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The
Devil Can't Get You
I.
These are difficult verses to
interpret…
They cannot be interpreted precisely … it is a word
picture.
Scriptures like we are about to read
make me wish I had chosen an easier series
to preach! Wow! And the more I studied the subject, the more I felt
that way!
II. Why would we try to interpret them?
The message is clear – God truly loves each of us and wants to save us.
The principles are precise: God first!
Don’t let Satan steal your salvation or your joy!
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Revelation
9:1-12
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.
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.
And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given
power like that of scorpions of the earth.
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.
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.
During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will
long to die, but death will elude them.
The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.
On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces
resembled human faces.
Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions'
teeth. 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.
They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had
power to torment people for five months.
They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew
is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
The first woe is
past; two other woes are yet to come. |
My favorite Biblical
Commentator is Matthew Henry. Henry was born in 1662, and his work is based on
the old King James Version of 1611. Most of the old-time conservative
scholars depended heavily upon his writings.
First, let me read the
abridged version of his writings, then I will share what I believe God wants us
to learn today.
| Upon (the) sounding the
fifth trumpet, a star fell from heaven to the earth. Having ceased
to be a minister of Christ, he who is represented by this star becomes
the minister of the devil; and lets loose the powers of hell against the
churches of Christ.
On the opening of the bottomless
pit, there arose a great smoke. The devil carries on his designs
by blinding the eyes of men, by putting out light and knowledge, and
promoting ignorance and error. Out of this smoke there came a
swarm of locusts, emblems of the devil's agents, who promote
superstition, idolatry, error, and cruelty.
The trees and the grass, the true
believers, whether young or more advanced, should be untouched.
But a secret poison and infection in the soul, should rob many others of
purity, and afterwards of peace.
The locusts had no power to hurt
those who had the seal of God. God's all-powerful, distinguishing
grace will keep His people from total and final apostasy. The
power is limited to a short season; but it would be very sharp. In
such events the faithful share the common calamity, but from the
pestilence of error they might and would be safe.
We collect from Scripture, that
such errors were to try and prove the Christians, 1 Corinthians
11:19. And early writers plainly refer this to the first great
host of corrupters who overspread the Christian church. |
Now I will
update his expressions to 2001:
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When
the fifth trumpet sounded, a star fell from heaven to the earth.
This star represents one of two things. Either Satan himself, or a
fallen angel that works for Satan. That it is not a real star we
know by the fact that "he opens the Abyss with the key that he is
handed." The Abyss refers to "the world of the dead”
and the prison of the disobedient spirits." (Fallen
angels). As you know, before he fell, Satan was one of the 3 top
angels. But pride destroyed him!
Satan
or his agent, in this part of Revelation, lets loose the powers of hell
against the true believers in Christ. When the bottomless pit is
opened a great cloud of smoke came out! Henry notes that the devil
carries out his plans by blinding the eyes of men, by putting out light
and knowledge, and promoting ignorance and error.
Out
of this smoke there came a swarm of locusts. Apparently this
represents demoniac activity that attacks people spiritually. If
you miss the rapture of the church I do not believe that you will
literally see these gigantic insects. These are the devil's
agents, who promote superstition,
idolatry, error, and cruelty. The trees
and the grass, the true believers, whether young or more advanced,
are not to be touched. This secret poison infects the soul, and
robs many people of their purity, and ultimately, their peace.
Notice
that the locusts do not have power to hurt the ones who have the seal of
God on them! God's all-powerful, distinguishing grace will keep
His people from total and final apostasy. (Apostasy means
abandoning your faith.) Satan’s power is limited to a short
season … if you call 5 months of suffering short! But it will be
very powerful.
Be
aware that if the world is in turmoil, saints who are here will suffer
many problems along with the sinners. In situations like that the
faithful share the common calamity. But God will protect them from
the "pestilence of error." |
III. Satan is a
powerful enemy – we need to respect that!
| We
may not pay [Satan] reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least
respect his talents.
A person who has, for untold centuries, maintained the imposing position
of spiritual head of four-fifths of the human race, and political head of the
whole of it, must be granted the possession of executive abilities of the
loftiest order.
Mark
Twain. Leadership,
Vol. 12, no. 3. |
Unfortunately, Satan is
"alive and well." By that I mean he is going about his awful
business of corrupting and destroying people.
The attacks on Christianity around the world are but a foretaste of the
problems that will be faced after God takes the church out of this world.
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Devil is easy to identify. He appears when you're terribly tired and makes a
very reasonable request which you know you shouldn't grant."
Fiorello La Guardia, Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 2.
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Remember these three
important statements. 1.
God is even more powerful than Satan. 2.
God protects His own. 3.
God hates sin – but provides
a way of escape for the sinner.
I
know that things are tough now, but they will get tougher as time passes. Based
on the following scriptures I believe that God is still holding things in check.
III.
The holocaust of Revelation is designed to lead men and women to repentance –
unfortunately, many will not repent.
IV.
Satan cannot destroy you – if you are a child of God!
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to
Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by
some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying
that the day of the Lord has already come.
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come
until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the
man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called
God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple,
proclaiming himself to be God.
Don't you
remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
And now you know
what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who
now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the
way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will
overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming.
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The coming of the
lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds
of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that
deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love
the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful
delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who
have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
The
"one who holds him back" has two primary interpretations among
conservative scholars. Either it is the Holy Spirit, or it is the church.
Either way, when God turns Satan loose during the final period of time,
as we know it, things will get rough!
You
don’t want to be here! But if you are, you sure enough want to be on the
Lord’s side!
Do we
need to fear the devil? William Cowper and John Newton wrote, "Satan
trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees."
Why? Because when you and I are in tune with God, Satan does not
have a chance! Oh, he may win for a season, but the game isn’t over yet!
It
is imperative that you and I take a stand against Satan.
He is an awesome foe, but he can be defeated! One writer put it
well. He said, "It is startling to think that Satan can actually come
into the heart of a man in such close touch with Jesus as Judas was.
And more--he is cunningly trying to do it today.
Yet he can get in only through a door opened from the inside.
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"Every man controls the door of his own life."
Satan can't get in without our help.
-- S. D. Gordon in The
Bent-Knee Time. Christianity
Today,
Vol. 33, no. 10.
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V. What is Your Standing
with God Today?
As
we wrap up this message, may we be reminded that God is on our side, and He
wants us to win! Many today welcome Satan into their lives. Many do
not believe that Satan can hurt us. Some doubt his existence. But he
does and is coming into people just like he did Judas … who went out and
betrayed our Lord.
Some
writers tell of children who do things that don’t make sense, and when allowed
to tell their story in a non-threatening situation will say that voices talked
to them. Learn to know the difference between the voice of God and the
voice of Satan. The Holy Spirit will help you know. One of the gifts of
the Holy Spirit is found in 1 Corinthians 12: 10 "To another miraculous
powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between
spirits." God has equipped us for every situation that we will face.
Read about the sixth angel in How
Is Your Heart?
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