Last Tuesday was so bitterly cold, you know, so what a day in Iowa for this January day I Have a lot to cover today. I don't think I'll take quite as long as my daughter usually does but I'll take a little longer than I normally do. So thank you for your grace during these times. I think from now on, our passages that we'll be covering will be a little bit shorter. So maybe we'll get a little bit shorter. I don't know. But we'll see. But if you're like me, you find Revelation anything but boring. So I just trust that God will use his word today in our lives and challenge us in our thinking. So let's pray. Father, we are grateful for your word. And some things are tough, Lord. They really are. And I pray that you would give us understanding today. I pray that you would be honored and glorified. I pray that we would learn to know you better. And I just ask, Lord, that you would, by your Holy Spirit, teach us each what you would have us to learn. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. I want to start off with mentioning the story that I got off the web. Franklin Graham had put it on there. As we go through prophecy, we want to look at sometimes current events that are applicable to prophecy study. And I found this very interesting, as Franklin Graham did. I didn't print out the whole thing. It's a 14-page article, and I didn't. So I just printed out the headline. But it says, a Swedish company has created a microchip that allows users to carry their COVID vaccine passport under their skin. So doesn't that sound like? something we're going to see in Revelation. So, you know, all of this stuff in Revelation is not just going to come on us suddenly. We're getting used to these types of things. You know, I mentioned even in a past lesson, the cashless society, we use our debit cards and don't even think about it. So we're getting used to those things. Well, we have three chapters to cover today. And there's so many interesting things in these. So let's get started. We're in Revelation chapter 8. We're going to start there. We're going to the trumpet judgments during these chapters. Let me read Revelation 8, verse 1. When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I want to stop right there for a second. You know, there's a really old joke out there that men used to love to tell that said, you know, this proves that there's no women in heaven because there's silence in heaven for a half hour. So I hate that joke, not just because it's stupid, because I know a whole lot of men that can talk a whole lot longer than some women. My husband was one of them. But it also makes light of a Time that I believe is a very sober and somber time in heaven. You know, just think about that. Silence in all of heaven for a half hour. We heard from scripture where the angels were constantly singing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. They're giving him praise all the time. And there's myriads of believers there. And total silence for a half hour? That is incredible. You know, if I ask for total silence in this room, how do you think, how long do you think we could go? Somebody move in their chair or coughing or leaving your coffee alone, which ain't happening. You know, it would just be really hard to do. But with all these millions of believers, all these angels, there's silence in heaven for a half hour. And that shows me that something ominous is about to happen. I read somewhere that silence is the only correct response to judgment. In Psalm 76, 8 it says, from heaven you pronounce judgment and the land feared and was quiet. Now I'm going to go down a little bit of a rabbit trail here, forgive me for that. But I want you to consider something. And what I want to share with you is my opinion. Remember, we said sometimes we would be sharing our opinions on something. I want to make that clear. I believe this opinion is based on scripture. But I don't care if you agree with me or not. It doesn't matter to me. But perhaps it'll give you something to think about. I've heard some people say that they do not believe that when we get to heaven, We're going to know anything that goes on on the earth. Their argument is, well, why would we want to? We're in heaven. We're enjoying heaven, which I can understand. But I disagree with that take. I think that we will be aware of what is going on in the earth. Let me show you some scripture that I think proves that point. This is one. Do you think all of a sudden everybody's quiet and looking around saying, what are we quiet for? I don't know. You know, that doesn't make any sense to me. We'll know what's going on, that God's plan is being carried out on the earth, that it's an ominous time, and that it deserves the quietness that we give it. I also think of Revelation chapter 6. That goes to show when those saints that were beneath the throne asked God, how long? How long is it going to take place on Earth until you make it right? They were aware of what was going on on the Earth. They didn't have their memories erased when they got to heaven. They were quite aware of it. Another scripture that I think of is Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration. Do you think they got down there and said to Jesus, oh, hi, what's going on? No, they were here to minister to him. Jesus said that he came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Moses represented the law. Elijah represented the prophets. They knew he was fulfilling scripture. They knew God's plan that he was going to the cross. They came to minister to him. They knew what was happening. Also, we've talked about when the rapture happened and the souls of the saints that have gone ahead of us come back with Jesus to be reunited with their glorified bodies. Don't you think they'll know why they're coming? It'll be an exciting time for them. They'll know what's happening. And at the end of Revelation, when we come back with Jesus on white horses for the second coming, and he wins that great victory, and we don't have to lift a finger, but we get to go, Don't you think we'll be aware? I mean, we know from scripture that we're going to do that. Why would we forget that when we're in heaven? We'll know what's going on, that his plan is being carried out. And this is it. It's the final. But I want to make you please understand this part of it here. I want to make this very clear. Do I believe that we're on a white cloud and shoving a little part apart and just gazing down on earth all the time? No, absolutely not. We're enjoying the glories of heaven. But I believe that we will be aware of God's plan and what he reveals to us. It'll make perfect sense to us. And we will know that he is just in all that he does. You know, gals, I think we need to remember that when we get to heaven, we will know things from God's perspective, and it will make all the difference to us. Down here, we don't always see that, but up there, we will. And like I said, I believe we know God's plan, but as far as constantly gazing down here on Earth, I don't think that happens at all. And I know they're well-meaning people, and people have said to me, you know, Cecil is with you all the time, or he's watching you all the time. And I know they mean well, but I think, ooh, that would be enough. My life is pretty mundane. What does Cecil want to do? Watch Nancy sleep for seven hours if I'm lucky? Or talk to Daniel? I mean, hello? You know, no. It's not that we're with our loved ones, watching them all the time. It's in general, we know God's plan, what is being carried out. And we know that. And I'll be the first to admit, I don't know what it'll be like in heaven. I'll have surprises, I know, waiting for me. And I'll be honest, sometimes there are events that take place on earth like When my grandkids get baptized, sometimes I ask the Lord, Lord, I don't know if this is possible. But if it's possible, could you open a little window in heaven and let Jesus see this amazing event? Whether God allows that or not, I do not know. That's up to God. But I trust his plan. So I hope that's understandable. It's not that we are watching everything. But we just know that God is carrying out his plan. And as we have silence in heaven, we're understanding that. OK. Again, my opinion, I don't care if you agree with me or not, just something for you to think about. Let's read Revelation chapter 8, verses 2 through 5. It says, and I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel who had a golden censer came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth. And there came peals of thunder, rumbles, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake." So this is the beginning of the seven trumpet judgments. And it begins an incredible time here on this earth. Notice that these seven angels stand before God. And they were given these trumpets. We know from scripture that there are different groups of angels. It talks about the seraphim, the cherubim, the archangels. And whichever seven these are, it doesn't tell us what group they are, they stand before God. Now, it is interesting to me. that when Gabriel was sent with the message to Zachariah to tell him about the birth of his son, John the Baptist, Gabriel says in Luke chapter 1 verse 19, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. So perhaps Gabriel was one of these angels that was given a trumpet. I don't know. But before they blow the trumpet, something else is done. Another angel takes the golden censer with incense and the prayers of the saints, and those went up before God, and then the angel takes it and hurls it to the earth, which causes the thunder, the lightning, etc. Now, we don't have time to go much in depth here, but these verses are reminiscent of what took place in the Jewish earthly temple. Let me read to you Luke chapter 1, verses 8 through 10. This is about Zechariah again. It said, once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by Lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshippers were praying outside. So these two things went together, the prayers and the burning of incense. And throwing this under earth symbolizes that God is now answering the prayers of those tribulation saints who say, how long, Lord, is it going to be? And those prayers are being answered. So let's read Revelation chapter 8, verses 6 through 12. I'm going to take a sip of water here, excuse me. My mouth gets so dry. Okay, starting at verse 6. