Obadiah, Revelation 9 Key Verse: Revelation 9:20

This chapter of Revelation does two things. First, it tells of events that will occur. It is a prophecy detailing part of the judgment God will pour , out on this earth. It also serves as a warning of the seriousness of sin.

The seriousness of sin is seen in the increasing severity of judgment.| As you read through Revelation you will notice this. The warning at j the end of chapter 8 is given in a way that none will fail to see or hear. The movement through the seal and trumpet judgments, on to the bowl judgments, is one of increasing severity.

The seriousness of sin is also seen in the severity of the judgments themselves. Torment and death are the results of the fifth and sixth trumpets. We sometimes focus more on the description of these judgments rather than reflect on their severity. These will make all other disasters pale in comparison.

And how does mankind react? Incredibly, with great stubbornness. In verses 20 and 21 we’re told that people refuse to turn to God. Their hearts are set in their hostility toward Him. Not even torment and death lead them to repentance.

They “still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood .. …. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Sin can so grip the heart that even the judgment of God does not break it’s grasp. Don’t just learn about the future from these verses but see the warning for the present. See the seriousness of sin.

We sometimes are too casual about sin and its effects. Consider your life today, looking to see if sin is gripping some part of it. By God’s grace and power you can break its grasp.

Woodrow Kroll & Tony beckett
www.backtothebible.in