Revelation 9
Sometimes it's easy to feel
like we are powerless and are caught in catastrophic events. We feel like a
leaf caught in a tornado or a cork in a raging flood. In chapter 9 we see two
descriptions of cataclysmic moments. We look at them and feel overwhelmed. That
is the wrong lesson. The two events are different but there is one common
denominator, they are under God's control and are in unexpected ways working
out his plan.
The fifth angel sounded his
trumpet and the end result, a horde of demonic forces is turned loose. When a
person or nation dabbles with the demonic they ought not be surprised when
demons show up. The demonic is limited in what they are allowed to do. But when
a person invites the demonic into their lives God honors that person's free will
and choice and removes His protection from the person allowing the demonic
certain control. The horrifying picture we see in the first half of chapter 9
is a reality of what happens when we are playing with the forces of darkness.
When people engage in evil
and invite the demonic they don't always turn into raving maniacs we see
depicted in movies. But they do grow
more and more evil. In a world filled with darkness God tries again to call sinful
man back to Himself. He sends another
warning, the sixth angel’s trumpet blast. The last half of this chapter is an
attempt by God to call wicked men to repentance. Some men are so given over to
evil that they are beyond repentance and these men are destroyed and serve as a
warning to others. The chapter closes with a description of wicked men ignoring
the warning and opportunity to repent that God has offered.
There are three lessons for
us here. First, God is in control and he
sets the time (vs. 15). As chaotic and
out of control as the world seems God has it all well in hand. Second, God goes
to extreme measures to call men to repentance. What seems as harsh to us is
ultimately gracious and loving because God is attempting a rescue. Third, some
men will never repent. Even God's most extreme efforts will not draw some men
away from their cravings for the demonic.
Questions to ponder
How amazing is God's love
that even those men who are in deep Darkness are called to repentance by the
self-inflicted misery of the darkness they have chosen? Where do you see
examples of self-inflicted Darkness making people miserable but they are still
unwilling to repent?
