Scripture reading: Revelation 9:1-12.

Sermon text: Revelation 9:13-21.

Sometimes, we find that life really can get worse just when we need it the least.

At this point in the Revelation, we’ve already seen war, famine, earthquakes, and cosmic events rock the earth. It would seem as if history really is coming to an end here. Could it get any worse?

In Chapter 9, the answer is “yes.”

We don’t know exactly what St. John meant to represent with this part of the vision. Personally, I’ll leave the speculation to others. Regardless of what St. John tried to convey — and we must admit his description of these creatures is frightening — we can see that God’s judgment continues to roll over the earth. The final judgment continues its unstoppable journey to the final coming of Christ to establish His reign on the earth.

St. John saw an angel come to the earth and open the “shaft of the bottomless pit.” For those who think this pit exists under the earth, we must realize that any pit in the earth would not qualify as “bottomless.” This pit must have some “entrance” on the earth, but it apparently extends far beyond the earth.

Once the angel opened the “shaft,” St. John saw smoke accompanied by strange creatures resembling locusts out of someone’s nightmare. Remember that locusts have appeared in Scripture before as an instrument of God’s judgment. In Exodus, locusts plagued Egypt and ate every plant left by the plague of hail (Exodus 10). In Joel, a locust plague served as an object lesson of God’s judgment on His people (Joel 1).

These locusts apparently have supernatural properties. They torment humans, but notice that God limits their destruction; they cannot touch any plant or anyone with the “seal of God.” Even in their nightmarish participation in judgment, God’s word limits the creatures of the abyss.

Can we say that something resembling this plague has happened in history before? I would say probably not. At no point in human history have men sought death only to find it eludes them. For 5 months, no one will find death. Everyone not marked as God’s own will suffer intense persecution and pain at the hand of these beasts. Therefore, we must assume that this vision predicts future events.

St. John clearly identifies the leader of these beings: “Abaddon,” or “Apollyon” in Greek. In the Hebrew Scriptures, this word comes from the Hebrew word for “destruction.” At times in the Old Testament, the word seems to refer to eternal punishment (cf. Psalm 73:18-19, 27). In Ezekiel 28:16, the word is used to refer to a “guardian cherub.” Ezekiel’s passage is often seen as a description of Satan, pointing to the sheer evil of these creatures.

This sounds horrible. The world will endure intense suffering for 5 months; can it get any worse? Notice this is only the “first woe.” Two more are yet to come!

Following this, the sixth angel blew his trumpet, unleashing more destruction. The 4 angels described in chapter 7 finally receive their freedom to wreak havoc on the earth. These angels apparently bring a massive army with them. If the numbers used by St. John are literal, he describes an army of 200 million cavalry soldiers.

This number should tell us something about the nature of this army. According to Google Answers (http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=144565, last accessed 15 September 2007), there are only between 60-65 million horses on the planet at this time. Adding donkeys and mules, the number approaches 119.1 million. Therefore, I believe this army represents supernatural powers more than a literal human army. Should anyone believe this army represents a literal human army, remember that untold numbers of people died from the poisoned water of chapter 8, not to mention those who died in the great earthquakes that have already shaken the earth to this point in the book. Furthermore, this army will kill a third of humanity. A human/horse army could inflict this destruction only on the Eurasian land mass. A supernatural force could literally cover the planet.

Notice something about this disaster. After 5 months of torment; after witnessing the deaths of over 2 billion people; after surviving the near destruction of the planet, those left refuse to repent of their wickedness, nor did they turn from their idolatry. Their pride will prevent them from admitting their need for salvation in Jesus Christ and their error in worshipping other gods.

What can we see in this passage that helps us today?

First, notice that evil cannot run unrestrained in our lives. The “locusts” in this chapter find themselves submitting to the rule of Almighty God, who limits their destruction in spite of their evil nature. When you think that evil will overrun God’s people, understand that even Satan must submit to the rule of God, regardless of how much he despises doing so.

This fact alone should comfort us in our lives. We have authority over evil, not power over it. God alone has power over evil, but His love for us leads Him to restrain evil in our lives. Every believer who seeks to obey God — frankly, who determines to behave themselves as we know we should — will find help through the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, we should see that God’s judgment will bring far more destruction than anything imaginable. Anyone who fears that humans can destroy the world needs to better understand the power of Almighty God.

Lastly, however, we need to see something in this chapter. Notice that St. John says the people refuse to repent. I infer this to mean that they receive a chance to repent. In the Old Testament, God’s judgment always follows numerous opportunities for sinners to repent. As St. Peter reminds us, God truly wants everyone to repent, not to perish (2 Peter 3:9).

As Christians, we know we have repented of our sins and received God’s forgiveness. Our confession of Jesus as Lord and belief that God raised Him from the dead gives us spiritual life now and eternal life in the world to come.

Perhaps you’re reading this and you’ve never come alive spiritually; you recognize yourself in the category of those who, to this point, have refused to repent. God’s judgment will come. If you die before the events of this chapter, you’ll face judgment at death. Wouldn’t you rather repent now and avoid the judgment of God? Repentance always brings forgiveness. Repent; confess Jesus as Lord, believing in His resurrection; and live in the joy that comes with forgiveness.