Tag: bottomless pit

8.d. This calls for a mind with wisdom:

Revelation 17:6   When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”  And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

Oh my, this is a bit of a mystery, isn’t it?  Five of the seven Kings have fallen, one is, and another is to come.  The beast appears to have been destroyed by the Antichrist, and the are ten kings yet to come into the perfect plans of God.  They come into their power for a short time and they come to make war against Jesus.  A war they cannot win but they have the delusion of being able too.  In these short verses, we see the beginning and the end of the tribulation period through the lens of seeing the doom of those who lead both the political and religious activities throughout the world.  We know the power of Jesus Christ and wonder how they could ever think such thoughts.  However, we don’t have to go back very far into our lives to understand we too were like this lost and without hope until the grace, mercy, and love of God pierced our hearts.  We were called and chosen as all mankind is.  I find it hard to explain why one heart and mind are open to receive the grace of God and others are not.  We do well to remember to live in a manner that honors, glorifies, follows, obeys, and trusts Jesus Christ.  Our Christian walk is not a walk to be taken lightly for we are a child of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.  Find time each day to set aside time to grow in His Word, pray, and actively be a light in the world pointing to Jesus Christ.

7.d. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it.

Revelation 9:1   And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

Being sealed by God is a promise.  He knows those who are His. During the church age (the time from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ until the rapture) those who believe (rely on, cling too, and trust in Jesus Christ) are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.  God still displays grace during the tribulation period. His wrath and anger unleashed on unbelieving and non-repenting people in ever-increasing measure, and yet in this, we see there are those with a mark (either visible or not) who are spared this torment.  This torment is unbearable but God does not allow it to kill.  The torment is so great that men will seek death but God does not allow it.  We see that even in severe torment there are those who do not and will not repent.  Their heart is hard as stone to the things of God.  They have chosen this path and are living the consequences of that choice.

God gives us promises of His grace, mercy, and love.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  God gives this precious promise of eternal life, redemption, and forgiveness.  This offer (promise) comes with peace, rest, joy, hope, love, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead us on paths that glorify and honor Jesus Christ.  The love of God comes first.  It does not come as an ultimatum.  It comes as a promise, an offer, blessed salvation.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”.  God’s love pursues us. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come into him”.  God’s offer of love, grace, and mercy is an offer and a promise of eternal life.  Rejection of His grace, mercy, and love ends in unfulfilled lives on earth, torment for the soul, eternal torment upon death.  This 5th trumpet is a promise too for all who have rejected His grace, mercy, and love in and through Jesus Christ. The torment during the time of this 5th trumpet sound is unbearable but will be nothing like the eternal torment received at the final judgment where all of those who have rejected His love promise will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

5.z. I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Revelation 1:18    I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Psalms 68:20     Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

Isaiah 22:22    And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

Matthew 16:19     I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Revelation 9:1    And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.

Revelation 20:1-2     Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.

Revelation 20:14     Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Romans 14:8-9     For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.  For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Death has a finality to it and Christ has been all authority over it.  To some, this will be death to eternal life.  For others, it will be death to eternal torment.  The difference is between those who trust in, cling to, and rely on Jesus Christ redemption and forgiveness of sin, and those who choose to reject salvation through Jesus Christ is their eternal destiny.  Many live like and eternal destiny does not matter or even exist.  This still does not negate what God’s word promises to both.  Rejecting Jesus Christ, the one who went to the cross to suffer and die once and for all for our sin seals their eternal death and torment forever and ever.  Likewise, those who believe in by faith trust in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for their sin seals their eternal life and forevermore with Jesus Christ.

God has revealed this mystery throughout scripture.  Sin always has consequences and obedience always has a reward.  Self-centered Christ-rejecting people do not believe in Jesus Christ, the need for Jesus Christ, judgment, wrath, and anger of God.  They reject the idea of judgment and eternal torment.  Yet those whose hearts have softened to the call of Jesus Christ sought forgiveness of sin, and chose to believe His sacrifice and promise that it forever cleanses them.  To them will be a time of rejoicing at the second coming of Jesus Christ for they will forever be with Him in eternity.

The time for this choice is while we are alive this side of eternity.  There is no chance after death to choose.  At the time of death, our eternity is sealed forever.   Choose faith in the sacrifice and redemption found in Jesus Christ.