9:1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 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, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 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. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.
12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.
13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (ESV)
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Repentance. No one is getting to heaven without it. We must lose our life in this world to find it in the next.
It seems surprising and heart-breaking that when these people see the judgment of God they still won’t turn from their sinful ways. This makes me want to preach repentance and encourage/challenge everyone I can to repent before it is too late.
CLICK HERE FOR A BLOG ABOUT SOME OLD TRUE NORTH SERMONS ON REPENTANCE: http://www.churchforhighschoolers.com/sermons/repent
This reminds me of the left behind series I read. It made this so realistic and scary that these locusts are allowed to torment and torture people that they are willing to die but can’t. That seems unbearable but this is nothing compared to what judgment they are going to face. That’s really scary. I am so glad that Jesus saved me so I don’t have to endure this and face God’s wrath. This should also motivate me to tell others the gospel through the 2 stories and my life.
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
This is really sad. Even after all of these signs and miraculous things, they are still unwilling to repent of their sin. Even today I see high school teens who don’t see anything wrong with this. The culture is to glorify and flaunt sexual immorality and I hear people on a daily basis bragging about sin. I need to hate ungodliness with a passion because God does and keep other people accountable about their sin.
Great comment Jasmine Wontonnnn!
<3
same…people won’t let go or can’t do anything about of their sin
yes! it totally reminds me of Left Behind too! ha i read those a long time ago:) i totally agree with ur comment!
amen jasmine! i totally agree
ELLO… I read
21,”nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
I am posting on this verse because it is sad to me that people are so stubborn towards GOD even after HE has given them so many chances to turn towards HIM and just repent they won’t. some people just don’t want to have a master of their life and I need to make sure that I want GOD as my master so I don’t end up like these people.
CYA
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
God’s wrath is a terrible thing. This chapter is really scary, scorpions allowed to torture people for months and they won’t be able to die even though they want to. I can’t imagine what that would feel like. I am so thankful that Jesus saved me and I don’t have to go through this. Like Jasmine said, it should motivate me to tell others so they won’t go through this! Not only that, but to thank Jesus with the way I live every day!!
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
I totally agree with Jasmine! It is really sad that these people still had stubborn hearts after they experienced miraculous signs. Although these people were from thousands of years ago, this still applies to our culture and our everyday lives. People around us are completely defiant. They may see something amazing in their lives and give themselves the credit or the glory. As Christians, we need to help others realize that God is the only reason good things happen and ask God to redirect them.
This is one of the toughest chapters of God’s Word in my opinion. It’s absolutely heartwrenching. My soul aches and longs for those who choose-knowingly or ignorantly-to remain in darkness. It’s torcherous. As Jazzy said, this should prompt me to share the Gospel even more. And it DOES.
I met a guy names Al last week. I shared the Gospel with him, and he said, “Isn’t that up to God, if I get saved or not?” And he was right. God is the Only One Who can remove the scales from one’s eyes. And here is how God looks upon ALL of mankind:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Sovereign Lord, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?’” -Ez 33:11
He knows our hearts. It’s difficult to grasp, but what God desires is not always His will. In the end, He WILL be worshipped by ALL. Let’s sync our desires up to God’s, and PRAY that His DESIRE would be granted, at least so far as OUR obedience is concerned. Let’s NOT STOP PRAYING. Let’s NOT STOP BEARING WITNESS to His love and mercy, AND to His impending wrath. May He open our eyes even more to the lost souls in our company.
good chapter.
This sounds familiar from what you said yesterday. Hmmm….curious.
It is so incomprehensible that they would not turn to repentance after seeing all that disaster….but then I thought about it some more..and it makes me think about all those souls that now will not repent! This world is going down hill, and they admit it, but they stillll won’t repent of their sin. When I went evangelizing, a child said that here was Hell…and I couldn’t help but think to myself, this is nothing compared to Hell! May the Lord work on that boy’s soul just as He worked on mine. I’m so glad that God turned my heart around for the better and I did repent! Praise the Lord! Now though, God is still calling me to talk to others about Jesus Christ so they don’t face the human headed locusts..or HELL! This is a lesson I am taking up everyday: to look for opportunities to talk to people about Jesus and pray for them. Campus lunch is this week, soooo hopefully the people that I have invited will come, here the good news, and be worked on by God so that they are saved! MARANATHA!
16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.
