Hardness of Heart: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (Revelation 9:13-21)

We are in that portion of the book of Revelation (the “things to come” portion, see Rev. 1:19) describing the judgment God sends on the earth. It is all taking place within a three and a half year period (“times, time, and half a time,” 1260 days or 42 months, the Jewish month being 30 days). It is what Jesus and John called the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21; Rev. 7:14). This time frame comes from Daniel 9, where the prophet Daniel records that God has decreed 490 years from the time of the decree to restore Jerusalem ( 444 B.C.) to the finishing of all history. In the 483rd year of that countdown the Messiah will be cut off. This happened, as predicted, in 33 A.D. The remaining seven years have yet to begin. There was a pause button hit on the countdown timer.

God created the church to fill the period between the cutting off of Messiah and the restarting of the clock for Israel. Israel has been hardened during this time (Romans 10,11) but her redemption is coming. We have already seen in Revelation 7 that it has begun, with 144,000 Jewish people being saved and protected and becoming evangelists to the world. That is as it should be. Israel will become the kingdom of priests she was meant to be.

At the very same time, in the last half of that seven years countdown, God is judging mankind, giving us a chance for repentance.

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. (Revelation 9:13-21 ESV)

The previous judgment seemed to be led by demonic forces.  Allowing Satan’s hatred against humans as a judgment shows God’s truthfulness when He says worship of Him is protection against evil.  Is this new judgment of the two hundred thousand man army also demonic?  The horses are not any animal species in description, but could this be symbolic?

Whatever the case may be they bring death to one third of mankind, an incredible devastation.  And yet, despite the horror those who survive refuse to repent of their worship of Satan and idols and of their murderousness, sorcery, immorality and thievery.  The judgment somehow makes it clear that this is what is being punished, but hard hearts resist the truth.

Though there will be opportunity to repent during the great tribulation there will also be great hardness of heart. It is better to repent now than risk being one of those so hardened.