Chapter 9 will reveal the 5th and 6th trumpets and what they will call forth. They are very interesting descriptions of what will be happening. The 5th, 6th and 7th trumpets bring forth what is refered to as the three woes, because of the severity of what will take place. At the end of the Chapter it says that even though these things will be taking place, the rest of mankind who were not killed, did not repent. At this time, the only people who will be alive on the earth, besides the 144,000 having the seal of God on their foreheads, will be those who did not receive the truth as to be saved. Instead they received the mark of the beast, that without it they would not have been able to buy or sell. Receiving the mark would end end the privledge of being able to receive Jesus to become a New Creation and gain Eternal Life. These are either very obstinate people or they realize that they have blew their chance and are just dark to the core.
When the fifth angel sounded the trumpet John saw;
1) A star from heaven which had fallen from heaven was given the key to the botomless pit.
We will read later that Satan will be cast out of heaven and down to the earth.
We know that Satan has access to the earth right now. We also know that he is
before the throne of God day and night accusing the brethren (Revelation 12:10).
So whatever this is, we know that it will be different then how it is now. Satan will
be cast down to the earth with his fallen angels (Revelation 12:9). We know that
Satan and his demons can possess people today (Luke 8:36). Will this be a visible
manifestation? If it is, then where will they say they came from? They won't say,
we are demons and this is our leader Satan. They are cast down to the earth half
way through the 7 year tribulation period (Revelation 13:5). You can read my
previous blogs about the prophecies in Daniel (The Abomination that makes desolate)
and the anti -christ to learn more about this.
2) The star opens the bottomless pit.
3) Smoke like from a great furnace came out of the pit.
4) The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
5) Out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth.
6) They are given power like scorpions have power.
The power that scorpions have are in their sting that attacks the nervous system
of their prey.
7) They are told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing,nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
8) They were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment them for five months; and their torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.
So I am assuming that it is possible that their torment will involve an effect on their
nervous systems.
9) In those days men will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die and death flees from them.
This will be a very interesting time. Men will seek to die and will not be able to.
I wonder if this will mean that people will try to kill themselves because of the
torment of those days, and even though they do something to take their own lives,
they won't be able to die and therefore have to suffer the consequence of what they
tried to do to take their own lives. For example, if someone trys to kill themselves
by jumping off a hundred story building or shoots themselves, will they just lay
there with their injuries in pain not being able to die.
John goes on to give a description of of what he had referred to as locusts saying;
1) They looked like horses prepared for battle.
2) On their heads, as it were, crowns like gold.
3) Their faces were like the faces of men.
4) Thier hair was like the hair of women.
5) Their teeth were like the teeth of lions.
6) They had breastplates like the breastplates of iron.
7) The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.
8) They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is the power to hurt men for five months.
9) They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon (meaning destuction) and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon (meaning destroyer).
We always try to understand what John was describing based on what he new at that time verses what might exist in the days that this takes place. If John was seeing a helecopter, that he had never seen before, might he descibe it this way. It's possible, but it is also possible that these are literal creatures. I can't say I know which one is true. I do know that in 2nd Thessalonians Chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, Paul refers to the anti-christ as the son of destuction, " who opposes and exalts himself above every so called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displying himself as being God." So it is possible that what John is seeing is a military action that Satan is directing against inhabitants of the earth. We know that he will have control over a large integrated military comprises of many nations and we will talk more on that as we proceed.
The first wow is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
May the peace that Jesus gives be with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment