Destruction and Mercy

7-Trumpet Locusts

We turn now to the locusts pouring out in a dark cloud from the bottomless pit (Rev. 9:3-11) Bruce Metzger (Breaking the Code, pp.66-67) reminds us that the objects and events in John's vision are not physically real nor physically present. They are not descriptions of real occurrences, but symbols of real occurrences. John intends to focus our attention upon the idea his symbolical language conveys. And what is that? The idea is that to rebel against God is extremely serious and those who persist will meet with judgment and destruction. Swarming from the bottomless pit are locusts (Exod 10:12-14) like battle horses with human faces, long hair like women, teeth like lions, tails and stings like scorpions, wings rattling like many chariots rushing into battle, wearing breastplates of iron and crowns of gold. An altogether frightening crowd of beasts. The very name of their king conveys their mission. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, translated into Greek that means Apollyon and into English Destruction !

So what kind of destruction awaits those who rebel against their Creator and God? Perhaps it is physical, but more likely it is the inner, spiritual torment of guilt and fear. Whatever it is, it is:

• five months of torment, but not death
• torment like the sting of a scorpion, excruciating, but not fatal
• torment that will make men long to die, but unable to find death

On the other hand this vision emphasizes also God's great mercy and forgiveness because the locust-creatures are forbidden to harm the vegetation as locusts usually do (Psa 105:34-35). Nor are they permitted to touch those who have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev. 7:3-4; 14:1; Eph. 4:30).

So the first woe passed, but two were still to come.

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 

The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. 

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. - Rev 9:13-21 ESV

As the sixth angel blows his trumpet 10,000 X 10,000 = 100,000,000 X 2 = 200 million mounted troops pour out across the Euphrates river to slaughter a third of mankind. The Euphrates was the eastern border of the Roman Empire. Beyond it were the hordes of Parthian horsemen, never conquered by the Romans. They now become symbolic of the grave destruction awaiting all who will not bow before the throne of God.

Still not all die. Only a third are killed by these plagues. Nevertheless, in spite of the mass destruction, the rest of mankind do not repent. They continue to worship demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood. They continue to murder, practice sorcery, sexual immorality and thievery.

So through John's vision the LORD God speaks His Word. It is a Word of judgment and destruction, but for those who turn from their idols and godless ways it is a word of mercy and forgiveness, freely offered to all in Jesus Christ.

Hell Is Your Choice!

The Apostle Paul quickly learned that the questions about Christ's return would not go away in Thessalonica despite what he wrote and what I quoted in my previous blog. This busy metropolitan city with its intersecting roads to the rest of the Roman world had many intersecting ideas and thoughts rushing back and forth. And among those were some troubling thoughts about the return of Christ. Besides all that the church there was being persecuted. So Paul begins his response to all this troubling news like this:

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. - 2Th 1:1-12 ESV

As you can see, Paul did indeed have the return of Christ and the terrible Day of the Lord in mind. Destruction in the form of flaming fire is on the way. God will visit His vengeance on those who do not know Him nor obey—in the sense of pay attention to—the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be dealt with. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction! That's a strange phrase, because we usually think of destruction as something that happens and the person is gone, dead, destroyed.
But Paul says they will suffer and keep on suffering God's δίκη (dē'-kā), God's justice. The sentence will be carried out. That sentence, he writes, will be destruction, but not extinction. Everything that Christ's enemies trust in, everything they dream about, all peace and security, all their riches and power—everything will be wiped out and they themselves will be separated forever from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. They will eternally know nothing but despair, guilt, fear, anxiety and loneliness. As Paul wrote in his first letter,

. . . sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. - 1Th 5:3 ESV

But forever? Why? How can it be? That is a most difficult concept to take hold of. Men usually couch it in terms of the Lord Jesus being too vindictive. Won't his anger ever be satisfied? Will he forever demand punishment, justice—destruction!? But that's the exact opposite of what the Scriptures reveal. How dare you or I make such a mockery of our Lord's mercy and love? How dare we forget that Jesus became our High Priest and made Himself the one final sacrifice for the sins of all men (Hebrews 7:27; 9:11-14, 27-28)? How dare we not hear His loud cry for all humanity upon the cross, 

"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - Mat 27:46 ESV

He stands before the world of men of all ages with his scarred hands held out. He longs to give forgiveness, but so many are like Jerusalem. He looks down upon them with tears in His eyes.

 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! - Luk 13:34 ESV

But like ancient Pharaoh and Jerusalem's Sanhedrin their hearts are hard, their eyes are darkened and they are not willing! Hell is their choice. The Lord cannot and will not deprive them of the freedom to choose their own destruction.

So it stands for each one of us. Make your choice! If you want hell, then that is what you will receive.

Hell Must Be Forever

The Christian church has always taught that hell is eternal, forever, unending. Holy Scripture quotes our Lord Jesus' reply to those who reject him in this life, contrasting hell with heaven.

Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." - Mat 25:45-46 ESV

John the Baptist is quoted as saying the same thing,

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. - John 3:34-36 ESV

Yes, it is true that the term eternity is sometimes used in the weakened sense of long duration. For example,

"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever (Hebr. 'owlam), you shall keep it as a feast. ... You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. - Exod 12:14, 24 ESV 

The Passover has been replaced by the Lord's Supper. Consequently the term forever does not mean eternal or without end in such references, but in all references to heaven and hell it does indeed mean forever. So the Apostle Paul also writes about the misery of those damned in hell.

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. - 2 Thess 1:4-10 ESV

But why? Why? we ask again. Why would a loving God bring eternal destruction upon a world that he claims to love so much? The answer  lies in the very nature of God. He is totally reliable. You can always depend upon him and his Word. He never lies. He never changes. He is always the same. He is completely worthy of our trust. He does not change his mind. He will do what he has said he will do.

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. - 1 Thess 5:24 ESV 

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? - Num 23:19 ESV

There is but one God. To reject him is to reject life itself. This was so from the very beginning. And yet God loves us all, regardless of race, status, position or place. But there is not a just man among us who has loved God with all his or her heart, mind and power (Rom. 3:10-18). How can we possibly be reconciled to God? How can God remain true to himself and still forgive us and freely give to us eternal life? Only in Jesus Christ. In Christ God has reconciled us all to himself. So the Apostle writes of Christ,

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, - Col 1:19-22 ESV

It follows then that God has no other choice. To be who he is, both just, faithful and loving, he must pronounce judgment and eternal death upon  those who turn their backs upon his mercy and forgiveness freely offered in Christ. To quote John as I did above, "whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36).