The Shaking of the Earth - Part 1

      In Revelation 9 we hear the sounding of the 5th and 6th trumpets. They are the first two of three woes. The “star” that comes to the earth as the 5th trumpet sounds is an angelic messenger from God. In short, it brings upon the people what they have loosed through their ungodly decisions to follow after Satan’s kingdom of darkness. It shows what lies in store for those who do not repent.
      The bottomless pit is a compartment of Hell. Hell was not created for mankind; it was created to hold the fallen angels who rebelled with Satan and became his evil hierarchy (Eph. 6:12). Sadly, those who likewise reject God and His Son shall meet this same fate in Hell.
       What comes forth from the pit is a fallen spiritual being whose two names (in Hebrew and Greek) mean “destroying angel.” John 10:10 reminds us that Satan came to steal, kill, and destroy. So here we see what Satan ultimately has in mind for the earth. He knows God’s plan, so he already knows he won’t win despite his best efforts. So he would rather see the earth destroyed than have God’s people governing it as was the plan of God’s original creation.
        This time when the atmosphere is darkened once again, a sound is heard. It builds until a horde of something that looks like scorpion-like locusts swarm out of the darkness like a marauding army of chariots. But this time, instead of harming the earth, this plague attacks the people. Their sting is not deadly, but it causes great pain and torment.
        End-Time Lesson: Note that these locusts cannot sting those who have the seal of God on their forehead. We know this judgment comes after the rapture of the Church, who is now seated as the immortal heavenly government. We also know that this sealing comes by being born again in the spirit, as a result of accepting Jesus as the Savior. So the sealed in this chapter are people who were “left behind” at the rapture, who have now seen the error of their ways. Having accepted Jesus as their Savior, they are given the Spirit as part of the latter rain outpouring.
        For those who are not sealed and are stung by this woe, the poison lingers in the body for five months. The torment is unbearable, such that “men seek death and will not find it.” The number 5 in Scripture symbolizes grace. The people may not see this reprieve from death as gracious, but it is better than dying unrepentant and spending eternity apart from God in eternal damnation. They can choose salvation through Christ.  
        We must remember that judgment is meant to open people’s eyes to their folly and wrong decisions. God doesn’t want any to bear the consequences of choosing the lies of this world. He desires all people to be saved. So the purpose of God’s wrath and this stage of the plan is to expose the damaging nature of evil in a way that will cause people to repent and be saved.