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Revelation 9:1-12 – 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. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. 7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer). 12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
“The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.” Now released upon creation is the first of the dreaded woes of the last three trumpet blasts (Revelation 8:13). This should not be equated with the contemporary exclamation of “Whoa” which is an expression of surprise or amazement at something bad or something good. It means to, in amazement, give pause and consideration. Woe is something very, very different. It is talking about an event, circumstance or happening that has, or is, or will bring great calamitous trouble. It is life changing and ominous. It is something that is likely unavoidable and the wreckage it brings is life altering, perhaps permanently. It is something that is dreaded, overwhelming to the mind and heart and is horror amongst horrors. Family, these woes are the nightmares we never want to have and even worse, to live out. What has happened to the earth to this point has been terrifying, brought billions of deaths and something that had no earthly escape in body, mind or spirit. Even so, the world is about to find out multiplied deeper meaning to the words of Hebrews 10:31 “It is a dreadful thing to fall in the hands of the living God” NIV. The ESV and the NKJV translate it as a “fearful thing.” Cry and pray for repentance among those inhabitants of the earth. It is horror too great to conceive. Oh Family, pray that many will repent and be saved. The horror from this trumpet is no “mere” disaster that can tried to be explained away. This is spiritual. Demons are released. Not any just any demons, but demons who seem to be the worse of the worse. There are demons who do evil amongst us even today (Yes, even in the West, not just Third World Countries). One would think that no haughty scientist, or even disdaining Christian leader, who scoffs and ridicules the reality of demonic activity in our world even now (giving medical, psychological and practical explanations) would be able to explain away what follows as some natural phenomenon. However, they will try, perhaps by some “scientific” explanation, or some extra-terrestrial explanation. But really, all will know the truth. The evil that is released is far worse than any evil modern man has ever known. Worse is the pastor or teacher who scoffs and mocks what they don’t understand by writing off the supernatural happenings in our world. From non-believers, okay, we understand, they are spiritually blinded. But from ministers who know the Word but deny what it says because their experience and tradition forbid them to conceive it, is shameful. Nothing in the Word of God says that demons will go away. In fact, just the opposite. Nothing in the Word of God says that evil will diminish. In fact, just the opposite (1 Timothy 4:1). These believers who claim to live by the guidance of the Word of God but deny portions of it, they deny truths from the Word of God and deny them because of extremists and loons. That can be done in countless ways to decry truth. It is a tactic of the world against the church. This first of the three woes releases demons that will torture, yet not kill. Man himself will be defenseless against these demons. Family, let us pray for those inhabitants of the earth at that time. Horror! Woe!
A peek ahead. These demons cannot harm those who have been sealed by God as His own (V4). We take grate solace in that. Yet, how can anyone who loves as God loves have peace simply because the horror is not befalling oneself? Yes, the peace of God belongs to God’s own, but great horror and heartbreak will be felt by those who see what happens. Family, pray for all you know to repent and live for Jesus now. No-one, absolutely no-one, should want anyone to suffer through these coming woes. Love as God loves. Pray that the blind will see. The Great Day Of The Lord is speeding to us on a collision course. Let us rejoice, let us pray, let the love and compassion of God flow from us. Always, yes always, praise the Lord in all things!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.