Hebrews 12

As we turn our attention to Revelation 10, I am reminded yet again of God's perfect timing and my absolute need of Him. I can think of no better passage for us to consider just five days after Election Day.    This past Tuesday, November 3, Americans went to the polls for the midterm elections. As you might imagine, the results generated some interesting reactions. Some are celebrating, while others are convinced our country is headed for disaster. Conservative Laura Loomer declared, “I hate to say it, but America is over.” Meanwhile, liberal Bette Midler had a very different reaction: “I am OVERJOYED! What a great, great night! Thank you, America! You’ve saved your beloved country!!”    Now, because of where we live, I'm betting most in this room are a bit discouraged with the election results. But whether you're celebrating or concerned about what they might mean for our country, I want to ask you a question: “Did anything happen this past Tuesday that changed who is sitting on the throne in heaven?”    I am not asking this to discount the importance of voting or to suggest that we ought to be passive in our civic responsibilities or prayers for this great nation. Rather, I want to remind all of us who have been born again that our citizenship belongs to a very different kingdom. Psalm 2 reminds us that while the nations rage and their rulers plot, God has already installed His King, Jesus Christ, who will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Ps. 2:1–9; Rev. 19:15).    With that in mind, we come to Revelation 10, where John is given another remarkable vision. And brothers and sisters, what we are about to see reminds us once again that regardless of what happens here on earth, the Lamb still reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords!    The Image of the Strong Angel (vv. 1-4)  The question before us, and one that has divided pastors and theologians, is this: Who is this “mighty” or “strong” angel? This is the second time John has introduced us to a mighty angel in Revelation. While we are not told whether these angels belong to a particular rank or order, John's description suggests that they may represent a distinct category of heavenly messengers. What makes this especially interesting is that each of their three appearances occurs at a significant turning point in Revelation.    The first mighty angel appears in Revelation 5:2, where he asks, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Here in Revelation 10:1, another mighty angel announces that the mystery of God is about to be fulfilled. And in Revelation 18:21, a third mighty angel portrays Babylon's final destruction by throwing a great millstone into the sea. Do you see the progression? Each plays a particular role in revealing God's sovereign purposes: the unveiling of His plan, the certainty of its fulfillment, and the ultimate vindication of His people.    Because of the way this angel in Revelation 10 is described, some respected pastors and theologians believe that he is none other than Jesus Christ. However, I have three problems with that view. First, nowhere else in Revelation does John identify Jesus as an angel. Throughout the book, Jesus is presented as the Lamb of God, the One worthy to open the scroll, and the King of kings and Lord of lords. Second, John consistently distinguishes Jesus from the angels who serve Him. Jesus accomplishes God's redemptive purposes, while the angels announce and carry out His commands. Third, in verses 5–6, this mighty angel raises his right hand toward heaven and swears by the One who lives forever and ever, the Creator of heaven and earth. Now, if this angel is Jesus, why would He swear an oath by the authority of the One who created heaven and earth, rather than by His own authority?     So, what are we to make of all the divine imagery associated with this angel? The strong angel's radiant appearance reminds us of Moses, whose face shone after spending time in the presence of God (Exod. 34:29–35; cf. 2 Cor. 3:7–18). Just as Moses reflected God's glory, I believe this mighty angel is reflecting the glory of Christ, whose own face John describes as shining like the sun (Rev. 1:16; cf. Matt. 17:2). Even the holy angels cannot remain unaffected by the glory of His presence!    Everything about this angel reminds us of the faithfulness of God and that all His promises find their “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). The rainbow over his head reminds us of God's promise to Noah that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood (Gen. 9:11–17; cf. Rev. 4:3). But brothers and sisters, there is a far greater judgment coming, and there is a far better shelter from the tsunami of God's wrath than Noah's ark! Through the cross of Jesus Christ, we have been rescued from the judgment we deserve, and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1)!    Just as the cloud and pillar of fire led Israel through the wilderness for forty years and reminded them of God’s presence, the cloud wrapped around the mighty angel and his legs like pillars of fire remind us that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us (Exod. 13:21–22; Heb. 13:5). But unlike Israel, whose journey led them to the Promised Land, we are being led to something infinitely better: the heavenly city God has prepared for His people (Heb. 11:13–16; 13:14).    Notice where the angel plants his feet. His right foot rests on the sea, from which the first beast will emerge, while his left foot rests on the land, from which the second beast, the false prophet, will emerge (Rev. 13:1, 11). To stand upon something can symbolize authority or dominion over it. But it is not ultimately the angel who exercises this authority over the sea and land. It is the One he represents, the One whom Paul describes when he writes, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:16).    In his hand is a little scroll that John will soon be instructed to eat. His voice is like the roar of a lion, reminding us of what was announced following the question of the first mighty angel: “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (Rev. 5:5). As a servant and herald of Christ, this second mighty angel reflects the Lamb's sovereignty over all creation, including the two beasts that will emerge from the sea and the earth.    As for the seven thunders that respond to the angel's roar, I am not certain what they represent. But there is an interesting parallel in Psalm 29 that I want you to see. Seven times in verses 3-9, David refers to the voice of the LORD. Listen to how he describes the power and majesty of God’s voice:  The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”     Seven times David describes the voice of Yahweh, and here in Revelation 10, John hears seven thunders speaking. While we are not told what they said, there is no mistaking the power and majesty associated with the voice of God. And yet, John is told to seal whatever was said. Brothers and sisters, what a great reminder that while God has revealed everything we need to know, He has not revealed everything there is to know—a reminder of Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”    There are two sets of “words” from the mighty angel we need to consider.     The Words of the Strong Angel (vv. 5-11)  The thunder in Revelation is also associated with God's righteous judgment upon the wicked (see Rev. 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). Robert Mounce offers an interesting explanation for the seven thunders when he writes, “It is more plausible that the seven thunders, like the seals and trumpets, formed another series of warning plagues. The adamant decision of the human race not to repent (9:20–21) would render another series useless.”1 In other words, given humanity's refusal to repent despite the judgments already experienced, another series of warning judgments would accomplish nothing. Their hearts have become so hardened that even the judgments of God will not turn them from their rebellion.     After John is told to seal up what the seven thunders have spoken, the mighty angel raises his right hand toward heaven and swears by the Almighty that there will be no more delay. Think about what this means for those who have suffered and died because of their faithfulness to Jesus Christ! Remember the cry of the martyrs in Revelation 6:10: “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Here in Revelation 10, we are given another assurance that their cry has not gone unheard. God's appointed time is approaching, and His purposes will be fulfilled: “And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay” (Rev. 10:5–6).    God has spoken! His Word is sure, and all that He says He will do, He indeed does! The seventh trumpet represents the Day of the Lord, when Christ comes as the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are told in Revelation 10:7 that in the days of the seventh trumpet call, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, “just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” And as Jesus said in Matthew 24 when describing the end of the age, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (v. 35). I believe this is what John means by the “mystery of God”—the culmination of all God's redemptive purposes at the end of the age.    What God has promised, God will accomplish!     So, what are we to make of the little scroll? First, it is not to be confused with the scroll that Jesus alone is worthy to open. Remember the first interlude in Revelation 7, where we encountered the 144,000, representing the redeemed people of God, both Jews and Gentiles? Here in the second interlude, our attention again turns to God's people, particularly their role in a world that worships the beast.    The voice from heaven instructs John to take the little scroll from the angel's hand. And after taking it, notice what he is told: “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey” (v. 9).    There is an important parallel here with Ezekiel 2:8–3:3, where God commands the prophet to eat a scroll that tastes as sweet as honey, even though the message he is called to proclaim is one of judgment. The psalmist describes God's Word in much the same way: “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103). Jeremiah likewise declares, “When Your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight” (Jer. 15:16, NIV). And here in Revelation 10, John is instructed to do something similar. Before he can proclaim God's message, he must first take it in himself. Only then is he told that he must prophesy again concerning “many peoples, nations, languages, and kings” (Rev. 10:11).     This is not the first time John was commissioned to proclaim the Word of God to the nations. Many years before his exile on the island of Patmos, Jesus commanded him and the other disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19–20). That calling came at a tremendous cost to the disciples! John is reminded that while God's Word is sweet to those who worship the Lamb, it will be received with bitterness by many who reject Him.    And brothers and sisters, that same calling belongs to us! Like John and the prophets of old, we are called to proclaim His Word to a world that desperately needs to hear it. The message that brings us joy and hope is often met with rejection and hostility from those who refuse to submit to Christ. And as we will see in Revelation 11, the two witnesses experience that very hostility. Yet their story does not end in defeat. God raises them to life, reminding us that no amount of opposition can prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes.    Can I be real with you for a moment? What Revelation 10 reminds us of is that the world does not need more or fewer Republicans or Democrats. What the world needs is more Christians who have been in the presence of the Lamb! Christians whose lives have been so shaped by His Word that others can see the difference. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32). What matters most is not which political party you belong to, but who it is that you belong to! And listen to what Jesus says in John 15:4: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”    Brothers and sisters, when we abide in Jesus and His Word, it ought to be evident in our speech, behavior, and the way we live. People ought to be able to tell that we have been with the Lord because His character is being reflected in our lives. Some will be drawn to Christ because they see something of His beauty in us, while others will respond with hatred and hostility. Jesus warned us of this very thing: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18–20). If the world hates you, make sure it is for the right reasons. If people are attracted to your life, be sure that it is because they see Jesus in you. 

