Day of the Demons

Revelation chapter 9, that's where we are this evening. Revelation chapter 9, the fifth trumpet is the day of the demons. The day Of the demons. Ever since that day long ago, when Satan fell from heaven and he took one-third of the angels with him.

He has had a purpose, and that is to destroy the plan and purposes of God. He knows that he can't destroy God. So if he can thwart God's purposes, destroy God's plans, then maybe he can stop God from ushering in his glorious kingdom. And so the evil one, the destroyer, as Peter says, goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But throughout the years, It must be noted that Satan can only do what God allows him to do. You must mark that down and never Forget it. Whenever Satan is involved, whenever demons are involved, spiritual warfare is waged.

And in Revelation chapter 9, verses 1 to 12, we have the day of the demons. Let's look at it together.

Revelation 9, verse number 1. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven, which had fallen to the earth. And the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. And he opened the bottom of his pit, and smoke went out up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth, and power was given them as the scorpions of the earth have power. And they were told that they should not 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.

And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days, men will seek death and will not find it. And they will long to die, and death flees from them. And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads, as it were, crowns like gold. And their faces were like the faces of men, and they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.

And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. And they have tails like scorpions and stings, and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. They have as a king over them the angel of the ab. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon. And in the Greek, he has a name Apoll. The first woe is past.

Behold, two woes are still com after these things. There are four things we want to cover with you this evening. One is the authority of these demons. Two. Their arrival, three, their appearance, and four, the announcement. First of all, their authority.

Where do they get their authority and how much authority do they have? Let's look first of all at the person.

Authority, his position, and his power. First of all, the person. It's important to understand, and I want to reiterate this to you once again. That Satan and demons have as much power and authority as God gives them. Sometimes I think that that goes without saying, but other times I believe that we need to maintain pers. The text says in verse number 1, that when the fifth angel sounded, I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth, and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. Now a key always symbolizes authority.

So whatever authority these demons have They have the authority given to them by God. That's very important to note. They didn't take authority. The a they have was given to them. And John says that when the fifth angel sounded, I saw a star from heaven which had fallen. To her. But this star is uniquely different because this star is of the spiritual realm. It's not of the physical realm. In fact, This is not anything of the c atmosphere. This is something Of an angelic being. We know from Job 38, verse number 7, that angels are referred to sometimes as star.

But verse 11 of chapter 9 says, They have as a king over them the angel of the abyss. So this star is a fallen star. This star is an angelic being. He has a name. In the Hebrew, it's Abaddon. In the Greek, it's Apolly. Means destroyer. He's out to ruin people's life. If I was to ask you, Who is Abaddon? Who is Apollyon? Who is the destroyer? Most of us would say it's Satan. It's Lucifer. That's who he is. Abaddon is used in the Old Testament to describe the place of eternal punishment. You find that in Job 26, 6, Job 28, 22, Psalm 88, 11, Proverbs 15, 11, and Proverbs 27, verse number So, this person is given authority.

This person is that angelic being that has fallen from the sky. The second thing I want you to notice is his position.

The star had fallen. It wasn't falling. This star had already fallen perfect tense, meaning it fell sometime in the past and has continuous results now and into the Future. Remember over in Luke 10, verse number 18, Christ says, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.

He did. He fell. God cast him out of heaven. So geographically, that's no longer his home. But he has access there to accuse the brethren day and n. So John says, this star from heaven, which had fallen to earth. So he had a position of authority. He lost that position. Now he has fallen to the earth, and this star that had fallen to the earth. And I believe was the impetus to the beginning of the tribulation period when it ushered in the rapture of the church. Now that Satan is on earth, now he is given a key.

And that key signifies, of course, authority. Power. Remember, Revelation 1:18, Christ says, I have the keys to death in Hades, I have the keys to the destiny of man.

It's all about me and what I do. Satan is not the king of hell. He is the chief prisoner of hell. And the key that unlocks the chains. To those demonic spirits in hell is given to Satan, and God allows him an opportunity to unleash havoc on the earth. To all those people who have rejected God. And the day of God's wrath has come, and God will use Satan to advance and to accomplish his purposes. This king of the abyss, this angel, Satan, is given a key. And that key that he has allows him to unlock this pit where angels have been stored for thousands of years.

