Revelation 9

Revelation 9:1

In the original Greek text, the word “fall” is in the past tense. Thus, newer translations properly render this verse, “I saw a star which had fallen to the earth"an event that has already taken place. Who is this star? Lucifer, or Satan, who also bears the name “Shining One.” There was Another who also saw Satan fall from heaven… “Master,” said the excited disciples, returning from their first missionary venture, “even the demons are subject to us as we minister in Your Name.” “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning,” answered Jesus. In other words, “You guys are so excited about the power you’re experiencing in ministry, but be careful: I saw Satan fall from heaven because he got wrapped up in the power he possessed as heaven’s worship leader. No longer a servant, he wanted heaven to serve him. Therefore, do not rejoice in what you are doing or what you have seen happen in your service for Me. Rejoice instead in the fact that your names are written in the Book of Lifethat you’re saved by the goodness and generosity of God” (see Luk_10:20). The sober warning to anyone in ministry is to make sure that seeing demons flee or lives changed doesn’t become your passion. Rejoice, instead, in what God has done for you in rescuing you from the fires of hell. When Lucifer fell from heaven, Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, and Revelation 12 tell us one-third of the angels went with him and became demons. The worst of these demonsthose who “left their first estate” (Jud_1:6) and had the audacity to have relations with women, producing the “nephilim,” or giants, seen in Genesis and NumbersGod cast into the abussos, or bottomless pit. But now watch what happens as the plot thickens…

Revelation 9:2

Can you imagine what will happen when the worst demons presently chained are suddenly released? If every prison in our nation was opened and all the inmates immediately released, it would be Romper Room compared to what will happen when these demons are free. If you were transported to seventeenth-century London, you would find yourself enveloped in the smoke of cannons and fires burning day and night. You would soon learn that the intelligentsia of the day had identified fresh air as the cause behind the epidemic claiming one out of four lives. You alone would know the culprit was not fresh air, but rather the fleas on the rats that carried the Bubonic Plague. However, were you to target fleas as the problem, you would be laughed to scorn. So, too, educated people today scoff at the very idea of demons. “You don’t really believe in demons, do you?” they chide. “We now know that demons are only another name for fears, phobias, and psychological imbalances.” Gang, they were blowing smoke in 1666, and they’re blowing smoke today. The Bible says demons are at work presently causing people to experience depression, emotional distress, and relational trauma. Inspired by the Spirit of God, Paul said we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the very real entities of principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph_6:12).

Revelation 9:3

As we have seen, the sounding of the trumpets would have been especially significant to John’s congregationbringing to mind the victory of Jericho, the freedom of the Year of Jubilee, the call to worship from the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, some of John’s readers would have been on the scene when Jesus Himself talked about the angel who would blow his trumpet to gather the elect (Matthew 24). Jerusalem, Jericho, Jubilee, Jesusall these images would stir the hearts of John’s flock as he told them of the trumpets which would sound. But there’s another image that would enter their minds as well: Joel…

