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THE FALL AND RISE AND FALL OF SATAN (REVELATION 9)
After Ray Stedman, one of the most outstanding graduates from my alma mater Dallas Theological Seminary, preached on Revelation 8, he received an unsigned note in the offering which he read to the congregation exactly as it was written: "Kindly see to it that your sermon presentation is more entertaining and concise."
Revelation 9 is considered by some as one of the most difficult chapters of the book. It introduces the fallen star of heaven, the embodiment of evil, wickedness and godlessness, and the falsehood, fear, frustrations, friction and futility he brings.
What makes people turn to How can we be strong in a world of sin? How are we to protect ourselves against evil and evildoers, wickedness and wrong doing? Why is are we to turn to God and not to Satan for answers?
Be Wise to Satan
1 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 upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.
(Martin) Luther had a maid in his house named Elizabeth, who, contrary to his wishes, left his service and became so wicked that she gave her soul to the devil. Not long after, she was stricken with a serious disease and became very despondent. At her request, Luther was called to her bedside. When he arrived, Elizabeth confessed to him that she felt for what she had done and also revealed to him her greater grief, namely, that she had given her soul to the devil.
“That is nothing,” replied Luther. “Listen, if you had given my clothes to a stranger when you were still in my service, would that have been a valid transaction?” “No,” answered the maid. ‘Well, Luther replied, “thus it is here. Your soul does not belong to the devil, but to Jesus. You cannot give away what does not belong to you. Go therefore to your Lord and ask Him to receive again what belongs to Him, but cast the sin that you have committed back on the devil, because that belongs to him.” The maid did as Luther advised and soon thereafter was found calm and happy. (A Layman’s Daily Devotional, Curt Donahue)
Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst;
He promises honor and pays with disgrace;
He promises pleasure and pays with pain;
He promises profit and pays with loss;
He promises life and pays with death.—Thomas Brooks
Satan is Fallen
V 1 star defeated No lifeline to Satan
V 2 smoke + sun darkened No light in Satan
V 3 scorpions locust death No life from Satan
Chapter 9 is a smorgasbord of angels, star (v1) and sun (v 2), locusts and scorpions (v 3), grass and tree (v 4), men (v 6) and women (v 8), lions, horses and serpents. Verse 1-2 begin with an “out” (ek, v 1 fallen “from” the sky to the earth) preposition. Who is this noun “star” in the masculine form? The fallen star refers to none other than Satan - the greatest star, the superstar and the fallen star of heaven, who eventually was cast out of heaven at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (Rev 12:9), but was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss (v 2, "bottomless pit," KJV).
The verb “fall” (star) occurs an astonishing 23 times in Revelation, more than any New Testament book. The first occurrence in the Bible refers to the magi who bowed down and worshiped Jesus (Matt 2:11) and the second occurrence to the devil who promised Jesus the world if He were to “fall down” and worship the devil (Matt 4:9). Similarly, Christmas time reminds us from “O Holy Night” to “fall on your knees.” It has a dropping (to the ground), downhill and dependent effect. The verb “had fallen” is in the perfect tense and points to an unchanging fallen condition or state, from past occurrence to present results. Satan is a depraved, defeated and deceptive creature. Revelation 9:1-11 does not record the fall itself, but the aftermath of Satan’s fall to earth in the middle of the Tribulation. Knowing that his time is short, he will do all he can to bring about bewilderment, brainwashing and backsliding along with scourging, struggling and suffering on earth
Here the star (Satan), however, is not willing to give up in a flash without a fight, a face-off or a fuss, so he/it used the key given to him to allow locusts (in reference to demons) in the Abyss to come out and afflict the earth. These locusts, however, did not eat vegetation, but had the power to torment people for five months (cf. Rev 9:10).
What is the bottomless pit or well (KJV) or Abyss (NIV)? The bottomless pit in Revelation is the domain of the beast (Rev 11:7, 17:8) or the angel (Rev 20:1, 20:3). Abyss (a-bussos) means “no” + “depth” in Greek, or no bottommost, lowermost or undermost, a place demons were captured, confined and condemned. Their fate, fortune and future was as smoke not from a flame, a flare or a fire, but of a great furnace (v 2). It is a continual burning, blowing and blazing. The three “S” associated with verse 2 are smoke, sun (v 2) and scorpions (v 3).
The opening of the abyss results in a literal darkness, but it is also symbolical of the spiritual darkness or the dark side that was about to fill the earth, portraying the principalities, powers and persecution of Satan. This is a literal darkness, but is also symbolical of the spiritual darkness that will fall on the earth in the system and activities of Satan and his end time system of the beast. Satan is the angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), the chief of the devils (Luke 11:15), the prince of the devils (Matt 9:34, 12:24), the prince of this world (John 12:31), the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), never Master, King or Lord in the Bible. Only Jesus is the Prince of the kings of the earth (Rev 1:5), King eternal, immortal, invisible (1 Tim 1:17), and the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords (Rev 19:16).
Be Worthy of Selection
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 given power 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 a man. 6 During those days men 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 and stings 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, Apollyon.
Yesterday (Jan 1, 2022) at the start of the new year, I was given a shock after lunch with a friend who helped me to open an internet banking account. I returned three times to the restaurant few blocks from my home but the waiters did not see a missing phone. I did not make a police report on the spot because I remember two days ago my friend said I could not open an account without a security code on my phone. Praise the Lord, I have a security code after 25 years without one. Ironically, I next went to the store to obtain a new phone but I cannot get it to function because I forgot my phone ID. The restaurant returned the phone to me a day after its disappearance but it was too late because I had bought my phone. At least, I know my account name!