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. A third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night." Now, there are some things to note in these verses. The first three trumpets affect the Earth itself, With the first trumpet, hail and fire are mixed with blood, and they come down and burn one third of the earth, and all the green grass is burned up. Now, we really can't imagine what that will do to our environment. It will be incredible. The environmentalists will be devastated, and with good reason. And I do want to mention something here that might seem like a contradiction to you. It says that all the green grass is burned up. But then when we go to chapter 9, verse 4, you'll notice that it says, they were told not to harm the grass of the earth. So is that a contradiction? No, it's not. There are very two possible explanations for this that make total sense. The first explanation would be, Around the globe is all the grass green at once. My grass is pretty brown right now. There's no green grass because it's winter here. The opposite side of the globe, there is green grass. So that grass would be burned up. Another explanation could be that by the time chapter 9, verse 4 comes, the grass has recovered from being burned up. Thankfully, it doesn't take grass to come back. You know, if you'd have looked at my lawn in July this past year with the drought, it was all brown. There was nothing there. And then we got those nice rains, and all of a sudden I was mowing again. The grass was green, so it doesn't take it long to come back. It was greener actually in August than it was in any other time. So those are two possible explanations for that that could explain that. Well, the second trumpet comes. Something like a huge mountain is thrown into the sea, and it says a third of the sea is turned to blood, a third of all the sea is dead, a sea life, and a third of the ships are destroyed. Now, we don't know for certain if this was literal blood or not. Either way, it really doesn't matter. Scholars kind of go back and forth on this. It is interesting to me that there is such a thing now where the sea can turn red. In fact, I was Googling that and found this. It just happened in September of this past year. It says, pool of water near the Dead Sea turns blood red, authorities investigating. And you can see, I'm not a PowerPoint person, sorry ladies. This is the best I can do. But you can see that the water is really red. They called it blood red. So there are natural things, chemical reactions that can make the water turn red. Maybe whatever this huge mountain is causes that chemical reaction or maybe it's really blood. I don't know. It really doesn't matter. Either way, it doesn't matter. Whatever it is, the results are devastating. Just think of all the stench from all those dead sea creatures, a third of them. And I hope you're not on a cruise at that time, because a third of the ships are taken out too. It's going to be a terrible time. The third trumpet affects the freshwater. A third of our freshwater source becomes poisonous, and many people die from that. And then the fourth trumpet affects our atmospheric heavens. A third of the sun and the moon and the stars go dark. What happens when things go dark? Well, for one thing, crime increases, chaos. There's looting and all that kind of thing. But it also has a ripple effect on nature. And we've already seen from the first three trumpets that nature is pretty much devastated. But the moon affects the tides of the ocean, which is already in a mess because of the previous trumpet. Temperatures will plunge. You won't have to worry about global warming then, because if a third of the sun is gone, it's going to be pretty cold for people. So it will be... a crazy time. We just can't begin to fathom how one thing will affect another. It'll just be like a ripple effect on our environment. I want to go down another little rabbit trail here, not long, but sometimes when I'm studying scripture, you know, you think, how is anybody going to survive this? I mean, it is incredible what is going to happen. But it got me to thinking about something. Do you remember December 15th here in Le Mars? Crazy, we were under a tornado warning. Unheard of for December. And laugh at me if you want to, but I put some things down in my safe room that I did not want to lose. And I wanted to keep safe. Why did I do that? Because just a few days earlier, I saw the news report of Mayfield, Kentucky. Totally gone. I mean, those poor people, I've been praying for them. I just look at those pictures and I think, where would you even begin to rebuild and clean this stuff up? And it made me think that, what makes me think that it can't happen here? It could, you know? So I got prepared. So we know that after the rapture occurs, There will be a bit of time between the rapture and when the Antichrist comes into power. Those people that have maybe heard our testimony but thought we were crazy and all of a sudden we're gone at the rapture, they realize that what we spoke was true. They become believers. They're studying scripture. Don't you think these people, when they read that someday they're going to have to have a chip or whatever to buy food, Mark of the Beast, and stuff like that, that we will get to eventually, don't you think they're going to be going to Sam's Club? I know I would be, and stocking up on some stuff. You know, maybe they do it as a group. Maybe a group of them become believers. And they say, you get this, you get that. They're starting to get prepared. And even that, not many will survive, but I think they will probably make some preparations. So Revelation chapter 8 verse 13, it says, as I watched an eagle, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice. Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth because of the trumpet blast about to be sounded by the other three angels. Now, woe is used in scripture as an expression of judgment and condemnation. And there's three trumpets left, and there's three woes given. So another warning. Now, the first four trumpets that we just saw were on the earth in the atmospheric heavens. But the next two are directly on man. And just as the seventh seal opened up the seventh judgment, or trumpets, the seventh trumpet will open up the seven bowls that we will get to later. So they're not done with judgments yet. Chapter nine of Revelation is an incredible chapter. Frankly, I've had a hard time getting this chapter out of my mind after studying it. It is unbelievable. I cannot imagine what it will be like. It will be a time unlike any other that mankind has ever seen. Let's read Revelation chapter 9, verses 1 through 6. It says 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. When he opened the abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 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. They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of a sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days, men will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will elude them. That is a sobering passage of scripture. It starts out that we see in verses one and two that the abyss, in other places that is called the bottomless pit or the pit, that is opened up. The star that had fallen from the sky here That is a reference to a fallen angel or to a demon. It might be Satan himself, or it might be another high-ranking demon. I believe just as angels have ranks, probably demons do too, and we'll see that a little bit more clearly eventually. And we don't have totally time to go down another rabbit trail, but I want you to understand in Scripture there are places where angels are called stars. You have to use the context. When Satan rebelled against God, Scripture tells us that a third of the angels followed Satan, and at that moment in time they became demons. Now, there is a spiritual warfare going on between these two forces ever since that time, the demons and God's holy angels. But at this time on the earth, it's going to reach a whole new level. It will be unlike any other time. And gals, I just want to say here that I get weary of Christians, even Christians, lots of times it's not Christians, just generally people, you hear it all the time, who say that when someone dies, or a believer even dies, that God needed another angel in heaven. No, no, no. For one thing, God does not need anything. Secondly, we do not become angels when we die. The angels are already created beings. They're there. We do not become angels. Do not get your theology from It's a Wonderful Life, or A Christmas Carol, or Oprah, or anything else. The little bell rang, so somebody's becoming, getting their wings, you know. Fun stories to watch. But don't base your theology on them. Base your theology on the Word of God. So this demon opens the abyss. And smoke comes out that darkens what is left of the sun in the sky and these locusts come out. It's described as locusts because of the swarming nature of these demons. There are thousands of them. And they come out and perhaps you've seen pictures of years ago when there's swarms of locusts that come out and the devastation they cause. And that is the picture that God is giving us here. These demons come out by the thousands and they are bringing destruction with them. Now we know these are demons because the bottomless pit or the abyss is referred to seven times in Revelation and it is always in reference to the abode of imprisoned demons. That's what it is. Now there are plenty of demons around today, but some have already been sent by God into the abyss. Why would God do that? He did that because they went beyond the boundary lines that God had set for them. I want you to listen to these two verses, 2 Peter 2, verse 4. It says, if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment. And then Jude, verse 6. says, and the angels who did not keep their positions of authority, but abandoned their own home. These he has kept in darkness bound with everlasting chain chains for judgment on the great day. So there are angels that went past the boundary lines that God had for them. And God sent them into the abyss. Now, We see that even in the scripture we're reading now that they're told they can't harm the grass, et cetera. God sets boundary lines for them. We see this clearly in Job chapter 1. When Satan is before God and wants to attack Job, the first time God says to Job, OK, but you cannot touch his body. The second time God says to Job, OK, you can touch his body, but you can't take his life. So there were limitations. And Satan was smart enough to