And they are going to be let loose. Let's look at their arrival. That's verses 3 to 6. Three things I want you to see about their arrival: it's powerful, it's purposeful. It's painful. First of all, verse number three: it says, Power was given them.

Power was given to them. Again, let me underscore the fact that the power that demons have is given to them by Almighty God.

They can only do what God allows them to do. Ephesians 1:11 says that He works all things after the counsel of His will. Romans 11:3 says, For from him, and through him, and to him are all things. Christ controls everything. Nothing happens without his direct influence, so that everything runs according to schedule, God's schedule. But note. Power was given to them to do what? To inflict pain. And their power to inflict pain is compared to that of a scorpion. Which again tells you that these are not actual locusts because locusts have no stinging tails as scorpions do.

But this is an incredible force, a destructive force, a swarm of locusts. John Phillips says in his commentary: The worst locust plague in modern times struck the Middle East. Between 1951 and 1952, when in Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, every green and growing thing was devoured across hundreds of thousands of square miles. Loc eat grain, leaves, and stalk right down to the bare ground. When a swarm arises and flies on its way, the green field is left. A desert. Barrenness and desolation stretches as far as the eye can see.

There is a swarming effect. There is a sting effect. And the stinging effect is like that of a scorpion, when you get the full-fledged sting of a scorpion. It causes you to convulse. It causes you to foam with the mouth. And if you go through the Gospels and if you study. People who are demon-possessed, one of the key characteristics is the foaming of the mouth. They're being thrown into convulsions. Because the power of these demons is not so much a physical torment as it is a spiritual torment that causes physical pain.

And that's what happens as these locusts, these demons, begin to unleash their pain. up unrepentant people. And isn't it ironic that the unrepentant people come face to face with those and whom they will spend eternity with? They are powerful, powerful beings. But notice number two, that is purposeful.

It is purposeful. Verse number four: and they were told that they should not 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. And they were not permitted to kill Anyone. There was a purpose behind their coming. God says.

You cannot touch the grass, the green things, or the trees. Now, this is significant. Why? Because we saw last week with the sound of the first trumpet that all the green grass was burned up.

If you were with us last week, you would have stayed. What happens now, now that there's green grass again? But they're told not to touch it. Can't do it. Because they couldn't touch vegetation, it proves again that they aren't real locusts but demons. And their effect will be upon certain people. You cannot touch certain ones, those who have the seal of God on their foreheads. They could not touch them. Who is that? Well, Revelation 7. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists. They couldn't touch them. I also believe it deals with.

Other redeemed people. Why do I say that? Revelation 22 says this. And there's verse number three: There shall no longer be any curse in the throne of God, and of the Lamb shall be in it.

And his bonds shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. Remember 2 Timothy 2:19? Knowing this, never, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal: the Lord knows those who are His, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness. God knows who His. He has sealed them. He has sealed them into the day of redemption. These demons have a purpose. Their purpose is seen in their targets and in the time in which they were able to accomplish that purpose.

Their targets were not the redeemed, but the unred. Why is that? It relates to the time. How long? Five months. Isn't it unique to know that the normal lifespan of a locust is Five months. Isn't it unique to know that five months is exactly the time of the rising floodwaters in the days of Noah? They're given five months to do what they do. Why? Because there's a purpose behind what God's doing. He is causing or giving man an opportunity to rep. To repent. Which leads us to point number three: not only is their arrival powerful and purposeful, it is painful.

The text says that they were able to torment for five months, but they were not permitted to kill anybody. And the torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings. And in those days, men will seek death and will not find it, and they will long to die. And death flees from them. They want to die because of the pain. They want to die, but God won't let him. You say, Well, that's not very nice of God. No, it's very merciful of God. Why doesn't he let them die? Because God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He doesn't want them to die in their unrepentant state. He causes the pain, he causes the torment. Why? Because he wants man to recognize he is the king, he is the ruler, that they might fall on their face before him and repent of their ways, but they will not do that. And we'll see that next time in the sixth trumpet. The mercy of God is seen. They want to die. Why? All hope is gone. Their hope in Mother Earth is gone. That which has been stationary for years, ass in the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars are falling, are darkened.

