (NKJV)

4. I have always been amazed at how stubborn and prideful man can be!

5. With all of this destruction and will all the pleading of the Lord, people still won't repent!

6. I will close with a stanza from the same song titled "INNOCENCE LOST" by Susan Ashton

Milton lost his paradise

Dorothy lost her way

Vincent lost his sanity

Thomas lost his faith

Hoover lost the second time

Sigmund lost his friend

Me, I lost my innocence

And I want it back again

7. If you've placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you've regained your innocence!

a) The Lord sees you blameless and you rest at His side during all of this.

b) Who in our live do we need to reach before it is too late?

Henry Nelson, of Wilmington, Delaware, was a veteran of WWII. He had served as an instructor in the Army Chemical Warfare Department, yet he ignored a warning by the superintendent of the Riverside Housing Development that the apartment he lived in was being fumigated with hydrogen-cyanide gas, tore down the barricade st the door and went in after two blankets. The neighbors saw him remove the sign and barricade and go in, and they called the Development office. But when employes arrived it was too late. Nelson lay sprawled on the living room floor with two blankets in his arms. Despite both written and verbal warnings, and despite his training in the Army, he had gone to his death.