This is kind of a scary verse. The punishment coming in the last days is going to be terrible, and swift, and will leave nothing standing. Many will die, many more will want to die, but the torture will go on. I need to keep evangelizing to my friends so they will not have to endure this torment.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Can you imagine this? People are trying to die or to kill themselves, but they can’t! People hate living under God’s judgment so much that they would rather die than have to suffer it. This is a really grave verse also because like verses 20-21 say, these people just won’t repent. Reading through the book of Revelation has really helped me learn a lot about the importance of getting the gospel out! The wrath to come is going to be unbearable and so painful, and I personally don’t want anyone to have to go through it! Just imagine, being tormented and not being able to die. And this is for a short time, five months. But hell is forever, and the people who do not have Christ will have to endure that forever; they will not be able to die like the people mentioned here in verse 6. Let’s be bold and share the gospel of Christ, so that people may place their trust in Him and be saved from the wrath of God against all sin and ungodliness! I am praying for some open doors today to share the gospel! Please use me to bring people to You, God!
I’m with you Cameron! I don’t want this hell on earth or hell forever for anyone. Got to get on my knees and pray for divine appointments to share the gospel today!
Rev 9:6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
As Pastor Bobby calls out it takes repentance and trust in God to be saved. For those who do not do this in time the result is hell on Earth and then hell forever without the escape of death. Time is short – don’t let anyone you know miss the free cure for cancer! Lord, thank You for salvation through Jesus and the new heart of Ez 36! Inspire us to have a right reverent fear of You and share the bad/good news TODAY with many people and please come soon!
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The truth is that most of the people in this world are going to hell. Nobody wants to hear that, but it is the sad truth. As sin has divided everyone from God, the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. One has to repent of his sins and put his faith in Christ. However, many people choose not to repent. One huge weight holding many back is pride. Some people are too arrogant to come before God and acknowledge that they have sin. They live for the praise of men, trying to gain a good reputation in terms of what other people think of them. But no matter how much they deny their sin, there is not one man on earth who is sinless. Others are too stubborn. They realize in admitting their sin, they are admitting that they will be held responsible for their sin. They may have guilt, yet they force themselves to believe something that gives them to freedom to live as they please. And some flat-out love their sin too much to stop sinning. They are thriving in the sinful world and wish to not have anything to do with God.
Instead of turning away or turning to denial when there is sin in my life, repentance needs to be my first step. I need to look at what I have done and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit inside of me. I can’t take my sin casually, but instead I must be broken over every wrong thing that I have done. I need to humbly accept the fact that I will never be perfect. There is no reason for me to try to deny my sin, for I can instead confess it to God and repent of it, and I will be forgiven. I want to always be near to God so in the times that I fall into sin, I can immediately turn to him in repentance! I don’t want any sin hanging around in my life for a little while, that it may get a small grip on me!
Good Morning!!
Verse 20 and 21
“20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. ”
This is really what we do not want to be a part of. If we truly repent of our sins and try to turn away from them, we will be a child of God and we won’t have to go through this horrible destruction.
Lord, Please forgive me of my sins of which I have not confessed. I am sorry and I want to be closer to You, O God. Amen.
good morning…your comment speaks truth
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Wow. This is some scary stuff. Most people I know fear death. But for all the people who have so much agony and pain, want to die!!! It really shows the power of Gods wrath. And for 5 years! Thats soooo long! To have locus eating you alive sounds pretty terrible. Yet I cant believe how in the end of this passage, people STILL dont repent!!! Its shocks me beyond belief! Im so thankful that God has sparred me and will not let me have to go through all this, but instead be in heaven with Him forever!!!
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
These verses stood out to me and show a sad and frightening reality about the hardness of unbelievers’ hearts in the tribulation. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Christians’ hearts and minds have been opened to the truth of the gospel by the Holy Spirit, allowing us the opportunity to repent. Those whose eyes have not been opened by God will not repent no matter what evidence they see. I think of the Jews in the New Testament who had studied the Scriptures about the Messiah their whole lives, then lived among Jesus and did not recognize that He was the Messiah. I think about the people in Rev. 9 who have experienced the devastation and death of God’s wrath and still will not bow their knees to Him and make Him Lord of their lives. This shows me how much more I need to be asking God through prayer to soften the hearts of those who are unsaved. Without God’s supernatural heart-softening no one can be saved. I am going to continue to pray DAILY for the three unsaved family members who I have been sharing the gospel with. It will only be by God’s power that their hardened hearts will understand the gospel and respond rightly to it with repentance and faith. (On an exciting note…all three of those non-saved family members have agreed to go with me to Easter at the Bren…praise God!)