The air has been affected. The water has been affected. The land has been affected. There's no hope. What do we do? We got to die. But they can't die. And they're stung and maybe they're convulsing and maybe they're rolling around, foaming at the mouth because of their demon infestation in their lives. If they could just throw themselves off a rock, and many of them probably will throw themselves off of cliffs, and God will catch them and not let them die. Bullets will bounce off of them. They won't even be able to shoot themselves in the head and kill themselves because God's not going to let them die.

Not because he's a mean old ogre upstairs, but because he wants man to repent of his sinful ways. And yet they will not. Well, it features the point number three: their appearance.

Two things I want you to notice: their appearance generally and their appearance specifically. It says, and the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. In a general perspective, this is what they're like. Ten times the word like is used in these twelve verses. So John is trying to explain to us what these people or what these demons are like. And he says they're prepared for war. They're like horses. They're warlike, powerful beings. Straining at the bit, pacing the ground, eager to charge their opponent.

Folks, these demons have been in chain for thousands of years. They've already heard the proclamation by the Son of God. It's over. I've won the victory. I'm raising myself from the dead. Death can't contain me. And now there's someone who comes. The king of the abyss, who has a key that's been given to him. He unlocks it. They think they're free. They think they're able to do something. They want to take these people with them to hell, and they can't because they won't die. God won't let them die, He's going to let them live.

For five months of torment and pain. And they're ready. They're chomping at the bit to get at any soul they can. Specifically, it says, what? And on their heads, as it were, crown like gold. The word for crown steph, the victor's crown, indicating they will win their confrontation. Men will have no way to stop them. It says, and their faces were like the faces of men. Most commentators believe that that resembles intelligence. It says that they have ha like the hair of women, maybe emphasizing their ability to seduce man.

We know that the glory of the woman is her hair, and as she decorates her hair, as she does her hair, it enhances her beauty, and therefore these demons. are going to be able to decorate themselves, make themselves attractive. And their teeth were like the teeth of lions. What are lions' teeth like? Powerful. Fierce, deadly, ripping, and tearing. And then it says, and they had breastplates like breastplates of iron. Breastplates are designed to protect the vital organs of the individual, once again emphasizing their invincibility.

And then it says, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses rushing to battle. They're going to be heard. Not only will you see them coming like a swarm of locusts, darkening the sky, swarming and stinging all in their path, but you're going to hear them coming your way. And once again, he reiterates the length, and they have tails like scorpions. And stings, and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. The Holy Spirit wants you to understand that.

They have power given to them for five months. He wants you to understand the pain that they inflict and the length of the pain in which they inflict. Then comes the announcement, verse 12. The first woe is past.

Behold, two woes are still coming after these things. What's the announcement? One woe is completed. That's the good news. What's the bad news? Two woes are yet to come. That's the announcement. In this, I see so much about the character of God. Remember, the book of Revelation is about what? Jesus Christ, his character, who he is. Do you see his mercy? Do you see his kindness? Do you see his goodness? He's trying to get man to turn to him, and man won't turn. So he allows Apollyon Abad to have a key.

To the pits to unleash those demons to infect and infest man That somehow man is what? Without excuse. And they will do all they can to end their life. It's not worth it. I don't want to live anymore. I want to just die and be done with it. And God knows that if they killed themselves, they would go to a Christeless eternity. He's not going to let that happen. Happen? Why? Because he wants them to repent. He wants them to throw themselves upon him for his mercy. If they make it through this one, their hearts will be so hardened that they will not repent.

But they will still be without excuse. So the announcement comes. One is completed. Two are coming. It's an opportunity to repent. A brief relief from future judgments. Do you know that if you're here tonight or listening by way of tape or radio, you are in the midst of a brief relief? If you have not given your life to Christ, just a brief word. The Bible says your life is but a what?

A vapor. It's here today, it's gone tomorrow. Amidst that brief time, God's calling you to repentance. And granted, God has probably not all to happen to you what has happened or is going to happen to those unred people during the tribulational period and the sounding of the fifth trumpet. But.

God is trying to get your attention. Maybe it's to the death of a loved one. Maybe it's through some kind of affliction that he's allowed to come your way, that somehow you would throw yourself upon him and his mercy. But God is saying, I need you to turn from your sin and turn to me. Let's pray.