Reflection on Revelation 9 | 沉思启示录9

"Woe to the inhabitants of the earth" ends chapter 8. The fifth and sixth trumpet disasters announce judgments directed toward mankind in chapter 9.

Who are "the inhabitants of the earth"? I do not claim to be one myself. All believers should not claim to be one of them. The believers are citizens of the Heaven, children of the Father, and servants of the Almighty God. They do not belong to "the earth". This earth is not the paradise Jesus died to give us. This earth is what Jesus died to save us from. All true believers can be comforted by the fact that we might hear the warning, but the warning is not delivered to us. The solemn warning is for "the inhabitants of the earth". It seems the believers will watch a horror movie under God 'protective wings. Can you and I find a better theater to watch the horror movie Revelation shows?

Now let's see what going to happen in chapter 9.

As the fifth angel blows his trumpet, a star falling from the sky to the earth receives the key to open the shaft of the Abyss, the hell. John does not identify this star, the names used in Revelation 9:11 would certainly correspond with what the Bible tells about Satan. Out of the smoke from Abyss, "locusts came down upon the earth and given power like that of scorpions of the earth". These hybrid demon locusts "looked like horses prepared for battle". They have "something like crowns of gold" on their head, and their "faces resembled human faces". ... These demonic creatures are not allowed to damage "the grass of the earth or any plant or tree," like natural locusts. Their focus is to harm "only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads." Those people have not taken the eagle's warning, plus tons of warning before that, into their hearts. Now they are to be tortured for five months. They "will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them." The wicked chose not to repent. But they clearly do not have the choice to opt out of God's judgment. But God limits His judgment. Being tortured in "five months" is nothing compared with suffering eternally in "the lake of fire".

This punishment comes from God, even though the agents are demonic. The timing and severity of judgment is under God's control, not Satan's. The people of God are spared the pain just as the children of Israel escaped the plagues. But Satan cares nothing about his followers. His followers are exactly the ones stinged by the tails of his demons, the supernatural locusts. Satan never intends to protect his followers; even those people claim allegiance to him to the end. He plans to sting them, harm them, destroys them. His high purpose is to challenge God, to destroy God's creation. All idol worshipers will be harmed by the idols they chased after.

The sixth angel sounds his trumpet. "A voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God" calls to "release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates". They were kept ready "for this very hour and day and month and year to kill a third of mankind." The altar is the same one from which the prayers of the martyrs mingled with incense rising up to God. God's response to the prayers of His people calling for vindication is releasing an enormous demonic force, the mounted troops, to "kill a third of mankind."

Again, God limits His judgment to "a third". This is not yet the final act by God. Until the very end, God calls people, old or young, to come to Him and receive salvation through His Son, leaving behind arrogant to suffer further.

The death of a third is horrifying. There would be paralyzing panic, grief, fear, pollution and disease from decaying corpses. But for the proud, life is still sustainable, maybe because of the modern technology and medicine. As unprecedented destruction assaults the earth from the sky above and the Abyss below, the closing sentences of chapter 9 give insight into fallen humanity and the people God will judge. “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts." This is ridiculous, is like the Pharaoh in Egypt.

How hard can people's heart be? It definitely is harder than their bones because they might break their bones. It is also harder than the diamonds they wear since they can cut their diamonds to the shapes they want. But their heart is the hardest thing on earth that only God can penetrate using His Word. And some people determine not to let God do it to their heart.

The first thing they refuse to repent from is their idol worship. The wrong thinking and false worship ruin both individuals and society. The second thing they refuse to repent from is their corruption. They murder, unyieldingly commit themselves to "magic arts". Sexual immorality is common. They are persistent thieves. Rebellion against God ruins spirituality, sexuality and human relationship.

When all God's mercy acts are rejected, nothing left but His judgment.