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This is really, really scary. If I were a non-Christian and I read this I wud freak out, and it would definitely change my views on the softy kind of God. This is a really scary couple of chapters, and it really shows the wrath of God.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This passage is so intense and really makes me sad! These people are being tortured for 5 months but are refused death (relief!). At the same time, this angers me. At the end of Rev. 9 its says that these same people refuse to repent. They would rather be tortured than repent to Jesus, the one who can save them from an eternity of torture. It shows how powerfully our pride can control us. Its scary to realize that the human race could fall that far, yet it has already. People refuse to repent now, and they aren’t being tortured like this! This makes me want to share the harsh, yet gospel truth that sin angers God, and he will punish it justly. Praying that God gives me strength to share this truth before its too late!
20 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,
What really stood out to me in this verse was the last part in which it talks about the idols, all these things can not see, hear or walk. America is filled with these type of idols. The house, the car, money. I love this description these things can not see, hear or walk, but WE dont worship an idol made of materials form this earth. We serve the living God. One who is active in every part of our life, One who see by searching the earth to and fro to find those who’s heart is strengthened by him, One hears by bending his ear to us when we pray, and one who walks by coming to this earth living a perfect life and dieing a death we should have died and rose again to defeat death and sin. Now that is the God we serve. So let put away the idols we place before God whatever material possession you hold so tightly to, and let us live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Once again, this chapter can be either life-changing or terrifying. To me, it’s life-changing because I see everything that is going to happen to those who do not repent, so I want to save every single one of them out there. Who in the world wants to face the wrath of God when you’ve got a pure and terrifying description of what’s going to come.
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
This shows the true stubborn-ness of mankind!! Even after those horrifying depictions of the wrath of God, mankind did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. That is what scares me the most. Any person around me that I don’t take the time to talk to, has a chance of having to experience this. I want to get up, walk outside and knock on every doorstep, ring every doorbell and spread the word of the Gospel. This scares me…the thought that people will have to endure this scares me.
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Sometimes people say that if they had PROOF that God exists, they would take the Bible seriously and believe in Jesus. These verses show that for most people, that’s just not true. Everyone in the middle of these plagues will know that God is real and pouring out His wrath and they still won’t repent. When you get right down to it, the ressurection of Christ is already proof, but people want to answer only to themselves. They don’t want to give up “control” of their lives. Only the Holy Spirit can soften hearts and bring about repentance. Let’s keep telling people about Christ before it’s too late.
What a great chapter today!!!!!!!!
Maranatha
that’s amazing how you can say that everyday..,
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The shocking truth is that most people who are left behind after the rapture won’t repent even after seeing God’s wrath first hand. After reading the Left Behind books we may be left with the image of lots of people being saved after the rapture. Although, there will difinitely be some, they will be few in number and most of them will come from Israel. That means I shouldn’t ever think my non-saved friends and family will “get it” after the rapture. Most of them who don’t repent before it won’t repent after it. That means I need to persevere in sharing the gospel with them while there still is a chance for them to repent.
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
WHAT?!
So, lemme get this straight… these people have been tormented to the point where people are BEGGING for death for over 5 months, and those who weren’t killed STILL are going to praise a piece of gold?!
After they’ve seen the wrath of God and they know that more is to come?!
Come on!
That’s absolutely ridiculous! It’s stupid!
I feel really sorry for them…
I’m going to make sure that my loved ones don’t have to beg for death or be as dumb as those people still worshiping idols.
I’m going to spread God’s word more and praise Him with absolutely everything I do and make SURE people can see God’s love shining through me so that they might be touched by it and turn to Christ.
He is the only way and I need to get that vital bit of information out there more.
God, give me strength to spread Your love so that my friends and family won’t have to suffer Your wrath.
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (ESV)
people won’t stop or can’t stop their lifestyle of sin. A lot of people sin when they know it’s wrong. for these people, Satan is their last hope. Satan has power too. Satan can’t beat Jesus according to the Bible or even us in our eternal state. I think it’s sad, but people live by their desires, wheather the desires are good or bad.
I’m also thinking of that verse where it says anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved, well these people aren’t calling out to Jesus, but Satan.
4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Wow! Ok, not trying to copy Jasmine, but these verses totally reminded me of the Left Behind series–which is all about the Rapture and Revelation. Those that become saved will have the seal of God, or “the mark” on them, and will be untouched by these demonic locusts. For all the others, the suffering will be intense. I can’t even imagine how painful it will be to live in those days–wanting to die, but not being able to–talk about ultimate torture! It is also ironic that those who want so much to “live” today (in sin & for themselves) will want to die so badly in the time of Revelation (when their eyes are open to the truth). I need to warn these worldly people now that life will not always be “good” if they like how they’re living it now, but that a scary time is coming. People will not be able to ignore or deny God in the time of Revelation.
