Reflection on Revelation 9

"Woe to the inhabitants of the earth" ends chapter 8. The fifth and sixth trumpet disasters announce judgments directed toward mankind in chater 9.

Who are "the inhabitants of the earth"? I do not claim to be one myself. All believers should not claim to be one of them. The belivers are citizens of the Heaven, children of the Father, servants of the Almighty God. They do not belong to "the earth". This earth is not the paradise Jesus died to give us. This earth is what Jesus died to save us from. All true belivers can be comforted by the fact that we might hear the warning, but the warning is not delivered to us. The solemn warning is for "the inhabitants of the earth". It seems the believers will watch a horror movie under God 'protective wings. Can you and I find a better theater to watch the horror movie Revelation shows?

Now let's see what going to happen in chapter 9.

As the fifth angel blows his trumpet, a star falling from the sky to the earth receives the key to open the shaft of the Abyss, the hell. John does not identify this star, the names used in Revelation 9:11 would certainly correspond with what the Bible tells about Satan. Out of the smoke from Abyss, "locusts came down upon the earth and given power like that of scorpions of the earth". These hybrid demon locusts "looked like horses prepared for battle". They have "something like crowns of gold" on their head, and their "faces resembled human faces". ... These demonic creatures are not allowed to damage "the grass of the earth or any plant or tree," like natural locusts. Their focus is to harm "only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads." Those people have not taken the eagle's warning, plus tons of warning before that, into their hearts. Now they are to be tortured for five months. They "will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them." The wicked chose not to repent. But they clearly do not have the choice to opt out of God's judgment. But God limits His judgment. Being tortured in "five months" is nothing compared with suffering eternally in "the lake of fire".

This punishment comes from God, even though the agents are demonic. The timing and severity of judgment is under God's control, not Satan's. The people of God are spared the pain just as the children of Israel escaped the plagues. But Satan cares nothing about his followers. His followers are exactly the ones stinged by the tails of his demons, the supernatural locusts. Satan never intends to protect his followers, even those people claim allegiance to him to the end. He plans to sting them, harm them, destroys them. His high purpose is to challenge God, to destroy God'creation. All idol worshipers will be harmed by the idols they chased after.

The sixth angel sounds his trumpet. "A voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God" calls to "release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates". They were kept ready "for rhis very hour and day and month and year to kill a third of mankind." The alrar is the same one from which the prayers of the martyrs mingled with incense rising up to God. God's response to the prayers of His people calling for vindication is releasing a  enormous demonic force, the mounted troops, to "kill a third of mankind." 

Again, God limits His judgment to "a third". This is not yet the final act by God. Until the very end, God calls people, old or young, to come to Him and receive salvation through His Son, leaving behind arrogant to suffer further.

The death of a third is horrifying. There would be paralying panic, grief, fear, pollution and disease from decaying corpses. But for the proud, life is still sustainable, maybe because of the modern technology and medicine. As unprecedented destruction assaults the earth from the sky above and the Abyss below, the closing sentences of chpter 9 give insight into fallen humanity and the people God will judge. " The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts." This is ridiculous, is like the Pharaoh in Egypt.

How hard can people's heart be? It definitely is harder than their bones because they might break their bones. It is also harder than the diamonds they wear since they can cut their diamonds to the shapes they want. But their heart is the hardest thing on earth that only God can penetrate using His Word. And some people determine not to let God do it to their heart. 

The first thing they refuse to repent from is their idol worship. The wrong thinking and false worship ruin both individuals and society. The second thing they refuse to repent from is their corruption. They murder, unyieldingly commit themselves to "magic arts". Sexual immorality is common. They are persistent thieves. Rebellion against God ruins spirituality, sexuality and human relationship.

When all God's mercy acts are rejected, nothing left but His judgment.