Hell on Earth

God is serious about sin. He didn’t create us to sin. Sin damages us, enslaves us and keeps us from living the kind of life God created us to live. Sin causes us to hurt others and often results in unforeseen consequences. And sin breaks our relationship with God and keeps us from knowing how good, gracious and loving He really is. This is why God is serious about sin and idolatry in our lives, and why God doesn’t want our lives to be characterized by sin. Sin is also why He sent His Son Jesus, to die on the cross, so He could remove our sins. Not simply so we can be forgiven of our sins, but so that we can be set free of sin’s enslaving power and live lives that are no longer characterized by sin, and know Him as our Father.

However, we live in a day where sin is not taken as seriously as it should be. Criminals are often given a slap on the wrist for their crimes and released back into society. Our culture seeks to normalize all kinds of sins. In fact, over the last twenty to thirty years things that were once considered wrong or immoral have become increasingly accepted and even celebrated in society. And over this same time period most people as a whole are taking a less severe view of sin. In fact, our culture rarely uses the term sin anymore. In its place we often hear people use the word, “mistake.”

I heard this used last week by a golfer who took out his frustrations of the US Open by venting his rage, destroying two lockers in the historic locker room at Oakmont Country Club. He said that he was sorry for his actions but then justified them by saying he’s had a tough year, admitting that what he did was a mistake, but now wants to move on. He never really admitted that his rage was wrong. He just said it wouldn’t happen again. However, what I found telling, is that after this incident came to light there were quite a few voices calling for his suspension. They believe what he did was wrong, and there should be some serious consequences for his “mistake.” But what I haven’t heard from his detractors, is that if he does face consequences for his actions that they would be willing to forgive him. I’ve heard only judgment and condemnation.

I guess that’s the difference between God and man. God is quite serious about sin, but He always offers a way back. He always offers mercy. That’s what we saw last week in the first four trumpet judgments, and that’s what we’re going to see again today, as we move ahead to Revelation 9, where God’s judgments against mankind’s sin are so serious that He resorts to using the forces of evil to judge their sin with the hope that the severity of these judgments will finally bring them to repentance.

But before we begin to unpack the horrifying nature of these judgments, let me remind us of something I recently read from Pastor Greg Laurie. He said this: “Bible prophecy is not given to scare us but to prepare us.” So, what is this passage preparing us for?

One, to understand that no matter how bad things get, God is always in control. Two, to understand the damaging effect of sin and idolatry in our lives. Three, to understand the no matter how severe His judgment, God is always merciful

With that, let’s look now at the blowing of the fifth trumpet, that unleashes Locusts of Torment: And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Revelation 9:1-2

With the blowing of the fifth trumpet, John tells us that he saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. Grammatically speaking, this fall has already occurred. He says, “I saw a star fallen.” He did not say, “I saw a star falling.”

But just who or what is this star? Jesus spoke of this in Luke 10:18 as something that happened in the past. He said, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightening flash.” So, this star is Satan, the Devil himself. This star is Lucifer, the star of the morning, the anointed cherub, who was cast out of God’s presence when sin was found in his heart. So, the point of this trumpet, is not his falling, but what was given to him. With this trumpet, Satan is given the key “to the shaft of the abyss” the bottomless pit, the pit that had been a prison house for fallen angels – the demons. And once given this key, Satan immediately opens this pit of hell, and smoke, dark and hot, fills the air and darkens the sun.

The point here is this: God is about to unleash hell on earth. He is going to use the powers of darkness to bring about His next judgment. So, He is the one who gives Satan the key to open the abyss. All hell is about to break loose, but no matter how bad things get, God is the One in control. He’s the One who gives Satan permission to unleash torment on mankind.

Next, we read: Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. Revelation 9:3 With the opening of the abyss, demons in the form of locusts flood the earth. Power and authority are given them to torment mankind. This is reminiscent of the eighth plague on Egypt and the locust vision of Joel 1-2. However, these are not literal locusts, but demons, released to torment mankind spiritually, physically, and in very other way conceivable.