3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone.
This is crazy!!! Wow I do NOT want to have to endure this wrath from the Lord! His time is going to be so scary. It is so sad that we are so selfish and that it is so hard for people to just get rid of their sin.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This sounds like those left behind who try to refuse accepting the truth and obeying God will basically get a taste of hell because suffering can cause more pain than simply dying. In hell people will continually suffer. (that’s one of the reasons why committing suicide is stupid, because it’s silly to think you can end your pain/depression/suffering on earth because you’re going to end up suffering way worse in hell). It’s so important for people to realize the cost if they try to reject Christ. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, and I know that those who accepted their Savior Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives will be utterly grateful. I want to warn people about what’s described in this verse so that they may not suffer but praise and rejoice in the Lord forever
This whole chapter is pretty intense! I do NOT want anyone to have to go through this! And that is why it’s so important to be evangelizing, because only through Jesus can people be saved from this nightmare. With Easter coming up, let’s be spreading the good news at school!
20 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,
even after all these things that happened the people still did not repent, wow, fail
c u all later
Every easy choice today will have its consequence tomorrow. Meryl Streep said that. God, in this chapter, proves it. All the people who are living for this world must feel His wrath. And its amazing how after God makes himself so present the people choose to stay in sin, and refuse to repent. After being tortured to the point of begging for death, being attacked by fire-breathing-lion-faced-horses, and having one third of the human population killed don’t you think they might get the message? nope. i read on to tomorrow, and the next day, hoping these people might finally see the light and repent, but i was left disappointed.
On another note, i like Gods actions in this chapter. He does everything in order for people to recognnize truth, He wants us to be with Him, He doesnt want us to have to suffer in hell. God is scary in revelations, but He is only being scary out of compassion. I think of God like a father, yelling at you not to touch the stove, so in the future you wont be burned. The moment of being scared by the yells may be enough for some children to stay away from the stove, others ignore the words of their wise Father and just go ahead and burn themselves.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
I think this is really ironic. People who are true followers of Christ don’t have to worry about death because there is such amazing pleasures after it that we almost can’t wait until we die. Non-Christians fear death because they love the world and its pleasures, not wanting to lose them. But it says here that when those non-Christians are judged and punished, they want the release of death because of how painful their punishments are! But somehow that doesn’t stop them from sinning…
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Wow! I pray that I will never be this hard-headed about sin that I won’t simply repent and ask for God’s forgiveness. I’m constantly reminded throughout Revelation how thankful I am for Christ’s sacrifice so that I don’t have to worry about death and can spend eternity praising God.
I read…
At the end of the chapter it describes people on earth as having hard hearts towards the Lord and being unwilling to repent even after seeing His wrath. We need to have a heart for these people and serve them. By this, their hearts may not continue to stay hard and then they will become followers of Christ. I need to serve them more by not giving up on them and not counting anyone out of coming to repentance.
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
It is sad toi see so many people that are too stubborn to realize that the only way to heaven is repentance. Those who reject God when we have so much proof. You are not getting to heaven without repentence, and we as Christians need to be out there spreding the word.
Wow, I just finished reading the last paragraph. How crazy is that? They suffer all this pain and still decide to live unrepentant. That’s ridiculous. We, christians, read this and think God is good for protecting us, but we must also see the glory of His justice in this. I need to read this and think that this is just. This punishment is just for the sin that man has committed against God. It’s hard for people to believe such severe punishment should go to such a small wrongdoing. But we must realize something; sin isn’t a small wrongdoing, its infinitely big. Also, if God’s reward is inifinitely good then shouldn’t his punishment be infinitely bad. God is the all-powerful and loving God I shouldn’t sin against Him. I think Lecrae said it best in his song Live Free, “Sin is the laugh at his power, the rape of his mercy, the mock of his patience, it says he ain’t worthy” When I hear about all the horrible, but just, punishments that God is saving me from it makes me realize how stupid I am for sinning. Sinning is the whole reason I was getting punished. Why should I live the life that God so perfectly saved me from?
As I read through revalation it just gets crazier and crazier! It is so scarey to think of Gods wrath and what will happen to those who do not repent. Those locust are insain. Locust like horses with stingers like scorpions, as I try to picture that in my head it freaks me out. It sounds like something that would come out of science fiction movie, but it is not from a movie! The part that really caught my atention was about them not being able to die. The people left on earth have to suffer intense pain for 5 months and will want to die but wont be able to. God is offering us a huge gift and its not something that we have to earn. He is holding it out to us and everyone else. I am going to use the picture of the pain people will feel during the trumpet blasts to tell the people I come in contact with this week about the Bren center so that they may be able to hear the true gospel and possibly repent.
