Revelation chapter 8. I just
want to say a few words about verses 6 through 13. There is,
in these verses of scripture, a great deal of judgment by God
against this earth. And we just need to remember
that these are figurative experiences. And I'm going to read a quote
from Mr. Hawker. that deals with this
section of scripture. It is the church and the church
only that is at the bottom of all of God's designs in this
earth. The putting down one empire and
the setting up of another is only to bring about the Lord's
purposes concerning his church and people. When this grand object
is to be accomplished, the Lord makes what instrument he pleaseth
subservient to the work. An emperor or a beggar in raising
up or throwing down when the Church of Christ needs it is
the same. Whether he is a beggar or whether
he uses an emperor, It is for his purpose in the church that
he does all these things. Now there are three or there
are four different angels in this last section of the eighth
chapter of the book of Revelation that pour out judgment upon the
earth. And I don't think that there's
any greater judgment has ever been poured out on the earth
than for thoughts about and against God. I read, I've always wanted to
look up, and I finally did. There are 14 or 15 times in 1st
and 2nd Kings alone that these words are used with regard to
a king. That no one caused Israel to
sin like Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. in setting up two golden
calves. The kings of Israel are often
noted for that. We're going to read a verse of
scripture in a few minutes about that. But he set up two golden
calves and he established a free will works religion that had
been in the world up to that time and was exemplified by the
establishment of those two golden calves and has been around since
then doing quite well. In fact, God put Israel and Judah
both into poverty. by taking them into captivity
over the issue of idolatry and worshiping things against God.
And I can't help but think that these four woes or four things
that are poured out on the earth are a result of those very things.
Now, judgment is brought out against people because of heresy,
because of a wrong view of God. And I can think of three or four
things right off the top that God has judged this world over,
the religious world in particular. And the first thing that he has
judged this world about is the deity of Christ. That it wasn't
long after the Lord's own personal ministry on this earth, There
were those that believed that there was a Jesus, but he was
not divine. And then it wasn't very long,
and even during the ministry of the Lord Jesus, he was accused
of doing things by the power of Beelzebub, and he said, there
will be one sin that I'll not forgive for. And that's the sin
against the Holy Spirit, and that's attributing the works
of the Holy Spirit to the devil. or the devil's works to the Holy
Spirit. And he said, that's an unpardonable
sin. Now, no believer can ever commit
that sin. And every unbeliever has committed
that sin. And it's a judgment, the denial
of the work of the Holy Spirit, the denial of the need of regeneration. And these things that are mentioned
in here, the pouring out of these woes upon the earth. The earth,
the people of the earth, the sea often is mentioned about
people, and these are poured out upon them because of God's
judgment against the things of this world. And it has happened,
it has happened, it continues to happen, it will happen, and
these things do not strike God's people. They may be in a persecution,
but they'll never be dealt judgment like these are dealt. And then
the third thing that comes to my mind is the denial of original
sin. That Adam really fell and Adam's
sin was really great. The religious world look at the
fall as just a minor incident in the Garden of Eden, and with
enough education, and with enough intestinal fortitude, you can
get over the problem, and you can be a Christian. And that's
so much an error. That's such an error. That is
just pure heresy, that the fall in the Garden of Eden was serious. It brought death. And I've mentioned
that there's only one place that death has to be dissected and
examined to find out if it is real death, and that's in the
religious world. In every other place, we have no problem with
it, but in the religious world, there's a big question about
what did God mean when he said We are dead in trespasses and
sin. Does that really mean dead dead
or does that mean incapacitated? And it all is based on the fact
of original sin. Whether Adam really sinned to
the point of bringing death. Most of the persecution has been
by religious people. It's happening today. It has
happened in the past. It will continue to happen. The
greatest persecution on the church of Jerusalem was by religious
people. The greatest persecution of our Lord Jesus Christ was
by religious people. The greatest persecution of the
church through the ages has been religious people. It's interesting
to find out how many churches believe that they were the first
church and that there was no other people around but them
at the time. And then you ask them, who were you persecuting
then? They were persecuting religious, God-fearing people. It's the
religion of the world that has persecuted the church. And if
people die as a result of persecution, we have to keep this in context. If people die as a result of
persecution, it is God's manner of promotion. Death is not the
end. Death is the beginning. Death
is the entrance into glory. And we have it almost viewed
as what great sin did they commit that God would do this to them,
when in reality it is God's means of putting his people in his
presence. So that's death. All right. There's a lot said in there,
and there's not much more that I'm gonna say about it, about
those verses of scripture in Revelation chapter eight, verses
six through 13, except God's judgment, and there just seems
to be some statements about judgment against some of the worst heresies
that have been created by man. I'd like to go to the ninth chapter,