Notice again, how God calls the shots of their torment: They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days, people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. Revelation 9:4-6

What we see here is that the nature of their torment is primarily spiritual and psychological suffering. John MacArthur captures the magnitude of this suffering, saying: “So intense will be the torment inflicted on unbelievers that men will seek death and will not find it. All hope is gone; there will be no tomorrow. The earth people have loved and worshiped will have been utterly devastated, the land ravaged by earthquakes, fires and volcanoes, the sea filled with the putrefying bodies of billions of dead creatures, much of the fresh water supply turned into bitter poison, the atmosphere polluted with gases and showers of heavenly debris. Then, worst of all, will come foul smoke from the pit of hell as the demons are released to spiritually and physically torment wicked people. The dream of a worldwide utopia under the leadership of Antichrist will have died. Driven mad by the filth and vileness of the demon infestation, people will seek relief in death… only to find that death has taken a holiday.”

People will want to die yet be so afraid of death they will not find it within their power to kill themselves. But the sad reality of this horrific judgment, is that in the midst of their despair, they will refuse to repent.

What follows is the fierce description of these locusts and their king: In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. Revelation 9: 7-11

Here’s a breakdown of what these tormentors looked like:
“Horses prepared for battle” describes an army prepared to wage war against mankind.
Their “Gold crowns” point to their authority and power to inflict severe suffering
Faces “like men’s faces” speaks of their intelligence. They are cunning and cruel, wise and wicked.
Their “hair like women’s hair” Makes them alluring and enticing, indicating the seductiveness of their evil ways.
Their teeth “like lions’ teeth” reveals the fierceness and lethal power of their attack.
Their “Chests like iron breastplates” tells us they are invulnerable. It would take a supernatural power greater than their own to defeat them.
Their wings were “like the sound of chariots with horses rushing into battle” making the sound of their approach intimidating, striking fear in the heart of anyone who might to face them.
Their “tails with stingers like scorpions” remind us they possess a painful sting that causes great suffering. G.B. Caird sums up their demonic nature: “This is an army straight from the jaws of hell. The snake-like tails of the horses indicate their Satanic nature… and so do the fire, smoke, and Sulphur which they exhale.”

And this hellish army out is led by their king: Abaddon, whose name means “to become lost,” or “to destroy.” Abaddon is an appropriate name for the angel of the underworld. He has an insatiable appetite and represents not only a destruction that takes life but a destruction that reaches beyond the grave. This is not a pretty picture. Hell is unleashed on all mankind.

But it is here that I want to remind us again that this prophecy is not meant to scare us but to prepare us. So how is this horrific judgment straight out of hell meant to prepare us? First, it’s meant to awaken us to God’s Sovereign control. Here we are reminded that no matter how bad things get in the world, nothing takes place in our world apart from God’s Sovereign plan. God is always in control. He gave Satan the key to the abyss. He limited the scope of torment and even the time. So, then even when evil seems to be out of control, evil is only allowed to prosper because God allows it.

Second, we are reminded that Christians need not fear evil, because we have been sealed by God. God always gives believers His presence and protection no matter what’s going on in the world.

Third, God never gives up on even the worst of sinners. Remember, these judgments are meant to bring sinful and idolatrous people to repentance. That means there’s always hope for even the worst of sinners to turn from their sin and turn to God.

This last one is very important for today. Our country is divided today, and it is easy for us to look at people who don’t think like us, act like us, or believe like us, and be quick to condemn them. But don’t forget, Jesus came to die for all sinners, and that means He died for you when you were at your worst. So then, if God never gave up on you when you were at your worst, then we should not give up on even the worst of sinners. God’s severe judgement can teach us to be compassionate and thankful people.

So with that, John tells us: The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come. Revelation 9:12

Now we come to Satan’s Horsemen: Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:13-14

An unspecified voice speaks from the golden altar. This may be the angel-priest of Revelation 8. He speaks to the sixth angel commanding the angel to “release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” These are no ordinary angels.That they’ve been bound implies they had been restrained against their will, like the demons confined to the Abyss. We can safely say that these are demonic angels.