Revelation 9:5

Due to these scorpionlike locusts, men will try to take their own lives. Euthanasia A Topical Study of Rev_9:6 For a few years, Jack Kevorkian, also known as “Dr. Death,” seemed to show up on the news every few weeks. Up to this point, he has helped at least forty people take their lives. Although he paints himself as a man of compassion, his paintings on canvas, with titles like “Coma” and “Nausea,” depict the macabre. His view that the organs of those who die should be auctioned to the highest bidder for use as transplants resulted in the loss of his medical license. And his statement that, “Jesus would have died a much more dignified death in the back of my van than on that Cross,” sends chills down the spine. Of the forty-plus suicides he has assisted, autopsies show twenty-four were of people without terminal illness, three without any illness at all. Jack Kevorkian has asked a question that the second highest court in the land has answered with this judgment: Assisted suicide is not only legal, but Americans have a Constitutional right to seek help in the taking of their lives. Oregon passed a referendum legalizing assisted suicide. No doubt, voters were swept up in the argument that people have a right to die with dignity. In fact, proponents of assisted suicide point to passages like the one before us and say our God is mean-spirited. Why else would He allow people to be tormented, stung by demon-scorpions, unable to put an end to their pain? Is it true? As seen here in chapter 9 of Revelation, is God mean? And are we as believers hard-hearted and calloused because we do not agree with the three out of four Americans who maintain that a person has the right to determine the time of his death? Our text says God does not want people taken out of their tribulation so readily. Why? In every single case where suicide is seen in the Word, it is linked to spiritual collapseJudas Iscariot being the clearest example. But even assisted suicide is seen as a spiritual collapse… Wounded in battle on Mount Gilboah, King Saul lay on the ground. “Kill me,” he said to an Amalekite passing by. The Amalekite did so and then rushed to tell David the news, thinking David would be thrilled that he could now ascend the throne. But David looked at this man and cried, “How could you touch the Lord’s anointed?“the implication being that he had interfered with God’s plan. And David ordered him executed on the spot (see 2Sa_1:14-15). Why was David upset? Why is it wrong to assist in suicide? I suggest five reasons… First, God has established the day of death (Job_14:5). “It’s my body,” people say. “I have a right to do whatever I want.” Tilt. Wrong. Not true. Our bodies have been bought with a price (1Co_6:19-20). Asked who determines right from wrong in the area of assisted suicide, Jack Kevorkian answered, “I know what is right.” Yet Pro_14:12 says there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death. Second, pressure is put on the elderly to stop burdening society. In Holland, where assisted suicide is legal, once a man sees white in his hair, he begins to feel selfish for continuing to liveeven though, due to his wisdom and experience, his greatest contributions may be ahead of him. Third, selfish motives arise. In a news story years ago, a medical doctor was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His wife suggested he take his life. But wrangling between mother and son over custody of the man resulted in the discovery of a large estate at stake. Fourth, irreversible mistakes will be made once suicide is condoned. Shortly after the fall that broke his spinal cord, actor Christopher Reeve fought off the temptation to seek assisted suicide. In years since, such advances have been made in spinal cord restoration, it is no longer inconceivable that he will walk again. Finally, assisted suicide dries up resources. Only two hospices exist in Holland today, and medical technology is at the lowest point it has ever been, compared to the rest of the European community. Why? The money once spent on saving lives is now spent extinguishing them. But none of these reasons address this foundational error of euthanasia: Although man is concerned about his present comfort, God is concerned about his eternal state. Never forget this. You see, if these people of Revelation 9 had the “right to die,” they would not have seen the angel fly across the sky preaching salvation. They would not have heard the 144,000 call for repentance. They would not have seen the two witnessesmost likely Moses and Elijahdoing miracles in the streets of Jerusalem. It won’t be God’s meanness that will keep them from killing themselves. It will be His mercy. The world says, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die. And if you can’t eat drink and be merry, then die today.” But this is fallacious because we don’t die tomorrow. We move into eternity. It’s the loss of a loved one, the struggle with cancer, the dealing with depression, the aging of the body that causes people to say, “I had better develop a relationship with God, or I’m not going to make it through this tribulation.” In so doing, they are strengthened and deepened. The people you admire most, the people who impact you the greatest are undoubtedly those who have gone through “the fellowship of suffering” (Php_3:10). Strolling through the forest, you spy a cocoon hanging from a tree. Upon closer examination, you see it move. “Bobby Butterfly is trying to get out,” you say. “He’s struggling. He must be hurting. Poor Bobby.” And so, in the name of compassion, you take out your Swiss Army knife and clip the bottom of the cocoon, whereupon Bobby Butterfly falls to the ground. You’re so proud. After all, you saved him from the struggle and pain of breaking out of his cocoon. But look at him. He’s deadbecause the wings of a butterfly are strengthened only through struggle. “I’m just trying to put her out of her misery,” someone might say. But there’s a struggle going on in that person’s soul that will cause her to fly eternally. How dare we interfere. “But he seems to know so little.” Ah, but you cannot see what God is doing in his soul, in the deepest recess of his being. How dare we claim to know. I am not arguing that we should sustain life when the time to die arrives. But to assume that we have the right to shorten a life span is biblically and morally wrong. Life isn’t easy, gang. There are sad times. There are struggles. But don’t short-circuit them because those times will make you rich in heaven. It’s all about eternity, precious people. Don’t lose sight of that. There are bigger issues than comfort and ease and freedom from pain. Be wise in these last days.

Revelation 9:7

Even this description of bizarre and horrific demons would remind John’s congregation of God’s promise. You see, in Joel 2, we find a parallel passage to Revelation 9… Historically, the prophecy of Joel 2 was fulfilled in Joel’s day when Israel was besieged with locusts. Symbolically, the prophecy was fulfilled in 722 B.C. when the Assyrians marched south and carried the ten northern tribes into captivity. Prophetically, the locusts speak of the demons that will be released from the abussos in Revelation 9. But nestled among the dire warnings of this terrible invasion is a wonderful promise… And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.Joe_2:25-26 Gang, whenever we obey Scripturewhen we listen to the trumpet, repent, and seek the Lord with sinceritythe Lord not only forgives us but makes up to us what was lost. Amazing! I would have thought it would be enough for God to forgive us. But He says, “No, I’m going to do more than that. I will restore to you what the locusts ate.” You might be fifty, sixty, or seventy years old, and you might be saying, “There’s a big chunk of my life eaten away by grasshoppers.” Good news for you: Whenever you choose to humble yourself and call out to the Lord, He’ll make up for lost time.