启示录第九章

启示录第八章以“你们住在地上的民，祸哉！祸哉！祸哉！”这句警告结束，接下来第九章中的第五个和第六个号灾，让人类直接遭殃。

谁是“住在地上的民”呢？我自己不会自称是这些人，所有信徒都不应该声称是这些人！信徒是天国的公民，天父的孩子，全能神的仆人。他们不属于“地上”。耶稣的牺牲给我们换来的天堂不是这个“地上”，耶稣是为了把我们从“地上”救出来而牺牲。所有真正的信徒都可以放心，我们可能会听到警告，但这警告不是冲着我们发的，这个强烈的警告是发给“住在地上的民”的。看来，信徒们会在神的翅膀保护之下看恐怖电影。你能找到一个更好的剧院来观看启示录恐怖大片吗？

现在我们来看看第9章会发生什么。

当第五位天使吹响他的号筒时，一颗星从天坠落，有无底坑的钥匙赐给他。约翰没有指认这颗星，但他在启示录9:11中提的名字与圣经中其它经文对撒旦的描述对应。随着从深渊冒出来的烟雾，“有蝗虫从烟中出来，飞到地上，有能力赐给他们，好像地上蝎子的能力一样”，这些变种的恶魔蝗虫“看起来像准备战斗的马”。他们的“头上戴的好像金冠冕，脸面好像男人的脸面”，这些邪恶混种蝗虫不似天然蝗虫，他们被“吩咐”，“不可伤害地上的草和各样青物，并一切树木”，他们“唯独要伤害额上没有神印记的人”。这等人没把鹰对他们发出的预警，和以前他们收到的警告放心上，现在他们要受五个月的罪，他们“要求死，决不得死；愿意死，死却远离他们”。这些恶人选择不悔改，可他们不能选择躲开神的惩罚。但此时，神对施行惩罚的程度设限，受五个月的痛苦跟在硫磺火湖里永远受煎熬是不能相提并论的！

惩罚是来自神的，尽管可以通过魔鬼之手，惩罚的时间和力度由神控制，不是魔鬼说了算。正如以色列人躲过埃及的十灾，神的子民这次也幸免于难。但是撒旦对他的追随者毫无怜恤，他的追随者正是那些被变种的恶魔蝗虫所叮咬的人。撒旦从来就没打算保护他的追随者，即使那些人宣称效忠于他。他打算叮咬他们，伤害他们，摧毁他们，他的高目标是挑战神，摧毁神的创造。所有拜偶像的人，最后都会受到他们所拜偶像的伤害。

第六位天使吹响了号筒，“有声音从神面前金坛的四角出来”吩咐“把那捆绑在幼发拉底大河的四个使者释放了”。他们原来预备好了“到某年某月某日某时，要杀人的三分之一。” 就是在这同一个祭坛，殉道者们的祷告随着献祭的馨香升到神那里。神垂听了祂子民们呼求公义的祷告，利用数目庞大的魔鬼势力，就是魔鬼大军，来“杀人的三分之一”。

此时，神仍然把祂的惩罚控制在“三分之一”的范围，因为这还不是神的终极审判。直到最后时刻，神都在呼唤祂的子民，无论老少，回转归向祂，接受祂借着祂儿子成就的救恩，只留下那些顽梗之人继续受苦。

三分之一的人被杀，是相当可怕的，肯定到处都是慌乱，悲伤，恐惧，以及腐尸带来的污染和恶疾。但是活着的人还是骄傲，觉得还能凑合着活下去，也许是因为仰仗了现代技术和医学吧。当前所未有的毁坏从上面的天空和下面的深渊夹击地球时，第九章的最后几句，让我们进一步看了人类的堕落以及神要审判何人。“其余未曾被这些灾所杀的人，仍旧不悔改自己手所做的，还是去拜鬼魔和那些不能看，不能听，不能走，金，银，铜，木，石的偶像；又不悔改他们那些凶杀，邪术，奸淫，偷窃的事。” 这些人很荒唐，如同遭了十灾仍不悔改的埃及法老。

人们的心到底有多么硬呢？人心肯定比骨头还硬，因为折断骨头不难；人心肯定比钻石还硬，因为切割钻石成型也不难！人们的心是世上最硬的东西，只有神的话语可以刺透人心，可是有些人硬着颈项拒绝神在他们心里做工。

他们拒绝悔改的第一件事是他们拜偶像，错误的信仰和虚空的敬拜毁坏了个人和社会。他们拒绝悔改的第二件事就是他们的败坏，他们“凶杀”，一意孤行地行“邪术”，不道德的“奸淫”行为比比皆是，不住地“偷窃”。对神的叛逆，会破坏人们的心灵，性生活，以及人际关系。

当神的一切慈爱怜悯作为都被人拒绝时，剩下的只有神的审判了！