Revelation Lecture 12

GOD’S JUDGMENT AND THE CALL TO REPENTANCE

Revelation 9:1-21

Key Verse 9:20

1. What does John see when the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, and what is given to the star (1)? What happens when the Abyss is opened, and what power is given to the locusts (2–3)? What limits are placed on their actions, and how do people respond to their suffering (4–6)?
2. How does John describe the locusts’ appearance—their bodies, heads, faces, hair, and teeth (7–8)? What does John say about their breastplates, the sound of their wings, and their tails (9–10)? Who is their king, and what announcement follows this vision (11-12)?
3. When the sixth angel sounds his trumpet, where does the voice come from, and what does it command (13–14)? What do the army’s enormous size and the judgment upon a third of humanity communicate about the severity and limits of this judgment (15-16)?
4. How does John describe the horses and their riders (17)? How do the three plagues and the horses’ mouths and tails reveal the destructive power of this judgment (18–19)? What does the survivors’ refusal to repent reveal about the human heart (20-21)?

Revelation Lecture 12 November 1, 2026

GOD’S JUDGMENT: A CALL TO REPENTANCE

Revelation 9:1-21

Key Verse 9:20

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

The title of today’s message is “God’s Judgment: A Call to Repentance.” Revelation describes the judgments of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. As I reflected on them, I asked myself, “Why does God give us these warnings? Is it because he hates us? Is he simply acting out of anger?” No. God’s anger against sin is real, and his judgment is just. But his warnings reveal his great love for us. He wants us to repent and return to him. His warnings of judgment are also calls to repentance.

Today, we will look at the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments. How are they different from the first four? The first four strike the earth, the sea, fresh water, and the heavenly lights. People depend on all these things to live. So when they are struck, people suffer too. But the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments strike people directly. At the fifth trumpet, demonic forces torment people. At the sixth trumpet, a third of humanity is killed. These judgments are terrible. Yet the survivors still refuse to repent and turn to God. This shows us how stubborn our hearts can be.

Look at verse 1. “The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.” What happened when the fifth angel sounded his trumpet? John saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. Notice that he did not see the star falling. He saw a star that had already fallen. Who is this star? A good guy or a bad guy? Some scholars believe this star is an angel sent by God. Others believe it is Satan or one of his fallen angels. Both views have reasons behind them.

Those who believe it is an angel sent by God point to Revelation 20:1: “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.” This angel has the key to the Abyss, much like the star in today’s passage. Those who believe it is Satan or a fallen angel point to Revelation 8:10. There, a great star falls from heaven. Its name is Wormwood, and it makes the water bitter, causing many people to die. They understand the falling star to be an evil being that brings destruction upon humanity. They also point to Jesus’ words in Luke 10:18: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” They note that the angel in Revelation 20 comes down from heaven, while Satan falls from heaven. Which view do you find more convincing? At first, I thought the star was an angel sent by God. But after further study, I find the view that it represents Satan or a fallen angel more convincing. These different interpretations can make Revelation challenging to study.

But we can find one important message here. Whether the star is good or evil, God is the one who gives it the key to the Abyss. Look at verse 1 again: “The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.” Notice the passive voice: “was given.” Who gave it the key? Yes, God did. The Bible often uses the passive voice to describe what God does without naming him directly. This is called a “divine passive.” Here, it points to God as the one who gives the key. This shows us that God rules over everything that happens in this world. Even evil beings are subject to his authority. They can act only as he permits. Even judgment carried out through evil forces remains under God’s authority and within his plan.

Verse 1 mentions the Abyss. What kind of place is it? If you attended your group Bible study last week, you may already know. The Greek word means “bottomless.” In the Bible, the Abyss is described as a prison for evil spirits. In Luke 8, Jesus was about to drive demons out of a man. The demons repeatedly begged him not to send them into the Abyss (Luke 8:31). So this is a prison that even demons fear.

