Sr. Pastor Darrell G
Vaughn Text: Rev 9:1-12 (King James Version) When Saul
became Paul "Father, I am your servant, willing and desiring
to be
used to
bless your
people."
The Fields are white and the laborers are
few!
Overview
of 1 and 2 The Book of Revelations contains several prophecies that
integrate into one big story. Some prophecies in Revelation have been underway
for centuries and others are about to begin. The book of Revelation describes the seven trumpets and
the seven bowls as the seven first
plagues and the seven last plagues .
14 events So far, we have studied the full cup principle and the
first four trumpet judgments. We have learned that when God's patience with the
people of Earth reaches its limit, he sends warnings. We have Learned that Bible history indicates Gods most
effective warnings are those that include BOTH destruction and a
message. (IE) If there is just a message as in the days of Noah,
very few believe. On the other hand if there is just destruction very few
understand. Therefore the Great tribulation contains both Message and
destruction! We have learned and looked at the devastation and the
Human response of the cataclysmic events up unto this
point. Jesus for told his disciples in John 14:20 "I have told you before it
happens, so that when it does happen you will believe." Because the
bible gives the order of coming events in 14 steps, it is possible to identify
and anticipate each phase of the great tribulation. If knowing the order of
these horrific are important then knowing the purpose of these are even more
important. Each person
needs to know that god has deliberately and purposefully designed the Great
Tribulation to accomplish several strategic objectives. The Bible indicates that God initiates, God controls and
God terminates the Great Tribulation. God has three types of wrath, Redemptive,
Destructive, and Annihilation. According to the bible, God will use redemptive
and destructive wrath before Jesus appears at the second coming.
The seven first judgments (seven trumpets) are
redemptive in nature. The idea is simple: God mixes mercy with his judgments so
that, if possible, many people will choose salvation and be redeemed. God will
use redemptive judgments to open the minds and the ears of billions of people to
consider a Gospel of Grace and not of works upon acceptance. He will use the 144
thousand anointed with the Holy spirit power to preach this everlasting Gospel
and millions of people will indeed receive Jesus Christ as their personal
savior. Unfortunately an even larger number of people will reject the gospel and
rebel against the authority of the coming King of Kings and after 1,260 days,
God will terminate his offer of salvation and God will implement a second type
of wrath called "destructive wrath" God will
use this type of wrath during the last seven plagues or bowls. Rev 15:1 The
third type of Gods wrath is Eternal Annihilation. God has never implemented this
type of wrath on the earth before. The first seven plagues are called "seven Trumpets" because they serve the
purpose if warning or awakening the people of Earth to the Glorious arrival of
Jesus Christ. The Last seven
plagues are called the seven bowls because they represent seven full cups of
Gods vengeance that he will pour out upon his enemies. The Great Tribulation will begin suddenly. It will begin
with a Global Earthquake that effectively disrupts the activities of the whole
world. The World has never witnessed anything like the coming
judgments of God, nor could it sustain more than one visitation of this Holy and
Angry God. Now that we have had a brief overview of what God is
about to do, I want to bring to your remembrance of the 14 Judgments of God.
God's judgments serve as a catalyst to achieve the human
response that God desires! His show of force will either harden peoples hearts as
in Pharaoh or open their minds.
Trumpets
Bowls 1 Fiery Hail
1
Terrible Sores
2 Asteroid Impact Sea
2 Sea turns to Blood 3 Asteroid Impact Earth
3 Springs of Water turn to Blood 4 Darkness
Volcano's
4 Sun Scorches people with Fire 5 Devil Appears
5 Satan's kingdom plunged into darkness 6 Devil Conquers World
6 Armageddon 7 Close of Mercy
7 2nd coming and great fiery hailstones Some of the seven bowls are similar to the destruction
of the seven trumpets. For example, a third of the seas turn to blood during the
2nd trumpet, but all the seas turn to blood during the second bowl.
