As bad as the book is, you need to know what you are graced out of. Dr. Tony Evans talks about the intense judgment and consequences yet to come and why it matters for believers.
You need to be inspired to be a witness of Jesus Christ. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. A dramatic pause often builds anticipation, setting the stage for something monumental about to unfold. In the book of Revelation, such a pause precedes the intensifying judgment and unveiling of God's plan. Today, Dr. Evans unpacks the powerful imagery found in this portion of Scripture in a message titled The Pit, the Army, and the Little Book. Let's listen in.
You see movies where things get quiet and then something happens. Well, this is a break before the next unleashing of judgment. Verse 13 of chapter 8. of the trumpet of the three angels that were about to sound.
Translation, okay? You think that was bad. What we just went through in chapter 8. He says, you think that was bad? Whoa. Whoa, whoa.
Okay? In other words, this is getting ready to get worse. He comes to chapter 9. Satan is going to be given a key to unlock the bottomless pit. In Luke chapter 8, verse 31, the pit is defined as the abode of demons. He opened, verse 2, the bottomless pit. And smoke went out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. Locusts that have scorpion power.
Okay? Why are they being let loose? Verse 4, they were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Every 17 years in the city that I'm from, Baltimore, and in the state of Maryland, there is a Chiquita infestation, which are locusts. They germinate underneath the ground and live there for 17 years.
But about every 17 years— I went to Baltimore to see my father a couple of years ago. I got out of the plane, walked down the baggage claim, and these locusts are flying all over the place. They are flying, people screaming, you know, ladies and men running, because they are there by the mega-millions.
I mean, it's millions of them. You walked outside, and there was one taxi almost totally covered by them. Okay? Now, they only live—once they leave underground and they come up, they only live for five months.
Okay? They only live for five months, but they create havoc. Now, where they live—now, they're flying all over the place, so people gotta get their windshields gotta be going and all that, because they'll cover the windshield so you don't have a car accident. So they're going through all of this, all over the place, and they scare people, but what they eat is grass and tree, and that's what they eat, and they're there to mate. The ones who are mated, they go under and, you know, have their babies for the next 17 years. Okay? So you can imagine how they're proliferating underneath the ground once they come up when they're there that long. But they only mess with—other than being scared because they're flying all over the place—they only mess with the green stuff, the grass and the trees and all that. Okay?
Well, this is a different kind of locust, because these locusts have the tales of scorpions, and they are told—they're instructed—don't mess with the grass, you know, don't mess with the green stuff, don't mess with any tree. You are specifically for those who do not have the seal. Now, who are those who have had the seal?
These are those—remember the 144,000 were sealed. These were Jewish evangelists who are sharing the gospel during the tribulation period. So the sealed ones are those who respond to the gospel.
Okay? Or as you and I would say today, those who get saved. They have a divine seal of protection. So they are not going to be stung or invaded by the scorpions. Remember, the scorpions come from the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit is the place of demons. So they're coming—the demons are coming out like scorpions.
Okay? And they are instructed to leave the believers alone, those who are sealed or under divine protection. And they invade. And of course, as I told you before, this is where Hollywood gets a lot of its ideas from the book of Revelation when it comes to the sci-fi stuff that they do. They get this.
And look how bad it gets. Verse 5. And they were not permitted to kill anyone. You say, well, that's good.
Not quite. But to torment for five months. Now, this is great because, remember, locusts stay out and live for five months. So they're still carrying God's same time cycle back in the book of Revelation.
It's still the same time cycle, but they're doing something different. They're attacking people. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days, men will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, and death flees from them. So the sting, however they do it, will provide great misery that will not bring death.
Okay? So that's elongated suffering. The appearance of the locusts—interesting characterization of these demons— was like horses prepared for battle. In other words, if you hear the cicadas or the locusts when they come out, the sound is deafening because there are millions of them all making the same sound at the same time.
So it's a deafening sound when you're around this. And of course, all throughout the Old Testament, locusts were used for judgment. So they would take the crops and all that. Well, in this case, it says they're like horses, so they're like a whole herd of horses running.
Okay? It says that on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold. So these locusts are carrying authority with them, authority from hell. And their faces were like the faces of men. These are some strange-looking dudes. Okay? Their faces like the face of men and moving like horses, it says, and they had hair like the hair of a woman.
