The Second Woe
Revelation 9:13-21
November 20, 2016
As we are studying through the book of Revelation we are currently seeing the wrath of God unveiled upon unbelieving humanity.
• We saw the Lamb of God (none other than the Glorified Christ) take the scroll from the hand of God.
• And as Christ began to break those 7 seals God’s wrath began to be unleashed.
• Recently we saw Him break that final seal and it ushered in 7 angels with 7 trumpets.
• Each of these trumpet blasts has brought a new round of judgment upon the earth. (The first four appeared as God undoing creation)
He burned 1/3 of the earth.
He ruined 1/3 of the ocean.
He poisoned 1/3 of the fresh water.
He darkened 1/3 of the light.
And that was bad, but it wasn’t all.
For after those first four trumpet blasts we actually had
An eagle flying in midheaven with a warning for those on the earth.
Revelation 8:13 “Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
The eagle announced that 3 woes were going to come upon the earth.
As we said last week, the word “woe” an onomatopoetic word OUAI.
It is a word that signifies severe affliction and torment.
And that eagle said 3 of them were coming.
We saw the first last week. It was a locust invasion.
It really wasn’t locusts at all,
It was actually a demonic invasion straight out of the pit.
But John likened the scene to that of a locust invasion
In the sense that they harmed everything in their path.
They afflicted men for 5 months and in that time
Scripture says that men sought death but could not find it.
It was a horrific period of demonic oppression, pain, and suffering.
And clearly the intent was to compare the current judgment to
A common horrific judgment that John’s readers would be familiar with.
Well the second woe follows that exact same concept.
A locust invasion was definitely a terrible form of judgment on the earth,
But there was one example of judgment that was even worse than that.
The real example of judgment was known as Sodom and Gomorrah.
And that is the judgment that is used to describe this 2nd woe.
Certainly you remember it.
Genesis 19:24-25 “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”
That iconic judgment was just a mini preview
Of what God has in store for the entire world.
In fact, the New Testament writers said that
We should look upon that judgment as an example
Of what God will do to all sinners.
2 Peter 2:6 “and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;”
Jude 7 “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”
Both of those men said that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Was an example that we should learn from.
And not just that God rained down fire and brimstone on them,
But that after killing them in this way
God then punished them with “eternal fire.”
Those who died at Sodom around 6 thousand years ago
Have remained in eternal fire and torment since that day.
Sodom and Gomorrah is a horrific example meant to teach us.
So, we have two woes, which mimic the judgments of the Old Testament.
A locust invasion and Sodom and Gomorrah.
The main difference in the two is that locusts represented pain, not death;
Whereas Sodom represents both pain and death and eternal torment.
We’ve seen the locusts, now we move to Sodom.
In Sodom God unleashed 2 death angels
To go in and rain fire on that city.
Here we read that God is about to unleash 200 million of them
To go and rain fire on the entire earth.
THIS IS THE SECOND WOE
Let’s examine it together and see what God would teach us.
#1 THE SOVEREIGN DECREE
Revelation 9:13-16
As always, it is very important that you see and understand
WHO IS ACTUALLY BEHIND ALL OF THIS.
The book of Revelation never leaves the author of these judgments up to speculation. It is imperative that you understand who is doing this.
And as we have repeatedly seen, that person is God Himself.
The verse begins by saying “Then the sixth angel sounded”
And we are already reminded of who commissioned these angels.
• It was God who called them.
• It was God who gave them the trumpets.
• This entire plan is God’s plan.
But beyond that, this time we also hear “a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,”
The altar is know well known to us.
It is that same altar of chapter 6 and chapter 8 which is the incense altar.
It is here that the prayers of the martyrs are continually lifted to God.
And it is these prayers which are serving as
The motivation behind the fury of the Lord.
Psalms 12:5 “Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he longs.”
God is angry at the world
For the way in which they have treated His children.
BUT THAT IS NOT THE ONLY REASON HE IS ANGRY.
(I don’t want you to assume that the sole reason for all the wrath
Is because people didn’t just treat each other nice enough)
HE IS ALSO ANGRY AT THE WORLD
FOR THEIR WILLFUL REBELLION AGAINST HIM.
You will see at the end of this text that the EXPECTATION was
REPENTANCE from their sins of idolatry, murder, sorcery,
sexual immorality, and stealing.
God’s wrath is also against sinners simply because of their sin.