Perhaps God designed the trumpets as harbingers of things to come. In other
words, even though the trumpets are sounded with mercy, God uses the trumpets to
warn the human race with some physical evidence of what he intends to do during
the seven bowls, a time when there is no MERCY! Remember God spares two thirds of the Earth during the
time period of the seven trumpets, but he annihilates the entire world with
burning sulfur at the end of the seven bowls. The Fifth trumpet marks the physical appearing of Satan
claiming to be God and the Fifth Bowl marks the exposure of the devil for who he
really is. The first four trumpets will reduce life on earth to
total chaos. The religious coalition that forms in response to Gods judgments
(Babylon) will make a desperate situation only worse by tormenting people with
laws that have severe penalties for
disobedience. After a period of about two and a half years, the fifth
trumpet judgment occurs. Revelation 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I
saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit. Revelation 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit;
and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the
sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the
pit. Revelation 9:3 And there came out of the smoke
locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the
earth have power. Revelation 9:4 And it was commanded them that
they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither
any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Revelation 9:5 And to them it was given that they
should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their
torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a
man. Revelation 9:6 And in those days shall men seek
death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from
them. Revelation 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were
like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns
like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. Revelation 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of
women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. Revelation 9:9 And they had breastplates, as it
were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of
chariots of many horses running to battle. Revelation 9:10 And they had tails like unto
scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men
five months. Revelation 9:11 And they had a king over them,
which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is
Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. Revelation 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold,
there come two woes more hereafter. Let's pray. Father, Open my eyes so I can see Your truth.
Open my ears so I can hear Your voice. The first four trumpets are curses that are directed at
the physical elements of the Earth and the remaining trumpets are curses (or
Woes) that are directed toward defiant, rebellious people. In My opinion, the curse of the fifth trumpet is far
worse than the physical destruction caused by the first four trumpets. The fifth
trumpet marks the appearing of the antichrist. The antichrist is no ordinary man
ladies and gentleman. The Antichrist may look like a man, talk like a man but
the individual is inhabited by the Devil himself. That ancient serpent, the
devil who deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden will appear in the clouds with all
his angels. Clothed in brilliant light and masquerading as God Himself. The
devil will appear in all the remaining cities of the Earth, one at a time.
Daniel 11:45
Indicates he will establish a throne in Jerusalem. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between
the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none
shall help him. Many Orthodox Jews anticipate the arrival of Messiah and
many Palestinians anticipate a
deliverer, so what better place could the devil choose to initiate a reign of
peace on earth for 1,000 years! The devil will say many blasphemous things and make outrageous claims in order to
deceive the people of Earth. When Satan appears , he will be more resplendent than
anything human beings have ever
seen and he will claim to be the Savior of the World. Think about this. When he appears, the world will be in a desperate
position and cries of suffering will be on every hand around the globe. The
father of Lies and misery, the enemy of all humanity, will feign sympathy for
the terrible human suffering he sees. To further make his deception believable, he will
perform great signs and wonders, such as healing the sick and feeding the
hungry. Thus many people will be duped into believing the devil is the Almighty
God. Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very
elect. Who is the
Devil According to the Bible the devil once had an exalted
name. His name was Lucifer which means Light Bearer. Isaiah 14:12
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the
nations! Isaiah 14:13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: Isaiah 14:14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High. Isaiah 14:15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the
pit. Isaiah 14:16
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee,
saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake
kingdoms; Isaiah 14:17
That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof;
that opened not the house of his prisoners? Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that
covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou
hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of