know that he better not go past that. So he didn't. But some demons, though, did overstep the line that God had for them, and he threw them to the abyss. Now, do demons still fear that today? I believe they do. Remember the story in Luke chapter 8 when Jesus freed that poor man from legions of demons It said I can't imagine what that would have been like that that were possessing him What did it say in verse 31? It says that the demons kept begging Jesus not to throw them into the abyss So it's still possible today that if they go beyond the limits that God has for them They can get thrown into the abyss So a group of these demons are released from the abyss. And notice the wording. It says, they were given power. But also, they were not given power to kill them. Now, it also says that Christians are protected by God from these demons, which is a blessing for them. But I want you to just think about this for a second. We talked about in an earlier lesson that when the rapture comes, the Holy Spirit's restraining has gone away from the earth. It's taken away. Now, he is still saving people. People can't be saved during that time without the Holy Spirit doing a work in their lives. He's still doing that. But as far as restraining evil in the world, that has been taken away. And then all these demons. who have been locked up or let loose. The world has never seen evil like it will see during this time. And these demons are given power to torture the unbelieving people of the world for five months. Can you imagine? That's a long time. Has anybody ever been stung by a scorpion? I hope not. You know, and verse six, I want to focus on that a minute. It is incredible. It says, during those days, men will seek death, but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will elude them. In those five months, there will be untold physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual agony, and it will drive them to the brink. Now maybe some of you have experienced severe depression. I think probably all of us have experienced it to one degree or another in our lives. But imagine where everyone on Earth except the believers, is there all at once. No family member, no counselor, no neighbor to lift you out of your slump, because they're right there with you. Everyone is in that condition. They're so desperate that they want to die, but they can't. God won't allow it. Now, imagine all of the people too, they're going to be suicidal. It's just crazy to think about. I can't wrap my mind around that. And no matter what they do, they can't get it accomplished. Whether they try pills or shooting themselves or jumping off a cliff or cutting themselves, I don't know. It just won't work. As I was studying this chapter, I was thinking, and it's just something I thought about, how is that going to look? For example, if someone wanted to shoot themselves, will they get the shot off and the shot just won't kill them? Or will God jam the gun and they're not able to do it? I don't know how God's going to do it, but either way, they want to kill themselves and they can't because God won't allow it. Do you believe that your days are in God's hands? Job 12 10 says in his life, in his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. That's a comforting verse to hang on to. And gals, I don't want you to miss all the times in these three chapters alone where we see that God is in control. He's in control over Satan. He's in control over the demons. He's in control over the people. He's in control over the world. He's in control over us. And that is a comfort. If you believe in the sovereignty of God. It makes such a difference in how you see life. It really does. It's not that there's not hardships along the way. There are certain things in life that bring us tears, and we wonder why it has to happen. But if you, to the core of your being, believe in the sovereignty of God and that he has a purpose for everything, it will make a difference in how you look and view life. Well, we'll move on to the description of these demons in Revelation chapter 9, verses 7 through 11. It says, the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads, they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lion's teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the abyss whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon. Okay, I'm not going to spend a lot of time here on this description because we don't have time and for another, I can't even begin to describe. But I do want you to notice how often John used the word like. He uses that seven times here. In other words, he is seeing something that he's just grasping at a way to try to describe it. It was just hard for him. So he was using the word like. We do the same thing. Sometimes when you hear people like describe a tornado, they say it was like a train. We know it's not a train, but that's the only thing they can associate with it. So when John uses it was like, that's what he's trying to come up with something that it reminds him of. I want you to notice verse 11. It says that they had a king over them. the angel of the abyss. Now this king, some think that it is Satan and it could be, but I tend to agree with those who think that is another high-ranking demon. I think that because this demon is referred to as the angel of the abyss and Satan is not there yet. He will be someday, but he's not yet. So since this demon is described as the angel of the abyss, I believe that it is another high-ranking demon. Okay. The name of this angel is Abaddon or Apollyon, which means destroyer, which is what demons do. Let's read Revelation 9 verse 12. The first woe is past. Two other woes are yet to come, which is not good news for the earth. Let's go on to Revelation 9, verses 13 through 16. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was 200 million. I heard their number." Now I realize sometimes, especially in Revelation, that terms can be confusing. And this is really where you need to use the context to figure out who John is talking about. The angel who blew the sixth trumpet, that is a good angel. Remember that those angels that stand before God were given the trumpets. So that is a good angel. Now the four angels it says who released, these are fallen angels or demons. How do we know that? Well, because these angels are bound. You never see referred to in scripture, the good angels bound because they don't need to be. They perfectly carry out God's will and do his bidding. They are there to serve him. But demons are sometimes found like the others were in the abyss. These are bound. So these are demons. Notice verse 15 again, it's the sovereignty of God. It was to this very year, month, day and hour. That is incredible to me, that these angels have been kept. This is the hour that they're supposed to be released. Talk about the sovereignty of God. He has a perfect plan, even down to the very hour, it says. Now notice too that they're bound by the river Euphrates, which is interesting, that's the Middle East. That is the hotbed for prophecy. Why? Because Israel is there and Satan wants to destroy that little nation of Israel. So these are by the river Euphrates. Many scholars believe that these four particular demons could be the ones that are designated for certain nations. That's a fascinating study that we don't have time to get into. But Daniel gives us a little glimpse into that realm. It's interesting. Our physical eyes are blinded to that. But there are certain demons that are influencing other certain countries. Daniel talks about in Daniel chapter 10, verses 20 and 21, he talks about the Prince of Persia. which was a demon, a prince of Greece. And it talks about Michael, which we know is a good angel. He is the prince of Israel. So these particular demons or angels have influence over earthly realms. And I found it interesting, you know, this is just their speculation, but I thought it interesting that some of the commentaries that I read, some scholars believe that these four demons might have been the four demons that were prophesied about by Daniel of the four kingdoms. of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, that these were the four demons that were influencing those countries. I don't know. But whoever they are, they are powerful. And they have a huge army available to them. Notice verse 16. There's 200 million. I can't wrap my mind around that. That's a big army. And I like what John says. He says, I heard their number. Like John is saying, I know you're not going to believe me, but I heard their number. It was 200 million. That's a lot. So let's read Revelation 9 verses 17 through 19. The horses and riders I saw in my vision look like this. Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. Now, there's another debate among scholars, this 200 million, is that an army of demons or is that a real human army where John is trying to describe modern warfare? And the truth is, I don't know. I kind of lean toward a demonic army being the way they're described, but I honestly don't know. We really don't need to know. The important thing is that in the Fifth Trumpet judgment, where men long to die and they couldn't get it done, this army brings death with a vengeance. A third of the remaining population on earth is wiped out. That is a whole lot of people. And let's read verses 20 and 21, man's kind response to this. It says, the rest of mankind that 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, 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. Unbelievable. After all this, they still will not repent of the following things, worshiping demons, Satan worship is happening in our world today, gals. Don't think it's not. It is. It's a very real thing, and it will increase during the end times. Worshiping idols. We all have to be careful about that, getting something that gives us priority instead of God. Murders, they wouldn't repent of those. Human life is not sacred to many now, but it is going to be worse at that time. It will be less sacred to them. Magic arts, they would not repent of those. The Greek word is what we get our word pharmacy from, so it refers to drugs. It refers also to incantations and charms and all that kind of thing that goes with magic arts. They wouldn't repent of sexual immorality. Well, we are well down that road. And then they would not repent of thefts. It will be at an all-time high. And probably a lot of it will be done in the name of survival. I think with the earth going through what it was, people are going to think, that's no big deal. I need this to survive. So they're just going to steal like crazy. So sobering chapter, let's go on to chapter 10. Short, good thing. Let's read Revelation chapter 10, verses 1 through 4. Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven say, seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." This angel is indeed mighty. And it is a good angel because it says he's coming down from heaven. He's not thrown down from heaven. He's coming down from heaven. He's sent by God. And we won't get into his description much here. But gals, let me just say that I hate it that the rainbow has stolen by a certain group. You know, when people hear rainbow now, they think of that instead of just a beautiful symbol from God. Well, enough said about that. But some have speculated that this is Jesus himself, but it can't be because the term another is used. Jesus is not another. He is the one and only. So when it says another angel, it means another angel as mighty as this angel is. Having one foot on the sea and one foot on the land not only shows his might, but symbolizes that God rules over the land and the sea. He rules over the whole earth. And his shout was like a roar of a lion. In other words, it was loud. And after that shout, seven thunders spoke. And John heard what the seven thunders said, and it says he was about to write it down, and God says, don't. Seal it up. Don't write it down. Which is interesting. That's what John has been told to do all through Revelation. I have the references written down, but we're not going to take the time to tell you every reference, but twelve times. In Revelation, when John sees a vision, God says, write it down, write it down. He wants us to know. But here, John sees this and God says, seal it up. Don't write it down. Why does God do that? Well, we really don't know. It's interesting to me that one other time, God revealed something to someone but then said, don't write it down. It's in Daniel chapter eight, verses 26 and 27. I'd like to read these for you. Daniel eight, 26 and 27. The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision for it concerns the distant future. I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision. It was beyond understanding." Such an interesting passage of scripture. Notice that it says in Daniel that the vision he saw, God says, was in the distant future. Scholars believe that he too was given a vision of the tribulation time. And notice Daniel's reaction. It made him physically ill for days. It appalled him. It was beyond his understanding, it says. Now, I just want to say this here. It must have seemed incredible to them, I'm talking about Daniel and John, to see a vision of the tribulation. I mean, we, in our day and age, can see some of the possibilities, just like we saw about the chip. You know, we see that possibility. But to them, in their day and age, it must have seemed incredible. And even though we can see it may be clear, some of these things, Yet there are many, even among Christians, who consider revelation to be unreal. They read these kinds of chapters and think, come on, an army of demons. I mean, come on, this is not real. It's just symbolic and stuff like that. Gals, if you get nothing out of today, I want you to understand that this is not science fiction. God does not go there. He doesn't go down that road. It is real. It is God's Word. And it may play out a little bit different than what we understand. Like Daniel said, it was beyond my understanding. Some of this is beyond my understanding, too. But it's going to happen because God's Word said it is. Whatever it was that John heard, he didn't write it down. This is Nancy Yoder coming out. Sometimes I think, when I die and go to heaven, can I go to Daniel and John and say, OK, what did he say? Inquiring minds want to know. And maybe by then we'll know. I don't know. But it'll be interesting to know if we ever know what God told him not to write down. Revelation 10, verses 5 through 7. Let's read those. Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven, and he swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, there will be no more delay. But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants, the prophets. The angel declares that the end is in sight. It's almost there. No more delay. God's plan, which is God's mystery, his plan will be revealed. It will be accomplished. And it's a good thing, too, because remember what Jesus said in Matthew 24, 22. He said that if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. And so God is going to cut those days short. Revelation 10, verses 8 through 11. Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more. Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land. So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey. I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, you must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. You know, there are times when scripture just makes me laugh. And this is one of those places. Notice that the voice from heaven, which was probably God, says to John, take the scroll. And notice what it says about John. Then I ask him to give me the little scroll. It's like, you know, you see this mighty angel, and John's told, go take the scroll. And he goes, um, I don't think so. Could you please hand me the scroll? And the angel in that loud voice says, take it. So he takes it, and he eats it. And it's sweet in his mouth, but sour in his stomach. And I liked what John MacArthur in his commentary mentioned about this. He said, you know, that is a perfect picture of God's plan. His plan is perfect. It is just. It is sweet. But there's often some bitterness with it too. There's suffering. There's hardship. We see this on this earth. Christ on the cross is a perfect example of that. It was God's perfect plan. It was so sweet because it brought us salvation. But boy, the suffering that it brought to Christ was incredible. And you know, gals, that can be how we often look at the end times as Christians. I really look forward to the rapture. I don't know if I'll be alive at that time or not. But I think it would be awesome just to be caught up together with the Lord in the air. I look forward to that. It's going to be so sweet. But there's also some bitterness with it. Maybe some extended family members that don't know the Lord or friends and neighbors that don't know him and we know they're going to be left and we'll have to go through the tribulation. So there's bitterness with it, too. But, you know, sometimes when I'm praying, I tell the Lord that If it takes the tribulation for those that I love to turn to Christ, it would be worth it. Better seven years of this than an eternity apart from him. So it's not wrong to pray that and say whatever it takes, Lord, for them to find you, let them find you. Well, gals, I know these are tough chapters. It is a time unlike any other. And we as mankind, and I mean the whole of mankind, have taken great measures to declare that God is love, and he is. But we often avoid his holiness, and he is also holy. And that is the attribute that the angel always talking about in heaven. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. Mankind wants to conveniently forget that. God has said from the very beginning, that there will be a day of judgment for sin. And in these chapters, we see it finally come. He is just in what he does. Don't ever think that he isn't. Nobody, even those tribulation saints that were under the throne of God, didn't say, God, you were not fair. That was too hard. No, they knew he was just, and he was right, and it was deserved. So I just pray that you would remember that. He is love, but he is also holy. And there will be a judgment day that will come someday. And take comfort in the sovereignty of God. We saw it so many times in these chapters. I pray that these chapters will give us the zeal to pray for and be a witness to those that we know that are lost. And in my closing prayer, I'm going to use something The last Bible study I did, it was by Priscilla Schrier, and she talked about a book that she had called The Valley of Vision. She said when she's really going through a hard time and can't seem to word prayers by herself, that she often pulls out this book and just reads the prayers. And so I bought it, and every morning after my Bible reading, I just read one. I changed the these and the thous to my language. And some of the words I had to look up in the dictionary. There's been a couple things that I wondered, oh, the theology of that maybe I don't quite agree with. But it has been a blessing to me and parts of it I write down in a journal in my own language of prayers that I can use for myself. And this morning when I finished my Bible reading and I read this prayer, tears just came to my eyes because I thought how appropriate for us to close today with this. Because of what Christ did for us, if you are a believer in him, he took the wrath on the cross. You don't have to go through this wrath. Like people do what a blessing we have in christ, and I just pray as I read this as our closing prayer But that will touch your heart in your mind Got tears in me. I don't hope I can see it my father At calvary grace removes my burdens and heaps them on your son made a transgressor a curse a sin for me Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy Cast off that I might be brought in Trotting down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend Surrendered to hell's worse that I might attain heaven's best Stripped that I might be closed Wounded that I might be healed a thirst that I might drink, tormented that I might be comforted, made ashamed that I might inherit glory, entered darkness that I might have eternal light. My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes, groaned that I might have endless song, endured all pain that I might have unfading health, bore a thorny crown that I might have a diadem, bowed his head that I might uplift mine, experienced reproach that I might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired, that I might forever live. Oh, Father, who spared not your only son, that you might spare me. Help me to adore you by lips and life. Oh, that my every breath might be a static praise. Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed. Sin buried in an ocean of reconciling blood. Hell's gates closed, heaven's portal open. Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort, and save. Amen.