The Revelation 9:5-12 | Episode # 1062

November 4, 2025

Hope Alive: Applying God’s Word to Your Daily Life

The Revelation -

I am Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and had been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. The purpose of studying scripture is that you might know the character of Jesus Christ, and that you might see the world from the Father's perspective. That you gain wisdom that changes your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open His word to you and allow you to see Him and to know Him. To know His will, that you might glorify Him and that you might walk in faith and power each day, especially today. In Jesus name.

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Transcript

This is Chad Harrison, and you're listening to Hope Applying God's word to your daily life.

Hi, this is Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and have been serving as a pastor for 25 years.

I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life.

I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open up his word to you and allow you to see him and to know him and to know his will, that you might glorify him and that you might walk in faith and power each and every day,

especially today in Jesus name.

He says.

And they were not given authority to kill them,

but to torment them for five months.

Now, remember,

five is the number of grace.

Every time you see five, think grace. I'm just telling you, five's the number of grace. Six is the number of man.

You just.

Almost all the time when you're reading through the Scriptures. One's the number of God himself and his full authority.

Two's either division or faithful witness. Three's the totality of God himself, the Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, force. How God created the earth. It's the. Is the.

It's the foundation of how God made the earth. Five. Five is. Is grace. Six is man. Sevens perfection.

Eight, New beginnings. Okay. And you can. You could just know those things as you're going through now. You're going. Are you trying to give me a code? No, no, no.

No codes. Okay? No codes.

Are you following me? It's just roadmaps. I see boat. I always think, what,

See trees, I think people. See fish, I think. Think people. Why? Because they're just. I mean, those are the sun. That's just the script. I mean, you just see it.

It's. It's there.

Okay? You just know, if I see a boat, somebody's getting saved.

Okay? It's a salvific process.

I.

I mean, didn't they get saved from the flood?

Right. Just keep thinking through it.

I mean, you know, Jonah was in the boat and running from God and said, God said,

nope, out the boat. Right?

So not in the boat.

When he decided not to do God's will.

And you thought, that's too rudimentary. No, it's really just straightforward, isn't it? It's really obvious.

He says in the. He says now, so they're going to be tormented. The humans that do not have the Holy Spirit are going to be tormented by these creatures for five months.

Now, you can Take that to mean one of two things.

You can take that to mean at least they didn't get tormented any more than five months,

or you can take it to mean that God's judging them for five months because they could have had his grace and they didn't take it.

You go, well, Pastor, which one is it? I don't know.

Don't know. I don't know which one it is.

But if I were reading it, I would say, okay, five, that's the number of grace is five time periods, which are a month. It's not a long long, but it's not a short period of time.

So that either means that the. The. God's torment allowing them to be tormented in the flesh.

Remember, they're attacking their flesh. Okay. They're being tormented in the flesh either because they refuse God, or they're only been tormented for five months because God is still giving grace to his creation.

Okay. All right,

which one is it?

I tend to think it's the five months as a symbol of his punishment because his grace is not very evident in this book at this time.

Okay. He says the shape of the.

Now notice, men will seek. The scorpion will strike the man.

And I missed a whole portion, didn't I? He said, let's go to five. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months.

Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

Poison getting struck,

the paralysis type feeling that comes from it.

The attack to your, you know, your electrical system.

That. That. So they would get stung by them.

And then in those days, men will seek death and will not find it.

They will desire to die and death will flee from them.

Now that is an interesting.

That is an interesting torment.

What he's saying is people will try to kill themselves and can't die.

Pastor, what does that mean?

I don't know, but it's bad.

It's real bad.

Okay,

now remember, this is the judgment of God against sin and against the world who's rejected him.

He says the shape of the locust. Now this is your turn, Dane. We're getting to it. Okay,

now, the shape of the locust was like a horse prepared for battle.

So you go,

well, I thought it was a locust, remember? I think it's locusts, by the way they act.

Okay. I think they're being described as locusts by John because they fly out like a big giant swarm and they just land on everything. Okay, I think that's what he's describing because then he describes Their body to look like what,

a horse.

Now, horses are interesting,

okay? They're like lions.

Horses are an instrument of war in scripture.

And like lions, they can be evil or good.

Okay? Remember, a lion's a spiritual power.

Jesus is described as the lion of tribe of Judah.

Satan is described as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. It's a spiritual power. Okay? Might be. Might be God's power, might be, not God's power.

All right, Horses,

same thing can be war, battle,

struggle. They can represent good or evil.

So he says here, in those days, men. It says the shape of the locust was like horses prepared for battle.

And on their heads were crowns of something like gold.

So,

huh.

When you're reading that, remember we're going through this and I told y' all when we started this chapter that we.

