Troubles For Those Who Refuse God, Christian Blog, Christian Blogs, ChristianBlog.Com

Troubles For Those Who Refuse God

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Troubles For Those Who Refuse God

Into Revelation 9 we go...

Revelation 9:1-6 (NCV)
1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the deep hole that leads to the bottomless pit. 2 Then it opened up the hole that leads to the bottomless pit, and smoke came up from the hole like smoke from a big furnace. Then the sun and sky became dark because of the smoke from the hole. 3 Then locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke, and they were given the power to sting like scorpions. 4 They were told not to harm the grass on the earth or any plant or tree. They could harm only the people who did not have the sign of God on their foreheads. 5 These locusts were not given the power to kill anyone, but to cause pain to the people for five months. And the pain they felt was like the pain a scorpion gives when it stings someone. 6 During those days people will look for a way to die, but they will not find it. They will want to die, but death will run away from them.

I would think this would be a good sermon to get people to come to Christ. I mean, who would want to be stung by locusts that had stingers like a scorpion? I have never been stung by a scorpion, anyone out there been stung by one? It sounds like it is pretty painful. I was always under the impression it was fatal to be stung by a scorpion. Yet it sounds like from John's vision, and I am sure John came across some scorpions in the desert many times, that a scorpion sting is very painful. It even makes one wish they were dead. He may have even been stung by a scorpion himself.

John says that the people in those days will be in so much pain from the locust stings that they will want to die, but they will not be able to die. MAN! That just sounds terrible. I cannot think of anyone who would say they would not mind being in these peoples place. You would think people would run to Jesus just to avoid this pain. Yet there will be many who will not heed the warnings.

Revelation 9:7-12 (NCV)
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold, and their faces looked like human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 Their chests looked like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horses and chariots hurrying into battle. 10 The locusts had tails with stingers like scorpions, and in their tails was their power to hurt people for five months. 11 The locusts had a king who was the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in the Hebrew language is Abaddon and in the Greek language is Apollyon.
12 The first trouble is past; there are still two other troubles that will come.

This attack of the locusts is going to last 5 months. FIVE MONTH! Five months of pain so bad, you will wish you were dead, but you will not be able to die. That in itself should make you never want to turn away from God. Oh, but wait! There is more. If you decide not to accept God, we will through in two more troubles free!

Sorry for my sick humor. Yet some do not take this seriously. It IS SERIOUS! So let us read on to see what else people who do not accept God will suffer.

Revelation 9:13-16 (NCV)
13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns on the golden altar that is before God. 14 The voice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Free the four angels who are tied at the great river Euphrates." 15 And they let loose the four angels who had been kept ready for this hour and day and month and year so they could kill a third of all people on the earth. 16 I heard how many troops on horses were in their army-two hundred million.

Oh, after your five months of torture by the scorpion locusts, you could be lucky and be killed by the 200,000,000 troops on horses. That is only if you are in the lucky one third of the people who will be killed. If you are not, there is more trouble for you.

Revelation 9:17-19 (NCV)
17 The horses and their riders I saw in the vision looked like this: They had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow like sulfur. The heads of the horses looked like heads of lions, with fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 18 A third of all the people on earth were killed by these three terrible disasters coming out of the horses' mouths: the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur. 19 The horses' power was in their mouths and in their tails; their tails were like snakes with heads, and with them they hurt people.

Oh, also these 200,000,000 troops of horse will hurt the people they do not kill. So do not feel left out that you did not fit into the third that were killed. You will receive some more pain. As if five months was not enough.

I know I am being sarcastic, but what kind of person would want to be rebellious towards God and have to suffer this? It makes no sense to me.

Revelation 9:20-21 (NCV)
20 The other people who were not killed by these terrible disasters still did not change their hearts and turn away from what they had made with their own hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood-things that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 These people did not change their hearts and turn away from murder or evil magic, from their sexual sins or stealing.

What a hardheaded people these people must be. Even after all these troubles, they still turn away from God and do not change. WHY? Why would a person not turn and change after five months of pain so bad you wanted to die. Then on top of that, some more torture from 200,000,000 troops of horses...with SNAKES for tails! I mean, come on people. What is it going to take to make you see you need to change? I guess some people will just not get it.

Last night I volunteered to work at our local rescue mission. Some of these people have nothing to hold on to except God. I think sometimes when we have everything and possibly more, we tend to think we do not need God. We are self-sufficient. That could be the crowd that will not see their need for God. They will think the millions or billions of dollars can buy them safety and happiness. Little do they know; their money will be no good when the end comes. You cannot buy your salvation. I did not buy mine. It was a gift from my Father in heaven. A gift I only had to receive, at no cost to me. Now I do not go on living the same way I use to. Not because I do not want God to take my salvation away from me, but because He first loved me when I was filthy and dirty with sin. He saw that I was worth giving up His Son's life on the cross for my sins so that I could be with Him eternally some day. That is why I serve Him. I love Him. I love my Lord and Savior.

I am not serving God either just to avoid these troubles in Revelation. Sure, I do not want to suffer this, but I chose to love my Father in heaven because I see His love for me. When I think of how much He loves me, it melts my heart. I use to think, "Why me Lord? Why would You pick a retch like me?" You know what He says, "Because I see worth in you. I made you, and you are special to me." That is what He says to us. He loves his creation. You, He loves you.

Prayer: Father God, I thank You that as Christians, we will not have to suffer these final troubles. I thank You for choosing us and loving us even when we were against You in every sense of the word. Thank You for Your faith in us even when we do not have faith in ourselves. Continue to draw us closer to You Father. Guide us in ever aspect of our lives by your Holy Spirit. Help us to know without a doubt what Your will is for our lives. Help us to be good and faithful servants to You and You alone. We place our trust in You Father God. Call Your people unto You oh God. Let them not be drawn away from You by the Enemy Satan. Continue to draw us to the day when we will bow at your feet and lay our crowns down for Your glory. In Jesus name I pray. Amen!

In God's Love,
GFCC Brother

posted: 05/20/2009 03:49am by gfccbrother View: Backlinks, Permalink Total Views: 150 ShortURL: http://christianblog.com/1258 Category: Devotionals	Print This Blog Entry
Blog Tags: horses, locusts, looked, pain, revelation, scorpion,
Share:

Author Details:

Author: gfccbrother
Location: Great Falls Montana USA
Gender: Male
Age: 48
Blog Entries: 245 (archive)
Blog Comments: 114

My Biography:

i'm a dedicated man. i was born in the town i'm in now. i'm working the same first full time job i ever had. i just wish i could say the same about my marriages. i'm trying very hard to make the second one work. i've started this blog because... view full biography

My Testimony:

i found my lord and savior when i was 28 in 1989 after my 1st wife left me for another man after 7 years of marrige with one child, a son. previously i was searching through the catholic church for my meaning to life. my 1st wife was a proclaimed... view full testimony

My Recent Blogs:

Christmas and Jeremiah 29...
After The Mission...
20 Day Countdown...
Seven Cups Of God’s...
Revelation 15...What Can ...
The Fields Are Ripe; The ...
The Beast Will Defeat Us&...
We Will Overcome, By The ...
Remembering Our Heroes...
Can I Get A Witness?...

My Closest Friends:

In order to respond to this blog you must be a registered member and logged into the ChristianBlog.Com website.

Information:
Terms of Service
Content Policy
Privacy Policy
DMCA

Resources:
About ChristianBlog.Com
Advertising
RSS Feeds
Premier Membership

Sponsors:
LongMessage.Com
Assembly of God Jobs Online
Lamsa Bible Online
Logos Bible Software