1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,920 We've come to feast on His Word and so please meet me in your 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:09,280 Bibles in Revelation Chapter 9. Revelation Chapter 9. 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,120 It could be said that an effective cheat teacher knows 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,000 and recognizes when repetition is necessary in order to firmly 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,320 establish truths in the minds of learners. 6 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,280 And I say that because it could be that you've realized that 7 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,000 some of these introductions in our study of revelation are 8 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:34,960 similar. And I'm here to tell you that's 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:40,240 intentional because the aim in that is after hearing over and 10 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,640 over again the structure of this book, it would be so ingrained 11 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,880 in your memory as you hear about the layout and the overarching 12 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,080 theme so that it would become almost second nature. 13 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,880 With that being said, we are still examining God's final 14 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:01,560 program of judgement for the last days and we are looking at 15 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:07,720 3 Series of judgements, each consisting of seven acts, 7 16 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,160 events, and we've already completed the first set. 17 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,800 We already looked at the seal judgements. 18 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,320 The scroll has been completely opened by the hands of Christ, 19 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:24,320 and now we find ourselves in the midst of the trumpet judgements. 20 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,560 And if you were here 2 weeks ago, you recall that we looked 21 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:34,360 at what happened after the four trumpets were sounded, and we 22 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:36,760 are ready to see the final three. 23 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:42,160 But before John is given insight into the last three trumpet 24 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,360 blasts, there is a strange and interesting interruption. 25 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:49,600 It's in the last verse of chapter 8. 26 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,440 Look at Revelation 813 for a moment. 27 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:59,040 Then I looked and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice 28 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:05,400 as it flew directly overhead. Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell 29 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:10,720 on the earth at the blast of the other trumpets the three angels 30 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,400 are about to blow. You know this well. 31 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,480 Woes are common expressions in the Scriptures to represent it, 32 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,560 to signify and call out condemnation or judgement. 33 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,400 And double woes are not uncommon either. 34 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,120 When you see whoa whoa, it's because there is an emphasis. 35 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:37,080 But a triple woe like what we find here in this verse is rare. 36 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,960 Now, we might think the message of this verse is that there is 37 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:46,240 an extreme emphasis, but in actuality, its main purpose is 38 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:52,120 to assign each woe to each of the remaining trumpet blasts. 39 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:54,200 That's what we're going to find in this new chapter. 40 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,800 A woe for the last three trumpets. 41 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,400 Now here's the question that came to mind immediately. 42 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:08,080 Why do the last three trumpets receive this ominous recognition 43 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,480 instead of the first four? And the answer is very clear 44 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:15,920 when you compare both. You see, when we looked at the 45 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:21,320 1st 4 trumpets, we saw that they triggered devastation upon 46 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:27,000 nature. 1/3 of this part of the earth, 1/3 of the rivers, 1/3 of 47 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,800 this. It was all about the Earth, the 48 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,840 planet. Now, as we come to the last 49 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,640 three trumpet alarms, we're going to see that they will set 50 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:42,840 into motion judgement and torment against people directly. 51 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:48,360 Humans will now be targeted not indirectly, but directly. 52 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,240 So this is very sobering. And these events, particularly 53 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:57,720 set off by the 5th trumpet, are so severe that they might be 54 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:02,960 understood as hell on earth. Actually, an appropriate title 55 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,200 for this passage of Scripture that we're about to read is Five 56 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,000 Months of Hell. And I'm sure you're going to see 57 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,360 it as we read Revelation 9, verse one, down to verse 6. 58 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,079 Let's do that together. And the 5th Angel blew his 59 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:24,480 trumpet, and I saw a * falling from heaven to earth. 60 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:28,000 And he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 61 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,720 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the 62 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:36,280 shaft rose smoke, like the smoke of a great furnace, And the sun 63 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:39,880 and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 64 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,800 Then from the smoke came locust on the earth, and they were 65 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,800 given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 66 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,400 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green 67 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:55,160 plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the 68 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:59,560 seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment 69 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,120 them for five months, but not to kill them. 70 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,120 And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it 71 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,400 stings someone. And in no day in those days, 72 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:11,760 people will seek death and will not find it. 73 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:16,240 They will long to die, but death will flee from them. 74 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:20,960 Father, we realize immediately that we need your wisdom. 