Nearly six months ago, we began our journey through the first cycle of judgments looking at the seven seals. That was a long time ago! Before we consider the sixth trumpet, I want you to see a theme connected to the seals and trumpets—one that should leave us both encouraged and alarmed.    These are not disconnected visions; together, they reveal a fallen world under judgment, the stubbornness of the human heart, and the security of those who belong to the Lamb. As the judgments intensify, we see God handing rebellious humanity over to its wickedness, much like He hardened Pharaoh’s heart while unleashing the plagues upon Egypt.     The Seals  In Revelation 6, the Lamb opens the first four seals, revealing a world marked by conquest, violence, famine, and death—the very birth pains Jesus warned about in Matthew 24. The white horse reveals humanity’s lust for conquest, the red horse the bloodshed that follows, and the black horse the scarcity and exploitation that turn human need into an opportunity for human greed. Then comes the pale horse, ridden by Death, with Hades following behind. This is the world east of Eden—God’s creation groaning under sin’s curse as it awaits freedom from corruption (Rom. 8:21–22). But do not miss this: the horsemen ride only because the Lamb opens the seals. Their authority is limited, and they remain subject to Him!    But what happens to those who belong to Jesus? The fifth seal shows us Christians who were killed for their faith. They are now beneath the altar, clothed in white and told to rest as they await God’s vindication. Evil men had taken their lives, but they could not separate them from God’s love! This is the assurance of Romans 8: neither persecution, famine, sword, nor even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:31–39).    The First Five Trumpets  Now consider the trumpets. The first four strike the land, the sea, fresh water, and the heavenly lights—the created order upon which human life depends. With the fifth trumpet, demonic locust-like powers are released from the bottomless pit. They are forbidden to harm the grass, plants, or trees. Instead, they torment those who do not have God’s seal upon their foreheads. They are permitted to torment, but not to kill, and those who belong to the Lamb are protected from this particular judgment.    Throughout the seals and trumpets, we see the unraveling of the world God created. War, famine, death, and devastation portray a kind of “de-creation”—the undoing of creation’s order under the consequences of mankind’s sin and God’s judgment. We, the redeemed, groan over that devastation too, but we groan with hope as we await the liberation of creation and the redemption of our bodies just as God has promised in His word.    Do you see the assurances God gives His people along the way? Before the seals, the rainbow surrounding His throne reminds us that He keeps His promises (Rev. 4:3; Gen. 9:12–17). Before the trumpets, the prayers offered before His throne assure us that He hears His people (Rev. 8:3–5). Then, with the fifth trumpet, He forbids the demonic horde from harming those who bear His seal (Rev. 9:4). The martyrs show us that belonging to Jesus does not mean escaping suffering or death (Rev. 6:9–11). But even as the world around us unravels, those who belong to the Lamb remain His (Rev. 7:1–4, 9–17; Rom. 8:35–39).    Now we come to the sixth trumpet—the second woe.     The Sixth Trumpet  As my sermon title suggests, the sixth trumpet gives us a picture of where all this is heading—the conquest of nations, the violence, the suffering, and the terrible loss of human life. I believe these verses point us toward the battle of Armageddon. We will see more of this judgment in Revelation 14:14–20, the gathering of the nations in Revelation 16:12–16, and their defeat by Jesus Himself in Revelation 19:11–21. Like the seals, trumpets, and bowls, these visions show us more clearly where a world in rebellion against God is heading.    We will explore these connections when we get to Revelation 14. For now, notice what the sixth trumpet reveals about God.    God Hears the Prayers of His People  After the sixth angel blows his trumpet, John hears a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God: “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (v. 14). This is the golden altar of incense we saw in Revelation 8:3, and I understand it to be the altar beneath which the martyrs cried out in Revelation 6:9–11. Their prayers, together with those of all the saints, are answered through God’s judgments as He brings history toward Christ’s return.    Do not miss this! The incense is offered with the prayers of ALL the saints! The apostles, Polycarp and Augustine, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. Missionaries such as William Carey and Hudson Taylor. Christians from every generation—and the prayers you have prayed!    Douglas Kelly writes: “The control chamber behind what happens in this case of terrible wars, insurrections, and other large or small breakdowns of society, must be traced to the unseen realm of the heavenly altar of a sovereign God.”1 Do you see the connection? The command comes from the very altar associated with the prayers of God’s people. Their cries have not been forgotten!    God’s Timing is Always Perfect   The four horns of the altar are significant. Horns in Scripture often represent power (Ps. 75:10), and once a year, the high priest applied the blood of the sin offering to the horns of the altar of incense to make atonement for it (Exod. 30:10). Think about what this points us to! Jesus is our great High Priest, and because of His blood, we can approach God with our prayers. As Douglas Kelly explains, the blood on the horns pictures atonement protecting God’s people as judgment proceeds from the altar.2 Our prayers are not heard because we are perfect, but because we belong to the One whose sacrifice is perfect!    I believe the four horns also remind us that Christ’s intercession reaches His people everywhere—east, west, north, and south. No Christian is beyond His reach or care. Now, from the altar associated with their prayers, a voice commands the release of the four angels. What this means, and what John is being reminded of, is that God has not forgotten His people! This does not mean we escape suffering—the martyrs beneath the altar have already shown us otherwise. It means that suffering and death cannot separate us from Christ, and we will not share the final condemnation of those who have not been redeemed by the Lamb.    The four angels bound at the Euphrates are released, but do not miss that they had been prepared for this very moment—not one moment sooner or later! Look at verse 15, “the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released...”. Their release was appointed by God. They are released to kill a third of mankind, but they cannot act independently of God. The God who hears His people’s prayers also determines when and how He will answer. His timing may not be when we want it to be, but His timing is always perfect.    God’s Plans are Sound  Like the demonic forces of the fifth trumpet, I believe these are four unholy angels (demons) God uses to accomplish His purposes. We are told little about their identity, but we are told who controls their release!    The Euphrates brings to mind the direction from which enemies of God’s people such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians came. God used Assyria to judge Israel, Babylon to judge Judah, and the Medes and Persians to judge Babylon. What is the point? God uses even the wicked to accomplish His purposes without excusing their wickedness. Those nations were not beyond His authority, and neither are these four angels!    So, what are we to make of this army of 200 million mounted troops? I do not believe John is describing a literal number of ordinary horses and riders. I understand this as a picture of demonic power working through wicked nations. Like the locust horde, this army brings judgment—but where the locusts tormented without killing, these horses bring death.  The horses’ appearance reveals the nature of their destruction. Their lion-like heads convey ferocity, and their serpent-like tails inflict harm. But do not miss what kills a third of mankind: fire, smoke, and sulfur coming from their mouths; these are the three plagues John identifies in verses 17–19. The fire and sulfur recall God’s judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24). Yet even this destruction is limited to a third of mankind, not all of mankind. These forces are terrifying, but they are not in control. God is!    I believe Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70 gives us a historical example of the kind of judgment pictured here. Douglas Kelly describes demonic forces working through the violence that tore the city apart before the Romans completed its destruction.3 While I understand Revelation to have been written after those events, I believe Jerusalem’s destruction illustrates where unchecked rebellion can lead. But this is not limited to Jerusalem! Revelation 16:13–16 describes demonic spirits gathering the kings of the world for battle on the great day of God Almighty. Just as God handed Jerusalem over to its rebellion, the nations are heading toward judgment as they gather to oppose Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:11–21). Yet even in their rebellion, God will accomplish His purposes as they march toward Armageddon!4     The clock is ticking! A time is coming when God will judge the nations for their wickedness, perversion, and rebellion. His patience must not be mistaken for indifference, and His people’s prayers have not been forgotten! The release of these four angels reminds us that His judgment comes at His appointed time—not one moment sooner or later.5 Yet the sixth trumpet is not the final judgment. A third of mankind is killed, and those who survive still have opportunity to repent. But like Pharaoh, they refuse! Do you see the problem? Neither witnessing God’s judgment nor being spared from death guarantees a repentant heart. John leaves us with this sobering description: “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (vv. 20–21).    