A Rebellious Planet is about to come back Under God’s Rule.
“But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” – Rev 9:20-21(NLT)
Using the language of Jeremiah who said Idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field (Jeremiah 10:5); this is truly an amazing passage. The people in this passage have endured horrendous tribulations. Symbolically, they have been attacked by marauders numbering in the hundreds of millions (Rev 9:16). They have been assaulted by fire, smoke, sulphur, and apocalyptic horses with snake-like tails that bite. One-third of the human race is killed by all these tribulations. Yet they refuse to repent!
The astounding thing about our text is that it describes a moment in earth’s history when most of humanity still refuses to repent. It is possible to ignore the call of God, and ignore it again, over and over, until one reaches the place that even “hitting bottom” is no longer enough for God to get through to us. I’d rather pay attention to God in good times.
Images (idols) are set up to honour people we admire or to celebrate causes we would gladly sacrifice time, effort and money to uphold.
We honour and celebrate what we admire. But far more often these idols are hidden from view, buried deep in our hearts and minds. While many of these shrines are interesting but harmless, we can erect shrines in our hearts to great good or great evil. The German nation idolized Adolph Hitler to its own destruction. Youth often idolize celebrities who teach them self-defeating values. On the other hand, “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory.” (2 Cor 3:18). Idols not only reveal our innermost thoughts, but they also help determine who we become. I don’t want to be like those in the sixth trumpet who refuse to give up their destructive idols. I choose to centre my life’s focus on Jesus today.
The six trumpets have sounded. Before the seventh is blown, which will signal the conclusion of this earth’s history, we will have another interlude that steps us back in time again, just like the interlude of Revelation 7 stepped us back into the 6th seal and answered a question, “Who will be able to stand.”
The rebellious planet, which has been under the dominion of satan for thousands of years, is about to come back under God’s dominion and rule. It was after Christ’s death on the cross and His ascension to heaven that Christ was proclaimed to be the legitimate ruler of the earth (Rev 12:10-11).
Satan continues to wreak all the havoc he can, knowing that his time is short (Rev12:12). The 7th trumpet heralds that the usurping powers have been dealt with and that this world finally comes under Christ’s rightful rule. Revelation is spelling out the details of victory, achieved purely through God’s unending love. At each trumpet blast we see the impact of evil reaching further and further, but it is still no more than the “wounding of the heal” for the Lamb.
In the seals, we saw an escalating corruption and an attempt to hide the glory of God’s gift. They offered a survey and an advancing glimpse of how God’s people, His nation and church, has unravelled, or will unravel, as they engage with the world. The warning is that as individuals we can do the same.
Tomorrow I will attempt a summary of the first 6 trumpets before we delve into the interlude of Revelation 10 & 11 that precedes to the sounding of the 7th trumpet.