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Its crazy why some people, even after know the truth, dont want to repent. Living here on earth for 5 years in destruction, sounds absolutly terrible. Why would someone in their right mind, want that? I have no idea, but that doesnt mean God cant change their ways. There WILL still be people who dont eventually repent, it says it right here. Some Christian demoninations believe that everyone will go to heaven. Obviously they havnt really read this verse and found the meaning of it. People will end up in hell, and not in heaven. Most people dont want to hear it, but obviously have not heard the good news. There is good news after the bad, people just need to hear it. Also I need for pray to the people I witness to, that God will soften their hearts to Him. People get so worked up about proving that their right, but I need to pray for them specifically that God will allow them to listen to the truth and understand it.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
I am so glad I am saved and will not have to suffer from God’s wrath like this. I can’t imagine how painful and horrible this would feel like, whats really sad, even as all of this is happening, people still refused to repent… This is how stubborn our world has become. Even under the most extreme circumstances, people will refuse to acknowledge Gods power. I know that I need to step up to the plate and tell people about God and that they need to repent our they will face Gods wrath and consequences. I don’t want to see my fellow brothers and sisters perish because I failed to tell them about the one and only lifeline….Jesus Christ!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!
Freaky chapter, like Bobby said, its scary to think that people would be that stubborn to not repent after seeing the wrath of God.
Okay, ready? SO I open my internet and on the yahoo homepage it says something like: “farmers beware of the locast this season.” I was like oh farmers aren’t going to have the best season. Thats sad, something to pray for. That their crops will grow without being harmed. So then I came here to SOTD were talked about locust and how they are like scorpians and will be bad. Intense!!! Just another reminder that Jesus could come any SECOND!!! He could come while you write your comment or whenever! Crazy! I need to prepare my field(heart) and work for God’s glory in everything, because I want to be serving Him and be doing good for His name when He returns. Just a little reminder of MARANATHA!!! And beware of those locusts. ;D
***HE IS COMING!!!***
Woow. We really see God’s wrath here! I used to not understand the phrase “fear the Lord”, but now I DEFINITELY do! He’s the lion and the lamb.
I also have recently become fully aware of the true awesomeness of Jesus’s suffering. Isaiah 53:4-6 really describes that well. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was the chastisement that brought us peace; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus took the wrath of God that WE deserved! He did it so that we could experience God’s love! I mean that’s love right there. It’s so crazy awesome, it makes me realize that I need to live my life for HIM because he did that for me! I need to show him that I’m thankful for that!
AMEN!
4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Not getting chased by the freaky deaky locust/human looking creatures from the pit is another reason to thank God for saving my soul. I was just thinking today, how much God hates sins. Adam and Eve committed one seemingly little sin ( little in a human way of thinking) and God cursed the earth and kicked them out of the Garden of Eden for that sin. In fact death was brought into the world, because the wages of sin is death (rom. 6:23). 23,000 Israelites died in one day in a plague caused by God because of the Israelites sexual immorality. It was the will of God to crush and cause his one and only son to suffer for our sins. Ananias, and his wife Sapphira told a lie and God struck them dead for that. Reading through the Bible its easy to see how serious God takes sin and how he must punish sin. As a Christian I need to realize that any time I sin its displeasing to God. I love God and am so thankful that he saved me from my sins. So if I love God, why would I keep on sinning? God sent his Son to die for my sins and the sins of the worlds in order that those sins may be forgiven. Why would I want to keep adding on the sin. Lord I pray that many will realize the seriousness of sin this Easter and repent and live their lives for you. Please reveal my sin to me so that I may confess and offend you no more.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This verse and many others really show the scary side to the end times, so it is great motivation to make sure to avoid it.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Is it just me, or are these chapters getting scarier and scarier? This verse says that people are going to WANT to die! Thats how much pain and suffering they will be facing. They would rather not even have been born or be alive. They are going to want to be dead, but they wont be able to have death. I cannot even imagine how terrible it must be for someone to legitimately rather be dead! The sad thing about this is, these people think they want death, but when they die, they are going to Hell. Hell is going to be 1000000000000000000 times worse than anything they experience on earth! I thank God that I will never experience any of this and that he saved me from this. Because of his infinite love, I wont ever even have to worry about this!