And the Bible tells us that… The four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. Revelation 9:15-16 Again we see God’s sovereign control in the midst of judgment. God has a timetable. And with the blowing of the sixth trumpet the time for one of the most horrific judgments has come. And they are given a specific purpose: to kill a third of mankind. This is a judgment so horrific, that it’s simply hard to put into words.

But John tries to describe these evil riders. And as he does, we see that it’s not the riders who are to be feared, but their horses: Listen to John’s description: And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. Revelation 9:17-19

The horse’s heads are like lions, and from their mouths they spew fire, smoke and Sulfur, which are the plagues by which they slay their victims. Their tails are like serpents with heads, showing that their power to wound is derived from the ancient serpent, Satan. This trumpet reveals the pent-up demonic venom that has been unleashed on mankind. This will literally be hell on earth.

Those who haven’t died from starvation, earthquakes, poisonous waters, or the torment of the locusts are now slaughtered by Satan’s horseman. This will be a time of tragedy and death like no other time known to man. If this were to take place today, over 2 billion, 730 million people would be slaughtered. Approximately the entire population of China and India combined. We can’t even begin to imagine the horror, fear and grief that would overwhelm mankind. But instead of repenting, mankind will vent their fear and anger at God for such an outpouring of misery and death.

So then, if the purpose of prophecy is to not meant to scare us, but to prepare us, how is understanding this judgment meant to prepare us today? What does God want us to learn from the horrific judgment of Satan’s horsemen?

Well, at least two things: One, God’s judgment of sin and idolatry will be severe. It will be worse than anything you can imagine. It will be so bad, you will not want even your worst enemy to have to face this. So then, knowing that this kind of wrath awaits those who don’t know Jesus, then God should awaken in us a burden for the lost. We should not want anyone to have to face such evil. Our hearts should be filled with grief and compassion, not wanting anyone to face this judgment. Oh, that God would awaken this burden in our hearts for those who do not know God. Every person you see who does not know Jesus could face this kind of judgment.

Second, God’s judgment will not just be demonic, it will be final. We need to recognize this judgment removes any chance of repentance for those who are murdered by Satan’s horde. This should give an urgency to our witness. Now is the time when people have the opportunity to repent of their sin and turn to God. No one will get the chance to repent after they die. We need to reach them now. That is why next week we are going to hand out prayer cards once again. We want to begin praying for people who do not yet know Jesus. We should be like God, wanting no one to perish, but everyone coming to repentance.

Which leads us to the final warning we see in this passage: Mankind’s Response: The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. Revelation 9:20-21

What did they refuse to repent from? They refused to repent of their idolatry and sin. Our world is full of idols today. We don’t think much about idols today. But idols aren’t simply physical objects, like gold and silver, wood and stone. Idols are whatever we put in the place of God.

Idols are simply those things we put at the center of our lives, because we believe they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfillment. Our society is full of such idols, whether they be good things like a successful career, love, material possessions, even family. In other words, anything that takes the place of God in your life can be an idol. We can make a god out of money, a god out of experiences, a god out of relationships. We can make a god out of our health, or fitness, or physical beauty. We can make gods out of freedom, personal affluence, or fulfillment.

Tim Keller once said this about the idols we make: “A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.” This is why so many people refuse to worship God today, because they would rather worship created things, than worship their Creator.

So, yes, our world is full of idolatry today. But not just idolatry, but sin. People love their sin and don’t want to give it up. That’s why the Bible tells us that even in the midst of Hell on earth, people will refuse to repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. All that is to say, just look at the news, and it’s easy to see the damaging effect of sin on our world today.

Which leads me to remind us of one last thing God would have us learn from these horrific judgments today: God wants us to understand the damaging effects of sin and idolatry in our lives… so we will repent. They don’t just keep us from loving God – following after them, rather than following after God, can lead you down the dangerous path of living an unrepentant life, and the reality of one day facing God’s judgment on your sin and idolatry. So, then, if there’s anything God is calling you to turn away from today, then maybe today is the day you turn away from that sin and turn back to God. For our God is gracious and merciful, and He wants to give you mercy and set you free.

Finally, we need to remember that this passage wasn’t meant to scare us, but to prepare us to become a people who will bring the good news of mercy to a world that’s under judgment.