Now the star uses the key to open the Abyss. What happens next? Demonic forces come out. How does John describe the scene? He says, “Smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.” Imagine a huge cloud of ash rising from an erupting volcano. Look at this picture. It shows the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia in June 2025. Ash rose about six miles into the sky. In a similar way, smoke rises from the Abyss and covers the sky. John says, “The sun and sky were darkened.” The world becomes dark.

Then, out of the smoke, locusts came down on the earth. These locusts represent demonic forces pouring out of the Abyss into the world. This picture shows evil spreading through the world and causing great suffering. In ancient Israel, locusts were a devastating threat. They could devour the crops and threaten a whole community’s survival. In Exodus, locusts were the eighth of the ten plagues on Egypt. Imagine how destructive this plague must have been. The book of Joel also uses a locust plague to warn of God’s coming judgment and call his people to repentance. Even today, evil spirits are at work in our world, spreading sins and causing suffering.

These locusts “were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.” Have you ever seen a scorpion? In ancient Israel, scorpions, along with venomous snakes, were known as dangerous creatures in the wilderness. A scorpion has a venomous stinger in its tail. Its sting can cause intense pain and can even be life-threatening. The demonic forces in this vision are destructive like locusts and able to inflict pain like scorpions. But what commands were they given?

Look at verse 4. “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” These locusts were commanded not to harm plants or trees. Their target was people. But they could not attack everyone. They could harm only those who did not have God’s seal on their foreheads. This reminds us of the 144,000 who were sealed in Revelation 7:3–4. Who are they? As we learned, they represent all God’s people—those who believe in Jesus and are saved. God’s seal shows that they belong to him and are under his protection. We understand the number 144,000 symbolically: twelve times twelve times one thousand. It represents the complete people of God. Everyone who truly believes in Jesus belongs to God and is sealed with the Holy Spirit. So the people attacked by these demonic locusts are those who do not belong to Christ. God’s people are protected from this judgment, just as God protected the Israelites when he brought judgment on Egypt. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, you belong to God. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and protected from this judgment. What amazing grace God has shown us!

But these demonic attacks have limits. The locusts were not allowed to kill people. They could only torment them for five months. God did not give them permission to take human life. Still, the suffering is terrible. People “will seek death but will not find it.” They “will long to die, but death will elude them.” Their suffering is so intense that they see death as an escape. Can you imagine such deep suffering? Some people feel overwhelmed by financial pressure. The cost of living rises, and their income is not enough. Many young adults struggle to find work and worry about their future. Sometimes these burdens lead to sleepless nights. Have you ever been exhausted and desperate to sleep, yet spent the whole night tossing and turning? When suffering continues day after day, people can begin to lose hope. We must be careful here. Financial hardship, depression, and sleeplessness are not proof of demonic attack or a lack of faith. Many faithful Christians experience these struggles too. Those who suffer need our compassion, prayer, and practical support. Yet this vision reminds us that demonic evil is real and brings terrible suffering. The five months can be understood as a limited period. The suffering is severe, but God will not allow it to continue forever.

Then why does God allow these demonic forces to torment unbelievers but not kill them? We can understand this limit as an expression of God’s mercy. Through this severe judgment, he warns them and gives them time to turn to him. They still have an opportunity to repent, believe in Jesus, and be saved. When we suffer, we too should examine our hearts. If there is sin we need to repent of, let us repent and turn back to God. And when others suffer, our calling is to care for them and share the good news of Jesus, so that they may believe in him and be saved.

Verses 7–11 describe the locusts in detail. They look like horses prepared for battle. On their heads, they wear something like crowns of gold, and their faces resemble human faces. Their hair is like women’s hair, but their teeth are like lions’ teeth. Their appearance is terrifying. It brings to mind an army marching into battle. Their lion-like teeth show how fierce and destructive they are. Satan’s temptations may look attractive, but behind them lies great danger. Their king is “the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon.” These names convey destruction; Apollyon means “Destroyer.” This king leads the demonic forces in their work of destruction.