75 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,880 And Lord, I am very aware that I need your help in delivering 76 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,680 this. Every preacher, oh God, that is 77 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,680 honest, recognizes the need of your help. 78 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,240 And Lord, every listener who understands their knee will say, 79 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:39,120 Open my heart, help me to hear what you have to say. 80 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,760 So Lord, just take over and have your way in the service. 81 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,400 Lord, especially now as we unpack your word, we give you 82 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,320 glory for your help. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 83 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,320 There are many ways that one can approach this nightmarish scene. 84 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:59,040 So many details, so many mysteries, so many questions. 85 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,680 But as I was reading over this passage over and over again 86 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,760 throughout this past week, certain words began to surface, 87 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:10,600 Certain words began to be highlighted. 88 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,440 And I want to show you what I mean. 89 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,320 Look back at verse one in the second part. 90 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:21,360 And he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 91 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:24,440 Look at the second part of verse 3. 92 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:30,200 And they were given power, like the power of scorpions of the 93 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,360 earth. Look at verse four. 94 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:37,280 In the beginning they were told not to harm the grass of the 95 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,640 earth or any green plant or any tree. 96 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:45,320 Finally, look at verse 5. They were allowed to torment 97 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:50,200 them for five months. It is so easy to get caught up 98 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:57,000 by this horrific set of details and this ghastly imagery, but 99 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,800 woven through it all is the language of God's sovereignty. 100 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:02,880 Do you see it? I see it. 101 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,560 Revelation teaches us many things, but one of the things 102 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:13,680 that it continually reaffirms is the extent of God's authority 103 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,480 both in the realm that we see and the one that we cannot 104 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,120 perceive. And what we have here before us 105 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,720 is a reminder that the Lord's governance extends to realities 106 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,160 that we often forget He has mastery over. 107 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,560 And so as you and I approach this at face value, reading it 108 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,440 may be terrifying. It may cause us to be curious. 109 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:40,240 But when you meditate on it, I trust that you will be 110 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,800 strengthened in your faith and who God is and what He is 111 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,240 capable of. I have one goal today before we 112 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,880 break bread in reading and expounding on these verses. 113 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,920 Just one simple mission that you and I would see just how big God 114 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:57,480 is the guy that you love, the guy that you sing to, the guy 115 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,120 that you trust in for your daily needs. 116 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,960 I want to show you today through this passage that He is 117 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,360 incredibly majestic. There is not one corner of the 118 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:08,920 universe that he does not have jurisdiction over. 119 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:15,120 He is so strong. He is so powerful, He is so 120 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,760 mighty. And we get a snapshot of it 121 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:20,640 right here. And so today we're going to look 122 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:27,440 at 3 domains that our God has authority over, 3 realities that 123 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:31,640 he governs that we often miss or don't really give him credit for 124 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,080 or recognize his presence in three of them. 125 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:40,840 And the first one is this God's sovereignty over the underworld. 126 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:43,720 God's sovereignty over the underworld. 127 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:45,600 Look back here again at verse one and verse 2. 128 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:49,120 When this 5th Angel blew his trumpet, John saw something 129 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:53,080 immediately, a star. He says I saw a * falling from 130 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:56,000 heaven to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of 131 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,960 the bottomless pit. We've seen stars falling in our 132 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:00,160 study of revelation, have we not? 133 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:04,800 We remember during the seal judgements, and particularly the 134 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:09,120 6th one, how there were many stars that had fallen as a fig 135 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,960 tree would dispense figs when it is shaken. 136 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:14,960 And not too long ago in the trumpet judgments, we saw on the 137 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,320 3rd trumpet that there was a great star that fell from 138 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,120 heaven, and it fell on 1/3 of the rivers and springs of water. 139 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,720 And so now we come to this text and we almost anticipate that 140 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:24,760 this is just another cosmic disturbance. 141 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,280 But we quickly learned that this is no ordinary star. 142 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:30,960 In fact, this is not a real star. 143 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:35,680 This is not a literal mass from the sky falling into the earth. 144 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:42,600 It's a person and that's not us making this interpretation on 145 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,600 our own. John tells us, look at the 146 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,320 language. It has personal like qualities. 147 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:50,560 He started, he saw a * falling from the heaven to earth and he, 148 00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:55,280 he, oh, he, he was given what a responsibility. 149 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,560 He was given the key and he was called to action. 150 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:01,400 He was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 151 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,240 So what we have here is a person that fell from heaven. 152 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,120 Now we know that this person is not a human. 