REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 9.20
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The Apocalypse)
Chapter
Nine
Judgment Resumed:
The Seven Trumpets
6. Trumpet Number 6 (Woe Number 2)
Preface
By way
of review, along with the previous instructions given, the sixth angel sounds
the alarm of the sixth trumpet's impending judgment, the Second Woe. Pursuant
to this order, the Lord's voice is heard, simultaneously from four horns of the
golden altar of incense (similar to four loudspeakers positioned in four
different directions: east, west, north, and south), which stands before God's Throne
in Heaven saying, "Release the four demonic angels (from the Bottomless Pit)
that have been prepared and bound in chains at the Euphrates River."
On His
timetable, under God's sovereign control, these four fallen angels had been
prepared for a specific year, month, day, and hour to be released for the sole
purpose of killing one-third of the global population. Each command four
cavalry brigades --- totaling two-hundred-thousand armored spirit beings and demonic mutant horses from hell
--- to invade the four corners of the earth. Reminiscent of the pre-Noahic
flood conditions, the aftermath scenario is chronicled in the following verses:
(Verse 20)
And the rest of the men (the ungodly) which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not
of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of
gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor
hear, nor walk.
The
rest of the men concern
one-third of mankind spared and unscathed by the prior judgments. After this continental
spiritual warfare is imposed, one-half the world's population survives. God
providentially allows this massive holocaust. Imagine the thoughts of the survivors.
Please keep in mind - There is no deliverance apart from saving knowledge
and faith in Jesus Christ.
Still unwilling to come to repentance (a
complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn) and acceptance of God's grace,
people adhere to their own will and desires instead.
Observe the post-wrath results:
Men's Works
1. They repented not of their works of
their hands
2. They repented not of their worship of devils
3. They repented not of their worship of idols
a. Gold
b. Silver
c. Brass
d. Stone
e. Wood
The aforementioned is listed in God's
commandments, first and foremost:
Exodus
20:3-6 - Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (carved idols), or any likeness of
any thing that is in
heaven above, or that is in
the earth beneath, or that is in
the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down (worship)
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity (sins, evil perversities, offenses, disobedience) of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that
hate Me; And shewing mercy (steadfast loving-kindness) unto thousands of them
(generations) that love Me, and keep (obey) My commandments (directives, decrees, mandates).
Man
inherently has a sinful nature due to his eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
(cf. Genesis 2:17). The text is very explicit and speaks for itself, the
implication carries to the nth degree (those
left behind). Two Scripture verses substantiate God's will and purpose for
mankind:
Titus 2:11 – For the grace of God
that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
John 3:17 - For God
sent not His
Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through Him might be saved.
The
free love of God is founded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ – The sum of His
moral precepts.
However:
Romans 1:16 - The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it
unto them. For the invisible things
of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Contrary
to the attitudes of worldly men, God's wisdom, power, and love stand visible
throughout the universe. Therefore, they that willfully refuse to accept Him as
Creator God are inexcusable. So, to truly comprehend why God is a just God,
John the Apostle was permitted to see, document, and disseminate the truth to
the world His book of Revelation.
Bible
Exposition
By
way of introduction, in the following passage, the Apostle Paul metaphorically describes
himself as a master builder to instruct his readers and listeners.
1 Corinthians 3:10-13 - According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as
a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.
But let every man take heed (be careful) how he buildeth thereupon.
For (any) other foundation can no man
lay than that
[which] is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. Now if
any man build upon this foundation [with
or using] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's
work shall be made manifest (evident, obvious): for
the day shall declare it (disclose, make
clear) because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try
(test, prove)[the quality of] every man's work of
what sort it is.
In
his letter to the Corinthians, Paul articulates that Jesus Christ has laid a
rock-solid foundation, the pattern for which to follow. Anything else is a
counterfeit and will lend itself to destruction. He continues his instruction
by explaining certain things:
1 Corinthians 7:31 - Those who use the things of the world should not become
attached to them. For this world, as we know it will soon pass away. (NLT)
1
John 2:15 - Love not the world,
neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him.
Worldliness oftentimes results in a
hardened heart toward God. This, in turn, causes abusive behavior, such as
addictions, other forms of bondage, or slavery to sin. Illustrations
following are individually presented for consideration:
Man's
Works
Fundamentally,
man's works are considered any action divergent to God.
1. They repented not of the works of their
hands
Used
in context, works of their hands
refer to manmade objects of worship.
For
Example:
1. The first fruit sacrifice Cain offered
to God (cf. Genesis 4:3)
2. The Tower of Babel Nimrod was built to
heaven (cf. Genesis 11:4)
3. The worship of Nebuchadnezzar's statue (cf.
Daniel 3:1)
Such acts are branded:
1. Fraudulent (Jeremiah 51:17-18)
Jeremiah 51:17-18 - Every man is
brutish by his knowledge; every founder is
confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is
falsehood, and there is no breath in them. For
his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are
vanity, the work of errors: in the time of
their visitation they shall perish.
2. Non-profitable
Isaiah
44:10 - Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?
3. Vanity
Isaiah
41:29 - Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
In the final analysis,
man's malicious deeds anger God:
Deuteronomy
31:29b - Evil will befall
you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to
anger through the work of your hands.
Demon and Devil
Worship
Because of man's inherent
sinful nature, in effect, this practice has been prevalent throughout history
since the pre-flood economy (cf. Genesis 6)
2. They repented not of their worship of
devils
Devils (Greek, Daimonion) are
usually correlated with demonic beings or demons. The ancients referred to them
as Baals or dragons, and everything involved
satanic worship. In modern times it is disguised as the occult (satanic practices) – An under-the-umbrella
all-inclusive term encompassing astrology, magic, mysticism, parapsychology, spiritism,
divination, or something paranormally supernatural.