The Problem of the Heart  How can people witness the judgments revealed in the seals and trumpets and still worship what cannot save them? Is this not what we see throughout human history?    Cain lived with the consequences of his parents’ rebellion and had likely heard from them of both God’s judgment and His mercy. God Himself warned him about the sin threatening to master him: “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it” (Gen. 4:7; BSB). Yet he murdered his younger brother.    Pharaoh and his nation experienced not one, but ten plagues brought upon Egypt by Yahweh. Even after the death of his firstborn son compelled him to release the Israelites, Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them with his army (Exod. 12:29–32; 14:5–9). Ecclesiastes describes the problem: “The hearts of the children of man are full of evil” (Eccl. 9:3). Neither witnessing God’s judgment nor receiving relief from it guarantees a repentant heart.    But do not think we are immune to the deceitfulness of sin! Jesus’ calls to repentance in five of the seven churches should keep us from reading this passage as though the danger is for everyone else but ourselves. Today, the seven churches that Revelation was originally sent to encourage no longer exist, as their witness had come to an end long ago. If we are honest about the dangers that lurk within our own hearts, then we know something of what Robert Robinson expressed in his hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”:  O to grace how great a debtor  Daily I’m constrained to be!  Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,  Bind my wandering heart to Thee.  Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,  Prone to leave the God I love;  Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,  Seal it for Thy courts above.    In closing, permit me to leave you with one final application. For those of us who bear God’s seal because we have been redeemed by the Lamb: we do not need to fear that the judgments pictured in the trumpets and bowls will undo our salvation. This does not mean we will escape suffering or even death. It means that we will not share the final condemnation of those who refuse Jesus.    Before the first woe unfolds, God forbids the demonic locusts from harming those who bear His seal. That protection belongs to this particular judgment, but it reminds us of something we must not forget: God knows those who belong to Him! Throughout these judgment cycles, we see a kind of “de-creation” as God judges a world under sin’s curse. Yet His purpose culminates in making all things new. And those who have been redeemed by the Lamb already have this assurance: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).    What is the point? No hurt, sorrow, disease, tribulation, persecution, famine, or sword can undo what God has begun in you. These things can wound your body and even take your life, but they cannot separate you from Jesus. Your suffering is real, but it is not beyond His redeeming purposes. There are no wasted tears or hurts for the redeemed of the Lord!    This is why Paul’s words to the Philippians give us such hope: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). 

What we have in Revelation 9:1–12 is one of the most disturbing visions in the book of Revelation. But before the fifth trumpet sounds, we hear not one “woe,” not two “woes,” but three: “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth…”(Rev. 8:13). Remember what we heard around the throne in Revelation 4:8: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” In heaven, the cry is “Holy, holy, holy!” Here, the warning to a rebellious world is “Woe, woe, woe!” The contrast reminds us of the seriousness of our sin before a holy God.    “Woe” is a cry of anguish and, here, a warning of terrible judgment. Jesus used this word when He confronted religious hypocrisy: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23:27). He compared them to whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but full of death and uncleanness within. Here in Revelation, the three woes announce the judgments of the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets.    It is important to remember that Revelation allows us to see the world from heaven’s perspective. When the Lamb opened the first four seals, we saw four horsemen: the white horse of conquest, the red horse of war, the black horse of deprivation and exploitation, and the pale horse of death. These realities fill our history books and our daily headlines. But John was shown something our headlines cannot reveal: the horsemen ride only because the Lamb opens the seals. Their authority is given, their power is limited, and their activity remains under His sovereign rule.    Last week, we considered the first four trumpets, which strike the land, sea, fresh water, and heavens. Like the plagues of Egypt, they expose the powerlessness of our idols and the fragility of what we take for granted: our food, our wealth, our water, and even another day. The God who hears the prayers of His redeemed people rules the creation on which His enemies depend. Yet the repeated emphasis on one-third reminds us that these judgments are limited—warnings that call people to repentance.    Before we consider the fifth trumpet, remember two things. First, the seals, trumpets, and bowls revisit the same age from different perspectives, with increasing intensity, all leading to the Day of the Lord when Jesus returns. Think of a powerful tornado: the seals show the danger from a distance; the trumpets bring its approach into sharper focus, and the bowls reveal the full devastation of its arrival.    Second, what we see in these judgments is creation coming undone—de-creation. God is bringing this fallen order to its end and preparing the way for the new heaven and new earth.  Now, with the fifth trumpet, we are shown a terrifying judgment upon those who do not have God’s seal. This is the first of three woes! As we consider it, keep asking: What is God showing us about the world we live in, and how should we live in light of what He reveals?     What Is the Demon Locust Horde?  Before I tell you what I believe these creatures are, let me briefly explain how the four main approaches to Revelation understand them. There are differences within each view, but here is the general picture.    Preterists understand most of Revelation as fulfilled in the first century and commonly connect these locusts with judgments surrounding Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70.    Historicists understand Revelation as an outline of church history and often identify the locusts with Arab Muslim armies and their conquests.    Futurists understand most of these visions as events surrounding Christ’s future return. Many see actual demons released during a future tribulation; others have suggested helicopters, drones, or genetically engineered creatures.    Idealists understand Revelation as portraying spiritual realities throughout the church age, culminating in Christ’s return. They generally see these locusts as demonic powers tormenting those who do not belong to God, under His sovereign restraint.    So, what are these creatures, or who are they? Let’s begin with what we are told. After the fifth trumpet sounds, John sees a star that has fallen from heaven, and that star is a “him.” Some believe he is Satan or another fallen angel; others believe he is a good angel who descended from heaven. Regardless of his identity, do not miss this: he opens the bottomless pit with a key that was given to him. He is not acting independently of God.    The pit is a place of demonic confinement. Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4 likewise describe rebellious angels held for judgment. While these passages describe the same place, they reveal God’s authority to imprison demonic powers. Here, the pit is opened, and the demonic locust horde is released. They have “as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit” (Rev. 9:11), named Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek. Some identify him as Satan, but I believe he is another fallen angel who commands this horde.    Not every demon is confined to the pit. Paul warns that our struggle is not only against flesh and blood, but “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). That is why we must put on the whole armor of God.    So, I am convinced these creatures are demonic, given their origin in the abyss and the king who commands them. And remember: we are seeing them through the lens of heaven. This vision exposes the nature of the powers at work.    