SERMON ON REVELATION 8:13--9:12, November 25, 2007

Dr. Marshall C. St. John, Pastor
Wayside Presbyterian Church
Signal Mountain, TN 37377

Demons from the Abyss

Scripture and Sermon -- Revelation 8:13--9:12

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in mid-air call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.
2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.
3 And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.
4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
6 During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.
8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.
9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
10 They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.
11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

Questions: What is the Abyss? Who is the "fallen" angel? Is he Abaddon, mentioned later in chapter? Is he Satan? Or is he a good angel of God?

Background information: Revelation 12:1-9 is the story of Satan's expulsion from Heaven at the death and resurrection of Christ.

1 ¶ A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
The Roman Catholic Church claims this is Mary (you can often see statues of Mary standing over the sun, moon and stars). It is probably Israel, and the 12 stars represent the 12 tribes.
2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
Israel brought forth the Messiah, Jesus.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.
The dragon is a symbol of evil in the Bible, and here it symbolizes Satan himself.
4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.
One third of the stars (angels of Heaven) fell with Satan. This is the origin of the demons. Satan tried to kill Jesus at his birth, via Herod.
5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
Jesus was saved from death at the hands of King Herod. He then lived and died and rose again for our salvationl, and has ascended into Heaven, to the throne of God.
6 The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
Israel is now being preserved by God. Some Jews are becoming Christians now. Some will be saved later on in the Great Tribulation. There will always be a Jewish remnant preserved by God, even during the Great Tribulation.
7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
When Christ conquered Satan and all the demons at His death and resurrection, Satan and his followers were permanently and completely cast out of Heaven. Satan used to be able to approach God and accuse the brethren (for example Job). Now he cannot do that, but we have an advocate instead, Jesus Christ.

Our understanding of Revelation 12 may help us understand the fallen angel and the king of the demons in Revelation nine. The chapters of Revelation are not necessarily chronologically arranged.

Back to Revelation chapter nine...

These are not literal locusts, these are demons that are being let loose on the earth by the angel of the Abyss - Satan. Literal locusts would eat up the grass and the plant life of the earth. These demons harm only human beings who have rejected God, and who have the mark of Satan on them (we will read more about Satan's mark in later chapters of Revelation.)

What can we learn from this passage of Scripture?

I. There are such things as demons. What are demons? Where are they now? Some are confined in a "prison" awaiting judgment. Some will be let loose before the judgment day. We read of these here in Revelation.

Demons cannot be seen. If we could see them, they would be like John's vision in Revelation. We would be frightened to death. Unfortunately men and women cannot see these horrible spirit beings.

Some demons are loose now. They were active in Jesus' time, and probably active now, too. For example, Mark 5:2-13...

2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
3 This man lived in the tombs, and no-one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.
4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No-one was strong enough to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.
7 He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!"
8 For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"
9 Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."
10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. (Luke 8 says "into the abyss" instead of "out of the area.")
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.
12 The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them."
13 He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

As the Kingdom of God increases in the world, we see the power and influence of Satan and other demons decreasing. In Colossians 2:15 we read of Jesus' victory on the cross:

"...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

As the Gospel is preached, as men and women turn to Christ, as paganism disappears, as the Church grows, the power and influence of Satan are pushed out of communities, and nations. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says:

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

As Christians we are constantly battling Satan and his demons, and we should not be surprised if we win our battles, in the armor of God. We have been so brainwashed with negativism that we think Satan will naturally win all the battles. This is wrong-headed thinking! Who is greater, Satan or the Spirit of God?

I John 4:3-4

3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4 ¶ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

I Peter 5 8-9

8 ¶ Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith...

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you"
(James 4:7).

So, expect victory. Expect the Kingdom of God to grow. Expect to see Satan gradually beaten down and defeated all around the world. It has taken us 2000 years to see the Kingdom spread as it has. Perhaps it will take another 2000 years before God's Kingdom fills the earth, but don't be negative. The mustard seed is growing. The leaven is spreading through the whole loaf. The power of the preaching of the Gospel WILL conquer the earth!

2 Peter 2:4 indicates that some demons were sent by God to a place of confinement.

"God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment..."

Jude 6 says of these confined demons:

"And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day."

II. Satan is their king, and Satan is allowed to let a number of them loose during the final Great Tribulation.

III. They are not allowed to harm Christians. Christians cannot be demon possessed. Christians may be persecuted by demons, but only to the extent allowed by God for his good purposes.

Remember the story of Job. Satan wanted to harm Job. God had a "hedge" around Job. Satan could not do ANYTHING more than precisely allowed by God, for GOD'S purposes.