The main purpose of these judgments is
to lead men to repentance from disobedience. So, instead of repenting, unfortunately,
men turn themselves over to the hardening of their hearts and spiritual
blindness, causing them to believe the deceit of Satan and ironically, even
worship the very creatures that set out to destroy them.
To reiterate: The only way man's heart can
be transformed is by the power of God. There is no deliverance apart from the
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Idols and Idolatry
3. They repented not of their worship of
idols
An idol is any graven (carved,
shaped) or molten (cast, melted, poured over) image or representation of a pagan
god used as an object of worship. Venerating,
worshipping, or bowing down to someone or whatever else constitutes idolatry, is
strictly forbidden by Almighty God:
Exodus
20:3-5a - Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing
that is in Heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt
not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God.
Some materials used for fashioned idols
include:
a. Gold
Recognized
as both metal and mineral, gold is considered scarce and most valuable and used
mainly for royalty and liturgical purposes. It does not deteriorate, corrode,
or spoil and it has high adaptability to become shapeable. Apropos of the text,
the Ark of the Covenant was gilded with gold.
Interestingly,
the first mention of gold is found in
Genesis:
Genesis 2:11 - The name of the first is Pison: that
is it which compasseth the
whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Most notable is the image
of the golden calf worshiped by the Israelites at Mount Sanai. Another example of
how gold is used relative to the text is the great statue of the Babylonian King,
Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Daniel 3).
b. Silver
Lesser
in value than gold is silver. Ten times more abundant than gold, silver's properties
are also mineral and metal which can be easily molded or shaped. As the head of
gold in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (cf. Daniel 2) represented the Babylonian
Empire, the breasts and arms of silver are evocative of the Medo-Persian
Empire.
c. Brass
Brass,
an alloy of copper and zinc, is more readily available and is lesser in value
than gold or silver. The belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue serve as a
representation of Alexander the Great's Grecian Empire.
d. Stone
Stone
is a hard,
solid, nonmetallic mineral matter as part
of the earth's natural mixture from which rock is made, especially as a building material.
The artwork of the
ancients often used stone monuments and obelisks for sculptures. The notorious stone megaliths found
on Easter Island were objects of that civilization's worship.
e. Wood
Normally
mentioned in the Bible, wood is oftentimes associated with gofer wood taken
from Cypress trees. It was famously used as a building material for Noah's Ark
and the Ark of the Covenant. Many wood carvings of pagan gods were readily
available and lightweight for the common folk. One example is when Rachel is
reported stealing her father's idols (cf. Genesis 31:19, 34).
The listed manmade objects above are shapes,
forms, or representations of pagan gods not able to see, hear, or walk. They
are all lifeless inanimate objects contrasted to the one true and living God.
The reality of Jehovah's Godhead is
summed up in this verse:
Isaiah
44:6 - Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and His Redeemer, the
LORD of Hosts: 'I am the First and I am
the Last, And there is no God besides Me.'
(Verse 20)
[But] Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their
sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
After
observing all His wrath and destruction, God still allows an open door for the repentance
of men. However, since the Fall, man's heart is naturally evil. Similar to the
Pharaoh of the Egyptians, the heart continues to remain hardened; thus proving
history does not change.
In
recalling the Pre-Flood conditions:
Genesis 6:5-6 - And GOD saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually. And it repented the
LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.
Now,
ponder four other evil things that continue to displease God and consider each for discussion:
1. Murder
2. Sorcery
3. Fornication
4. Thievery
Murder
1. They repented not of their murdering
The first documented murder committed after
the Fall was Cain killing his brother Abel. This act is explicitly forbidden by
God in the Ten Commandments, one of the shortest – Thou shalt not Kill [commit
murder (cf. Exodus 20:13)]. It is considered vicious, violent, and wicked.
Sorcery
2. They repented not of their sorceries
The Greek word for sorceries is Pharmakeia. Defined as a pharmacy in
English, its primary focus is on drugs and extended to encompass magic and
witchcraft. Sorcery is also a blanket term for poison, drugs, contacting
mediums, magic spells, incantations, and witchcraft in association with idols,
amulets, or charms.
Practicing, participating, and delving
into the magic arts (occultism) is forbidden by the LORD's mandates. Only used
two times in the New Testament and found in the Book of Revelation, the second
warns:
Revelation
18:23b - For by thy sorceries were all
nations deceived.
Both verses confirm the above and
below.
Fornication
3. They repented not of their fornication
Fornication is a word exposed in Greek
as porneia, from which we derive the modern term pornography.
It categorizes all forms of sexual practices such as adultery, rape,
homosexuality, and any indescribable perversion. Fornication is also forbidden
in God's statutes.
Stealing
4. They repented not of their thievery
Defining Theft: Klemma (Greek) is the act
of stealing or that which is stolen, including robberies, fraud, deceit, and
dishonesty - Another component of the Ten Commandments.
Postface
Even with the aftermath of all the
judgments of God seen by the remaining people alive on earth thus far, their
hearts continue to remain hardened, and yet, there is still no repentance - A
sad commentary. However, even during the Seventh Trumpet judgment, God permits
His grace to abound and allows another chance for man's redemption. Though His
wrath continues, God has no other alternative than being just, for He is still
a God of second chances (cf. Psalm 30:2).
Before the last Woe judgment, Chapters
10 and 11 offer the reader another parenthesis. This interlude interrupts the Tribulation
narrative to detail micro revelations concerning Satan, his actions, and
motives. Please read ahead.
QUESTIONS:
1. Explain the meaning of the works of their hands.
2. Why would someone worship devils?
3. Why does God forbid idolatry?
4. Why is sorcery an abomination to God?
5. What causes men not to repent?
6. What wood was most commonly used for idols?
7. How is God a just God?
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