The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Mighty Angels of Revelation 9 Unheeded

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Revelation 9
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

A Puzzling Reaction

Nathan Jones: As amazing and fantastical as this Sixth Trumpet Judgment is, ironically enough it’s not as crazy as the reactions of the people to this judgment. We read in Revelation 9:20-21:

“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Those who survived watching demonic monsters kill another third of the world’s population did not run to God in repentance for help. We are now 13 judgments into the Tribulation. Most of the world has been destroyed, and half of the people around them have been burned alive. And yet, these people still refuse to repent of their rebellion against God and give their lives over to Jesus Christ. After all they’ve gone through, how can that be?

Vic Batista: It’s mind-boggling that these people would rather continue to worship idols and take drugs and steal and murder instead of calling out to God for help. Verse 21 uses the word for sorcery, meaning in the Greek pharmakeia, and that’s where we get the word for drug use.

Nathan Jones: Yes, a pharmacy is where you get your drugs. Sorcery is magic, and it has a lot of practices using herbs and drugs. The old idea of the witch stirring the cauldron, well she is making pharmaceuticals. She is making drugs.

So we are learning that the people during that particular time period during the Tribulation and who are not already saved would rather hold onto killing people, being drug addicts, being sexually immoral (referring to sex outside of marriage), stealing from each other, and worshiping demons which the idols represent. They have so hardened their hearts that they cannot accept Jesus Christ, even though the world is being destroyed around them. They will not give up their sins. To me that boggles my mind more than four, giant, murderous, dragon demons running amuck across the earth.

Vic Batista: People need to recognize what drugs and alcohol do to people, and what not having a relationship with God does to people. Addictions blind people past the point of human reasoning.

Vic Batista: #Addictions blind people past the point of human reasoning. Click To Tweet

Nathan Jones: True, their reaction shows how depraved we as humans beings can become when we hold on to our sins. I think of sin as a moldy, green penny that you find in a parking lot. People hold onto that penny so tightly. Meanwhile, God will give you the riches of the treasures of His life — billions of dollars’ worth — it is truly priceless really, and yet people will hold their fists as tight as they can over that moldy old penny. One’s sin is hardly worth a moldy old penny, and yet they prefer that over the spiritual riches of Jesus Christ.

Vic Batista: People shouldn’t hold onto that moldy old penny, for God has so many wonderful riches that are found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Hopefully people will come to see how much God loves them and wants them to come to Christ and allow His perfect love to rule over their lives.

Instead, so many people during the Tribulation will choose a different ruler. He will be a dictator. Whoever doesn’t bow down to him the Bible says will cost them their lives.

If someone today doesn’t have a relationship with the Lord, how they can begin that relationship?

Nathan Jones: Jesus says in John 10:10: “The thief only comes to steal, and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it in full.” When Jesus is talking about the thief, He is talking about Satan. Satan comes to steal our joy, to steal our love, and to steal our chance at forgiveness. Jesus comes by giving His life so that we can have life, and we can have life to the fullest. We gain that life actually by giving our lives over to Jesus Christ. We have to surrender. “Enough! I cannot run my life. I cannot live this way anymore. I have to give it over to Jesus Christ.”

To surrender control over to Jesus, we pray from our hearts, “Dear, Jesus, please forgive me of my sins and be my Savior.” Jesus promises He will forgive us our sins. He will cleanse us of our guilt. He will give us a new life. Once saved we can have hope for the future, and eternal life with our Savior.

The Power of Prayer

Vic Batista: As we study Revelation 9, I’m reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:26. Paul wrote talking about those people who are being held captive and blinded by their hatred of the Lord, “…that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” Through prayer we can set those captives free. When we pray God unleashes His angels to go and fight and work on our behalf.

Nathan Jones: One of my favorite scenes from the movie God’s Not Dead is of the grandmother who has become senile. She has a son who is quiet evil and very stuck on himself. He has finally come to visit her at home and is kind of mocking her a little. He says, “You believe in Jesus, but you are senile and you can’t even think straight. I’ve got it all. I have a wonderful life. How could that be?” Then, all of the sudden, you can tell that God is speaking through the grandmother because she is clear and alert. She explains that our sin is like a comfortable cage. The door is wide open and we only have to step out to escape. At some point that door will be closed and we will never have the chance to escape it again. That is what sin is like. Sin is like a comfortable cage. It makes us feel good at times. It gives us what we want. But, there’s a price to pay, and that price is eternal death.

Nathan Jones: #Sin's like a comfortable cage. Makes us feel good, but the price is death. Click To Tweet

The cage is open and Jesus Christ is beckoning to you. Come, He is ready to rescue you out of that cage. It’s so sad that so many don’t want to leave their cage of sin. They want to hold onto that moldy penny, even when the riches of Christ Jesus stand right outside of that door beckoning them.

Vic Batista: Believers in Jesus also have a responsibility to pray. We should pray for those individuals who are blinded by their own sin. We know that the Enemy has taken many of them captive. According to Ephesians 6, Paul says that we should pray for them. One of the greatest weapons that we have at our disposal is prayer. Prayer can reach people all around the world instantly.

Nathan Jones: There is power in prayer. We don’t personally have the power, but we intercede on behalf of other people when we bring our prayer requests to the Lord. The Holy Spirit the Bible says interprets with words that are like groans which cannot be expressed. The Holy Spirit shares our prayers with the Father. Jesus Christ is our intercessor who shares those prayer requests, and then the power comes from God to do or not to do according on His perfect will.

There is power in prayer. If there is something going on in our lives that we are really struggling with, we need to lift whatever that is up to the Lord and pray.

When I get the opportunity to teach kids, I teach them this acronym: P-Pray, R-Repent, A-Act, and Y-Yield. I try in my own prayers to practice all four of those. Praise the Lord, repent of my sins, ask for your daily bread meaning needs, and yield to God’s will in your life.

Vic Batista: Acronyms sure make God’s lessons simpler for us to be able to remember and teach.

When we pray, we intercede. When we go before the Lord, God does wonderful things. Honestly, it’s a spiritual battle where there are angelic forces at work carrying out God’s will.

Jesus said in Matthew 17:21, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” He was talking about a young man who was demon possessed and experienced epileptic seizures. Sometimes when we pray we may have to take our prayers a step further, and so we fast as well. The Holy Spirit works and God sends out His mighty angels to work on our behalf.

Nathan Jones: Sure, and God might use His angels as His messengers, servants to do His work, but there are times when God Himself steps in. For instance, we read in Ezekiel 38-39 how God Himself will one day step in and defend the nation of Israel. Then there is how Jesus stepped into human history and died for our sins. Whether God uses His own power, or He uses His angels to do His will, the source all goes back to God.

Vic Batista: Yes, ultimately it is the Father whom we serve. I thank the Lord for Jesus Christ dying on the cross for us. God has such wonderful things in store for those who have accepted His free gift of salvation.

Remember, God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind. Jesus can use you in a mighty way!

In the nineteenth segment of our series “The Mighty Angels of Revelation,” we’ll pause the Trumpet Judgments to look at the Mighty Angel of Revelation 10 and see what’s in his little book.

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

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