153 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,240 This person is from another realm, from a heavenly realm 154 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,080 because it fell again from heaven. 155 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:19,080 Now here's what's interesting. We see in the scriptures that 156 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:24,400 angels are referred to more than once as what stars, especially 157 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:29,200 in Job 38 verse 7. So now the question follows. 158 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:33,680 This is an Angel, an angelic being that fell from heaven? 159 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,360 Is it a good Angel? Is it a bad Angel? 160 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:40,160 Is it the chief of demonic angels? 161 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,200 Is it Satan? Because Satan, we're told in 162 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,840 more than one place in the Bible, fell from heaven? 163 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,040 Well, some would say it has to be a good Angel because no way 164 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:55,120 would the Lord give a key to a bad Angel to open up this shaft 165 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,440 to a bottomless pit. Other would say, no, it has to 166 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,480 be a bad Angel. It has to be a fallen Angel 167 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,720 because he's fallen. Let's not spend our energy here. 168 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:08,200 This is the point that I want to drive into our hearts. 169 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:13,680 This Angel was given a key by God for a day. 170 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:19,320 He's borrowing one of God's keys, and this key opens the 171 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:23,400 door to what is known as the bottomless pit. 172 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,280 Bottomless pit. This is important in the Book of 173 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:33,080 Revelation, in all the New Testament, the bottomless pit in 174 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:34,640 the original word, it's actually one word. 175 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:37,600 It's the word where we get abyss from. 176 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,680 It appears a total of nine times in the New Testament, seven of 177 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:45,280 those nine times. Where do you think Revelation? 178 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,360 And when you collect all the references to this abyss, this 179 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,520 bottomless pit, you learn what its function is. 180 00:11:53,000 --> 00:12:00,800 It represents a deep, dark, very real spiritual prison house for 181 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:05,800 fallen angels. Do you remember what happened 182 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,800 when Jesus arrived to the Gadarenes and there was a very 183 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:14,920 tormented soul who is filled with thousands of demons in 184 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,960 Christ unusually asked the name of this demon and here's a 185 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,280 reference for you in Luke 8 verse 30. 186 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:25,040 I'll read it. Jesus then asked him what is 187 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,680 your name? And he said legion, for many 188 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,920 demons had entered him, verse 31. 189 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:36,960 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the 190 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:43,520 abyss. Whatever you do, son of God, do 191 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:50,520 not bring us to the abyss. Scripture teaches us that from 192 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:54,200 the time of the fall, God has assigned certain demonic beings 193 00:12:55,120 --> 00:13:00,560 to a gloomy darkness, to be chained everlastingly until the 194 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:02,720 final judgment and their verdict is made. 195 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,960 Peter shares us in second Peter. Jude shares us in his short 196 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,960 epistle. There are actual demonic beings 197 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:16,560 who are in this very moment apprehended, incarcerated, and 198 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:18,800 kept from freely roaming on the earth. 199 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,200 Now, there's a whole other category of demons who have been 200 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,480 running loose on this earth since the beginning of time. 201 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:30,320 But there's a whole different group of fallen angels that have 202 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:35,800 not seen the light of day that have been kept and will be kept 203 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:39,200 until that final day except for what we find here. 204 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,400 Do you understand what's happening here? 205 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:50,400 God is permitting an Angel to open the door for the worst of 206 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:58,240 the worst demons, for the vilest spiritual criminals who have 207 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:03,600 harassed humanity in unspeakable ways, to freely roam on the 208 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:08,200 earth and do as they please, to an extent for almost half a 209 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:13,240 year. This is terrifying and 210 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:18,680 rightfully so, and this background shows us here that 211 00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:22,160 God is doing this as an act of judgement. 212 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:30,200 God is doing this because He wants to let them be His agents 213 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:35,440 of chastisement and judgement. Notice the description of the 214 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:37,920 smoke in verse 2. Can you see it with me? 215 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,880 It says here. Then in verse 2 he opened the 216 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,800 shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like 217 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:49,200 the smoke of a great furnace. That expression smoke arising 218 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,600 like the smoke of a great furnace in relation to the 219 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,280 judgement of people, only appears in one other place in 220 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,160 all of the Bible. Can anybody guess where Sodom 221 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:03,000 and Gomorrah, after Sodom and Gomorrah, experience God's 222 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,720 wrath, fire and brimson falling from heaven. 223 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,400 We're told there that Abraham looked upon the land and he saw 224 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,320 smoke arising like the smoke of a furnace. 225 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,080 And that's almost repeated here word for word. 226 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,080 Why? It foreshadows something 227 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,520 devastating. It shows here that there is 228 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:25,840 going to be a severe manifestation of God's holy 229 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,440 justice like the world has never really seen. 230 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:35,280 And as you look at this, you think to yourself, is there any 231 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:36,200 hope? I mean, what? 232 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:40,520 What do you make of this? Well, again, read between the 233 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,280 lines. Don't focus on the demons. 