As with the first four trumpets, the imagery recalls the Egyptian plagues. John writes, “Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth” (Rev. 9:3). In Egypt, locusts devoured what remained after the hail (Exod. 10:1–20). But these locusts are forbidden to harm vegetation. Instead, they torment those who do not have God’s seal.    Now notice how John describes them: “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, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 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” (Rev. 9:7–9).    Seven times in verses 7–9, John uses the word “like.” So, what is the point? These images help us understand the nature of the demonic powers unleashed from the abyss. They are like horses prepared for battle—ready to carry out their assault. On their heads are what look like crowns of gold, suggesting conquest and victory. Their faces are like human faces, suggesting intelligence and cunning. These demons are not mindless insects. Their attack is deliberate and purposeful.    Their hair is like women’s hair, which may suggest beauty or seduction, or both. But notice what comes next: their teeth are like those of lions! If the hair suggests attraction, the teeth reveal destruction. Does that not remind you of temptation? Sin draws us in with the promise of something good while concealing what it will cost us. I believe this picture helps us understand how demonic powers work through deception and seduction to bring people into bondage and suffering. The lions’ teeth also recall Joel’s description of a devastating locust invasion: “its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness” (Joel 1:6).    Their breastplates are like iron, suggesting formidable protection, and the noise of their wings is like many chariots with horses rushing into battle. Taken together, these images reveal a terrifying, organized demonic army. Their scorpion-like tails and stings emphasize their power to inflict agony. They are forbidden to destroy vegetation as the locusts did in Egypt. Instead, their victims are those who do not have God’s seal, and their torment is so severe that people seek death but cannot find it.    Remember, we are seeing these powers as heaven reveals them. What may appear attractive and persuasive on earth is exposed here as destructive. And by the end of the chapter, people still refuse to repent of worshiping demons and idols! They cling to the very powers whose destructive character this vision exposes.    But do not miss this: their crowns do not make them sovereign, and their armor does not place them beyond God’s authority. The Lamb opens the seal, the angel receives the key, and these creatures are given their power. They are told whom they may harm and how long they may torment. Even the powers of darkness cannot go beyond the boundaries God has set.    What Do We Do with the Sounding of the Fifth Trumpet?  So, what are we to do with the fifth trumpet? If Revelation cannot mean for us today what it did not mean for the first-century church, how does the fifth trumpet speak to us, and what warning are we to heed?    I believe two passages help us understand what Revelation 9:1–12 is, at the very least, saying to us today: Exodus 10 (the eighth plague) and Romans 1:18–32. Remember, we must understand the trumpet judgments in light of the Exodus plagues.    Exodus 10 begins with these words: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them’” (v. 1). These signs were to be recounted to future generations, “that you may know that I am the LORD” (v. 2). So, Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh: “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?’” (v. 3). They told him to release the Hebrew people, or God would send locusts to consume what remained after the hail. Pharaoh refused, and the plague came: “Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt” (v. 15). I believe that, in hardening Pharaoh’s heart, God handed him over to his own wicked heart.    Now listen to Pharaoh’s response and consider how it helps us understand the fifth trumpet: “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the LORD your God only to remove this death from me” (Exod. 10:16–17). Now guess what happened next. Moses prayed, and God removed the locusts. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he refused to release God’s people. He wanted “this death” removed, but he refused to repent. With the tenth plague, death came for Egypt’s firstborn. This is the backdrop against which we are to read Revelation 9:1–12.    Now let’s look at Romans 1:18–32. We will not look at every verse, but enough so that you get the point. Paul begins, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (v. 18). What truth? The truth about the God who created everything. Paul explains that “what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (v. 19). Creation leaves humanity without excuse, just as Pharaoh was without excuse after witnessing God’s power. Yet Paul writes, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (vv. 21–23). Now listen to verses 26–32:  For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.    And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (vv. 26–32)    So here is my take on Revelation 9:1–12 through the lenses of Exodus 10 and Romans 1. Pharaoh called the locust plague “this death.” He was alive, but the devastation was so severe that he described it as death. In Revelation 9, the anguish is so severe that people seek death to escape it. Pharaoh wanted “this death” removed; those suffering under the fifth trumpet want death to come. Yet Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and Revelation 9 ends with the same refusal to repent: “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood … nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (vv. 20–21).    I believe the fifth trumpet shows us something of the judgment Paul describes in Romans 1. When people persist in rejecting their Creator, God gives them over to the wickedness of their own hearts and the sin they insist on pursuing. Here, God permits demonic powers to torment those who do not have His seal. I understand this as God handing a people  over to the destructive powers associated with the false worship they refuse to abandon. What kind of worship? The kind in which they exchange the Creator for the creature.    The fifth trumpet releases a demonic horde to bring devastation, as the locusts did to Egypt. Only this time, I believe we are seeing the destruction that sin brings upon those who refuse to worship the Lamb. It reminds me of God’s warning to Cain: “Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). With the fifth trumpet, I understand wicked humanity to be handed over not only to sinful desires but also to demons who want nothing more than for sin to rip apart the soul of the sinner.    Do we not see this happening before our eyes? Do we not see people losing sight of their God-given identity in pursuit of a self-proclaimed identity? Consider how violent we have become. Consider the ways our pursuit of sin is causing our society to cannibalize itself. I believe we are witnessing the fifth trumpet before our eyes, and I believe things will get worse—far worse! Listen to Paul’s description of the last days:  But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Tim. 3:1–5)    Consider what these demonic creatures teach us about temptation and sin. Their faces suggest intelligence and cunning; this is why Paul warns us about the schemes of the devil in Ephesians 6:10–18. Temptation can sound reasonable and promising, but in the end, sin leads to death.    Their hair may suggest beauty or seduction, but their teeth are like those of lions. Is this not how sin presents itself? It promises something good while concealing what it will cost us. We see the pleasure, the relief, or the joy we think it will bring, but we do not see the teeth that will tear and destroy. This is why those of us who worship the Lamb are told to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” and to “put on the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:10–11).    If you are a Christian, let me say that while it is good and wise to recognize how intelligent, cunning, and powerful our enemy is, hold on to that healthy perspective while also knowing that Colossians 2:13–15 is yours to claim:   “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”    Through the cross and because of His resurrection, God disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, triumphing over them in and through Jesus. Even before His crucifixion, the demons trembled before His authority! They have no rightful claim over you—you belong to Christ! This is why Paul concluded his magnificent eighth chapter in Romans with these majestic words: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:37–39).  However, I would be irresponsible with Revelation 9:1–12 as your pastor if I did not conclude with some questions for you to consider.  Is there any part of you that is asking God to remove the consequences of your sin while you refuse to turn from the sin itself? What is it in your life that you are defending that God has told you to abandon? What are you making excuses for that God’s Word identifies as sin?  Hear the trumpet sound and heed its warning! Confess your sin and turn from it. Seek the help you need to stop returning to your sin. If you belong to the Lamb, live as one who belongs to Him. And if you do not know Him, come to Him! The One who rules over these terrifying powers is the same Savior who receives sinners who turn to Him.

