During the Great Tribulation period, the church has been raptured from the earth. Hell has a hay day upon the earth. The world is dominated by demons that are let loose to cause havoc.

1 – The Devil (vs. 1)

We learn some history and facts about the Devil.

• He is a famous figure – “A star falls from heaven”. The Devil tried to stop the Messianic line in the Old Testament and in the New Testament he attempted to destroy the Messiah. So Satan is frustrated. There is evil in this world that seeks to destroy. We have a secret weapon to overcome the Devil. See James 4:7. We are to submit to God and resist him. We can’t say no to something unless we have something we can say yes to.
• He is a fallen figure – He has fallen from Heaven. The devil means you no good. He was thrown out of heaven for a good reason. He means to do you harm.
• He is a fearful figure – He has been given keys to the bottomless pit. Satan has gone through a string of failures. He has great wrath. The demons are set loose upon the earth. Even the angels won’t take on Satan themselves. See Jude 9. It is only the Lord who can defeat the devil

2. The dungeon (vs. 2)

The abyss is mentions several times in the Bible. What is this place like?

• Deep place – It is described as a bottomless pit. It is a place where some demons are locked away in God’s prison house. Free demons don’t want to go there. See Luke 8:30-31.
• Dark place – It is a dark place. Jesus is the light of the world and those who follow him will not walk in darkness. Hell is a place of darkness. There is no need for you to walk around in darkness.
• Dreadful place – The demons come trooping out. The Devil will set these demons free. They are angels who rebelled against God with Satan. See 2 Peter 2:4 & Jude 6. Imagine if all criminals were set free from prisons and there was no law enforcement. These hordes of demons have freedom and they bring devastation.

3. The demons (vs. 3-12)

They are described as locusts but these are different from ordinary locusts. Ordinary locusts eat up the vegetation – these locusts eat up human beings. They have the sting of a locust. They are not natural. They have a king over them (vs. 11). We are told in Proverbs 30:27 that locusts have no king. These locusts are demons. They come with devastation. They have come to torment mankind. These are days of judgment rather than grace.

God has are given this information of the future so that we can see the suffering of those who reject Jesus Christ. It is motivated by God’s love to prevent people from going there. The book of Revelation is written from the viewpoint of victory rather than defeat. Evil will be defeated. Satan will be defeated. Those who trust in Jesus will be saved. Those who reject Jesus have no excuse as God has shown his love through Jesus and the future through God’s Word.

Categories: Revelation