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Repentance and Faith is what it is all about! There is no other way to get to heaven, except through Jesus Christ. I echo many peoples’ comment on this verse! So many people are stubborn and selfish that they do not want to give up living for themselves in order to live for God. Living for God and becoming alive in Christ is the best decision anyone can ever make and I want other people to know what it feels like to have assurance of heaven and to be a new creation. Sin is what separates us from the Lord, and it is intense how much sin is in this world! This verse continues to stand out to me because after all their wrongs and sins, they still choose not to repent. I pray that I will be a light to people and be able to share the story of Jesus Christ! I want a revival to break out at all the high schools and that we will all be bold for representing Christ wherever we may be and in everything we do! Amen!
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Interestingly, the people, after seeing some of God’s wrath, don’t repent. I remember Pastor Bobby talking about someone who was witnessing to a guy and the guy said, “I’ll believe you if God does something miraculous right now.” The man witnessing to him replied, “No you won’t,” and he walked away. This is true because as it says in Luke 16 (the man who is in hell and wants the people in paradise to go to his brothers) the Bible is God’s word and is what saves.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Wow, this is intense! The people who remain alive during these woes will wish they were dead. They will long to die, but death will not come to them. When I think about this I imagine specific people’s faces in my life currently unrepentant. My family, friends, and coworkers who do not know the truth are destined for this destruction. I need to continually pray for openness and opportunities to share with them!
Repentance! We turn from our sins not merely out of duty and obligation, but out of thankfulness and love for the forgiveness we receive through Jesus Christ. If we truly love the Lord, we will willingly turn away from our sins on a regular basis.
“And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them” (Rev. 9:6).
So this a question, and many ask this question: why would God do this? Why would God afflict the earth with such a fiery wrath, where locusts plague all mankind even to beg for death, and trained angels ride fiery stallions to destroy people on the earth for the torture and destruction of the World, people we possibly know and associate with everyday.
This earth is a sinful place and does not deserve to be with God. See God, being loving and not wanting anyone to perish, even searches for the righteous to save them:
Psalm 14:1 “…The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
All are wicked and evil, and from the shark caged inside of us, our thoughts and actions are pent up sin, waiting to injure someone. The World is a lost cause.
Yet our heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh in Christ Jesus.
I remember when I first became a Christian. My life was no longer my own. Because of the creation of new heart inside of me, I was given new motives, and new desires, and I was not like the World any longer. In Christ we are even given the ability to love, and give up our life for another.
God is just in his wrath, but I am praying that around us people would be plucked from this wrath, and given a new hearth in Christ Jesus.
Maranatha!
5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
it may be that the things being described in this chapter is happening now and we dont know it. there’s a lot of completely weird things in this world, and then people are still unbelieving after they’ve seen it with their own eyes. right now is a race to he finish, and I dont intend on being left in the dust; I want to “run” for Jesus like I was the wind with all my brothers and sisters in Christ-you guys
Revelation has this amazing power in it. It makes you really and truly thankful for your salvation. The hard times in this life seem like nothing compared to the absolute horrors that are coming at the end of the world. Reading revelation has given me a drive to cling even closer to Christ. I mean, sometimes when you start focusing on the loving aspect of God you sorta forget just how scary he really is, and you remember what drove you to seek salvation in the first place. Normally I put down a specific verse I found powerful, but revelation is different than anything else I have read and I feel like it’s more of a conglomerated foretelling of the end of the world and sometimes I just want to quote the whole chapter. Basically: Thank God for Christ, our salvation!
Great comment! So encouraging(:
20 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
As incredibly sad as it is to think about people refusing to repent even while enduring such horrible judgments, it should make many of us as Christians feel conviction. This kind of persistent dedication is often more than we can claim in our devotion to Christ. Just as those in the world are never content with their current level of wealth, happiness, etc., I should never reach a place where I stagnate in my spiritual growth. Instead, I need to hunger after Christ through the Word and through prayer, making Him the center of every action and decision.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This chapter showed me how crazy or intense the end times will be. It is hard to think of people in so much agony that many will desire to kill themselves but they will be unsuccessful at it. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to experience this and I don’t have to experience hell either. It is sad that they still won’t realize that hell will be worse agony. My desire to warn people is even greater than before. Let’s continue to have Christ shine through in our actions and words.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This talking about the end times is soo scary! It makes me want to do all i can to live full time for Jesus and make sure that the people i love that are unsaved wont have to suffer this too. As Christians, we are so lucky not to have to deal with these terrible things this chapter describes, praise the lord!