I have a confession to make, and I think it will help you understand why I believe our time in Revelation is the most important series I have ever preached at Meadowbrooke—and perhaps in my life as a pastor. Here’s why: I believe the book of Revelation has been hijacked by well-meaning Christians. Before I explain what I mean, let me qualify that statement. This sermon series is the fruit of hundreds of hours spent studying Revelation, tracing its parallels throughout the Old and New Testaments, and writing two volumes on this remarkable book. That work does not make my conclusions beyond correction, but it has deepened my conviction that what I am showing you is, at the very least, what these passages are teaching. There may be more here than I have recognized, but my aim is to help us understand that message and respond faithfully to what Jesus is saying to His church. The reason I believe this apocalyptic masterpiece has been hijacked is that it has too often been reduced to a puzzle to be decoded. Many who have claimed to have “cracked” the code have left Christians with the impression that it is not a book for today but for tomorrow. Two passages often used to support this approach are Daniel 9:27 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9. The first is the primary passage used to establish a future, literal seven-year tribulation. The second is used to assure Christians that they will be removed—raptured—before that tribulation: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). But you need to consider this verse in the context of the verses surrounding it: Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. (1 Thess. 5:1–8) These verses do not promise that we will be raptured before the tribulation. They call those who have been redeemed by the Lamb and made “children of light” to stay awake and sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. Paul uses the same armor imagery in Ephesians 6:10–18. These verses tell us how to live as we await the day of the Lord, which I understand to come at the end of the tribulation. Paul then explains why we can live as His people with confidence: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (vv. 9–11).   The Second Cycle of Judgments As you know, Revelation has three cycles of judgment: the seven seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of wrath. Their opening groups of four affect the earth with increasing intensity. Under the fourth seal, Death and Hades are given authority over a fourth of the earth. With the trumpets, we repeatedly read that a third is affected. With the bowls, we no longer read about a fourth or a third, for God’s wrath reaches its fullness. Do not forget that it is the Lamb of God who breaks each seal. The seventh seal leads into the trumpet judgments, and the seventh trumpet announces the judgment brought to its fullness in the bowls of wrath. None of these judgments comes unless the Lamb permits it to be so. When we come to the final three seals and trumpets, the focus broadens. When the fifth seal is broken, we hear the cries of those killed for their faithfulness to Jesus: “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (6:10). Listen—the trumpets and the bowls serve as God’s response to the cries of those saints! With the breaking of the sixth seal, we hear the cries of the wicked on the day of the Lord: “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (6:16–17). The answer comes in Revelation 7, where we see a great multitude standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Listen to their cry: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (7:10). Who can stand? Those whose salvation belongs to God and the Lamb. We see another distinction when the fifth trumpet sounds: the powerful and horrific locusts released from the bottomless pit are permitted to torment only those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (9:4). As you may recall, those who worship the beast have his mark on their foreheads or on their right hands, and those who worship the Lamb have His name and the Father’s name upon their foreheads (14:1). Revelation describes only two types of worshipers. There is no third category, no fourth category, no seeker category, no purgatory category, and no good-intentioned person category. Only two types of worshipers exist in the world: those who worship the Lamb and those who worship the beast. In case you doubt what I just said, consider what the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (vv. 1–3) If you are dead in your sins, you are a child of wrath and a follower of the “prince of the power of the air,” who is the devil and who empowers the beast. Then you have those who belong to the Father and the Son by no effort of their own but by the mercy, love, and grace of God made possible through His Son: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (vv. 4–5). There are two types of worshipers in God’s economy. Now I can explain what Revelation 8 is about, why it matters to us today, and why we must heed the warning of the trumpets.   We Must Listen to the Trumpets   When Jesus opens the seventh seal, we are told that there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. I believe this silence is connected to what the prophet Zephaniah said: “Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests” (Zeph. 1:7). What happens next is why I believe the trumpet judgments serve as God’s answer to the saints beneath the altar, which I understand to be the altar of incense in the heavenly temple. We heard their cries in Revelation 6:9–11. Now an angel stands at the altar with a golden censer and is given incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense rises with their prayers before God. Then the angel fills the censer with fire from the altar and throws it onto the earth!  What does this mean? The prayers of the saints are heard, but that does not mean that they will be spared every trouble or delivered from all suffering. But God has heard them, and His answer comes as the trumpets begin to sound. The prayers of the saints pleading for God’s kingdom to come, for the curse of sin to be removed, the scales of justice to finally be balanced, for suffering and death to be swallowed up by life, and for all things to be made new are heard—and they will be answered! After the angel hurls the flaming censer to the earth, “peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” follow (v. 5). Then the blowing of the trumpets.  Just as Revelation 6 and 7 spoke to the first-century Christians of John’s day, they speak to us today—and the same is true of Revelation 8. The imagery in these verses draws upon the apocalyptic language of the Old Testament. In particular, the trumpet and bowl judgments echo the plagues God brought upon Egypt, exposing the powerlessness of its gods and judging Pharaoh and his empire for oppressing His people. Say what you want about the language used to describe what comes with each trumpet blast, but if all you see in the first trumpet is actual hail and fire mixed with blood, burning up a third of the trees and all the green grass, then you have missed the point of the first trumpet! If all you see in the second trumpet is a giant asteroid striking the sea and turning a third of it into blood, then you have missed the point of the second trumpet! If all you see in the third trumpet is a star named Wormwood poisoning a third of the drinkable water, then you have missed the point of the third trumpet! Finally, if all you see in the fourth trumpet is the light of the sun, moon, and stars being reduced by a third, then you have missed the point of the fourth trumpet!   So what is the point of the first four trumpets? To answer that question, we must see the trumpets through the lens of the Old Testament, particularly the ten Egyptian plagues that God brought upon Pharaoh and his people. Before God judged Egypt with the plagues, He said to Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.... And now behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them” (Exod. 3:7-9). Before God brought the plagues upon Egypt, He heard the cries of His people. Likewise, before the trumpets sound in Revelation, the prayers of the saints rise before His throne (Rev. 8:3-5). So here is the point: The God who heard the cries of His enslaved and suffering people and judged Egypt again confronts a rebellious world in answer to the prayers of His people.     The First Trumpet: Hail, fire, and blood (Rev. 8:7) With the first trumpet, the land and vegetation are affected in a way that recalls how the seventh plague affected the vegetation and trees in Egypt, demonstrating the powerlessness of Egypt’s gods. The Egyptians worshiped Nut as the goddess of the sky and Geb as the god of the earth, yet neither could protect the land from the judgment of its Creator. At the very least, the warning conveyed with the sounding of this first trumpet concerns the things we believe we are entitled to, such as our food and provision. We depend upon the harvests, the people who produce our food, and the systems that deliver it. We go to places like Sam’s Club, King Soopers, and Albertsons expecting to find, purchase, and walk out with what we want. We can place our confidence in those provisions without giving a thought to the God who makes them possible. We get up and go to work so that we can eat, drink, play, and go to bed with the conviction that we are entitled to it all. That sense of entitlement echoes Pharaoh’s conviction that the Hebrew people belonged to him to serve his purposes. The trumpets warn us that judgment is coming on a world and a people who behave as though they are entitled to all that the Creator’s land produces, making the gift a god while ignoring the Giver.    