1 ¶ In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
2 He had seven sons and three daughters,
3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
4 ¶ His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job’s regular custom.
6 ¶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.
7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going to and fro in it."
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no-one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied.
10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Job 1:1-12

Someone has written elsewhere:

"Christians need not fear these unclean spirits, although they should be warned about them. If Jesus Christ is living within us, we do not have to fear anything that man or satan can hurl against us. Many Christians seem to have a phobia about demon possession and a great fear of being controlled by evil spirits. This should not be our main concern, for if we remain OBEDIENT, in an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ, we need never fear being indwelt or oppressed by evil spirits."

Christians CANNOT be indwelt of possessed by demons, because they are already indwelt and possessed by Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. You belong to God, and you may be sure He will not allow Satan to have you. In Luke 22 Jesus spoke to Peter and said:

31 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.

If Jesus is praying for you, do you think you have anything to fear? If you are Christ's sheep, did He not promise to always rescue the one who wandered away?

IV. The power and influence of demons is seen symbolized in their appearance and their effect on those they inhabit.

1. Like locusts -- they are very numerous -- enough for all the peoples of the earth
2 Like horses prepared for battle -- fierce, strong and active
3. Like crowns of gold -- wealth. One of the qualities of demons, is that they influence men and women to lust for wealth, to sell their souls to the devil for money. "The love of money is the root of all evil."
4. Like human faces -- wisdom and intelligence. The wise and intelligent people of this world often use their wisdom and intelligence to rebel against God. Demons may influence people to exalt the wisdom of man over the wisdom of the Bible.

In I Corinthians chapter one we read:

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Continuing the Description of the Demons

5. Like women's hair -- beauty. Demons influence people to worship beauty, especially the beauty of women. What else do we see now in modern culture but an overwhelming emphasis on young women and pornography? It is a terrible spiritual battle for teen girls to resist becoming part of this, and for young men to resist being entrapped by it.
6. Like lions' teeth -- mastery. Demons influence people to lust for power. The book of Daniel hints to us that demons are active at the very highest levels of human government, and we should not be surprised to learn that many human rulers are possessed or directed by demons. (Daniel 10:2-13)
7. Like breastplates of iron -- durability, toughness, invulnerability. What can an ordinary human being, without help from the Spirit of God, do to harm a demon? Nothing.
8. Like thundering hooves -- frightening as we hear them coming, growing ever louder and more threatening
9. Like scorpions -- very painful
They will be given scorpion like power. The scorpion strikes its victim with its tail, its sting is in its tail. It has a poisonous fluid that it injects into the wound of its victim. The sting is not fatal, but it causes terrible suffering.

I'm reminded also of the giant scorpion just discovered by fossil hunters. Last Wednesday's Times Free Press had an article entitled: "Scientists find fossil of gigantic bug." It was 8 feet long, the size of a small car; said to have roamed the earth 390 million years ago. The demons are MORE deadly.

10. They make people long for death, but not able to bring themselves to suicide. Demons don't want to kill people, for then their fun is over. They want to plunge people in misery and despair, and keep them that way for an eternity, if they can. The man possessed with demons who was rescued by Jesus tried to commit suicide over and over again by cutting himself, but never succeeded, in spite of his super human strength.

In Mark 5:3-5 we read...

3 This man lived in the tombs, and no-one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.
4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No-one was strong enough to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

1. There is an unseen war going on all around us in the spiritual realm.
2. We are called to enlist in the war; to resist Satan and his fallen angels.
3. Demons play a down-grading role in government and culture, that is often not recognized.
4. Christians need not fear Satan or the demons, for they are fully under God's control, and they cannot indwell Christians.

ANOTHER SERMON OUTLINE FOR NOVEMBER 25, 2007

People are curious and fascinated by the Devil, by Satan and his demons. The Bible tells us all we need to know. At the end of the service today you will all know three things about Satan and the demons:

I. Their origin and location

Satan's origin: Ezekiel 28:12-18 and Isaiah 14:12-14
The origin of the demons -- 2 Peter 2:4
Earthly and Heavenly activities -- Job 1:6-11
Some are Confined in the Abyss or Tartarus -- Rev. 9 and see Jude 6
Some will be loosed during the Great Tribulation -- Rev. 9

II. Their Past, Present and Future Activities

Inspiring False Gods and Religions -- I Kings 18:25-28 and I Cor 10:20-21 and I Tim 4:1
Manipulating Governments and Deceiving Nations -- Daniel 10:4-14
Tempting and Testing God's People
Illustrated by their characteristics in Revelation 9 (which see)
NOTE: Demons CANNOT indwell or possess Christians (Rev. 9:4) and I John 4:4

III. Their Defeat

At the Cross: Colossians 2:15 and NIV note
In Our Christian Living: Ephesians 6:11-18 and James 4:7 and I Peter 5:8-9 -- Resist and win! We are "overcomers." (See Luke 10:17-19)
As we teach the Word and win the nations to Christ -- Rev. 12:10-11; Matt. 16:18; 2 Cor. 10:4-5; Ro. 16:20
Their final end, the Lake of Fire -- Revelation 20:10-15