This chapter is literally terrifying, by far the most yet. I cannot express how much I want to avoid this. Yet I know that I deserve this–God’s wrath. Praise the almighty God for Jesus Christ, the only hope for anyone to avoid this. Lord, please save people who are lost today!
4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This is a frightening image of God’s wrath; the locusts are sent out simply to torment unbelievers–and they can’t even escape that torment by trying to die. Whenever I think of the awesome power of God and of my fear of Him, I want the images to be this vivid and scary so that I never lose sight of who God is and who I am in comparison. There will be no escaping God’s wrath–no eject button–so I am grateful that I am saved. But this chapter is yet another reminder of why I want to help others come to Christ. It’s scary to pictur the unbelievers I know right now experiencing this level of torment. I don’t want that for anyone, but I know it is coming for many. God is merciful in holding back that hour so that others might still turn to Him.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This is so frightening to even imagine. In all my life I have never been so much in pain that I literally wanted to just die more than anything. We will always say that we feel so sick and just want to die but we never really would want to die. These people who have not chose God as their LORD will truely feel what it is like to be in pain. We must not stop in our evangelism. I do not know about you, but I do not want any of my friends to have to experience this torture.
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Wow! So much judgment and still people won’t repent. This shows that man, left to himself NEVER desires God. God has to work on a person’s heart to make them repent or they would never do it! Even after all these tribulations, where something torments you for five months but doesn’t kill you, and you still don’t repent! Talk about a hard heart. I want to always have a heart of repentance. When I sin I want to grieve over my sin and see it like God sees it.
5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.—I have thought about this so many times! I would hate having to be tortured over and over again and not just being able to die when I so long for it! This chapter really makes me realize that I HAVE to repent of my sinful desires because I do not want to end up in hell buring forever. It is so sad that some people do not know that they are going to end up here and they do not think they will. This is telling me that I really need to make this known to others because that means I am saying that I pretty much hate them becuase I am just letting them live how they want to which leads to hell! I also need to be showing in my life how a Christian is supposed to live who has confidence that they are going to be with God for eterinity and not burning in hell. Our main purpose as Christians is to get to heaven, and I really need to make sure that I am storing up for heaven and not having anything to do with what is here on earth because some day it will all burn.
MARANATHA!!!
Awesome Lauren! I am continuing to hold you up in prayer.
Intensity!
I find it interesting that although the world is going to undergo so much pain and suffering, they still will not come to God. I guess this relates to the “opening of the ears” or “eyes”, that God allows only a select few to experience. Away from that, it is impossible to have a desire for God’s heart, as we see here.
This should get us thinking about how blessed we are to be of those select few. We know that our salvation was nothing of us, but all of God, nothing we could earn, but a free gift given to us!
That’s something to thank God for.
Amen brother!
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
I could not even begin to imagine the pain these people are going to have to go through without the possibility of death. They would rather go through God’s wrath than have to obey Him. The sad thing is that this is only a taste of the horrors and torment Hell. They will have to suffer Hell for ever and ever. This is why it is so important to be spreading God’s word thoughout the world.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
I do not want to see people have to go through this! I need to be out there preaching the gospel to anyone and everyone, since I do not know when Jesus is coming back. It is so important to evangelize, because without Jesus, the sad truth is, many many people are going to have to go through these horrible end times. When I read this, it really made me so thankful that Jesus saved me from all of this! I’m praying that I would be bold and share the gospel with kids at my school this week!
“21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
Even through all this torture, the people still would not repent! You’d think that after all this punishment, they would repent (God still would accept them if they repented), but sin hardened there hearts. I need to guard my heart, “for it is the wellspring of life”, and make sure that Satan can’t get to it and so harden it away and cause a rise in my fleshly behavior. I can do this by reading God’s Word and asking Him in prayer to intercede for me!
This is probably one of the scariest images the Bible contains. When one bee flies up to a girl, she runs away terrified. I cannot imagine what hordes upon hordes of locust would be like. The sheer destruction would be catastrophic, and it will be a horrific event. THIS is why we need to get out and spread the word. We could be responsible for someones suffering if we don’t evangelize to them. There’s nothing worse than the regret that comes from you not talking to that one person and costing them their eternal life. Hopefully SOTD will inspire True North students to get out there and live unashamed lives! The end is near!!
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Woww… All i can say is judgment day is gonna be brutal. This entire chapter is about the plagues upon the earth and how one third of the population will be killed and the other two thirds want to die but cant. I pray that we all would remember this scary image and use it to compel us to save souls. I pray that I would be evangelizing more so others will not have to face the torment that lies ahead.