if you would, with me. The ninth chapter, and we'll
spend a little time here with regard to The fifth angel sounded
and I saw a star fall from heaven up to the earth. And to him was
given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless
pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as a smoke of a great
furnace. And the sun and the air were
darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. Now, we just want
to understand that this is a great pollution that came out of that
pit. Now, we're going to find out
it's not literal smoke. This is a great pollution that came
out of that pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon
the earth. And unto them were given power,
as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded
them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither
any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men which
have not the seal of God in their foreheads." Now, grass and green
thing and tree means there's life. They're not to hurt anybody
that has spiritual life. There's not to hurt anybody that's
regenerated. They're not to hurt anybody that
has, what does he say there, the seal of God in their foreheads. So the elect is safe. They're
under the protective care of Almighty God. And then in verse
five, and to them it was given that they should not kill them,
but they should be tormented five months. And their torment
was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man. And in
those days shall men seek death and shall not find it, and shall
desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes
of the locusts were like unto horses, prepared unto battle.
And on their heads there were crowns like gold, and their faces
were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair
of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they
had breastplates as it were breastplates of iron, and the sound of their
wings was the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
And their tails likened to scorpions, and there were stings in their
tails, and their power was to hurt men five months. I'm going
to stop there and would like to go back here to this very
beginning of this chapter and look at some of the things that
are mentioned here. This fifth angel sounded and at his command,
at the command of God, this bottomless pit was opened and out of this
bottomless pit arose a smoke. out of the pit as the smoke of
a great furnace. And the sun and the air were
darkened by reason of the smoke of this pit. Now this is symbolic. Again, it's figurative words,
it's figurative language about what God had to say about the
issues of this world. And this pollution is not literal,
but it's a spiritual pollution that has come up out of the bottomless
pit. Now this spiritual pollution
is none other than what we find with regard to Jeroboam over
in the Book of First Kings when he is made king. It's a free
will, works religion, is the greatest pollution that this
world has ever seen. There has been none like it.
Now we can put scrubbers on furnaces and only 2% of the pollutants
escape into the atmosphere. But we have yet to be able to
put scrubbers on the pollution of free will works religion. That's God's business. He's the
only one that can take care of that issue. It has been around
since Cain, just outside of the Garden of Eden. It was continuously
around. It's been around. It is around.
And we're seeing the results of that kind of religion in our
world today. This is a free will works religion. God is relegated to the sidelines,
and free will of man is brought to the forefront. And it's been
that way among religions since the very beginning. Turn with
me, if you would, over to the book of 2 Kings, chapter 10. 2 Kings, chapter 10, we find
here these words with regard to Jeroboam. Now, Jeroboam was
appointed by God to rule 10 of the tribes of Israel. God raised
him up. In fact, he would not let Rehoboam
go and get after him. Rehoboam was going to go kill
him, take the kingdom back. And God sent a prophet, says,
you leave him alone. He's appointed by me. Now notice
what Jeroboam did here. Second Kings chapter 10, verse
29. What a great pollution was in
the land. Now there's only one way that this pollution can be
dealt with. And Jesus Christ dealt with this pollution with
the woman at the well. You remember what she had to
say? Our fathers say in this mount we are to worship. Now
that's the mount where this golden calf was. Our fathers say in
this mount, our fathers tell us that there is a free will,
works religion, and we can worship this golden calf and we will
be okay. Now the Lord Jesus is the only
one that can take care of that pollution. It cannot be delegated
by the government. It cannot be made better by anybody
else. No religion has ever made this
pollution any better. The Lord Jesus Christ dealt with
that pollution in that woman's heart there at Jacob's well when
she came to draw water, and he declared himself unto her, and
that's the only way that she was ever able to get rid of that
kind of pollution. Religious pollution now second
Kings chapter 10 and They're 14 or 15 times. It's almost like
this through first Kings and second Kings But second Kings
chapter 10 and verse 29 the scriptures tell us this Second Kings chapter 10 and Howbeit, from the sins of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from
after them to wit the golden calves that were in Bethel and
that were in Dan." Fourteen or fifteen times with regard to
different kings of Israel, these same words are brought up. They
did not depart from the sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. They
continued to allow these calves to go on and on. And we know
that they stayed there for a long time, because in the days of
the Lord Jesus, he finds it an issue among those Samaritans. Our father said, in this mount,
we're to worship. And you say, in Jerusalem, you're
to worship. Well, the Lord dealt with religion right there and
there. He's not in the business of pollution. He's in the business
of clean air. He had the first Clean Air Act.
