Revelation 9:7-10 - You've Never Seen Anything Like It

In Revelation we are looking at a period of time to come on planet earth that is called the Seven-year Tribulation. Chapter 6 gives us a preview of what will take place in the first three-and-a-half years as six seals on the seven-sealed book are opened. Chapter 7 tells us about the 144,000 Jews that are marked so that they can’t be hurt as they share the gospel. It also gives a description of the souls of the saints under the altar in heaven that were saved and have been martyred for their refusal to bow to the Antichrist. Chapter 8 marks the beginning of the second half of the tribulation when the seventh seal is opened, and seven angels receive seven trumpets which they begin to sound. In this chapter, the first four trumpets sound and terrible desolations take place on the seas, on the land and in the heavens! It finishes with three “Woes” as an angel warns of the terrible judgments that will come with the final three trumpets. In chapter 9 when the fifth and sixth trumpets sound, two armies are released that will bring tremendous devastations to the inhabitants of the earth who are still rejecting God’s message of love and grace and have chosen to follow the Antichrist. One army is literally from the pits of hell (vv. 1-12), and the other army of 200 million, led by four demonic angels is from the east (vv. 13-21). We believe that the star that falls from heaven in Rev. 9:1, is the Devil and he is given a key to the bottomless pit. This is the at least the second time he falls from heaven. The first time is when, in pride he tried to take over God’s throne and he was thrown out of heaven taking at least a third of the angels in heaven with him (Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28). These angels that followed Satan, are what we believe to be demons, that are now under his authority to deceive and possess people with all sorts of terrible consequences! But some of these demons are so vile, evil and wicked that they were locked up in the abyss, or what is called here, the bottomless pit. Remember that Satan seems to have access to heaven to accuse God’s saints of failing to be obedient to the Lord. He did this with Job to get permission from God to afflict Job with terrible things such as his children being killed, his wealth being stolen, and his health being destroyed. Satan is called the “accuser of the brethren” in Revelation 12:10. I heard someone say years ago that Satan is God’s disobedient servant. This is so true. Here he is allowed to lose the terrible demonic beings that will torment only those who refuse to believe and trust Christ for their salvation. It is so amazing and true how the devil tempts people with the promise of pleasure, money and material things, and success, and then he is the same person who is used to steal, kill and destroy them. (John 10:10). Today in our study of Revelation 9:7-10, we are given a picture of these demons from hell. Reading the detailed description of these creatures, we realize that John is not writing about ordinary locusts. Yet, despite its obvious symbolism, it aptly portrays a powerful enemy armed for battle. With bodies like horses but faces like men, the demons' heads are crowned and covered with long hair. They have teeth like those of lions, and their skin is like a coat of mail. When they fly, the noise is like an army of chariots rushing by. It is unnecessary to try to "spiritualize" these symbols, or to interpret them in light of modern means of warfare. John is heaping image upon image to force us to feel the horror of this judgment. These demons will sting people and thus create such pain for five months that their victims will actually want to die, but death will flee from them (Jer. 8:3). This is the first “Woe”. This will be a terrible, terrifying time on earth, and you definitely do not want to be here. Please today, trust Christ and be prepared for the Rapture!