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
It is like watching one of those movies where you know the main character is about to die and you want to yell at them to not open that door or whatever. I wish people would turn from their wrong ways in order to avoid wrath, but i suppose that’s where I come in, my, and every Christian’s job is to tell them that what they are doing is wrong, because people of the world do not feel guilt for what they do. Even if they ignore our message of truth, at least their blood will not be on our hands, like Bobby’s image of a person in hell looking up to heaven and asking why that person did not tell them about God.
i read!!!!
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
It is sad to see that when people are confronted with what they are doing wrong, they just blow it off!! This is man’s instinct though!! We do not want to be told how to live and that we are doing things wrong!! But we need to come to realize that God is the one we need to be following and many people do not want to give up total control of their lives to someone they cannot even see!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This thought is pretty creepy/scary. People are in so much pain and suffering that they would rather die then repent but they can’t die. But also just thinking about what people will have to go through is saddening that they will actually have to go through it. I pray that there would be a revival spreading out among the OC and that people will hear the word of God and the gospel. I pray for all the people going to the campus lunches this week (and the ones that already happened) and for E at the B that people there would be compelled by the Holy Spirit to live straight up for God. 116!
through these passages im begining to realize that the day of punishment for the sinners is not going to just be the end of the world in a day or two, but it is going to be awful suffering for many many months! I pray that God will help me to stay faithful and not sin and repent when i do fall down!
20 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, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
What a sad couple of verses. A third of mankind has just died, yet the people left still did not repent of their sin. LORD, please help me not to cling to my sin, but rather please reveal to me the evil in my heart and please help me to have nothing to do with it. Please help me to love you above all else and deeply loathe all sin because you can’t stand it. Please also help many people, especially this week, to realize how disgusting their sin is and that your Son died so that they could have nothing to do with it. Please help them to repent and live a life for your glory instead of for themselves.
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
This chapter describes such terrible things that will happen to the people that refuse to stop living for their own desires and not living for Gos. This gives me mixed feelings. First, it makes me so grateful for the fact that God chose me to be on his team, and forgave me of my sins, by sending his son. However this also makes. Me really sad about all the people I know now that refuse to repent like the people this chapter talks about. This makes me want to strike up even more conversation with these people about the gospel and that they need to repent and put their faith in Christ than I do now. I pray that God will use Easter at the Bren for great things, that people will be saved so they won’t have to endure misery like this passage describes, and that God will be glorified!
6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
God, whose wrath is incredible, is the same God who sent His son to be crucified on the cross. God is perfectly loving and perfectly just and this chapter makes my heart break for my unbelieving extended family and friends. I desire so much that God would open their eyes. Also like Meisha said, I want to be fighting against sin and having a repentant heart. I do not want to become stubborn as it says some will become.
Revelation 9
20 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,
It is amazing to me how even when people will be subject to God’s judgment they will not repent. Their hearts will be so hardened that even though they are under tremendous suffering they will continue to do evil in the presence of God. I can’t even imagine a third of the population of the people o the earth being killed. This chapter along with chapter 8 brings me great sorrow for those who will perish but serves as great motivation to go and save people from eternal death through the teaching of Christ’s gospel. I pray for REVIVAL this EASTER!
Romans 1:22-25 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Crazy chapter! The torment is overwhelming to think about! So glad I wont be there!
This is a crazzyyy chapter! Verses 1-11 are intense and go into great detail about Gods punishment. Those who do not have a seal of God on their foreheads will be greatly punished and that is not fun! I cant even imagine the amount of wrath God has and it will all be revealed on that day!
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
I like this verse. Repentance and faith are extremely important in becoming a christian. You must repent and turn from your sins and you must belief that Jesus died for our sins and rose again and have total faith in Him. You cant just say the “prayer” when you are little, you must meaningfully turn away from sin! In order to give up sin, you must be different from the world and we must lose our life! This verse reminds me of Matthew 16:24-25. We must lose our life for His save, and then we will find new life in Heaven with Him! (:
maranatha
12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.
How terrifying it is that such…catastrophic judgements must be put upon the world! However, with Christ on one’s side, there need be nothing to fear, for there will be no second death. It is the non-Christian’s I weep for in these times, for not only will many die not once, but twice, but they will still harden their hearts and refuse to acknowledge the Lord in heaven
Well if this doesn’t scare people o don’t know what will. Just having the feeling of whating to die from the pain of the devil is horrible to me. I can imagen the people right now sreaming in pain with way out. Reading this makes me want to tell my friends that there is a better an we can work hard and be with our God and not have to feel the pain of the devil. It breaks my heart to know that some or most of the people at my school are going down this dark road.