I think this is a good point to sort of reinforce this morning.
In recent years I’ve actually began to hear doctrines
Which seek to distance themselves from this truth.
I’ve heard it that the only real sin for which people are judged
Is the sin of unbelief.
That is to say that people only fall under God’s judgment
For failing to believe in Jesus.
The rationale for this comes from the belief that
When Jesus died He paid for all the sins of all the people who ever lived
And therefore the only sin that can now condemn people is the sin of unbelief.
Jesus sort of squared everyone before God on the cross,
So none of those sins are really punished anymore,
Just the sin of failing to believe in Jesus.
The problem is that throughout this book of Revelation
We see that God is in fact judging people for their sin,
Not simply their unbelief.
At the end of this chapter John lists the sins of idolatry, murder, sorcery, sexual immorality and stealing.
And that’s not all
Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”
Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”
It is clear that the wrath which is being poured out on humanity
Is a wrath regarding their sin, not just their unbelief (which is also sin)
It is our culture’s desire to downplay the danger of sin
That has led to this faulty view.
BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT
GOD JUDGES SINNERS FOR THEIR SIN.
TURN TO: ROMANS 1
Of course the famous verse is found in verse 16 where Paul states that he is “not ashamed of the gospel”.
We would ask why?
To which he would say because (16) “it is the power of God for salvation”
We would ask why?
To which he would say because (17) “in it the righteousness of God is revealed” (namely that you obtain God’s righteousness by faith)
And we would ask why we need God’s righteousness?
To which he would say (18) “because the wrath of God is revealed against all unrighteousness”
And we learn that God’s wrath is not simply revealed against unbelief,
But against all unrighteousness.
IF YOU READ ON YOU WILL SEE
It is because men have suppressed God’s truth.
They have rebelled against God’s order
And thus have not honored Him nor have they given Him thanks.
(21) “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks…”
Well in what ways did humanity rebel against God’s order?
• In verse 23 they Exchanged The Glory For An Image.
• In verse 25 they Exchanged The Truth For A Lie
• In verse 26 they Exchanged The Natural For The Unnatural
• In verse 28 they Exchanged The Proper For The Improper
Humanity continued to do the exact opposite
Of what God intended and what God commanded.
And throughout the chapter specific sins are listed
That bring upon them the absolute wrath of God.
Idolatry, lust, homosexuality, wickedness, greed, evil, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, hating God, insolence, arrogance, boasting, disobeying parents, and tolerating sins like these.
THE POINT OF COURSE IS THAT
SIN IS NO MINOR THING.
We have a sovereign God who has promised to unleash His wrath
On sinners who defy His sovereign authority.
And that is precisely what is happening here in the tribulation.
GOD IS BEHIND ALL OF THESE JUDGMENTS.
GOD IS POURING OUT HIS WRATH.
Hey may be using Satan and his demonic armies to do it,
But make no mistake that the judgment here comes directly from God.
We see that here.
(13-14) “Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
The specific judgment is God’s command to “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
And to answer your question:
• No, I don’t know who they are.
• No, I don’t know when they were bound.
• No, I don’t know why they were bound.
The term “Euphrates” does give a little enlightenment, but not a lot.
This river was central to four of the nations which afflicted Israel
(Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece)
Perhaps it could be that these angels were the demonic influences
Behind those oppressive nations.
Daniel revealed that these nations did in fact have a demonic influence.
Remember when the angel came in response to Daniel’s prayer?
Daniel 10:12-13 “Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”
Perhaps we are dealing with the demons of those nations
Which dwelled along the Euphrates here.
But even that is nothing but speculation.
What we do know is that they were EXTREMELY WICKED BEINGS.
So wicked that instead of being in the pit that we saw last week,
These were held alone. (solitary confinement)
They were “bound at the great river Euphrates”
And they were obviously not released when the pit was opened.
Incidentally the word “bound” means “tied up”.
Revelation 20:1-2 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;”
They weren’t just in prison, they were in the stocks.
They were chained up.
These are bad bad angels.
And then SOVEREIGNTY IS REVEALED to an even greater extent,
For John says they are (15) “the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year”
God already has “the hour and day and month and year” recorded
As to when He plans to release these angels.
They are currently being “prepared” for that moment.
Some people have this mindset that
God has really yet to determine what He’s going to do with the earth.
They see that God is patient and kind and so they assume that
While the earth is grievous to Him
He still hasn’t been pushed to the point of total judgment.