And that Clean Air Act is, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father but by me. So this great pollution
that comes out of this bottomless pit, this pollution that comes
up, it's just a stagnant air with regard to God. It is filled
with this idea that men are going to make it on their own. Turn
with me, if you would, to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter
4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, this
pollution that has come up. It has filled the world. There's
not a wits difference between Southern Baptists and Mohammedism. Not a wits difference. Nobody's saved by being a Southern
Baptist, and nobody's saved by being a Muhammad. It is works
religion, whatever it is that's not Christ, and Christ's purpose
of grace, it is works religion. And it's the same, fell out of
the same pit, and it's the same pollution, and it's the same
killer pollution. stagnates now here in the book
of 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse
1 it says therefore seeing we have this ministry as we have
received mercy we faint not but have renounced the hidden things
of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, not handling the
word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth,
commending ourselves to everyone's man's conscience in the sight
of God." Now what is he making reference to here? I can't help
but think that the Apostle Paul is making reference to what he
used to be. What did he used to do? Hidden
things of dishonesty. What was it? Walking in craftiness. What was it? Handling the word
of God deceitfully. That's what he used to do. And
that's what religion was doing at that time. And the only one
that ever changed his mind about this was the spirit of God. This
is a real pollution. This is dirty air. renouncing the hidden things,
and he was dishonest. And he was walking in craftiness
and handling the word of God deceitfully. That was his old
life. That was his old style. But when
God saved him now, he can identify that so quickly. What is there
about the gospel? It's a clear sound of a distinct
bell. It is a I found a silver dollar
the other day I put up. First thing I did with it is
put it on the tip of my finger and hit it with a washer. I got
to hear that clear silver sound again. It is a nice ding. Put one of the new ones on there.
It's a clunk. This is a pring so melodious. There is such a clearness about
the gospel, and God's people can identify it instantaneously
when it's not the gospel, when it is deceitful, when it is underhanded. when it is a lie, when it is
dishonest, when it is deceitful. Now he goes on to say there in
verse two, but by manifestation of the truth, committing ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God. If our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. in whom the God of
this world hath blinded the mind of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord." What did he do before? He preached
himself. He preached the law. He was one,
I just can hear Saul of Tarsus say, I've got my doctrine. I'm a doctor of the law. He bragged
on his position and therefore he had the authority to say what
he said. Every time he wrote to a church,
you know what authority he claimed now? I am an apostle of Jesus
Christ. He didn't go back to that law. He didn't go back to his training.
That's pollution. It takes people's minds away
from Christ. This is pollution, he says. Now, I'm showing you I preach
not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your
servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels. A lot of people look on the outside
and say, look at that. He says it's on the inside. I
was preaching this pollution and saying, clean up your outside
and you'll be fine. Jesus Christ told the Pharisees,
you've cleaned up the outside of the platter, but the inside
is still an atrocious mess. You've whitewashed the prophet's
tombs, but inside is dead man's bones. You've looked at the outside
of everything, and that's what religion does. Looks at the reformation
and not the regeneration. Looks at the outside improvement.
Look what we've done. We've got so many classes of
AA classes. We're doing God's work here and
regeneration is relegated to nothing but reformation is brought
to the forefront and that's nothing but pollution. It blinds the
minds of people. Goes on to say here, we have
this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power
may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side,
yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in
despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not
destroyed. Always bearing about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our body. He says, these things, I've renounced
this. I've renounced the pollution.
I'm in the Clean Air Act. I don't want a dirty, dirty religion. I want Christ and Him crucified. I don't want fog. I want Christ. I don't want hidden things. I
want revealed things. I don't want this cleaning up
the outside. I want a new creature on the
inside. I don't want this reformation.