fire. Ezekiel 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from
the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in
thee. Ezekiel 28:16 By the multitude of thy
merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast
sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I
will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Ezekiel 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because
of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I
will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold
thee. Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries
by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore
will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I
will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold
thee. These Scriptures reveals that Lucifer was once an
anointed cherub in Heaven. He
became dissatisfied with God's kingdom, Gods Laws and the way God was running
the universe. Because of his hatred
of Christ he recruited one third of heavens angels to join him in rebellion
against Christ. Thus Lucifer is the original Anti Christ. Jesus Stated in Luke 10:18 to his disciples:
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven. Angry and embittered by his fallen state, Lucifer
focused his wrath of Christ's special handiwork- Planet
Earth. The devil went to the Garden of Eden and he led Eve to
disobey God. The devil
did not stop there. Cain the first born of Adam and Eve became a murderer. As time went
by, Human beings became so defiled by sin that God was grieved that he had even
made man. So in
Gen 6 God washed the earth clean of sin with a flood of
water, sparing just eight souls. Noah and his family. The flood might have slowed the devil down but Peter
tells us the devil is going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour! Many People have asked the age old question: Why did God
allow the devil to live? Why didn't God exterminate Satan and his fallen angels
right away and spare the universe a great deal of grief? Gods ways are perfect and the answer is both simple and
profound. Consider the following issues 1 What Message would God have given to the angels if He
immediately annihilated every angel that disagreed with
his? If God had destroyed Lucifer as soon as Lucifer sinned,
surviving angels would have concluded that God does not tolerate anyone who has
ideas contrary to his. How could intelligent angels love and trust God if he
immediately annihilated his opposition? Should angels love God because he is fair and
reasonable, generous and forgiving, or should angels submit to him because to do
otherwise would mean sudden death? If God had killed Lucifer and his followers right away,
the remaining angels would have been forced to conclude that God was an
omnipotent bully ruling over the universe. 2 God has Infinite wisdom and he foreknew that sin
needed time to mature so that all the universe could see the DEADLY and HORRIBLE
consequences of SIN. By Allowing the devil and his angels to live for a few
thousand years, the universe would have two governments to study- One in Heaven
free of Sin and One in Earth Full of SIN! The presence of these two governments will ultimately
prove that Gods laws and principles of government are best - not because He
claims they are best - but because Gods was have been demonstrated to be the
best. 3 God Gives the power of choice to each created being.
His subjects do not have to obey him, love him, or respond to his goodness or
generosity. Lucifer and his angels exercised their power of choice by choosing
to rebel against God. Adam and Eve were given the power of choice and they
chose to disobey God. For 6000 years sin has contaminated the earth. Time has
proven that the quality of life suffers greatly in proportion to our rebellion
against the laws of God. It is true sin may offer pleasure and excitement for a
short time, but it always extracts a price that is far, far greater than the
brief high of a cheap thrill. Sin always takes us farther than we really want to
go and sin always costs us more than we really want to
pay. No matter how well satan disguises sin, The wages of sin
is always death. Rom 6:23 4 God foreknew the consequences of allowing Satan and
his angels to live. Yet, at great expense to himself, God provided a plan to
save everyone who would live on Earth. He loved the people of his creation so much that he gave
us his only begotten son's life. Jesus the Christ of God was willing to come and die in
mans place so that the penalty for sin would be paid once and for all/ God
himself has paid a much greater price for the existence of sin that any human
being will ever know. Please note that a plan of salvation was not offered to Lucifer and his
angels because they willfully committed the unpardonable
sin. Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All
manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in
the world to come. When these four items are brought together, we now
discover why God did not immediately destroy Lucifer and his followers. The
conflict between Christ and Lucifer has been in progress on earth for more than
6k years. Today, Christ and Satan are still striving to win the
affections of people. This struggle will come to a dramatic end during this
great tribulation. OUT of the
Bottomless pit! Revelation predicts that the devil will enter the real
of our human senses and he will appear physically before your very eyes. Rev 9
tells us the devil is an angel king that will come out of the abyss or
bottomless pit. To really appreciate this prediction and the meaning of