Now let’s turn to the sixth trumpet judgment. What happens when the sixth angel sounds his trumpet? Look at verses 13–14. A voice comes from the four horns of the golden altar and says to the sixth angel, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” The four angels are released, and an enormous army of mounted troops appears. The horses’ heads resemble lions’ heads. Fire, smoke, and sulfur come out of their mouths. Once again, this vision brings to mind the horrors of war. A third of humanity is killed by these three plagues—fire, smoke, and sulfur. At the fifth trumpet, the demonic forces were not allowed to kill anyone. But at the sixth trumpet, a third of humanity is killed. What does “a third” tell us? It means that two-thirds remain. Many people die under God’s judgment, but the end has not yet come. There is still time to repent. Even in this severe judgment, we see God’s mercy. He does not bring final judgment all at once. He still gives people an opportunity to repent and return to him.

How should we respond when we hear these terrifying warnings of God’s judgment? Surely, we should repent and return to God. But what do verses 20–21 tell us? Let’s read them together. “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Isn’t this shocking? Wouldn’t we expect to read, “The survivors sincerely repented and returned to God”? Instead, they continued worshiping idols, murdering, practicing magic, committing sexual immorality, and stealing. Why did they refuse to repent? Sadly, we see this pattern throughout the Bible. Before the flood, Noah built the ark and warned people about God’s coming judgment. Yet only Noah and his family entered the ark and were saved. God sent ten plagues on Egypt, but Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart. Even after losing his firstborn son and letting the Israelites go, he changed his mind and pursued them. God also sent prophets to warn his people about coming judgment. Yet again and again, they refused to listen and repent.

Why do people hear God’s warnings and even experience his judgment, yet still refuse to repent?

First, people refuse to repent because they love their sin. They are so deeply caught up in its pleasures that they do not want to let go. Think about a time when you were caught in sin. Or perhaps you are struggling with a sin right now. How do you feel when you think about giving it up? If you are caught up in sexual immorality, you may not want to give up the pleasure. If you enjoy playing mobile games all night and neglecting your responsibilities, you may not want to stop. If you make money through gambling or dishonest means, you may not want to give up that easy money. If you enjoy gossiping about others, you may not want to stop. If lying and deceiving people gives you an advantage, you may not want to give it up. We may know that our sin is wrong, yet still love what it gives us.

Second, people refuse to repent because they do not take God’s warnings seriously. God is patient. He has not yet brought final judgment on the world because he is giving sinners time to repent. But some people mistake his love and patience for a promise that judgment will never come. They assume it will not happen in their lifetime. They think, “I can repent just before I die.” But do we really have that much control over our lives? We do not know when we will die. When I was kidnapped in Venezuela, I realized that my life could end right there. So the first thing I did was repent. By God’s grace, I was released, and I am still alive today. But none of us knows what might happen or when our lives might suddenly end. That is why we must repent now, while we have the opportunity.

Third, people refuse to repent because their hearts have grown hard. They have become numb to sin. At first, they feel guilty when they sin. But they ignore their conscience and keep on sinning. Over time, that sense of guilt begins to fade. Their conscience becomes like skin scarred by a hot iron—it can no longer feel. Eventually, they sin without feeling guilty. Even when they hear God’s warnings of judgment, they think, “That doesn’t apply to me.”

Then how can we hear God’s warnings and truly repent? We cannot repent by our own strength. We need the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts. When we hear God’s warnings of judgment, we should humbly kneel before him. We should ask the Holy Spirit to show us our sins and convict us. We should ask him to give us humble hearts that grieve over our sin. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our sins and leads us to repent and return to God. Through the blood of Jesus, God forgives us and washes us clean. He restores our broken relationship with him.

Who is our God? 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God does not want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to repent and be saved. In his patience, he gives us more time to turn to him. This is God’s heart. Even in his warnings of judgment, we must hear his call to return. He loves us deeply and longs for us to come back to him. Hosea 11:8 says, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.” These words reveal God’s deep love for his people. He does not give up on them lightly. This same God calls us to return to him today. I pray that we may humbly come before him, repent, and be restored. Amen.