234 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,160 Focus on the one who has authority over the underworld. 235 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,280 He's able to keep them back, and He's able to loosen them. 236 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,320 And I want you to see what's going to happen upon Christ's 237 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,160 return at the end of Revelation. Go to chapter 20 Revelation and 238 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:02,320 notice that immediately after Christ returns bodily and places 239 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:06,200 his feet on the Mount of Olives, and he deals with the enemies of 240 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:10,120 God's people. 01 of his first priorities before he establishes 241 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,200 his millennial reign is what you see in Revelation 20 verse 2. 242 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:20,920 And he sees the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil 243 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:26,520 and Satan, and bound him for 1000 years, and threw him into 244 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:32,080 the what, Pitt the abyss, the very same word, and shut it and 245 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,920 sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nation's 246 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,080 any longer until the 1000 years were ended. 247 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,640 After that, he must be released for a little while. 248 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:48,120 There's a day coming when the chief of demons, the Prince of 249 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:52,920 all that is dark and wicked, the head of all demonic operations, 250 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:55,320 will be arrested. There's a warrant for his arrest 251 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:01,760 and he will be imprisoned for a literal 1000 years before the 252 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:04,240 new heavens and the new earth commences. 253 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,839 This world is going to experience a length of time free 254 00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:15,960 from any satanic temptation, devilish oppression, possession, 255 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,000 and even deception. That day is coming. 256 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,640 What I just read to you is not a description of heaven because at 257 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:26,400 the end of the verses we just read, it says he's going to be 258 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,240 released again. This is speaking about when 259 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:33,120 Jesus returns, He is going to set up his reign. 260 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:36,800 And one of the glories of his physical reign on the earth is 261 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,240 he's going to take Satan and all his minions and launch them into 262 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:43,920 the pit for 1000 years. And the redeemed and even those 263 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:46,640 who remain who are unbelievers who will live in that reign are 264 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:52,080 going to know a world that has never been without demonic 265 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,680 presence. Now here's why this is 266 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:57,760 important. Those who don't believe that 267 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:02,280 this is all future and that this is literal have to interpret 268 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,560 this in another way. So many who don't hold to the 269 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,480 futurist interpretation of the Book of Revelation will say what 270 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:10,840 we just read there about the 1000 years and Satan being put 271 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,880 into a pit. That's all figurative and it's 272 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,120 speaking about today. It's speaking about how Satan 273 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:21,080 has been bound. 1000 years is just a symbolic number. 274 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,640 Satan has been bound since Jesus Christ died on the cross. 275 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:29,760 To which I respond, how is he doing all of this while bound? 276 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,760 All this chaos, all the increase of evil, This is him bound. 277 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:36,560 I don't want to see what he's like when he's set free. 278 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:42,280 So this is this is a dilemma. You either take all this again 279 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:45,360 spiritually, or you acknowledge that there is a glorious future 280 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:49,040 ahead, not just for the Church, but the entire world as it sits 281 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:52,800 under the governance of the precious Prince of Peace, Jesus 282 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,360 Christ of Nazareth. But he has control over that pit 283 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:59,920 now and he has a divine purpose behind it. 284 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:04,080 So the first thing I want you to understand is hell, which is 285 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:05,480 another thing I don't want to confuse you. 286 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:10,720 This underworld, this abyss is not ruled by Satan. 287 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:13,160 I know, I know. People get the theology from 288 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:16,160 cartoons where Satan sits on this throne and he's in hell and 289 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,360 he can belch out as many demons as he wants. 290 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:25,040 This Angel was given a key from God to let loose, and God has 291 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:26,480 many keys, as we're going to find out. 292 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,320 The second thing that we see sovereignty at play here at work 293 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:33,680 here is very close to the first. God's sovereignty over demons, 294 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:39,080 Not just the place, but these persons like the star we read 295 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:40,360 about. What locus? 296 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:47,000 There are no ordinary locusts. They are locusts because again, 297 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,760 in the Old Testament, locusts were one of God's most 298 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:53,600 devastating acts of judgement. They would devour all of your 299 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:55,800 resources within a short span of time. 300 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:57,360 We see it in prophetic literature. 301 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:00,200 We see it literally taking place in actual manifestations of 302 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,120 God's wrath. Locust, locust, locust. 