I'm not gonna be able to tell you exactly all what this is. Cause it's just not. It's not a.

I think it's intentionally not clear,

okay?

They look like horses. They act like locusts.

They have a head,

and on that head they have a crown.

Okay? But it's not gold, because gold's the royalty of God.

But it's imitation. It's not exactly what it is. The word for crown does not have to do with dominion,

okay?

And it doesn't have to do with victory.

It's the idea of.

Of being of a regal background.

So when I get to the crown,

I tend to think they are angels because they have an angelic appearance in the sense that they're.

In the sense that they're have a crown from God. They have that pile that they come from that place.

The next part makes me really think,

says on the heads were crowns and something like gold. And their faces were like the faces of men.

Now that could be either demon had an evil body,

evil flesh,

evil soul.

So if they had human faces, they could be demonstration. But remember, angels.

Many of the angels have human faces.

Okay. Or faces that are human, like.

All right, why? Because angels were ministering spirits sent to minister unto the saints of God.

Okay?

So they. They have the appearance of people.

I believe that Michael and Gabriel look like humans in most ways. Now, we also know that the cherubim, y' all know those fat babies with lungs,

I.

The. That you're those. Those are not the cherubs. Remember, the cherubs are the ones that's got the wings all over the place, eyes all over them. They're giant. They're huge.

They got many faith. Y' all remember them, right?

All right, well, so some angels don't look. Look like humans, and some do.

All right?

I don't know.

It says they had hair like woman's hair,

and their teeth were the. Was like lion's teeth.

Well, that's all kinds of stuff there.

Okay, you go, well, what is woman's hair?

Do y' all know?

Long. It would be. It would be long.

What do y'. All.

Anybody got any spiritual context for that?

Huh?

It does have a sexual connotation to it. Okay? It's because women's hair is their beauty.

Okay? But it doesn't have to just. It doesn't have to be that totally.

Okay?

And so, you know, you have that ex. And you go, well, why would that be? Because there's an element of them that's attractive,

okay?

And that doesn't fix it either for whether it's demons or angels, either,

because they are in some ways attractive to man.

Man looks on them, and they have the beauty of women's hair. I mean, they don't have the beauty of men's hair,

right?

Because that's not beautiful.

That's right, Daniel. Amen.

And they had teeth like lions.

And. What did I just say? Lions represent spiritual power.

So they got some kind of spiritual power where you say, well, don't demons have spiritual power? The answer to that question is no.

No,

they don't.

The only power that the demonic has is the power that you give them.

Okay? Now, do angels have power?

Yeah. They still have authority over the parts of the earth that are not a part of the kingdom of God. Who's the kingdom of God?

We are.

Do y' all know why you're the kingdom of God?

Yeah, the Holy Spirit. But there's a reason. How do we know that we're the kingdom of God?

Anybody?

Somebody told us that. Who told us that?

No, who told us that we were the kingdom of God?

Listen, if I ask a question and nobody's got the answer,

then start with Jesus and work your way out. Okay? All right.

He said that the kingdom of God does not come with careful observation. Right?

He says, you're not going to be able to say, look over there, there it is, or, look over here, here it comes.

He says, because the kingdom of God is in your heart.

So people now in the New Testament are the kingdom of God.

We are the promised land.

The promises of God are no longer in a physical location.

They are in the. The temple of God which is in your heart.

You are a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Right.

Make sense.

So these angels.

I Think they're angels, okay? I'm just gonna get to the end and say, I think they're angels.

Now, if we get to heaven, don't be running up to me and saying, you're wrong, Chad. You were wrong. Nanny, nanny, boo boo.

I don't want to hear it. I told you they could have not been angels. And in fact, there's a slight chance, I'm giving it 5, 10%, that they're something else, okay?

They're not angels. They're not demons or something else. I have no idea. What did I just say about these creatures? I don't know, but they're rough, and I don't want to meet them,

okay? I don't even want to be around them if they're tagging other folks and I'm there, okay? I'm thinking that'll freak me out a little bit. Don't want to be around.

Okay. All right. It says they had hair like woman's hair and teeth like a lion, and they had breast plates like plates of iron,

and iron is always judgment.

And the sound of their wings were like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.

Now, I'm telling you, there have been many books on prophecy written that say these are helicopters,

okay?

Say their wings are helicopter wings. Okay? The helicopters have wings. I thought they had rotors,

but John could have described them as wings. Okay?

So,

all right, let's just have fun for a little bit so that we can make some people happy tonight, okay?

Just as much a possibility. Is there something other than.