Face of a man, hair like a woman, and their teeth was like the teeth of lions. So you can imagine being bit by this demonic creation from hell. Okay? They are let loose, which I'm glad they locked up right now, because they have to be let loose by Satan, but Satan can't let them loose, so let's give him the key to do so.
Okay? They had breastplates over their chests of iron. So they can hurt you, but you can't hurt them. And the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots and of many horses rushing to battle, and I've already explained that sound. So this is a devastating infestation from hell.
A devastating infestation from hell. They have tails like scorpions and stings, and in their tails is the power to hurt men for five months. They have as a king over them the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew, Abaddon. In the Greek, his name is Apollyon.
In other words, that's the name for Satan. He's their king. He's been given the key, and he is running the show. Now, he's running the show that God allowed, because the devil can only do what he's given permission to do.
So the question is, under what conditions are such permissions given? Okay? So there's a great theological truth.
So they are let loose. The first woe is past. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
That seems like enough for me. But he says, no, no, there are two more woes coming. And we'll hear what they have in store when Dr. Evans continues our study in just a moment. First, though, I want to tell you about a special offer that includes this current series on Revelation, as well as Tony's brand-new book, Trusting God in Turbulent Times. These resources will give you encouragement and strength as you gain an understanding of how God works through the tough times in your life. To receive this new 30-day devotional guidebook from Tony, as well as all ten full-length messages in the Revelation Sermon series, just visit tonyevans.org and look for the link to this special package right on the homepage. It's yours with our thanks and appreciation for your contribution toward this ministry. Again, that's tonyevans.org, or call us any time of the day or night at 1-800-800-3222. And let one of our resource team members help you.
That's 1-800-800-3222. Well, Dr. Evans will return with more of today's message from the book of Revelation right after this. The biblical roles of husbands and wives, the source of our authority as believers, understanding the concept of grace, winning spiritual battles. They're all important subjects, but seem as different as night and day.
Would it surprise you to know there's a common thread running through all four? You can discover what it is by taking the course on Ephesians in the Tony Evans Training Center. One by one, you'll dig into the powerful themes of this book and make new discoveries about what Jesus' death accomplished, how to maintain unity at home and at church, what spiritual armor is all about. The course includes custom content from Tony not available anywhere else.
Look through it at your own pace. Collaborate with other students. Get your specific questions answered through our online forum. Connect with the Tony Evans Training Center at TonyEvans.org. It's like having a seminary on your smartphone or other device.
Start today. TonyEvans.org. Then the sixth angel, verse 13, sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before the Lord, one saying to the sixth angel, who has the trumpet, release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released. In other words, they were set up for the right time to be let go so that they would kill a third of mankind. So by the time you get to three and a half years in the tribulation, half of the world has died. In three and a half years, half of the world has died. Now, why would God allow something so horrific?
That's a fair question, because this is horrific. There's no other way to explain half the world being slain. Verse 20. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorcerers, nor of their immorality, nor of their thefts. Now, you would have thought, you would have thought that after all of this, I'm sorry. I apologize. I confess in sackcloth and ashes. I'm prostrate.
Have mercy on me. Okay? You would think, with all of this going on, men would be running to God.
Okay? While all this is going on, they're getting harder. They're worshiping demons, it says, and the demons are killing them. So you're dealing with a world that has become so anti-God that mercy hasn't changed them and wrath hasn't changed them. They've rejected the witness, even though they've seen what's going on, because the witness is, you'll see, I mean, this is going to be worldwide news. No corner of the globe is missing this, and so God has allowed technology to advance to such a place where mankind, seeing devastation like this, are saying, I'm not going to respond to God. Now, you are getting bits and pieces of that today.
Okay? You're getting, depending on where you are, you're getting bits and pieces of the hardness of men's heart and the rejection of God. And it used to be, if you were atheist, you kind of whispered it. But now it's become bold. It's the anti-God movement in America even today. The removal of the God of the Bible from every system, it has become horrific. And you're seeing that. You're seeing false gods become dominant. You're seeing, I mean, it's just, so, I mean, I can see the storm clouds.
I can see the storm clouds. I'm not a date predictor, but I can see the storm clouds, and it says twice, they did not repent. The point being, they could have. Because if you did not, and you should have, then you could have. So we're dealing with a refusal to repent. Not, you know, an impossibility where you can't repent. Okay?