The Second Trumpet: The sea becomes blood (Rev. 8:8-9). With the second trumpet, something like a great mountain burning with fire is thrown into the sea. A third of the sea becomes blood, a third of its living creatures die, and a third of the ships are destroyed. The burning mountain recalls God’s judgment upon Babylon, which He called a “destroying mountain” and declared He would make a “burnt mountain” (Jer. 51:25). Mountains can symbolize kingdoms (Dan. 2:35, 44–45), but even the strongest remains subject to the One who raises up kingdoms and brings them down (Dan. 2:21; 4:17). The blood recalls Egypt’s first plague; the destroyed ships foreshadow the collapse of Babylon’s maritime commerce (Rev. 18). Don’t miss the warning: political powers and economic systems cannot guarantee the prosperity and security they promise. Kingdoms that appear immovable can fall, and wealth that seems secure can disappear. That is why I feel such urgency! Egypt, Babylon, and Rome could not secure their futures, and no nation today is immune to God’s judgment. If you think America is exempt, your ears are already deaf to the second trumpet! Your wealth, your sense of independence, and your citizenship in one of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful nations cannot shield you from God’s judgment.   The Third Trumpet: Bitter, deadly water (Rev. 8:10-11). With the third trumpet, a great star named “Wormwood” falls from heaven, blazing like a torch. It strikes a third of the rivers and the springs, making the waters bitter and causing many people to die. This recalls Egypt’s undrinkable waters during the first plague and God’s warning that He would give His rebellious people bitter food and poisoned water to drink (Jer. 9:15; 23:15). The water we depend upon for life becomes an instrument of judgment. In the same way we walk into a grocery store expecting food, we turn on our faucets expecting clean water, rarely considering our dependence upon the God who provides it. The human heart oozes with idolatry! We trust the water and the systems that deliver it while ignoring the God who supplies it. The third trumpet warns us that even life’s most basic necessities cannot give us security apart from Him. It is the same kind of nonsense James wrote about in his epistle: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. (James 4:13–16, NASB) Let me ask you a question. What keeps our technology and infrastructure from collapsing? Forget what other nations could do; consider what a severe solar storm could disrupt.   The Fourth Trumpet: The lights are darkened (Rev. 8:12) With the fourth trumpet, a third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck so that a third of their light is darkened. This recalls the ninth plague, when God covered Egypt in thick darkness for three days (Exod. 10:21-23). We go to bed expecting the sun to rise and another day to unfold according to our plans. We set our alarms, fill our calendars, and live as though we are entitled to another day—that somehow tomorrow belongs to us and not to the One in whose image we are made. The lights (stars) that mark our days are subject to the God of whom the prophet Isaiah testified: “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing” (Isa. 40:26).  The fourth trumpet warns us that what we take for granted cannot give us security apart from its Creator. Our plans depend on the rhythms of creation—an order we did not create and cannot ultimately control.   Application For starters, let me say this. The God who hears the prayers of His redeemed people rules creation, on which the enemies of His people depend. One difference between those who worship the Lamb and those who worship the beast is their sense of entitlement. Those who worship the Lamb know their God to be Sovereign, holy, and true (see Rev. 6:9–11). They know their lives belong to Him. Those who worship the beast live by a different creed, echoed in William Ernest Henley’s Invictus: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” Now, my dear brothers and sisters, please do not ignore the sounds of the trumpets. Yes, they announce judgment on a godless world, but their warnings are for us too. Do you not see that every godless pursuit, every attempt to cling to earthly treasures while ignoring the God who gives every good gift, and every deliberate step into sin reflect the same spirit of self-rule? Whenever we insist on our own way over God’s, we embrace the creed of those who worship the beast: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” That mindset, as we will see throughout Revelation, belongs to the spirit of Babylon. It is the same spirit of self-rule that characterized Pharaoh, the Babylonian Empire, and Rome, and that persists among the nations today. Regardless of our earthly citizenship, the trumpets warn us against such foolish and godless idolatry. We are commanded to flee Babylon: “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (Rev. 18:4; see also Jer. 51:6).

The book of Revelation is both a book filled with images of worship and a book about practical discipleship. It answers two primary questions: To whom does my allegiance belong? And how do I follow Jesus in the world that I live in? Before I show you what Revelation teaches us about worship and discipleship, let me remind you of how this book is structured. As you can see in the diagram, Revelation presents seven distinct yet interconnected perspectives, much like the four Gospels present Jesus from four complementary perspectives. Throughout these visions, the book moves toward a new Eden, infinitely better than the first—where redemption reaches its climax in the new heaven and new earth. At the beginning of this series, I put a little Slinky on each chair. As you noticed, I did so again. A Slinky advances by looping back over itself. In many ways, Revelation is structured that way. John repeatedly returns to the same redemptive realities—sometimes from the perspective of the earth, sometimes from heaven, sometimes through judgment, and sometimes through worship. That is what I mean when I talk about the recapitulatory nature of Revelation. Rather than presenting a single, forward-moving sequence of events, Revelation shows us the same story from different vantage points, each one reinforcing the same central truth: God reigns, the Lamb has conquered, and His people are secure. Revelation isn’t a puzzle book, but a picture book. Its purpose is to steady our faith, strengthen our hearts, and draw us into worship of the Lamb. The Judgments Cycles  During the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, He was asked by His disciples, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3). Jesus answered by first warning them that before He comes back, there would be false christs claiming to be Him, wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, kingdoms rising against kingdoms, famines, and earthquakes in various places. Jesus said that these things would be “the beginning of birth pains” leading to the end of the age (Matt. 24:1-8). After describing the abomination of desolation, which I believe was fulfilled during the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple by Roman forces under Titus in AD 70, Jesus spoke of the Day of His coming, which is also the Day of the Lord (see Matt. 24:15–28). He had already foretold the temple’s destruction, declaring that not one stone would be left upon another (Matt. 24:2). Jesus then said:  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt. 24:29-31) What Jesus describes in Matthew 24 follows the same basic pattern that Revelation shows us through the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments. The three judgment cycles are not three unrelated timelines; they revisit the same period from different perspectives, with each cycle intensifying until we arrive at what Scripture calls “the Day of the Lord.”  Consider how each judgment cycle brings us to the same end. At the sixth seal, the great day of God’s and the Lamb’s wrath has come (Rev. 6:17). At the seventh trumpet, heaven announces that God’s wrath has come and that the time has arrived to judge the dead and reward His servants (Rev. 11:18). At the seventh bowl, a voice from the throne declares, “It is done!” (Rev. 16:17). Each cycle brings us to the final judgment, showing that John is returning to the same end from different vantage points. At key points throughout these judgment cycles, John describes storm imagery associated with God’s presence and judgment. Just as birth pains grow stronger as the birth draws near, this imagery intensifies as Revelation unfolds. You can see this intensification in the way John describes the storm coming from the throne:   Revelation 4:5 Revelation 8:5 Revelation 11:19 Revelation 16:18, 21 Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God;  Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.  And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.  And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.... 21 And huge hailstones, weighing about a talent each, came down from heaven upon people; and people blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because the hailstone plague was extremely severe.    