Johns language, we need to review a little ancient
history. People thought the Earth was flat, much like a large
plate or basin in Bible time. Since they had limited knowledge about the laws of
gravity it seemed logical to the ancients that Earth was made like a basin -
otherwise the great seas would drain away. Because Earth was believed to be flat, the ancients
concluded a bottomless pit could be created if a person dug a hole all the way
through the basin. Without a bottom, a person could fall through the
bottomless pit and never be seen again, the ancients also believed the fires of
hell burned underneath the basin of earth and and Volcano's were enormous chimneys
that proved the presence of underground fires. When we understand Johns view of the physical world at
the time he lived, it helps us to understand why God used this type of imagery
in the book of revelation. Whether you call it the abyss or the bottomless pit the
idea is the same. In ancient times the bottomless pit represented a poorly
defined source of origin of mythological monsters and demons. The ancients believed surreal creatures
lived under the basin of earth and when creatures escaped they came through
caves or holes which had no bottom or end to them. When God revealed last day events to John in AD 95 God
used geographical ideas that were familiar to John. For
example. John saw the devil and his angels ascend from a bottomless pit and John
refers to this even in several places in the book of
Revelation. By Putting on Johns sandals and considering the mindset
of his day, we can understand Gods use of imagery. Many people are actually surprised to learn that
revelation predicts the physical appearance of Satan on Earth before Jesus
returns. So Revelation not only tell us when but also tell us why
this is happening. Please note in the verses of Revelation we read that God
does not permit the devil to escape from his prison in the abyss(the spirit
world) until the sounding if the fifth trumpet. At an appointed time the bottomless pit will be unlocked
and the devil and his angels will be allowed to come out of the spirit realm and
now be visible to the people of the earth. God illustrated the appearing of the
devil and his angels to John as a great swarm of locusts coming out of the
earth. Think about this: From a distance, several hundred
million angels would look like a dense swarm of locust. The swarm that John saw
in vision was so great that he says it darkened the Sun! As the Swarm came closer to him, John saw the locusts
actually looked like riders on horses. Leading the swarm was the angel king from
the abyss whose name in the Hebrew is abaddon and in the Greek ,
Apollyon. Both mean
the same thing "Destroyer" The imagery and language used in revelation 9 is similar
to the language used five hundred years prior in Joel 2:1-11 Where the prophet
describes the appearing of the Lord and His angels as a great swarm of locust prepared for
battle. God permits the devil and his angels to physically
appear on earth after a majority if the worlds population has heard and rejected
the truth about the worship that God requires. Notice Paul's words in 2 thess
2:10-12 2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 2 Thessalonians 2:12 That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness. The first key point in this verse is defiance. Paul says
THE REFUSED! To obey God's truth and be saved. Why will people reject God's truth Romans 8:7
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:8
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please
God. Those that are controlled by sinful
nature! Therefore when a majority of people reject God's final
offer of salvation he sends them a powerful deception. God releases the devil from the abyss and he empowers
the devil to rule over t people who refuse to recognize his Sovereign
authority. Three important elements are revealed when God releases
satan and his angels fron the bottomless pit. First Satan will come with a cloud of angels ( like a
swarm of locusts) these demons will be clothed with brilliant light. Remember
the devil himself will be a magnificent being of dazzling light.
2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of light. Although Satan will do his utmost to imitate the second
coming, God limits the devils deception. When Jesus comes after the Church he don't actually
touch the earth. He simply calls us to him in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent them which are asleep. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Satan will come down our of the sky and he will walk
upon the earth in various places. This is why Jesus warned
in Matthew 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto
you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very
elect. Matthew 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Matthew 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto
you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret
chambers; believe it not. Second God does not allow Satan to physically appear on
Earth until a majority of the world has rejected the Gospel. I believe that will
occur in about a two and a half year period. During this period of time, the
144k will proclaim the truth about worshipping God so that everyone on Earth can
make an informed decision. The result will be simple. People will either submit to
God's law or rebel against it. When God sees that the majority of Earths population
intends to rebel against his gospel, he allows the devil to
appear. God has a very wise purpose for doing this.