Than fallen angels or demons? There's a remote possibility that this is talking about helicopters. Okay,

Dana, how does that make you feel right now? In your heart? You feel good in your heart right now? All right? Now, it's likely not to be. Okay, Just probably not.

Yes, ma'. Am.

Ospreys have wings.

Are you talking about the plane helicopter?

Did you fly any of those?

I know you wanted to. But you didn't. I know you didn't. He said. When he said man, I. I know he didn't get to. All right. Ospreys do. I don't know.

But. But, But. But the sound of many horses gives us the idea again that this is a battle. This is God at war.

Okay? It gives that illustration. And. And if it is helicopters, well, then it. Then it is God at war. But I'm not sure that that's what it is.

They had tails like scorpions.

Well, of course they did, because they attacked people. Now, when you. If you're my age or older,

Do y' all remember when Clash of the Titans came out?

Y' all remember that giant scorpion they fought right at the start?

Huh? I don't know why my parents let me. That's just straight up paganism. Anyway,

but, but, but,

but wasn't it neat when we were kids? Now you watch and you go, that's terrible.

I mean,

that special effects are awful.

All right?

But that scorpion's pretty neat, right? I don't want to hear about it. All right? He said their power was to hurt men for five months,

and they had a king over them.

The angel of the bottomless pit.

Now, who is that?

Remember that hell was made for the devil and his angels,

okay?

Now, you need to understand that the devil is very unique creature in scriptures. Lucifer is a very unique creature in scripture. And if you'll notice, I don't spend a whole lot of time talking about him.

Okay?

First of all, I don't spend a whole lot of time talking about him because that is making him known or glorifying him.

Does that make sense to you?

And that's all he wanted, is to be glorified, okay? So I'm not really in the business of glorifying him. And in fact, if you'll notice, even Gabriel, when they were.

When they were arguing over Moses, Gabriel didn't engage him very much other than, you know,

he told him that God was going to handle him.

Okay? That's basically what he says.

He said, you know,

God. He rebuked him from God, not from himself.

Now, it was Gabriel is Michael.

And, and, and I want you to hear me. Michael could have won,

would have won.

Michael is the warrior archangel. Gabriel is not. He's the worship archangel. Okay? And you know, the linebacker can whip the drum major anytime,

right?

I mean, it's just the way it is, right? I mean,

I mean, you know the Green Beret is going to whip the band member, right? Every time. I mean, every time. All right, so. So understanding that is that. Is that Satan,

even Satan,

is controlled by God.

We know that from Job.

We know that from scripture.

We know that he has limited access to God. God gives him access to reveal himself. God gives him access to the earth, gives him power and authority over the earth.

Well, actually, we gave him that power and authority, but he allows him to remain in it for a reason.

What is the reason?

For you.

For you.

Okay? Because you, if left to your flesh, would never, ever chase after God.

There has to be times and seasons of struggle, and those struggles do have to come as a war with the world. There has to be those seasons of struggle for you to actually trust God and walk with God.

I'm not going to lie to you. Without God, y' all would be sorry. Real sorry.

Okay?

Every one of you.

Even you might. You'd be sorry as I'll get out. All right?

We all would be, right?

We. We would.

So what does God do? He uses.

He uses his creation to refine you and to make you.

All right, and so when we're studying. When we're studying this. This passage, we understand that.

Well, he is. What is he?

He, the king over them.

Angel of the bottomless pit, who name in Hebrew is Abaddon,

but it's Greek is Apollyon,

which is death. Okay,

all right.

He. He is the. The angels are in a kingdom, army themselves,

and he is.

He. He is the head of that army.

Okay?

The angels are an army.

So what did we learn tonight?

Well, we learned that we don't know helicopters. Okay? They could be. Helicopter.

Got to have the sound of many horses riding into battle. And if you've watched Apocalypse now, you. You know what that's like. Okay, the. The Huey's going into battle, right?

It may make a lot of noise.

All right, what. What should you learn from this?

Well, what. I think you ought to get out of this, and. And I'm. I'm gonna kind of go through it real quick for you. What you need to get out of this is that you are a kingdom.

You are the kingdom of God.

And since the very preeminent story of.

Of the Bible that leads us to Jesus, what is the preeminent story of. Of the Old Testament?

Humans went into captivity.

God delivered them from Satan's power and from the world and took them out of captivity.

He brought them across the Red Sea,

he brought them to his presence.

He revealed himself to them, and then he promised them his best.

His kingdom, his promised land. All right, that is the overarching story of the Old Testament, right?

I mean, that's it. Everything that happens in the Old Testament comes out of that story.

Okay?

All right. Man falls, man's terrible. Man's got no hope. God calls a man of faith. That man of faith creates people of faith. That people of faith taken into captivity.

The story. That's the story.