Notice how these cycles show things going from bad to worse. At the sixth seal, the kings of the earth and everyone else seek to hide from Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb instead of seeking salvation from the Lamb (Rev. 6:15–17). At the sixth trumpet, instead of repenting of the works of their hands, the wicked persist in their worship of demons and idols (Rev. 9:20–21). During the bowls, they refuse to repent and give God glory, and after the seventh bowl is poured out, they respond to His judgment by cursing Him (Rev. 16:9, 11, 21). As these visions unfold, we see not only the intensifying judgments of God, but also the depth of mankind’s determination to resist Him. Think about the response of those who reject the Lamb and the debth of their rebellion. Instead of clinging to Christ, they cling to their idols. Instead of fleeing their sin, they persist in their sins. While recognizing God’s authority over the judgments, they curse Him instead of worshiping Him in repentance and praise.  But notice what John sees next. Revelation 6 ends with the question, “Who can stand?” In Revelation 7, John sees a great multitude from every nation standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Rev. 7:9). Those able to stand are those whose robes have been made white in the blood of the Lamb (7:14). They stand because the Lamb has redeemed them, and they praise God and the Lamb for a salvation only God could provide through His Son (7:10). The wicked in chapter 6 seek to hide from the Lamb, but the redeemed stand before Him because they have found refuge in Him. The Lamb they worship is their Shepherd, who leads them to springs of living water, while God wipes away every tear from their eyes (7:17). This brings us to the contrast Revelation repeatedly places before us: there are only two types of worshipers in the world—those who worship the Lamb and those who worship the beast. Which leads me to one of the truths that the book of Revelation shows us, and that it is a book about worship.   Two Types of Worshipers  In the book of Revelation, we see only two types of worshipers. There is no third category for those who are not sure, no separate category for the nice neighbor, and no neutral category for the seeker. Some worship the Lamb, and others worship the beast. Those who worship the Lamb praise God because His ways are just and true (Rev. 15:3–4). Those who worship the beast curse God because of their suffering and refuse to repent of their sin (Rev. 16:9–11, 21). The redeemed acknowledge that God is righteous in His judgment. The wicked respond to His judgment by continuing in the very rebellion for which they are being judged. We see this throughout the book of Revelation, but let me give you a quick summary of the contrast between the two. Those who worship the Lamb do so because He gave His life to redeem them from their sins (Rev. 5:9–10). Those who praise the beast marvel at its apparent recovery from a fatal wound and declare, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Rev. 13:3–4). Those who worship the Lamb praise God for what He has done, knowing that His ways are just and true (Rev. 15:3–4). Those who worship the beast are deceived by the signs the false prophet performs on its behalf (Rev. 13:13–14). Those who worship the Lamb cling to Him even when their faithfulness brings suffering and death (Rev. 12:11; 14:12). Worship of the beast, however, is reinforced by the threat of economic loss and death. Those who refuse its mark are excluded from buying and selling, and those who refuse to worship its image face execution (Rev. 13:15–17). Those who worship the Lamb pursue holiness through obedience, truthfulness, and purity (Rev. 14:4–5, 12). Those who worship the beast resist God’s authority over their lives, refusing to repent even under His judgment (Rev. 16:9–11). Those who worship the Lamb follow Him wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4). Those who follow the beast marvel at its power and live under a system that enforces its worship (Rev. 13:3, 15). We are told that those who worship the Lamb bear His name and His Father’s name on their foreheads (Rev. 14:1). Those who worship the beast receive its mark on their foreheads or their right hands (Rev. 13:16–18). Understanding the mark of the beast merely as something physically branded or inserted on the forehead or hand misses the point that the book of Revelation makes about worship. To understand the significance of this mark, we need to go back to passages like the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4–9: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” God commanded Israel to love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. His words were to be in their minds, upon their hearts, and seen in their actions. They were to teach them to their children and make speaking of God’s words part of the culture of their lives. Binding His words to their hands, wearing them as frontlets between their eyes, and writing them on their doorposts and gates expressed how thoroughly His words were to shape their lives. This is the biblical picture of worship. Listen, to worship God is to have His words govern your thinking, direct your actions, and order the life of your home. Worship is so much more than just showing up. It is the expression of a life that has not only encountered the living God but has been made alive by Him. So, when Revelation describes the redeemed as having the seal of God on their foreheads and the wicked as having the mark of the beast on their foreheads or their right hands, I understand these marks to identify whom they belong to and what has captivated their hearts, minds, and lives. Their allegiance is revealed by whose words shape their thinking and whose authority directs their actions. So let me ask you, “Whose words shape your thinking?”  and “Whose authority directs your actions?” Revelation presents us with two kinds of worshipers: those who belong to the Lamb and those whose allegiance belongs to the beast. In Revelation—and throughout the Bible—worship is not limited to music, although it includes music. It is not limited to preaching, although the faithful preaching and receiving of God’s Word are acts of worship. It is not limited to the physical gathering of God’s people in one place, although it certainly includes that. The worship of the redeemed, the angels, and the heavenly creatures is a response to the God who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb. They are not spectators observing an event. They are worshipers responding to the living God because they have encountered Him. And when you encounter this God, when you are redeemed by the Lamb and indwelt by His Holy Spirit, it is impossible to remain unchanged. Meadowbrooke, we do not come together to observe a worship service! We come together because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and we long to encounter the God who made us alive together with His Son (Eph. 2:4–5).

I know this auditorium today holds an eclectic group of people. Most of you are born-again Christians; there may be a few here who are not yet Christians. Some of you have called Meadowbrooke your church home for decades, while others have found Meadowbrooke only in the past year. And there are very few among us who have been here for all forty years. I want to begin by talking about the number forty for just a few minutes. When God flooded the earth in the days of Noah, rain fell for forty days and forty nights. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness after fleeing Egypt and later remained on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights. Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years. The spies explored Canaan for forty days. Goliath taunted Israel for forty days. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry, and after His resurrection He appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days before ascending into heaven. I do not want to overstate the significance of the number or turn it into something Scripture does not, but the pattern is difficult to miss. Again and again, forty appears during seasons of testing, waiting, preparation, judgment, refining, and transition. What is especially interesting is what so often follows. Noah stepped into a new beginning. Moses was sent back to Egypt for the defining mission of his life. A new generation of Israelites entered the Promised Land. David stepped onto the battlefield against Goliath. Jesus emerged from the wilderness proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And after Jesus ascended, His disciples received the promised Holy Spirit and were sent out as witnesses of the risen Christ. Again and again in Scripture, forty marks a season purposed to prepare God’s people for what comes next. Sometime before my sabbatical, I stood in this auditorium early one morning, reflecting on the years I have served as a pastor and praying about the next season of ministry God had for me here at Meadowbrooke. I can honestly say to you this morning that I am convinced the first fourteen years I served as a lead pastor were, in many ways, preparing me for this church. I do not say this to boast or to elevate your opinion of me, but there are three sermon series I have preached over the course of my ministry that I would keep if I had to delete every other sermon and series I have ever preached—and all three were prepared and preached here at Meadowbrooke: the Sermon on the Mount, our Identity series through Ephesians, and the series we are in right now through Revelation, and I believe this has become the most important sermon series I have preached in my lifetime. I do not think it is a coincidence that the most important sermon series I have ever preached comes from the one book of the Bible I was most timid to address—and that I am preaching it during Meadowbrooke’s fortieth year at this location, in the eighth year of my tenure as your pastor. I cannot say with certainty that Revelation will prove to be the most important sermon series Meadowbrooke has ever