ROK-31
131110AM
Short Clip
One of the reasons God has left us as believers on earth is to resist the Devil and stand against Satan’s plans. God wants us aware that Satan is alive and well on planet Earth, We are to neither ignore nor fear Satan, we are to resist him. That is the truth that God wanted to be emphasized in the Church, and that is the theme of Revelation 9.
Satan is constantly prowling the world seeking to demote God and derail God’s work from being accomplished on Earth among people, but we are called to resist and stand against him.
The confidence we have assures us as Romans 8 says, that we are “more than conquerors through Christ”. As we learn and grow today we will find Satan is a defeated foe, a weakened adversary and a crushed enemy. We through Jesus Christ have the victory.
Satan is Resisting God’s Work on Earth Today
Bad, evil, dark, fearsome, and deadly are just a few terms that would describe this realm that God intentionally opens for His Church to see, comprehend, and prepare for in our daily lives.
This morning as we open our Bibles to Revelation 9, we are opening to the fifth trumpet. Just a quick glance at the map will help orient us to where we are and where we have been.
• Revelation 1 is the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, where John introduced us to Jesus Christ as He is right now, the Risen Lord of the Church He has purchased with His own blood.
• Revelation 2-3 contains the Seven Church Visits, as John records the unannounced visits Jesus made to see if the churches were following His Word, or slipping away. Only one or at the most, two of the churches were staying true to the Book left as their plan for being good and faithful servants.
• Revelation 4-5 gives us a peek at the Worship in Heaven, as John is shown the Throne of God Almighty, as we see worship from the redeemed plus all the creatures of God encircling His Throne.
• Revelation 6-19 lays out God’s Plans for the End of Human History, we are introduced to the future wrath of God upon sinful humanity.
Seven Seal judgments spread from Rev. 6:1-8:1;
Seven Trumpet judgments stretch from Rev. 8:1-11:15;
Seven Bowl judgments fill Rev. 16:1-21.
Then Jesus Christ returns in Rev. 19.
So we could say that as we open to Revelation 9 we are opening up to lessons from God’s plan for the future at the sounding of the 5th trumpet. As we saw last time:
Trumpet Five: Only God can Defeat the Devil & Demons