303 00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:05,120 So again, the student of the Old Testament in the Scripture says 304 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:09,040 this is not good locust. But then you read on and you 305 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,200 see. These aren't bugs. 306 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:19,360 Go to verse 7 of Revelation 9. In appearance, the locusts were 307 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:24,560 like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were what looked 308 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,480 like crowns of gold. Their faces were like human 309 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:33,200 faces, their hair like woman's hair, and their teeth like 310 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,360 lion's teeth. They had breastplates like 311 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,240 breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like 312 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:44,160 the noise of many Chariots with horses rushing into battle. 313 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:48,880 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to 314 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,000 hurt people for five months is in their tails. 315 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:56,600 They have as a king over them the Angel of the bottomless pit. 316 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,560 His name is in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is 317 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:05,520 called Apoleon. What do we make of this? 318 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,920 Number one, I don't think it's helpful to try to explain every 319 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,520 single detail and what could be the specific meaning behind it. 320 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:19,320 Here's what you take from this. This grotesque description of 321 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:25,000 these beings is meant to reflect the hideousness and the twisted 322 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:30,720 nature of these beings. This is clearly demonic, and 323 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:36,240 these demonic creatures are again, by very nature so vile, 324 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:42,400 so despicable, totally wicked, that their physical description 325 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:47,520 reflects that distortion. I don't know if you visualize 326 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,720 this description, if it looks strange, if it looks ugly. 327 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:55,600 It's meant to be because these are again angels that have 328 00:21:55,600 --> 00:22:00,120 betrayed the living God and have chosen even to their own eternal 329 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,200 doom to resist Him and to fight against His purposes to this 330 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:06,080 very moment. So when you see this, you're 331 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,400 supposed to almost cringe and shrink back like this is almost 332 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,200 like these are like monsters. They are monsters and though you 333 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,640 don't want to pluck every single detail though you can, there is 334 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:18,800 obviously an importance behind these things. 335 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,560 If there is one thing to take from it is that they are 336 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,800 extremely powerful. Look again at some of these 337 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,280 things. Teeth like lion's teeth. 338 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,840 Breastplates of iron wings that sound like Chariots rushing into 339 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,040 battle, tales that sting like scorpions. 340 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:45,840 And above that they have a king. So there's, there's rank, 341 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:48,160 there's order, there's, there's strategy. 342 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:52,520 In the Kingdom of Darkness, as much as they cause chaos, 343 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:59,040 they're very much sophisticated. And this this fact that they 344 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,160 have a king also is extra validation that they are not 345 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:03,960 locusts, real locusts. You know why? 346 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,960 Because in Proverbs 30, verse 27, Proverbs 3027 says locusts 347 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,920 have no king. It's a very interesting 348 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:13,240 observation. In the book of Proverbs. 349 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:15,080 There's a spiritual lesson behind that. 350 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:17,600 But these locusts, they have a king. 351 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:24,320 And John says he has a name. And for some reason John wants 352 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,520 to give us the name in Hebrew and in Greek. 353 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,680 And I'll tell you this, it's not so that John can show us that he 354 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:36,480 knows multiple languages. Both of these names in their 355 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:42,480 meaning, represent destruction, represent devastation. 356 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,600 But why Hebrew and Greek? To show that the influence of 357 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:52,080 this demonic being, this Prince of demons, affects the whole 358 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:56,920 world, Jew and Gentile. His impact is global. 359 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:01,400 There's nothing outside of his reach in terms of his venom and 360 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:03,920 his plans and his deception and his destruction. 361 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:08,200 So you read this in isolation and you step back and you think, 362 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,840 this is, this is horrible. What chance does humanity have 363 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:17,920 against these forces? What can you do to resist them? 364 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,000 How can this earth, how can the people of God even fight against 365 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,360 these invisible beings that are so obviously destructive and 366 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:30,360 powerful? And though they are clearly so 367 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:36,520 able to wipe out humanity in an instant, they can only go so 368 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:38,240 far. And what we just heard and 369 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:40,480 learned earlier, that's the point. 370 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:44,400 Again, if you just chop off 7 down to verse 11 and put it 371 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,560 somewhere, you would think this is who we're up against. 372 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:48,160 But you have to read what we read earlier. 373 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,080 This is something for you and I to understand, and I'll tell you 374 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:54,440 why in a moment. But look at what they can't do. 375 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,200 Come back to verse 4. They were told not to harm the 376 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,880 grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree. 377 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,480 So they could not go so far in their attempt to damage 378 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:07,200 anything. They could not kill anybody, 379 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,720 though they were able to kill. They can only harm, and they 380 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:13,720 couldn't touch a single plant, a single tree, a single blade of 381 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,320 grass. Let me talk about specific 382 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:20,280 authority, but not just what they could unleash in terms of 383 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,320 their power, but the duration of it. 384 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:28,600 You can go one second beyond five months. 