Reflection on Revelation 9 | 沉思啟示錄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.

啟示錄第九章

啟示錄第八章以“你們住在地上的民，禍哉！禍哉！禍哉！”這句警告結束，接下來第九章中的第五個和第六個號災，讓人類直接遭殃。

誰是“住在地上的民”呢？我自己不會自稱是這些人，所有信徒都不應該聲稱是這些人！信徒是天國的公民，天父的孩子，全能神的仆人。他們不屬於“地上”。耶穌的犧牲給我們換來的天堂不是這個“地上”，耶穌是為了把我們從“地上”救出來而犧牲。所有真正的信徒都可以放心，我們可能會聽到警告，但這警告不是衝著我們發的，這個強烈的警告是發給“住在地上的民”的。看來，信徒們會在神的翅膀保護之下看恐怖電影。你能找到一個更好的劇院來觀看啟示錄恐怖大片嗎？

現在我們來看看第9章會發生什麽。

當第五位天使吹響他的號筒時，一顆星從天墜落，有無底坑的鑰匙賜給他。約翰沒有指認這顆星，但他在啟示錄9:11中提的名字與聖經中其它經文對撒旦的描述對應。隨著從深淵冒出來的煙霧，“有蝗蟲從煙中出來，飛到地上，有能力賜給他們，好像地上蠍子的能力一樣”，這些變種的惡魔蝗蟲“看起來像準備戰鬥的馬”。他們的“頭上戴的好像金冠冕，臉麵好像男人的臉麵”，這些邪惡混種蝗蟲不似天然蝗蟲，他們被“吩咐”，“不可傷害地上的草和各樣青物，並一切樹木”，他們“唯獨要傷害額上沒有神印記的人”。這等人沒把鷹對他們發出的預警，和以前他們收到的警告放心上，現在他們要受五個月的罪，他們“要求死，決不得死；願意死，死卻遠離他們”。這些惡人選擇不悔改，可他們不能選擇躲開神的懲罰。但此時，神對施行懲罰的程度設限，受五個月的痛苦跟在硫磺火湖裏永遠受煎熬是不能相提並論的！

懲罰是來自神的，盡管可以通過魔鬼之手，懲罰的時間和力度由神控製，不是魔鬼說了算。正如以色列人躲過埃及的十災，神的子民這次也幸免於難。但是撒旦對他的追隨者毫無憐恤，他的追隨者正是那些被變種的惡魔蝗蟲所叮咬的人。撒旦從來就沒打算保護他的追隨者，即使那些人宣稱效忠於他。他打算叮咬他們，傷害他們，摧毀他們，他的高目標是挑戰神，摧毀神的創造。所有拜偶像的人，最後都會受到他們所拜偶像的傷害。

第六位天使吹響了號筒，“有聲音從神麵前金壇的四角出來”吩咐“把那捆綁在幼發拉底大河的四個使者釋放了”。他們原來預備好了“到某年某月某日某時，要殺人的三分之一。” 就是在這同一個祭壇，殉道者們的禱告隨著獻祭的馨香升到神那裏。神垂聽了祂子民們呼求公義的禱告，利用數目龐大的魔鬼勢力，就是魔鬼大軍，來“殺人的三分之一”。

此時，神仍然把祂的懲罰控製在“三分之一”的範圍，因為這還不是神的終極審判。直到最後時刻，神都在呼喚祂的子民，無論老少，回轉歸向祂，接受祂借著祂兒子成就的救恩，隻留下那些頑梗之人繼續受苦。

三分之一的人被殺，是相當可怕的，肯定到處都是慌亂，悲傷，恐懼，以及腐屍帶來的汙染和惡疾。但是活著的人還是驕傲，覺得還能湊合著活下去，也許是因為仰仗了現代技術和醫學吧。當前所未有的毀壞從上麵的天空和下麵的深淵夾擊地球時，第九章的最後幾句，讓我們進一步看了人類的墮落以及神要審判何人。“其餘未曾被這些災所殺的人，仍舊不悔改自己手所做的，還是去拜鬼魔和那些不能看，不能聽，不能走，金，銀，銅，木，石的偶像；又不悔改他們那些凶殺，邪術，奸淫，偷竊的事。” 這些人很荒唐，如同遭了十災仍不悔改的埃及法老。

人們的心到底有多麽硬呢？人心肯定比骨頭還硬，因為折斷骨頭不難；人心肯定比鑽石還硬，因為切割鑽石成型也不難！人們的心是世上最硬的東西，隻有神的話語可以刺透人心，可是有些人硬著頸項拒絕神在他們心裏做工。

他們拒絕悔改的第一件事是他們拜偶像，錯誤的信仰和虛空的敬拜毀壞了個人和社會。他們拒絕悔改的第二件事就是他們的敗壞，他們“凶殺”，一意孤行地行“邪術”，不道德的“奸淫”行為比比皆是，不住地“偷竊”。對神的叛逆，會破壞人們的心靈，性生活，以及人際關係。

當神的一切慈愛憐憫作為都被人拒絕時，剩下的隻有神的審判了！