TITLE: When Hell Visits Earth
TEXT: Revelation 9:1-12
INTRO: This past week marked the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Japan. The result was described as a sea of fire. As frightening as that was, there is something worse and we get a glimpse of it as we look at the Fifth Trumpet Judgment. This is a period during the Tribulation, which I call "When Hell Visits Earth." and it occurs after the Rapture, when the Church was taken to Heaven.
Now, Revelation is a difficult book so we need to remember the Golden Rule of Biblical Interpretation, "When the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense; or you wind up with nonsense!"
I. A HORRIFIC PERSONALITY (v.1)
A. Satan is a Real Personality
1. He exists in this universe and his power is very real.
He is not a myth; there is a very real Devil.
2. Isaiah refers to him as “Lucifer” meaning “brilliant star"
B. He Is A Fallen Personality
1. The word “fall” is a perfect tense verb, which means it refers to something that took place in the past which still has present results. (Luke 10:18b Jesus said:) "... I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."
2. Satan has never been in Hell & is not there today but he will be sent there one day.
(Rev. 20:10) "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
3. Satan has more power than you or I have, but praise
the Lord, God is far more powerful than Satan will ever
be!
(1 Joh. 4:4b) "... greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
C. Satan Is Given a Key to the Bottomless Pit
II. A HELLISH PLACE (v.2)
A. Satan Opens the Door to the Bottomless Pit
- It's a place of darkness, smoke and torment
B. It is the Holding Place for the Most Evil Angels
(2Pe 2:4 HCSB) "For if God didn't spare the angels who sinned, but threw them down into Tartarus and delivered them to be kept in chains of darkness until judgment"
C. These Demons Hate Humanity
- They seek to destroy humanity, but God controls their terror and limits their power.
III. A HORRENDOUS PLAGUE (vs.3-12)
A. Described as Locusts, but Not the Ordinary Kind
1. These locusts do not eat the vegetation (v.4)
2. They have the power of scorpions in their tails (v.10)
3. They have a king, Apollyon or Destroyer (v.11)
B. They are Grotesque and Demonic
1. People have devised all sorts of fanciful explanations
2. But their description is obviously figurative, it's beyond
our power of comprehension
3. Their stings will cause horrendous pain, with no relief
4. The torment will last for five months (v.5)
5. People will desire to die but will be unable to (v.6)
C. Believers Will be Protected
1. The locusts can harm only people without the mark of
God in their foreheads
2. The Tribulation Saints are kept safe by God
3. Believers are saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit
Concl: Why does the Lord give us these graphic descriptions of
death and destruction?
There are three good reasons:
1. So the church will know what we have been saved from.
2. As a warning to those who have not trusted Jesus as
their Savior.
3. So we will be motivated to share the Gospel with the lost.
Amen
