The Revelation of Christ – Part 23: The 5th Trumpet (1st Woe)

The Revelation of Christ – Part 23:

The 5^th Trumpet (1^st Woe)

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

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This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church

SERMON INTRODUCTION

The Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of Christ, is the most difficult book in the bible.

Because of this fact, many avoid it, or ignore it all together. Some fear lack of understanding, others afraid to misinterpret, which I guess it is better to avoid than dive in and get it completely wrong.

Many times, when a new believer comes to me for direction, they want to jump right into Revelation and find out what’s to come.

This is equivalent to deciding one day to learn Mandarin and sitting down to author a novel in Chinese that very same day.

Or, a kindergartner learning how to count, and then trying to calculate quantum mechanics calculations.

The words in Revelation have caused much debate on rapture, judgement, even some who claim John was writing about the events in his day in code rather than Jesus Christ revealing to him about the coming events and Judgment.

A special blessing is promised to those who read Revelation.

Although it may be a difficult book, we could all use a special blessing, reading this is good for us all, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will take the Revelation of Christ in small portions and gain understanding, little by little.

SERMON SERIES

THE THINGS WHICH ARE – The Church Age (Age of Grace)

Part 3 – Ephesus The Backsliding Church

Part 4 – Smyrna The Steadfast Church

Part 5 – Pergamos The Immoral Church

Part 6 – Thyatira The Careless Pagan Church

Part 7 – Sardis The Spiritless Church

Part 8 – Philadelphia The Favored Church

Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 10 – The Throne of God

Part 11 – The Scroll and Seven Seals

Part 12 – The Lamb is Worthy

Part 13 – The First Seal

Part 14 – The Second Seal

Part 15 – The Third Seal

Part 16 – The Fourth Seal

Part 17 – The Fifth Seal

Part 18 – The Sixth Seal

Part 19 – The 144,000 Sealed

Part 20 – The Great Multitude

Part 21 – The Seventh Seal

Part 22 – Trumpets 1-4

TODAY’S SERMON - THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 23 – The 5^th Trumpet

SCRIPTURE READING

Revelation 9:1-12

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

          I.      THE FIFTH ANGEL SOUNDS HIS TRUMPET

a.   I saw a star fallen from the sky to earth

                                     i.   In this case, “star” refers to a person rather than a meteor

                                    ii.   More than likely Satan

                                   iii.   John witnesses Satan coming from heaven

                                   iv.   What was he doing in heaven?

b.   The star was given a key to the Abyss

                                     i.   The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.

                                    ii.   What is in the Abyss?

                                   iii.   Jude 5-6 “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.”

1.   Two things to note here;

2.   First, we see mention of the Lord delivering HIS PEOPLE out of Egypt (representing deliverance from evil, sin, being enslaved to flesh) BUT destroyed those who did not believe.

3.   This is exactly what is taking place in Revelation…in earlier verses we see those who believe marked with the seal of God to show they are His (just as the Jews in Egypt putting blood over the doors of their house) AND God destroyed those who were not His.

4.   Secondly, Angels who sided with Satan lost their proper dwelling (3^rd Heaven) and God placed them into darkness, bound with everlasting chains (The Abyss)

5.   Where they would be held until when? Judgment on the Great Day.

6.   They cannot be judged until they are released, and that is why the Lord GIVES the key to the Abyss to Satan, so they can be released for the coming Judgment.

a.   Of course, they have been preparing for a war against God since they were placed in the Abyss (symbolized by Revelation 9:7)

c.   When he opened the Abyss

                                     i.   Smoke like from a giant furnace arose

                                    ii.   From the smoke came the locusts

1.   Locusts here could mean many things

a.   Plague

b.   Multitudes innumerable

c.   Like a cloud

d.   Or even their shape

                                   iii.   Locusts came down to the earth and were GIVEN the power like scorpions of the earth

1.   They are Given power

2.   They are LIKE scorpions of EARTH

         II.      THEY HAD LIMITATIONS SET UPON THEM

a.   They were instructed

                                     i.   Do not harm grass or plant or tree

                                    ii.   ONLY people who do not have the Seal of God

1.   What is the Seal of God?

2.   The Holy Spirit

                                   iii.   So those WITHOUT the Holy Spirit can be harmed

                                   iv.   How? This army of demons need bodies to operate in this world, so they possess

                                    v.   They cannot possess someone with the Holy Spirit, so they can ONLY possess those without

b.   Those inflicted suffered in agony

                                     i.   They are not ALLOWED (limitations set by God) to kill them, but only torture them for 5 months

                                    ii.   And the agony suffered is like that of a sting of a scorpion when it strikes

c.   During those days people will seek death but will not find it

                                     i.   Possessed people will be suicidal, but not actually kill themselves

                                    ii.   Filled with hate and demons they will become Satan’s army

                                   iii.   The possessed people will want to die, and hate what they are, but will be controlled by their inner demons

                                   iv.   They will seek (desire) death but will not find it

                                    v.   They will long to die, but death will elude them

        III.      THEY APPEARED AS HORSES PREPARED FOR BATTLE

a.   Armored and ready

                                     i.   The locusts LOOKED LIKE horses prepared for battle

1.   On their heads wore CROWNS OF GOLD

a.   Like the Helm of Salvation?

b.   Perhaps the Armor of Satan?

c.   Instead of the promise of Salvation to ease our minds as the Armor of God does, the crowns of Gold are the promise of Satan to the fallen angels? The promise that they will be kings with all the riches and powers of such?

2.   Their faces RESEMBLED human faces

a.   Perhaps because they were in human bodies, but not actually human?

3.   Their hair LIKE WOMEN’S HAIR

a.   Hair symbolizes physical strength and virility; the virtues and properties of a person are said to be concentrated in his hair

b.   in the Bible, Samson loses all his power when his locks are stripped.

c.   This could symbolize the demon’s strength

4.   Their teeth like LIONS TEETH

a.   In Psalm 57:4 we are told lions teeth are like spears and arrows

b.   And in Psalm 58:6 we read “Destroy their teeth, O God, in their mouth; turn aside the grinders of the young lions”

c.   Teeth and grinders denote the falsities that destroy the truths of the church

                                                                         i.   These demons are out to destroy the Truth of God’s Word

5.   Breastplates of iron

a.   Unlike the breastplate of Righteousness, these demons with their Satanic Armor

b.   Iron symbolic of the strength of the Roman kingdom

c.   Meaning, they have strength of their large kingdom (numerous demons) on their side

                                    ii.   The sound of their wings like thundering horses and chariots racing to battle

1.   Because there were so many of them

b.   In their tails they had power to torment people

                                     i.   Perhaps symbolic of the ability to inject themselves into people for possession

                                    ii.   But they could only do so for 5 months…why?

                                   iii.   Because at the end of 5 months Tribulation would be over and Judgment Day would be here!

c.   They had a king over them

                                     i.   The angel of the Abyss

                                    ii.   His name in Hebrew is Abaddon

                                   iii.   In Greek his name is Apollyon (Destroyer)

                                   iv.   This powerful fallen angel is king in the Abyss, but is NOT Satan

CONCLUSION –

This first woe is past; two others are yet to come.

Next week we look at the last three trumpets

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