385 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:36,280 And my favorite, these demonic beings, though they they drool 386 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,800 at the thought of being able to devour those who are creating 387 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:46,360 God's image, could only harm those who did not have the seal 388 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:50,600 of God on their foreheads. The people of God were 389 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:55,200 untouchable and this is something again for you and I to 390 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,520 reflect on because there is a growing fascination with a 391 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:01,320 demonic and Christendom today. There are entire ministries that 392 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:05,160 are being built on the mistaken idea that genuine born again, 393 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,120 spirit filled Christians are in need of deliverance from demons 394 00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:11,800 possessing them. In order for that kind of a 395 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:16,120 message to become convincing, these kind of teachers will over 396 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:20,120 and over again highlight and focus on the extent of the power 397 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:24,760 of demonic beings, so much so that they entertain very strange 398 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,560 concepts of behavioral patterns that have to be associated with 399 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,560 these demonic influences. Do you, do you arrive late all 400 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:33,480 the time for work or for church? There's got to be a demon. 401 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:36,960 Are you sleep all the time? It's probably the demon. 402 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:40,320 Are you impatient? It's a demon. 403 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:42,200 Demon. Every, everything's a demon. 404 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,040 Everything's a demon. And why is that presented? 405 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,880 Because it calls for everybody to need deliverance, then it 406 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,120 brings in business, it brings in followers, it brings in 407 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:59,000 supporters. And no doubt we should never in 408 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:05,160 arrogance minimize what these creatures are able to do. 409 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:08,640 Even Michael the Archangel would not directly rebuke Satan. 410 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,200 He called the Lord to rebuke him. 411 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:13,720 So there has to be a level of respect in that sense. 412 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:20,320 But I want to present to you the focus of the Christian that 413 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,800 although these are again, very mighty creatures, they are not 414 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,120 mightier than God. They are not. 415 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,200 They can't even take a step without his permission. 416 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:31,640 They can't choose their weaponry. 417 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:34,600 They can't go as long as they want to. 418 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:39,720 They can't even use one of their hideous fingers or their teeth 419 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:44,240 to cut the grass. They're restricted. 420 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,520 They're held back because there's a sovereign force 421 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,160 greater than these beings. In fact, if all of hell came 422 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:56,040 against one soul hidden in Christ, they would not succeed. 423 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:03,840 If Abaddon, a Napoleon himself, towered above the weakest and 424 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,080 feeblest of all Christians, though filled with the Holy 425 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,000 Spirit, he would not be able to do anything. 426 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:12,480 Do you understand what we have in Christ? 427 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,000 Do you understand the, the, the, the package of our salvation 428 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,560 includes that if we are sealed, yes, this is a specific seal for 429 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:22,320 a specific group of people in a specific amount of time in a 430 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,440 specific period of time, but it's no different for us seal of 431 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:29,400 the Holy Spirit. So add on top of this the the, 432 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,440 the teaching of being delivered by demons to the concept of 433 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:36,120 Christians being cursed by demons, that there's people 434 00:28:36,120 --> 00:28:38,520 there casting curses and casting spells. 435 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,680 Where do you get the idea that a Christian filled with the Holy 436 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,760 Spirit can be cursed? Where do you get the idea that 437 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:51,960 an innocent believer who went to some vacation and grabbed some 438 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,560 souvenirs from a foreign land brought it and you just invited 439 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,880 devils to take over your house? Is it that easy? 440 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,400 Is our salvation that week? Is our walk with Christ in the 441 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:09,640 Spirit so vulnerable? I was reading the Psalms the 442 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:10,720 other day. I'm going through psalms in my 443 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:12,440 personal reading. I stumbled upon a verse I want 444 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:15,480 to share with you. Listen to this in Psalm one O 9 445 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:18,520 verse 28. Psalm one O 9, verse 28. 446 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,880 David says let them curse, but you will bless. 447 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,000 Let them curse but you will bless. 448 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:30,240 Is that what you believe? Are you not in a greater 449 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,520 covenant than that of Moses and the Israelites who did not know 450 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:36,960 that there was someone and a whole group of people really 451 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,280 hoping and planning to curse them as they traverse through 452 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:41,720 the wilderness? They didn't even know what was 453 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,960 happening, and God turned every curse into a blessing. 454 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,160 Is it any less under the blood of Jesus Christ? 455 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,360 Demons are real. Their power is real. 456 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,320 There is real possession. There is real oppression. 457 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,520 There is a real need for people to actually be delivered from 458 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:00,840 demons. But if you're in Christ, you are 459 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,240 untouchable. You are untouchable. 