So therefore, it is absolutely critical. That's why the Bible says, in the day you hear my voice, harden not your heart. Don't go hard against me.
Because you're setting yourself up for me to have to release something I don't want to release. But, see, here's the problem. When you align with the devil, you get your wish. Let's put it another way. You can pray, thy will be done, or God can pray, your will be done.
He'll give you what you want. Remember in the Old Testament, Israel was begging for meat. They were complaining about manna, begging for meat, complaining about manna. They were just complaining, complaining, complaining, by the way, which is why the Bible says so much about complaining. Neither were they thankful, Romans 1 says. So, they complain and complain and complain and complain, and God says, okay, you're complaining you don't have meat, okay, I'm gonna give you meat, and more meat, and more meat, and more meat, and more meat. And he rained down meat, meat on top of meat on top of meat on top of meat, and it was so much meat that it was decaying, and it began to stink.
It says, and yeah, they got meat, and they had leanness in their souls. So you can get a lot of stuff you want without God. You can get a lot of stuff without God. You can get money without God, power without God, popularity without God, notoriety without God. You can get all you want without God and be starving in your soul.
Some of us know what that feels like, okay? So, let me just introduce chapter 10. I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. So we got a majestic angel now coming down from heaven, and he had in his hand a little book, which was open.
He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. And he cried out with a loud voice as when a lion roars. And when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. So you've got this roaring in nature. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them. I don't want them revealed yet. Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand and swore by him, and who lives forever and ever, and who created heaven and the things in it, the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer.
I didn't think there had been a delay. But in other words, there's more coming. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, and he preached to his servants the prophets. So here's what's happening. You are now coming into, you're closing in on the end of the tribulation. We're not going to wait any longer.
Any longer for what? For the coming of Jesus Christ. We're not going to wait any longer. So we're now rushing.
Now, the question you might want to ask is, well, wait a minute. But we're only in chapter 10. So if Jesus comes, what else is there to write about other than heaven?
No. What he's going to do with a lot of movies and TV shows, he's going to start over again and take you back. When we get to the next chapter, he's going to take you back. But this time when he takes you back, instead of dealing with events, he's going to deal with personalities. So that's when you're going to find out about the Antichrist and the false prophet. So he's going to roll it forward, then he's going to roll it back and show you the people that he talked about in the events that he's just gone through. So the book is divided between events and personalities. So that's what's going to happen.
But he said, I heard the voice. So in chapter 11, you're going to find out about the two witnesses. So as you can see, the tribulation is no joke. Now God knew folk weren't going to like this book. And that's why he says at the end of the book, there's a curse on anybody who messes with anything written in it. Because as bad as the book is, you need to know what you are graced out of.
And you need to be inspired to be a witness for Jesus Christ. Dr. Evans will return with a closing prayer to wrap up today's broadcast in just a moment. Before he does, though, I want to encourage you to visit TonyEvans.org to take advantage of our current featured resource package that includes Tony's brand new book, Trusting God in Turbulent Times, and his 10-part audio series on the book of Revelation.
What we have time to present on the broadcast each day only includes a portion of Dr. Evans' original study. You'll be able to hear the full-length lessons when you request them on CD or digital download. Get them as our gift of thanks when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's ministry here on this station and others like it around the world. Visit TonyEvans.org to make your request today or give us a phone call at 1-800-800-3222 where members of our resource team are available around the clock to help you.
That's 1-800-800-3222. Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S., but no matter where you live, God's given each of us a blessing to be thankful for. We'll take a short break from our Revelation study to bring a special message for this Thanksgiving from Dr. Evans. Right now, though, he's back to finish out today's broadcast with this closing prayer. Father, I thank you for the Word of God that goes forth through this ministry and for every ear that hears it. I pray that you will use the Word in the life of each person individually so that they know that they are hearing from you and are transformed by what they hear. I pray that that transformation touches them at their place of need. Wherever they're hurting, struggling, wherever they're in pain, or wherever they're celebrating, may you be the center of that. And may they be able to say because of the Word that they've heard and because of the true God that they're interacting with right now that you have showed up and shown off on their behalf doing good by them no matter what their circumstances happen to be. Thank you for how you're going to touch every listener today in your own special way. In Jesus' name, amen.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-11-27 00:19:45 / 2024-11-27 00:28:25 / 9