Consider the scorpion-like locusts of Revelations 9 similar to a virus outbreak and you can see how strange, scary and sad it is. There is no inoculation, immunity or insulation from it. The only foolproof, faultless, fore-gone and fail-safe guarantee is to have the seal, stamp or signet (Dan 6:7) of God on one’s forehead (v 6). It is to mark God’s ownership, proprietorship and lordship of your life. Without the mark there is no deliverance but death, damnation and destruction. no salvation but sorrow, no escape but extermination.
The first few verses talked about Satan, but now about demons. First, the locusts are demonic, dreaded and deadly. They are a cross between animals (v 7 horse, v 8 lion), human (v 7, 8 women), and insect (v 7 locusts, v 10 scorpion). The description of the locusts begins with the head (v 7) and moves to the wings (v 9) and ends with the tails, (v 10). The locusts are powerful, plentiful and purposeful (hina) - to torment (v 5), but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (v 4).Verse 6 is significant because death is mentioned twice in one verse and “to die” added. Their reign is for five months – not long or short, but adequate. The noun “torment” (v 5) appears for the first time in the Bible, twice in verse 5, and four other occurrences are in Revelation too (Rev 14:11, 18:7, 10, 15). The verb form, however, is translated as toss (Matt 14:24), toil (Mark 6:48), vex (2 Peter 2:8) and pain (Rev 12:2).
John lists eight things about the locusts’ appearance.
V 7 shape (KJV) horses preparing for battle Attentive
Confrontational
Planned
V 7 heads crowns of gold Authority
Costly
Princely
V 7 faces human faces Appearance
Compatriot
Personal
V 8 hair women's hair Allure
Charm
Pretty
V 8 teeth lions' teeth Attack
Cruelty
Powerful
V 9 breastplates breastplates of iron Armed
Covering
Protected
V 9 wings thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle Advancing
Cavalry
Punitive
V 10 tails stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. Aggressive Conquest Paralyzing
Be Warned of Sin
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. 13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. 20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood — idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
There’s a website for “5 Worst Animals to Keep as Pets” and their pet peeves:
5. Parakeets – noisy, poop machines
4. Goldfish – 30 years of age, easily die
3. Hamster – urine acidic and smelly
2. Iguana – lighting and medical care to live
1. Cats – selfish, ungrateful and get away with everything!
https://pethelpful.com/exotic-pets/Top-5-Worst-Pets#gid=ci026d9d35300527e0&pid=top-5-worst-pets-MTc0OTY4ODExMjI3NzE5MTA4
How many people were killed in verse 15? In verse 18? What movie has a similar plot? What percentage of mankind was left? It is no coincidence that The Avengers: The End Game end with half dead. The angel might as well be named Thanos for a third part of men were slain by the horsemen (v 15) and another third by the three-fold threat plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of the horses’ mouth (v 18). Previously, the rider Death on the pale horse (Rev 6:8), with Hell in tow, had done enough damage killing the fourth part of the earth (Rev 6:8).
The one woe in verse 12 seems to refer from verses 1-12. The second woe is from the sixth angel (v 13). There are lots of figures - four angels loosed, an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year for the third part of men to be killed by an army of the 200 million horsemen (vv 15-16) with three plagues of fire (9:18). The rest of mankind is a different story (v 20).
When V 15 this very hour and day and month and year
Who V 18 A third of mankind
What V 18 killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur
Where V 17, 18 mouths, 19 in their mouths and in their tails
Why 19 (For) The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails;
19 for their tails were like snakes
How 19 “having” heads with which they inflict injury
The next focus is in verse 19 introduced by two reasons “gar” in Greek not in NIV and the only “for” in the chapter: (For) The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; “for” their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they “inflict injury” (a-dikeo), which is translated as do wrong (Matt 20:13), hurt (Luke 10:19), be an offender (Acts 25:11), injure (Gal 4:12) and unjust (Rev 22:11). The progression is from mouth to tails (power) and heads (punishment). There is poison in the scorpions’ sting, saliva and spray. They have power (vv 3, 10, 19), and only the last chapters tell us real power belong to God (Rev 18:1, 20:6, 22:14)
The purpose clause, however, in verse 20 is “(did) not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood.” The word “plague” occurs for the first time in Revelation in chapter 9, verse 18 and 20 – worse than your poison, parasite or plague because these are plural.
The verb “repent” occurs 12 times in Revelation – eight times in the first three chapters of Revelation, half of them being imperatives (Rev 2:5, 16, 3:3, 19), but the last four occurrences of the verb changed to “repent not”:
Rev 9:20 repented not of the works of their hands,
Rev 9:21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
16:9 refused to repent and glorify him.
16:11 they refused to repent of what they had done.
Repent is to change their heart, mind, behavior. It is to feel regret, remorseful and rueful of one’s mind, ways and direction. It is the stubbornness, arrogance of the heart. It means to be disinterested. They are stuck – unfeeling, unchanged and unyielding, in their sinful, selfish and stubborn ways – as wayward as the sheep, as stubborn as a mule, as indifferent as the house cat.
How bad was it? There are ten “no,” “not” or “neither” added together in the chapter – 3 “not” (vv 4, 20, 21), 6 “neither” (vv 20, 21 - three each verse) and one special NOT (hina me) in verse 20.
Conclusion: Are you….
Sealed by the spirit
Endurance of faith
Armed in prayer
Love of God in Christ
