Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday January 2, 2011

      Hell on Earth

      Revelation 9:1-12

C8 described the 1st 4 trumpet judgments and ended w/ the eagle crying out, “Woe, woe, woe.”  Here we have the 5th trumpet judgment and we can see why the eagle said “Woe.”  The 1st four will seem like a walk in the park compared to this one.   

    * The fallen star is a person

Key given to him – describes a person.  Some tell us that the book of Revelation is difficult to understand because of its figurative language – sometimes star means a literal star/sometimes a person/sometimes an angel.  You use figurative language all the time w/ perfect comprehension.  You went to a rock concert to see a rock star and while drinking a Rock Star you noticed that you were sitting next to a TV star who was reading his star chart who was sitting next to a sports star who was glancing at the Star News.  You tell this to someone and they say, “Cool.”  

    * Satan is the fallen star - Is. 14:12-17; Lk. 10:18; cf. Rev. 12

Lucifer – shining one.  He was the highest creation of God and he wanted to be like God and even as sin caused the fall of man, sin caused the fall of Lucifer.

This verse doesn’t describe his fall, it just notes the fact of it (had fallen).  His fall had taken place sometime in the past.

The presence of Satan didn’t curse the planet/humankind (Eden) –sin did so.  Satan is shown in heaven and his presence doesn’t bring a curse there.  It is human sinfulness that defiles.   

    * The key to the bottomless pit is given to Satan

It is the place of the dead (Romans 10:7) and the prison of demons.  The bottomless pit is the place of the unrighteous dead.  When someone who has rejected Jesus dies, they don’t go to hell right away, they go to the bottomless pit - Sheol/Hades.   

Satan releases the locusts

The 1st thing experienced is the smoke that affects the sun/air.  And you might think that that’s all there is to it.  But where there’s smoke, there’s fire.  You would rather see every prison door in the world opened than to see the Abyss opened.   
 

This release dramatically increases demonic activity upon earth.

The Word instructs us to expect age-long demonic resistance & deception (Eph. 6; 1J4), and age-end escalation (1Ti.4:1; 2Th.2:1-12), and here – tribulation saturation.

5 months – amount of time the flood waters prevailed upon earth - cf. Genesis 7:1-24  All life affected – there was a full saturation – no one escaped.  This demonic horde made its way around the world.   

Previous judgments have targeted nature, this one targets men – nature forbidden.  Men are demon’s forte.

About 25 species of scorpions possess venom powerful enough to kill humans.  Outside of snakes/bees, scorpions kill more people annually (5,000) than any other nonparasitic animal.  They carry a deadly neurotoxin that causes severe convulsions/paralysis/ cardiac irregularities that precede death.   

I was in Vietnam in 1960/one afternoon I lay down to take a nap. I noticed something run across the top of the doorway/down the side of the casing/onto the floor/I saw that it was a black scorpion about six inches long. It stood up on its rear legs, defiantly staring me in the face/its tail curled up over its head/ready to sting. I looked around for something to hit it with, but it ran off/disappeared. I never saw it again, but I was never comfortable in that room! I asked my Vietnamese friends what would have happened to me if it had stung me.  They told me I would have suffered incredible anguish for 24 hours/nothing would have relieved it/pain killer would only have made it worse/I would have to endure it for 24 hours/then the pain would gradually disappear.  Ray Stedman

No doubt people will try to kill them.  Scorpions aren’t insects, but arachnids - spiders w/ attitude.  They can be super cooled for weeks and revive in a few hours/revive after total submersion for two days/survive high temperatures.  If you felt anxiety about killer bees out of Mexico, these will trike terror into your heart.  Some suggest that since they are demonic, they are invisible.   

If you could travel to 17th century London, you would find yourself shrouded in smoke of cannons/fires burning day-night. Plague was killing 1 of 4 people/scientists of the day had identified fresh air as the cause.  You know that the culprit was the fleas on the rats that carried the Bubonic Plague. However, were you to target fleas as the problem, you would be laughed to scorn.  So, too, educated people today scoff at the very idea of demons. “You don’t really believe in demons, do you?” they scold. “We now know that demons are only another name for fears/phobias/psychological imbalances.” 1  

Their power will be such that people will seek to die – escape conscious existence. The medical providers will be overwhelmed w/ millions of people flooding emergency rooms/purchasing and stealing any kind of drug imaginable to relieve the pain.  The drug trade will skyrocket and all kinds of scams will be attempted.  No doubt, there will be internet sites pop-up w/ ads for relief if you will only send $119…

This is a picture of hell – can’t escape conscious existence and the torment attendant upon this.  This is a dress rehearsal for hell – eternity w/o God.  I can think of nothing more terrifying.  I don’t think that the mark of the beast has yet been given to people.  This is a chance for people to repent and turn to God.  This is a taste of hell and God’s hope is that people will taste it and spit it out and long to taste of the Lord.   

Only 144,00 who are sealed won’t be affected.  The Christians who are in the tribulation period will be affected.   

C8-9  The heavens are exploding and falling onto the earth/hell is erupting/filling the earth w/ its burning presence.  Turn to Christ.