Revelation 9:11

Both names mean “destroyer.” No matter what your language or culture, the devil always does the same thing: He’s an equal opportunity destroyer. He destroys everyone.

Revelation 9:12

According to Joel 2, the priests were to lead the people in repentance. We see the same thing happen in heaven. Who is the Priest at the altar of intercession here in Revelation 9? Who speaks to the sixth angel as He orchestrates the judgment of the Tribulation? It’s none other than Jesus Christ. You see, God desperately desires to see people who have rejected salvation wake up. Therefore, He will do whatever it takes in their families, financial situations, health, or marriages to get them on their knees where they can finally call out to Him. The question is, what kind of locusts will God have to allow in our lives to wake us from our lethargy, to wake us from our apathy? Whatever it takes, He loves us enough to let it happen. The Euphrates was part of the original boundary of the Garden of Eden (Gen_2:14). It also marked the east boundary of the Promised Land God deeded to Abraham (Gen_15:18).

Revelation 9:15

When the demons that reside in the Euphrates are loosed, they will kill one-third of humanity. Added to the number of those already killed, 50 percent of humanity will be dead. How will this take place? Read on.

Revelation 9:16

What is this army? John’s readers must have thought, Oh, no, the armies of Rome will march once againas indeed they would. Yet read carefully, there is reason to agree with many commentators who say this is John’s attempt to describe guns and tanks, troop personnel carriers, and missile launchersa description of what we know today as modern weaponry. But because this army is set in motion by the four fallen angels of verse Rev_9:15, it’s comprised of much more than military generals or political coalitions. From his heavenly vantage, John sees that the demonic realm directly affects nations. The demons are stinging. The armies are marching. Jesus is interceding. What’s the response of the people? Read on.

Revelation 9:20

“Well,” you say, “this can’t apply to us today. We don’t have idols of brass, metal, or gold.” But have you looked in your garage lately?

Revelation 9:21

As bills to stop funding for human cloning fly through the House and Senate even as abortion runs rampant, we launch into frontiers that frighten not only the Christian community, but those in the political arena as well. The word translated “sorceries” is pharmakeus in Greek, from which we get our word “pharmacy.” And now we begin to see the access point into an individual, a people, a generation, a nation. When a person smokes marijuana, drinks alcohol, uses cocaine, it’s a spiritual issue. Why did hippies in the ’60s shout, “I am Jesus Christ!” as they dropped acid? Because drugs and mysticism are related. The world thinks drugs tamper only with the mind, but they’re about much more than that. They affect the soul. This is why many of your friends and co-workers are going through their own tribulation right now. “Oh, but I haven’t hurt anyone,” they say. Wrong. There is a demonic component to pornography, to fornication, to adultery that puts a hook into one’s soul. It’s tax time, folks. “Oh, well, everyone steals,” we say. Maybe that’s why so many folks are experiencing tribulation today. Is giving Satan access to your world worth twenty dollars? “I’m confused,” you say. “I thought you taught demons cannot possess believers.” They can’t. You’ll never see a demon possess a believer in Scripture because He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1Jn_4:4). For a believer, there’s no such thing as demon possession. But there is such a thing as demon oppression. Your life and family will be oppressed continually if you allow demons entry points through drugs or alcohol, pornography or thievery. The Jews returned to Israel following their Babylonian captivity and rebuilt the temple under Ezra’s leadership. As the temple was a picture of the spirit, and the Land representative of the body, physically, and spiritually the Jews were okay. But the wallsemblematic of the soul, the place where decisions are madewere in ruins. And we’ve all been there. Our spirit is born again. Our body is functioning. But our soul is constantly attacked by the Enemy. Perhaps it’s lust; maybe it’s just lousy attitudes. We know we’re saved; we know we’re going to heaven, but our soulthe seat of government in our lifeis vulnerable to attack. And that’s where Nehemiah comes in. You see, Ezra built the temple. But the repair of the wallsthe soulwas left to Nehemiah. This one whose name means “comforter” rode around the city for three days, saying nothing to anyone. A picture of the Holy Spirit, Nehemiah looked around and saw destruction. Then he began speaking. And the people had a choice to make. They could either listen to what Nehemiah was saying about their broken-down condition, or they could say, “Beat it, Comforter. We’ll put up with the attacks of the enemy.” The people wisely heeded Nehemiah’s cry, and Scripture says they “had a mind to work” (Neh_4:6). They got busy and rebuilt the walls that were destroyed. It wasn’t easy. There were attacks from within as when Judah, the strongest tribe said, “Let’s give up.” And there were attacks from without, as they were taunted, harassed, and harangued. But Nehemiah set the exampleas the Holy Spirit always willand kept on working. The people responded and the wall was rebuilt. Tonight, the Holy Spirit may be speaking to you, saying, “You’re being stung badly. You need to repent.” If you listen to His voice, He will begin to rebuild and restore the walls of your soul.