The Future According to GodSample

;99REVELATION 9: A Two-Hundred-Million-Man Army!

Revelation 9 is a continuation of Revelation 8. There, we saw seven angels with seven trumpets, blowing the trumpets of judgment. Chapter 8 was the first four angels. Chapter 9 continues with angels and trumpets of judgment.

Things are going to get so bad that people will seek death but not find it. When things get that bad, what will you do? Please read or listen to Revelation 9.

COMMENTS

In 1995, I wrote, “Fifth trumpet. Bottomless pit open. Locusts released to torment those without the seal of God on their foreheads for five months.” I quoted verse 6, “And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them” (Rev 9:6 NASB). Then I wrote about the sixth trumpet, "One-third of mankind killed by fire, smoke, and brimstone. Still no repentance, according to Revelation 9:20 NASB.”

In 2008, after reading Revelation 9, I wrote, “I wonder what the seal of God on their foreheads is?” I was referring to verses 9:4 and 7:2-3. “The 144,000? Men will be tormented for their own belief. It will be so bad they ‘will seek death and will not find it’” (Rev 9:6 ESV). My English Standard Version Study Bible footnote states this is an unleashing of demons, and their king's name means "Destroyer". I continued, "Two-hundred-million-man army. Whether the number is symbolic or true, it's possible today, referring to Revelation 9:16 NASB." I continued, "By now, one-half of the world's population is killed, yet the rest of mankind did not repent of the works of their hands nor of their immoralities, according to Revelation 9:20-21 NASB.”

In 2013, I wrote, “If the star is Satan, he comes to torment his own followers, referring to verses 4-6, because demons cannot touch those who have the seal of God. Abaddon or Apollyon, ‘Destroyer’ in Hebrew and Greek. Satan and his demons kill one-third of mankind. Today, over two billion people, referring to Revelation 9:15 ESV.” As I referred to Revelation 9:16 ESV, I wrote, “Two hundred million demons or a human army? Wow! Yet, in all this destruction, those who remain did not repent of idol worship, the work of their hands, murder, sexual immorality, or stealing.”

As we look at Revelation 9, I mentioned in one of those journals about a star falling from heaven and whether it was Satan. My English Standard Version Study Bible footnote says exactly that:

The star fallen from heaven to earth is Satan, whom Jesus saw fall like lightning as a result of his disciples' ministry (Luke 10:18 ESV). Three chapters later in Revelation, John will see the "dragon," whom he identifies as Satan, cast down from heaven to earth. The fact that the key to the shaft of the Abyss was given to him shows that Satan can do nothing apart from God’s permission (ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles 2008, 2476).

So, yes, Revelation 9 opens with a star falling from heaven, Satan himself, with a key to the bottomless pit. He is the one who can open “the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace” (Rev 9:2 ESV). From that smoke came those locusts John tries to describe.

Somewhere in the twenty-two chapters of Revelation, I intend to say this, so I may as well say it now. Think about what John is trying to describe. John is on an island in Patmos, two thousand years ago. His only point of reference is animals, or maybe some old, ancient pieces of warfare. He may be seeing a nuclear war. How can he describe it? He has no reference points, so he uses things like locusts. He is desperately trying to describe what he is seeing, for example:

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 9:7-8 ESV).

What does that sound like? It sounds like the military uniforms people wear today. Again, imagine John trying to describe today's warfare, or a military conflict many years in the future. He is doing the best he can from the point of reference he knows. Look at verse 10, “They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails” (Rev 9:10 ESV). Those could be rockets or weapons John is trying to describe.

The sad part of Revelation 9 is, “They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit” (Rev 9:11 ESV), Satan himself, the destroyer.

In my journal, I mentioned a two-hundred-million-man army, “The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand” (Rev 9:16 ESV). That is two hundred million soldiers! I asked the question in one of my journals, were they demons or were they human beings? Let’s refer to my English Standard Version Study Bible footnote:

This cavalry, like the locusts from the Abyss, consists of demons. Their horses have heads like lions’ heads and tails like serpents. But God’s faithful servant can trample both of these deadly enemies underfoot. . . . The demonic horsemen kill by deluding human armies into war. Some think these 200 million troops represent a very large actual human army (ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles 2008, 2476).

The footnote leaves room for both. Regardless of what it is, it is no match for Jesus and the angels.

DIGGING DEEPER

The application from Revelation 9 comes in verses 20-21, “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” Rev 9:20-21 ESV).

As you read Revelation, what about you? Have you repented? Are you willing to give up? Are you willing to submit to Jesus Christ, the one who died for your sins? Or are you still resisting, like those who see what is happening and will not repent?

PRAYER

Father, if we still have scales on our eyes, please let them fall away as we read through the Book of Revelation. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your Word as we go through the book together. We see Your sovereignty. We see Your control. We see in this chapter that Satan cannot do anything without Your permission. You are the one true God. You are the one worthy of our worship. Break the work of our hands. Break the worship of demons and idol worship. Break sexual immorality. Break it all away from our hearts so we may see and serve You. In Jesus’ name, amen.