THE physical appearing of the devil will force the
remaining people of Earth into two groups: People who worship God out of Choice and People who
worship the devil out of force. In a final effort to bring rebellious people to their
senses, God will empower the 144k to proclaim a special message throughout the
whole earth. This message is so inflammatory that most if not all the
144k will be martyrs for preaching it. This is the message! Revelation 14:9 And the third angel followed them,
saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine
of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Since the majority of the world will think the devil is
God, Speaking against God like this will be utterly derogatory and blasphemous
and the results will be the 144k will be horrible persecuted for their
testimony! The Third reason God allows the devil to show up
physically is that God wants the world to get a close up view of the demon they
are following. This issue of worship will be completely resolved after the devil
arrives. The devil will demand worship and through his
lieutenants he will clearly explain what men and women must
do. God will
continue to do lo less through his servants the 144k, The saints will
submit to God and the wicked will submit to the laws of the
devil. Every person will exercise his or her power if choice
and God will seal every decision. According to Rev 9:3-6 After Satan and his cohort appears they will have five months to
torment the wicked. This may seem a little strange at first, but god does not
let the devil hurt his saints with the sting of the scorpions tail. The devil
will inflict this torture on the non religious wicked in order to subdue them.
The devil will not hurt those that believe he is God either. Instead he will
hurt people who have not made a decision to join his forces or with Gods saints.
Just what the torment is and how it is inflicted is not
clear from scripture. However we do know the torment will hurt like a scorpions
sting. And brother that is awful.
Remember God will do everything possible during the
tribulation to save as many sinners as possible. An Angel of light that works
miracles When Satan appears, his radiant countenance will dazzle the people of earth.
Millions will believe his claims that he really is God because of his appearance
alone. Revelations says the wicked will be awe struck when they
actually see the devil. Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was,
and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:
and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, "be astonished" whose names were
not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they
behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Satans first work after appearing In Flesh as a
brilliant God-Man will be only to convince the world that he is divine and that
he is actually who he claims to be. Paul warns Don't let anyone deceive you in
this way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of
sin is revealed, 2 thes 2:3,4,9,10 To convince people that he is God, satan will use one
miracle above all others - he will actually call down fire from heaven at will!
This proof if divinity will secure his deception because the 144k will not have
this specific miracle working power. Rev Revelation 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so
that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of
men, Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on
the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight
of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an
image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did
live. What is the Image of the Beast? Who does the beast represent? The beast from the sea of revelation 13 represents
Babylon. The seven Heads represent the seven religions of the world and the ten
horns represent ten kings who will play a strategic role near the end of the
world. The image of Babylon will be a consolidation of the
worlds diverse religions and nations into one global
church/state. When the
majority if the Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Moslems, Hindus and all others
believe that Satan is actually God, they will be willing to do whatever he now
demands. Can a human give too much or ever do too much for God? The Devil will demand that all religions must be
dissolved into one religion. Think about this for a minute, If God were on Earth
Physically to establish His Kingdom, How many different churches would he
allow? This new Church or religion will have a very special
benefit. All who join it will receive permission to buy and sell. Only The
members will have access to the necessities of life. Which the devils forces
will be in full control. The mark they will receive will reflect they belong to
"ONE TRUE CHURCH" The saints on the other hand will be cut off from all
necessities but it is just as well with them because they would rather die than
to submit to the demands of the devil. THE WICKED WILL VOLUNTEER TO RECEIVE THE MARK OF THE
BEAST, JUSTIFYING THAT IT IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR
SURVIVAL. Meanwhile the saints will be fed and cared for by angels
sent from God! Next. Worship the Beast or DIE!
Faithfulness - A Key Step to Happiness
Jan 18,
2012
"Understanding your surroundings!"
Wed PM Worship Just
may save your SOUL!
C.H. Spurgeon said, "If God does not save a man by truth he certainly
will not save them by lies, and if the old gospel is not competent to work a
revival, then we will do without the revival;"
Open my mind
so I can understand Your Word.
And open my heart so I may receive all that
You want me to receive. AMEN