460 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:07,840 It's true in the tribulation period, it's true today. 461 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,800 And be careful who you listen to people's personal stories. 462 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:15,520 Do not trump over scripture. Be careful of that. 463 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:19,760 Satan is a deceiver and I'm unfortunately seeing many 464 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:22,680 people, especially the younger generation, gobbling up this 465 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:28,400 teaching for many reasons. But I find this in my Bible that 466 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,920 you can have the worst of the worst demons unleashed upon the 467 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:36,440 earth, and those who are sealed by God will not be harmed. 468 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,240 That's your inheritance too, because God is sovereign over 469 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,280 demons. Lastly, God as you know, is 470 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,760 sovereign over death. Come with me here. 471 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:53,360 In verse 5, we read the word torment appearing 3 times, like 472 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:57,400 the torment they're inflicting upon the masses is so intense 473 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,200 that look what the masses will choose to do, at least attempt 474 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,200 to do in verse 6. And in those days, people will 475 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:08,000 seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death 476 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:13,840 will flee from them. So this will be so overwhelming 477 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:17,080 that that most people, if not all of them, who have been 478 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:23,800 struck by these demons, will attempt suicide, will try to 479 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:27,200 kill themselves, would in in relief try to kill one another. 480 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,760 And there's going to be a strange phenomenon during these 481 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,160 five months. No matter what you do, nobody's 482 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,240 able to die. It's really a miracle. 483 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:39,920 And it's going to only confirm further that the source of the 484 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,240 suffering in these five months is supernatural. 485 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,960 This is something strange. Now, as you look at this, you 486 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:49,080 might be wondering, why would God allow this? 487 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,560 And one might say, well, it's because God doesn't want to give 488 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,000 them an easy escape. He doesn't want to offer them 489 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,840 immediate relief. I don't think that's God's heart 490 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:03,400 behind it because this pursuit of death, would that lead to 491 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:07,080 actual relief? No, only to greater torment, 492 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:13,040 because Jesus said if you die in your sins, you will perish. 493 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,320 So this this was for five months. 494 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,080 But there is an eternal torment for the wicked. 495 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,720 And if these people had access to the cessation of their life 496 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:28,600 at will, then you're talking about most of the world plunging 497 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:32,400 themselves into hell in a matter of months. 498 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,520 Do you know what I see here? Hopefully you agree with me. 499 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,400 I see grace. That's what I see. 500 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:44,560 God withheld death. He closed that door. 501 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:48,200 It was not accessible. But why? 502 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:54,440 Because this population had already seen so many things, had 503 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:57,400 received so many warnings, had perceived and experienced so 504 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:01,760 many disasters, and evidently they have not yet called upon 505 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:03,280 the Lord. They're not sealed by Him. 506 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,360 And so the Lord now takes it to another level. 507 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:10,840 He actually has a woe attached to this trumpet blast in order 508 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:17,160 for this people to wake up. Some people get saved through 509 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:19,880 preachers and there are other people who get saved through 510 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:26,440 pain and that is God's intention here, that they would finally 511 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:28,440 realize this is not normal, this is not humane. 512 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:30,760 The fact that this is plaguing the globe, the fact that we're 513 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,560 trying to die and we can't die. This has to be God. 514 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:37,920 God forgive me, I repent, I call upon you, rescue me. 515 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:44,520 There's an interesting passage in Job that confirms what I am 516 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:49,320 conveying to you in Job 38. And this is where I'm ending 517 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:54,040 verse Job 33. Rather verse 14. 518 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,680 It says for God speaks in one way and in two, though man does 519 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:04,640 not perceive it. For God speaks in one way and in 520 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:06,320 two, though man does not perceive it. 521 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:11,000 And what are the ways that he speaks to man, though man does 522 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:12,920 not immediately understand that it's God trying to get their 523 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:13,880 attention. Well, here's one of them. 524 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:20,120 Look at verse 19 of Job 33. Man is also rebuked with pain on 525 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:25,400 his bed and with continual strife in his bones, so that his 526 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,840 life loathes bread and his appetite. 527 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:32,520 The choice is food. His flesh is so wasted away that 528 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,639 it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. 529 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:41,840 His soul draws near to the pit, and his life to those who bring 530 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,760 death. For what purpose? 531 00:34:47,159 --> 00:34:54,320 Verse 29 Behold, God does all these things twice, three times 532 00:34:54,320 --> 00:35:01,240 with a man to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may 533 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:02,560 be lighted with the light of life. 534 00:35:08,190 --> 00:35:11,310 There are some people who are lying in hospital beds today 535 00:35:12,950 --> 00:35:17,110 because God is speaking to them. There are people who have had 536 00:35:17,110 --> 00:35:21,510 life altering accidents because God is speaking to them. 537 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:28,120 You might be sitting here today and you receive the diagnosis. 