I want this treasure in earthen vessels. This outside is falling
away, but the inside, God has made a deposit there of his Holy
Spirit and created a life. Turn with me, if you would, to
2 Corinthians 11. As we hear, you can just see
the great belching smoke come out of the bottomless pit. How
it just, it's a stench in the nostrils of God and a stench
in the nostrils of the church. It is a pollution that we were
acquainted with, but thank God, like the woman at the well, he's
pulled us out of that pollution and allowed us to breathe clean
air. Here in 2 Corinthians chapter
11. Verse 1 through 4, the scriptures say, Would to God you could bear
with me a little of my folly, and indeed bear with me. For
I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I have espoused
you to one husband, that I might present you a chaste virgin to
Christ. But I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, So your mind should
be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Now this is
the book, The Church at Corinth, that we just started there, 1
Corinthians chapter 1, and saw the whole issue that was missing
there was Christ. And as he writes the second letter,
he says, I am fearful. I'm fearful. You've fallen after
pollution. You've fallen away from the simplicity
that is in Christ. You've added to Christ. You've
made, a man told me one time, are you ever going to get away
from Christ? Preach something but Christ.
Well, here we goes on, for if he that cometh preaches another
Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit,
which you have not received, or another gospel, which you
have not accepted, you might well bear with him. For I suppose
I was not a wit behind the very chiefest of apostles. Notice
in that verse four, another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel. That's pollution. The word another
means pollution. This simplicity that is in Christ. It is Christ and Christ alone. It's the gospel, the free and
sovereign grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God's word to us. And then in verses 13 and 14
of that same chapter, for such are false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
How do they do that? We have 400 in Sunday school. How do they transform themselves
into the apostles of Christ? We're getting a lot done. We
have 400 in Sunday school. We have the largest church in
America. We have 10,000 people attending. The Lord Jesus had 6,000 leave
him at one time. And he wasn't in a fritter about
it. Why? That was pollution. Now, he saved
$3,000 at one time. Don't get me wrong. Day of Pentecost. He saved $3,000 at one time.
But he's not going to sell himself out for another gospel, another
Christ, or anything else. He is going, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. And verse 13 and 14 there, it
says, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel
of light. Therefore, it is no great thing
if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness,
whose end shall be according to their works. I say again,
let no man think me a fool. If otherwise, yet as a fool receive
me that I may boast myself a little. The apostles of Satan are able
to transform themselves into the angels of light. Pollution,
pollution, how do they do that? Make themselves attractive. Now
when we get over to those scorpions, I've taught all my life those
are critters, they're walking around, they're stinging people.
That's nothing else than the apostles of darkness. And we'll
look at that next time. Turn with me if you would to
2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1, these false
prophets. This great pollution that came
out, this free will, works religion, these locusts are false prophets,
they're false messengers. They come out of that pollution
and they got that darkness all over them. You can just, they're
just covered with it. They just can't wash enough to
get rid of it. The only one that can wash us and cleanse us from
the pollution of religion is Christ Jesus the Lord. That's
the only one. That woman at the well, she was
religious to the core and the Lord saved her. Now she was a
believer in Christ Jesus. He washed her from herself and
from her sin and from her pollution. Now God is gracious to wash us. Get rid of that which we carried
around with us. Ministers of unrighteousness. To make ministers of righteousness.
The Apostle Paul was the first one to admit, I was a deceitful
worker of unrighteousness. I was a minister of another Christ. I was a minister of another gospel.
I was a minister of another way. And God saved you. He said, now
there's only one way. It is no way but Christ's way. Now, notice these false prophets,
these false messengers, these locusts, they leave destruction
and desolation in their wake, right behind them. It's just
filled with destruction and desolation. And here in 2 Peter 1, verse
17. 2 Peter 1, verse 17, we read these
words about these false prophets. They're mercenaries. That's what
the Bible calls them. They're mercenaries. They don't have an interest.
