October 31, 2014
GET ME OUT OF HERE!
Revelation 9:1–12
Kenny Rodgers
Central Truth
Our focus should always be on Christ and His glory, not on our own comfort.
Key Verse | Revelation 9:6
And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. (Revelation 9:6)
Revelation 9:1–12
1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 1 9:1 Greek the abyss; also verses 2, 11 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. 2 9:11 Abaddon means destruction; Apollyon means destroyer
12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.
Dive Deeper | Revelation 9:1–12
This section of Revelation details the fifth of the trumpet judgments. If you've been following along with us recently, we're in the middle of some pretty serious punishments being heaped upon unbelievers. When reading through Revelation 6, we see that those martyred for their faith in Christ during the end times cry out to God for judgment (verses 9-11). God hears their cry and, starting in Revelation 8, the seventh seal brings forth the trumpet judgments. We see hail and fire; a large mountain (possibly a meteor) hitting the oceans; a great star (perhaps a meteor or comet) hitting lakes and rivers; a third of the moon, sun, and stars darkened; and now we see a plague of demonic locusts terrorizing "only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." (Revelation 9:4)
What jumped out at me in this passage was verse 6, which states, "And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them." These individuals still refuse to repent and acknowledge God. Rather than turn to Him, they would simply prefer death. Their only interest is in escaping their pain.
Now, thankfully, through no effort of my own, God sought me (Ephesians 1:4), opened my eyes to His goodness, and allowed me to be in His family by the placing of my faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:9). Still, even though I'm currently in a relationship with Him, I find myself all too often trying to escape pain and misfortune rather than turning to Christ. Whether it's a difficult relationship, a tough job, or any kind of hard circumstance, our focus should be on glorifying God in the midst of it and looking to Him for guidance and comfort (Matthew 11:28-30). When we do this, the world will ask what's different about us, and we can point them to the Source of our hope. I pray this for each of us today.
Discussion Questions
1. Are there any situations in your life that you're trying to escape rather than looking to God?
2. Why do you think God allows us to go through tough times (see James 1:2-4) ?
3. In light of the severe judgments we've been reading about in Revelation, read Romans 12:17-21. Is there a reason why God says vengeance is His?