538 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:33,320 You don't know God. Could it be that He's speaking 539 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,040 to you? I'm not saying every sickness is 540 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,600 a message from God. I'm just saying it's a 541 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:41,880 possibility. And one of the reasons why the 542 00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:44,520 Lord allows us is because God understands something you and I 543 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:46,840 often forget. These bodies are temporary. 544 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:50,320 This life is short. There is something coming more 545 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:51,880 real than whatever you know here. 546 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:54,880 Eternity. Eternity. 547 00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,760 And God, in His mercy, though you may even have cursed them 548 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:03,840 because of the pain in your life, knows that that pain is 549 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:07,440 temporary and it's worth experiencing it if you call upon 550 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:11,120 Him to be saved. God speaks in many ways. 551 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:12,440 He doesn't just speak through sermons. 552 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:14,000 This is His primary way, His word. 553 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:16,400 But there are other means that He gets man's attention, 554 00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:18,640 especially those who are extra stubborn. 555 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,000 What you find with the 5th trumpet is a generation that are 556 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:28,000 extremely stiff necked. And So what does God do in His 557 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:29,440 sovereignty? Well, He's sovereign over the 558 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:31,720 underworld and He's sovereign over the demons, and He's 559 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:35,040 sovereign over death. And He unlocks it and He lets 560 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,800 them loose and He allows them to torment people for five months 561 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:41,120 for the sole purpose of them crying out for salvation and be 562 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:43,840 kept for eternity. That's what's happening here. 563 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:48,320 And here's the point I want to end with. 564 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:54,840 If God can postpone death, as we saw for the purpose of a wicked 565 00:36:54,840 --> 00:37:01,000 people to have a chance to repent, what does that power 566 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,720 mean for those who already belonged to Him? 567 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:12,200 I want to speak to the believer and say remember the truth of 568 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:16,240 this verse. When you are fearful dads, 569 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:20,520 husbands of leaving your wife or children behind prematurely. 570 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:27,960 Cling to this promise and God's sovereignty over death. 571 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:32,920 When you receive the phone call that you dreaded your whole life 572 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:36,160 and a doctor gives you that report and it confirmed what you 573 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:40,520 feared. If you are regularly haunted by 574 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:47,240 the possibility of accidents, or maybe you you get threats from 575 00:37:47,240 --> 00:37:50,800 unstable people, and we're seeing that more and more 576 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:52,680 happening here. You want to talk about more 577 00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:54,080 manifestations of demonic activity? 578 00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:55,520 It's happening in our culture, is it not? 579 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:59,080 Don't lose sight of God's sovereignty. 580 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:04,840 Your King and mine not only has the key to the abyss. 581 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:08,400 Back in Revelation One, we learned that He has the key to 582 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:13,360 death. And in his perfect wisdom and in 583 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:16,800 his wonderful grace, God considers every factor of your 584 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:21,680 life and mine. He knows just the right time and 585 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:25,360 the right means to open that door called death and to say, 586 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:27,320 son, daughter, it's time to walk through. 587 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:33,800 That's the hope that we have. The same one that has the power 588 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:35,240 to withhold death from the wicked. 589 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:38,960 He knows when to suspend it from your life, and He knows when 590 00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:41,000 it's time for you to walk in and through it. 591 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,360 So what do you have to fear? Our God is sovereign over 592 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:47,160 everything. Our God is sovereign over the 593 00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:50,200 underworld, the abyss, the demons who are there, the demons 594 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:54,000 that will be released, and even death itself has to submit to 595 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,080 God's will. And you and I get to live in 596 00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:59,960 that reality every single day. Why? 597 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,040 Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, that's why. 598 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,080 One more reason to celebrate this bread and this cup. 599 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:08,640 We have such a great salvation because of Him. 600 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:10,440 Lord, we thank You for this time. 601 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:19,960 We are spellbound by Your sovereignty and we choose to 602 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:24,640 pause as we are ready to feast on these elements. 603 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:34,200 What a redemption we have. What a salvation we have. 604 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,360 What promises are these? Thank you for the seal of the 605 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:42,240 Holy Spirit. Thank you that we are immortal 606 00:39:42,240 --> 00:39:47,360 until you say so. Thank you that we are stronger 607 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,600 and more resilient because of Christ our Savior. 608 00:39:52,720 --> 00:39:56,000 Thank you in a very unpredictable world where it 609 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:59,560 seems like demons are more loosened than at any time that 610 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:04,120 we can remember before. We are safe in Christ. 611 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:07,560 Our children are safe in Christ, our homes, our finances, our 612 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:10,080 bodies. Our ministries, they're safe in 613 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:13,640 Christ. We give you all thanks now as we 614 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:17,080 meditate on these things in Jesus name, Amen and Amen.