heard, but I can tell you this: it has been the most important one for me. I have never been more aware of my desperate need for Jesus than I am today. I have never been more frustrated and fed up with my sin than I am today. I have never been more aware of my faults, weaknesses, and inadequacies than I am today. And yet, I have never hungered and thirsted for Jesus as I do today! It breaks my heart that it has taken all these years—all the sermons preached, the people buried, the couples married, the babies dedicated, the counseling sessions, the suffering our family has endured, the Scriptures studied, and the books read—to bring me to this place. I would have said these words before I ever came to Meadowbrooke, and I would have meant them. But today I believe I can say them with a depth and conviction I did not possess then: if all I have is Christ, then Christ is all I need, and Christ is all I want. This seems to me to be the Christian life. The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus, the more aware we become of our need for Him. The more aware we become of that need, the more deeply we grieve our sin. The more deeply we grieve our sin, the more desperate we become for His help. And the more desperate we become for His help, the more we hunger and thirst for the righteousness only Jesus can provide. Most of you have not been Christians for forty years—some of you haven’t even been alive that long! However, what season are you in? What season do you believe you are leaving in order to enter the next season better prepared for? What is the angst you are experiencing right now that is creating in you a desire to do something meaningful and lasting that matters in light of God’s kingdom? When you hear the words from Ephesians 5:14, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Does your spirit turn within you? Do you find yourself saying in the core of your person, “Give me some of that!”  I want to use the remainder of our time with you to reflect on some things many of you already know from our time in Revelation. For those of you who are newer, I hope I can demonstrate for you why you ought to be excited about the weeks to come for our time in Revelation.  Look Up–and See Jesus The book of Revelation was written to unveil the risen Jesus. It answers the question: “Who is Christ?” And the answer is staggering! From beginning to end, Revelation presents Jesus in the fullness of His person and work. He is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth (1:5). He is the First and the Last, the Living One (1:17–18), the Holy One, the True One (3:7), and the beginning (Originator) of God’s creation (3:14). He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David (5:5), yet also the Lamb who was slain and the Worthy One (5:6, 9, 12). He is the Son of Man (14:14), the Word of God (19:13), and the King of kings and Lord of lords (19:16). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (22:13), the Root and the Descendant of David, and the Bright Morning Star (22:16). This is the Jesus Revelation teaches us to see. Revelation gives us eight reasons to look up to Jesus. I chose eight because seven often represents completeness—the fullness of God’s work—while eight is associated with new beginnings. Eight people were preserved through the flood, when rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and they were brought safely into a new world. And what comes after the seventh day? The first day of a new week—the day Jesus rose from the dead. In that sense, the first day is also the eighth day: the day after completion, the beginning of something new. And because of the resurrection of Jesus, that new beginning is ours as well. 1. Jesus is Our Great Liberator. (Rev. 1:1-8) Jesus is the Great Liberator who conquered death and now reigns as the risen Lord, who loves His people, has freed us from our sins by His blood, and is coming again in glory. At His appearing, every eye will see Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. 2. Jesus is the First and the Last (Rev. 1:9-20) Our Savior is the Everlasting One who stands in the midst of His churches as our great High Priest, the all-seeing Judge, and the omnipotent King. Nothing escapes His sight, no wound His people suffer goes unnoticed, and His servants are held securely in His hand. There is none like Him, for He is the Living One who holds the keys of Death and Hades, and for that reason we need not fear in life or in death. 3. Jesus is the Head of His Church (Rev. 2-3)  Jesus is not the church’s sidekick, nor is He her mascot—no, He is the Lord of His church, walking among His people and knowing them completely. He sees the faithfulness, suffering, compromise, complacency, and sin of every person, and He knows who truly belongs to Him. Nothing within His church is hidden from Him. He comforts those who remain faithful, confronts what threatens their witness, calls His people to repent and persevere, and promises an eternal reward to those who overcome. 4. Jesus is the Heir of Creation (Rev. 4-5) Jesus is the rightful Kinsman-Redeemer, the promised Messiah, and the true King. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David, who has conquered and alone is worthy to open the scroll and bring God’s redemptive purposes to completion. Every covenant, every promise, and every hope finds its fulfillment in Him. Because He has overcome sin and death, God’s promise to make all things new will not fail. 5. Jesus is the Lamb of God (Rev. 5:6-10) Jesus is not just the Lion of Judah; He is the Lion who conquered as the perfect Lamb of God. He was slain for sinners like us, and through His blood He ransomed a people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. Through His sacrificial death, sinners are not only forgiven but restored. They are brought near to God, made citizens of His kingdom, and destined to reign with Him forever. 6. Jesus is the Crescendo of Heaven. (Rev. 5:11-14) Jesus is worshiped in heaven. He is worshiped because He is no mere creature. He was not created, for all things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him. All power belongs to Him because He reigns. All wealth belongs to Him because He owns it all. All wisdom belongs to Him because His ways are perfect. All might belongs to Him because He has conquered. All honor belongs to Him because He is exalted. All glory belongs to Him because He is God. All blessing belongs to Him because all praise is rightfully due Him. Heaven does not make Jesus worthy by worshiping Him—all of heaven worships Him because He already is worthy. And listen, one day all creation on earth and under the earth will also acknowledge what heaven already knows: the Lamb who was slain is worthy! 7. Jesus Reigns Because He is Sovereign (Rev. 6:1-8) Jesus reigns even when the world seems to be spinning out of control! He alone is worthy to open the scroll, and He alone has the authority to break each of its seals—releasing the four horsemen of the apocalypse and setting in motion the judgments that follow in the trumpets and bowls. War, famine, suffering, injustice, and death do not operate outside His authority! There are no rogue cells in Jesus’ economy! History is not driven by chaos, evil rulers, Satan, or death itself—Jesus Christ is Lord over it all, and nothing happens outside His sovereign purposes. 8. Jesus Sees the Suffering of His People (6:9-11) Jesus sees the suffering of His people. Let that truth settle into your heart and mind. He does not overlook the pain of His people. The One who cried from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46; Ps. 22:1), sees you! Listen to me: in your suffering, He does not forget your faithfulness, and He does not ignore your cries. In Revelation 6, we are reminded that Jesus promises rest to His suffering saints and assures them that relief will come in His appointed time. When He tells His people to wait, it is not because He is indifferent, but because His purposes are not yet complete. Just as there are no rogue cells in His economy, there are no wasted tears and no forgotten hurts. The Lamb who died for us is the Lord who will bring everything He has promised to completion—for His glory and for our good. So what are we to do with what we see of Jesus in Revelation? We must wake up, we must arise, and we must go.  Wake Up – and Submit to Jesus So what are we to do with the Christ we see in Revelation? For those of you who were here two weeks ago, you already know the answer: Go to Him! Do not just stand there—go to Him! “Where is that in the Bible?” you ask. It is right there in Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (BSB).  To do that, we need to wake up!  Two years ago, while preaching through Ephesians, I told you that repentance is never stagnant; it is always mobile in the direction where Jesus can be found. That truth is still true today. So, my dear brother or sister... if you have grown weary, go to Him. If you have become spiritually apathetic, go to Him. If you have wandered into sin, go to Him. If you are hurting, grieving, confused, or afraid, go to Him! Do not stand there and just gaze, run to Him, and do it with your eyes fixed on Jesus!  Hear again the words of Ephesians 5:14 against the backdrop of all that we have seen from Revelation: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  Church, look up and see Jesus. See the One who is more beautiful than anything you could gain, more precious than anything you could lose, and more worthy than anything else that has captured your heart.  Fix your eyes on Him. Wake up to Him. And go to Him!

Hebrews 13 - The Eternal Upside Down Kingdom

Hebrews 12-Consider Him Who Endured

Hebrews 11

Hebrews 10