You know if we’d just get our act together and quit offending Him,
Then maybe He’ll let us just keep on existing.
(I hear it most regarding America, that perhaps we will continue to exist
If we get our act together and quit offending God.)
But listen: God determined the fate of the world
When He pronounced the curse of death on Adam.
When Adam sinned the world fell from its state of perfection
And thus its judgment was set.
THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO SURVIVE.
God isn’t waiting to see if it is salvageable.
God has already set the date of destruction.
The date of this 6th trumpet blast (along with all the others)
Is already on His calendar.
We are screaming towards it at the rate of 60 seconds per minute.
We are closer to that day now than we have ever been at any other point in history.
JUDGMENT IS SET.
As we speak, God is preparing these evil angels for this very moment.
Well what will they do?
“so that they would kill a third of mankind.”
DEATH
And they will have no trouble pulling it off.
(16) “The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.”
The literal translation is (two myriads of myriads) or “twice ten thousand times ten thousand” which I think sounds even more terrifying.
Myriad was the largest number they had in the Greek language.
We’d say it was a bagillion bagillion of them (times 2!)
So if you’re wondering if they have the ability
To kill 1/3 of the people on earth the answer is yes.
This army, which has been prepared by God,
Is released according His sovereign plan and at His chosen time
As a means of judgment on sinners who rebel against Him
And who have afflicted His saints.
God is doing this.
And He is doing it because He is angry at sinners.
The Sovereign Decree
#2 THE SEVERE DESTRUCTION
Revelation 9:17-19
John says “And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them:”
In other words, this is what it looked like when God turned them loose.
“the riders had breastplates the color of fire and hyacinth and of brimstone”
“hyacinth” was a deep blue gray color (like smoke)
“brimstone” was literally burning sulfur
It is the Sodom and Gomorrah imagery.
“and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions” (destruction)
“and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone”
Some insist upon seeing some sort of present day military weapon here,
BUT I THINK THAT IS A MISTAKE.
We are told (as with the locusts) that these are angels (or fallen angels)
And they don’t need a tank.
These are celestial beings with the power of death
By means of fire and brimstone, that is the point.
And “A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.”
Coupled with the ¼ of the population which was killed when the 4th seal was opened, we are now up to ½ of the world’s population.
Today that would be something like 3.7 billion people.
We already said that the death toll would equal (North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Antarctica) Well now you can throw in Africa and ¼ of Asia.
DEATH!
(19) “For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.”
Again, without trying to link this to some modern day weapon of war
Just understand what John is doing.
He is describing the ultimate killing machine here.
Horses, Lions, Serpents, Fire & Brimstone, plagues
John is just describing the ultimate killing machine.
It is death – death – death
And what is the main problem with that?
Namely that with death comes finality and certain judgment.
Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
Ecclesiastes 9:4 “For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.”
Look I know with the locusts men actually wanted death;
But that’s only because they didn’t realize what death held for them.
Death is finality.
Death brings judgment.
Those afflicted by the locusts were certainly in torment, but that only lasted 5 months, and they still had opportunity to repent and be saved.
Those who are victims of these 4 angels get no such opportunity.
These angels kill people and then they go to judgment.
Remember again what we read about Sodom and Gomorrah?
Jude 7 “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”
Dying by fire and brimstone is bad, but not as bad as “the punishment of eternal fire”
Which they have felt for every second since that day.
What God unleashes here is absolutely terrifying wrath.
God is judging sinners with an IRREVERSIBLE and FINAL JUDGMENT.
The Sovereign Decree, The Severe Destruction
#3 THE SURVIVOR’S DEPRAVITY
Revelation 9:20-21
And this is really the sad part of the story.
• 2/3 of the earth were spared.
• 2/3 of the earth survived.
BUT NONE OF THEM LEARNED ANYTHING.
(20-21) “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”
They were steeped in idolatry.
That is what John means by “the works of their hands”
And “to worship demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk”
This has been the universal and continual sin of humanity.
It is man’s propensity to make a god in an image
Which best suits their own sinful desires.
Paul said in Romans 1:
Romans 1:22-25 “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
Man would rather create their own deity
Because they can then set the standards of the deity they create.
If you don’t want a god who says your sin is wrong
Then just create your own who will permit it.
The problem is that when you create a god who won’t judge
Then you create a god who can’t save either.