All right?

The promised land is the kingdom of God. It's the blessings of God. It's the presence of God.

Makes sense.

All right, now hear me.

We move from that story which foreshadows the story of all time,

which is that God delivers his people from sin and death.

To newness of life through Jesus Christ.

Okay?

But that deliverance is not for you to go to heaven.

You're going.

But that deliverance is not for you to go to heaven,

is for you to be a kingdom now and then go to heaven for you to glorify God with your life now.

Okay?

And what that means is, is that you have to.

Just like I told you the story of Joshua and Caleb, you got to take your promises.

You got to figure out what your promises are, and you got to take them.

And what are your promises?

Well, I don't know.

I know what my promises are.

You say, well, Pastor, do you know all your problems? No, I don't know all of them. I done told you. I always ask myself, what am I going to do when I grow up,

right?

But I will say this.

Many of the things that I desired when I was young and I thought that God had led me down a path to do other things have now come full circle.

And now I do the things he led me to do and the things that I desired to do, and he's put them together,

okay? So I have an expectation that I will spend the next 20, 25 years of my life doing those things. Maybe 30,

could be 35. We're really stretching it, right?

I mean, some heavy stretching. I mean, how many y' all know? 6, 4, 8, 90 year olds? Y' all don't know many of them. Okay. All right, but, but, but knowing that means that I need to be taking my promises every day and then be taking his word, taking his truth,

taking.

Taking his, his. His revelation and receiving it and growing in it.

I got to do that every day.

And I have to open my mind and my eyes to the big things.

All right? And you go, well, how do I know it's a big thing? Well, remember, if you got to push the door open,

then it's not yours.

He opens doors that are yours.

So what I have to do, I have to open my eyes and open my ears and search for the doors.

And when the door opens, you go through it and you don't pitch a fit when the door you wanted to open doesn't open.

Because this is the grand prize game.

Except you're going to have to choose to let God tell you whether you choose door number one, door number two, or door number three.

Because if you don't watch it, you're going to get the old broke down truck with the chickens in it, okay.

Rather than the brand new car.

All right?

You got to make sure that you are looking for the open door.

Where are your open doors?

And by the way, if you keep falling flat of your face into something,

stop doing that.

I don't even know who that's for, but that's for somebody here,

okay? You've tried it five times. And every time, you plant head,

I mean face first into the ground.

Every time you try that.

Stop that,

that. That's not how God works.

God leads you to the open door by his revelation,

general revelation in the world, how he created the world.

Specific revelation in Jesus Christ, personal revelation,

revelation.

The specific revelation applied to your life, Jesus applied to your life.

Stop face planning.

Stand up,

step back and say, where is the door?

Are y' all listening?

Find the door.

Because you'll come across a door and it'll just open right on up for you.

You following me?

That won't happen.

If you're doing your will and you keep trying to do it your way,

Remember, it is not your kingdom, it's his kingdom. It's your blessings,

it's his will, it's your promises.

You got to find how your promises fit into his kingdom.

And I feel like that when I say that, and I say it to you right now, I feel like there's just several people in the room that just really need to hear that.

And you can. And listen,

you gotta be diligent and patient with doing it.

It's not your time,

it's God's time.

It's not your way, it's God's way.

You got to be diligent doing it.

I get up,

I be obedient by faith to what God has told me to do.

I do what he's given me to do well.

I do it as to the Lord. I honor him with it.

I find the door some days.

Some days are not for finding the door. Some days are for glorifying God and being obedient,

right?

But I keep getting up and going,

getting up and going.

Every time I try to fix something myself,

the door won't open.

Every time God fixes it, it just opens lives.

I even had something today that I needed fixed that had nothing to do with where I was at.

But somebody, God sent somebody in. Me and him were talking. He said this, I said that. He said, well, I'll do this. And it fixed that problem.

If I were trying to figure out how to fix that problem today, I would have spent all day trying to fix that problem and nothing would have happened. God can send somebody in a moment, boom happens.

God can do instantaneously what you can't do your whole life.

All right?

So you got to keep being obedient.

Young people tend to get discouraged and stop.

Are you hearing me?

You don't get to. How many? How many? Y' all see some older people in this room that you really admire spiritually?

I want you to hear me. They did not get there by being wishy washy.

I promise you they didn't. They got up every day. They trusted God. They didn't do it perfectly. They didn't do it well. And they trusted God. And they trusted God.

And they trusted God. And they trusted God. And doors opened and they became who God wanted them to be. They became his kingdom.

Makes sense as you go. Today I pray that the Lord will.

Bless you and keep you you. That he'll make his face to shine upon you and that he will give you hope and peace today in Jesus name.