One of the reasons that he said in the qualifications, not for
filthy lucre's sake, but don't be a mercenary. God's preachers
are not in it for the money. They're not mercenaries Here
we find in 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 17 For he received from God the
Father honor and glory when there came such a voice from him or
to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. and this voice which came from
heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. We
have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well
that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in the dark place,
unto the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation, for the prophecy came not of old time by the will
of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit. I don't know how many times I've stopped right there. But there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring unto upon themselves
swift destruction. Now verse 21, for the prophecy
came not in old times by the will of man, but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and immediately
shares with us, but right among those men were false teachers,
false prophets, locusts. Some of the most destructive
worst force on the earth, in the Old Testament, was the use
of locusts. Stripped everything. I saw on
one of the animal planet, I think the other day, a flock of, I
guess it was a flock of locusts. The destruction they were doing
to the farms in Africa, just stripping everything. And it's
no wonder that God used these locusts to typify, to picture
false teachers and false prophets. Strip everything. And make havoc. Wreak havoc. Now, there was false
prophets. Now notice verse two. And many
shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way
of truth shall be evil spoken of. The Bible teaches grace. The most glorious thing the Bible
has to share with the people of this world is the grace of
God. And it's evil spoken of. And
salvation by Christ alone, evil spoken of. In some people's minds,
it's the worst thing in the world that God saves and God saves
alone. It takes out men. We've talked
about that cake mix. Finally was successful when you
added one egg How religion has this so down, we have to add
something. Who followed the Apostle Paul
around? The Pharisees came around and
says, everything he said is okay except you must be circumcised
to be saved. What is that? My goodness, that
is taking the gospel of God's grace and making it a sham. All right, it goes on to say,
and through covetousness shall they with fiend words make merchandise
of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and
their damnation slumbereth not. Down there in Orlando, just out
of town, going east, the eyesore of Eifor, a monstrosity building
built by Little widows, I'm sure, poor widows, contributing to
this work of God, a monstrosity building that's going to be office
space and rented out for the wealth of the guy that's building
it. Pollution. Pollution. How much extra does it cost to
build a car just because of the anti-pollution devices? This
pollution that is just coming out of the pit permeated the
world and the minds of people as they're born into it. This
pollution, free will works, religion will be okay, and it's the world
around. And the only way we'll ever be
taken out of it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's what
he did for the woman at the well who said, that calf is my hope. Works free will, works religion. In the book of a chapter, or
excuse me, 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians
chapter 11. The locus. They're they're destructive. First Corinthians chapter 11
verse 19. But they're necessary. For there must be also heresies
among you. that they which are approved
may be made manifest among you." There must be. God has ordained
it. Who allowed the pit to be opened? Who allowed the pollution to
be brought out? Who permitted the locusts to
come? God Almighty permitted it all. And it's for the Church
and the Church only that it is at the bottom of God's designs
in all the earth. He has a stage. He has his actors. And everything else is props. Now the locusts are coming. They're
free will, works religion preachers. And they got one thing in mind. doing their destructive work,
just as the Apostle Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, lied about God,
had all sorts of things about God in the air. Now notice verse
four, going back to the book of Revelation, chapter nine,
verse four. It says here, and it was commanded
them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither
any green thing, neither any tree, that which has life, not
to be hurt, but only those men which have not the seal of God
in their forehead. Now, a couple things that we
are dependent upon. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. It's the only thing that prevents
us from going off. My sheep hear my voice. And there's
another thing, Matthew chapter 24 and verse 24. Turn there with
me. Another thing, God is so gracious
to us. The pollution would even catch
our nose. There'd be enough scent about
it that would draw us aside if it wasn't for this. Matthew chapter
24 and verse 24, it says, and there shall arise false Christs
and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders. What do we have to say about
them? I don't understand it. Boy, I had a lady tell me one
time she was hanging clothes out on the clothesline and saw
an angel come and appear to her. and give her some instructions.
What can you say about it? I didn't say anything. There's
no need arguing about it. What do we say? Well, it says
here, false Christs and false prophets show great signs and
wonders. Well, I've had people tell me
they've been healed of cancer, they've been healed of sore legs,
all sorts of things. What are you going to say? I
don't say anything. Great wonders, great signs. They are convinced,
and I'm not going to unconvince them. Now, what else does it
say here, though? It says there in Matthew 24,
verse 24, in so much that If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Thank God for his hedge. It's
the only thing that keeps us, his hedge. We'd be breathing
in that pollution and saying, smells pretty good to me if it
wasn't for that hedge. We've been encapsulated. We've
been put in a glass ball, if you please. And we were given
fresh air. And if it wasn't for that, we'd
breathe that and say, that sounds fairly good. It sounds fairly
good. So thank God for his protective cares of his people. The smoke
of that pit is terrible. And the preachers that come out
of it are terrible. But if it wasn't for the grace
of God, we'd hear their voice and say, oh, that sounds good
to me. But the voice of the Lord God,
my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. All right, we'll look
some more at those locusts. They're just, everything about
them has some symbolic meaning. And we'll look at that.