See they “can neither see nor hear nor walk”
These people had gods who didn’t judge their sin,
But the fallout was that these gods couldn’t save them from the death angels.
THE CRAZY THING is that those who did survive
Refused to leave those powerless gods behind.
WHY?
Because they loved their sin, and those gods allowed them to keep it.
“and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”
“sorceries” is PHARMAKEIA it’s where we get our word pharmacy or pharmaceutical; it speaks of drug use.
“immorality” is PORNEIA which is where get our word pornography which is sexual immorality.
It is people who love nothing more
Than to gratify their sinful cravings for sexual pleasure.
IT REMINDS US THAT SINNERS AREN’T LOOKING TO LEAVE THEIR SIN, THEY ARE LOOKING TO JUSTIFY IT.
Today people continually look for a way to justify sin.
• Maybe their situation was just too rough…
• Maybe their parents raised them wrong…
• Maybe they’re just wired different…
Or even better:
Put yourself in their shoes and you’d do the same thing.
You can’t condemn them when you sin too.
You’ve heard them all I’m sure.
Can I put it to you straight?
SIN IS NEVER JUSTIFIED
• Your circumstances don’t matter
• Your culture doesn’t matter
• Your predicament doesn’t matter
SIN IS NEVER JUSTIFIED IT IS ONLY EVER JUDGED.
And whether or not I might do the same thing if in their situation
IS ALSO IRRELEVANT.
If 7 billion people all commit the same sin that still doesn’t make it ok in the sight of God, we just saw God kill 3.7 billion people.
SIN IS NEVER JUSTIFIED
You can’t find a single time in the Bible where God ever said, “Well, in that situation it would be ok if you went ahead and sinned.”
• God doesn’t say “Don’t steal unless you’re starving”
• God doesn’t say “Don’t murder unless they deserve it”
• God doesn’t say “Don’t covet unless you really need it”
• God doesn’t say “Don’t commit adultery unless you’re unfulfilled”
SIN IS NEVER JUSTIFIED
Someone would say, “I thought Jesus justified sin!”
And they would be terribly wrong.
JESUS CAME TO JUSTIFY SINNERS, NEVER SIN.
You will never find Jesus ever (not one single time) ever saying that sin is ok or that it is justified. NEVER
You find Jesus saying “Go and sin no more”
You find Jesus saying “Stop sinning so that nothing worse happens to you”
You find Jesus saying “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”
But you will never find Jesus telling a sinner that
Under certain circumstances their sin is ok.
You WILL find Jesus however offering to forgive or justify sinners
IF they would repent of their sin.
DO NOT CONFUSE THE TWO.
Sin is never justified.
Sinners are justified if they will repent.
The Holy God who created the universe has demanded that all people repent of their sin or face judgment.
Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
He is offended that
• The creature would dare to defy the Creator.
• We would exchange His glory for an image.
• We would exchange His truth for a lie.
• We would exchange what He says is natural for that which is unnatural.
• We would exchange what He says is proper for that which is improper.
SINNERS HAVE OFFENDED GOD AND THEREFORE MUST REPENT
OR FACE JUDGMENT.
The problem here (in our day and all the way until the tribulation)
Is that sinners love their sin and will not repent;
Even under the judgment of God.
They will run, they will scream, they will pray to the mountains,
They will seek death, but they will not repent.
John 3:19-20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
So please understand it is not simply a failure to believe in Jesus
That brings judgment, it is sin which brings judgment.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
REPENTING OF THAT SIN AND TRUSTING IN JESUS
IS THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE IT.
Failure to believe in Jesus secures that judgment.
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
We live in a culture (even a religious culture)
That would love to have you believe that we can all just live in sin
And all just get along and never confront or judge anybody,
But just be a proudly flawed congregation and be broken together.
That will work fine.
In fact the immediate effect will even be peace and happiness
And strong affection for one another.
And that plan will keep on working fine until… “the hour and day and month and year” that God has already set on His calendar when He will judge all those who refuse to repent.
• If there is truly any love for sinners…
• If there is truly any concern regarding their judgment…
• If there is truly and fear for their torment…
THEN WE CAN NEVER CALL GOOD WHAT GOD CALLS EVIL
AND WE CAN NEVER CALL EVIL WHAT GOD CALLS GOOD.
Woe to the world because of its sin
And woe to us if we fail to tell them.
Romans 1:16-18 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”
