Pathway to Victory

Guest (Male): Hey podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate, or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

So fearful were ancient mariners of the Kraken that they refused to even utter the name, thinking that just mentioning it would summon that huge beast to destroy them and send them to their watery graves. But more terrifying are the creatures we are going to discover today. And perhaps the most frightening thing about these creatures we are going to look at today is that they are real.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. The book of Revelation describes a time of destruction that will take place during the earth's final seven years. And while some judgments will be directed toward the planet, others will directly affect mankind. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress describes a time during the Great Tribulation when demons run free. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Final Conquest is the title of my verse by verse study through the Book of Revelation. And in a moment, we'll venture into a passage in Revelation 9 that describes Satan's demise in the bottomless pit. Even though it's a difficult subject to address, I believe the Lord has given me this teaching series for such a time as this.

We're living in a dark season when it appears the enemy is gaining territory. The Book of Revelation makes it very clear to us that God will have the last word. So, be prepared to jot down our contact information at the close of today's message because I want to send you a copy of my commentary on Revelation.

Like this teaching series, my book is also called Final Conquest. In my book, I'll help you understand the difficult passages in Revelation, like the one we're addressing today. You see, sometimes it's easy to get confused by the strange imagery in Revelation, but it all has a clear purpose, and that's to reinforce the victorious unveiling of King Jesus.

A copy of Final Conquest is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. All right, let's get started with our next study in Revelation. I titled today's message, Day of the Demons.

Before the advent of modern mapmaking or satellite technology, ancient mariners really didn't know a lot about the oceans on which they sailed. They thought the earth was flat, and if they went too far, they could fall off the edge of the earth. They didn't know really what lurked beneath the seas as well.

And that gave rise to many myths. And perhaps the myth that was the greatest of them all was the myth of the Kraken. That truly large squid-like beast that, according to mythology, was able to wrap its tentacles around the mast of a ship and drag it below the sea and cause the death of all the sailors aboard.

So fearful were ancient mariners of the Kraken that they refused to even utter the name, thinking that just mentioning it would summon that huge beast to destroy them and send them to their watery graves. When we get to Revelation chapter 9, you might be relieved to know, there are no Krakens.

We're not going to see any creatures like the Kraken beneath the sea. But more terrifying are the creatures we are going to discover today. And perhaps the most frightening thing about these creatures we are going to look at today is that they are real. And God says one day he's going to release them to do their destructive work on the face of the earth.

If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn for a very sobering passage in Revelation 9 as we discover what happens on the day of the demons. Revelation chapter 9. Look at verse 1. "Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven, which had fallen to earth, and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him." This fallen angel was given by God a key, and it was a key to a bottomless pit.

Look at verse 2. "And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit." Where is this bottomless pit, and what is it? The abyss is the place where a group of demons who have already been judged are being held captive until their final judgment and dispatch into the eternal lake of fire.

This angel, this demon was given a key to open the bottomless pit. But notice what else that he saw besides the smoke and the fire. He saw demonic tormentors from the abyss. Look at verse 3. "Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth. And power was given them as the scorpions of the earth have power." And they were told "not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." That's the 144,000 who have been sealed and saved by God.

And these locusts were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days, men will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death flees from them.

Apparently, these demon locusts have the ability to inflict a sting like a scorpion. Now, for children, a scorpion sting can be fatal. For most adults, it's not fatal, but it can be accompanied, if it's severe enough, by convulsions, by continuous feelings of nausea, by continual vomiting. You can wish you were dead.

And that's exactly what happens here. Have you ever been in such agony that you wished you could die? I've had that happen twice, both times with food poisoning. Well, it's going to be much more severe during this period of time. The sting that these scorpion-like creatures are able to inflict will cause men and women and children to cry out for death.

Their mission is to inflict pain upon human beings. Notice their appearance. Verse 7. "The appearance of these locusts was like horses prepared for battle." If you look under a microscope at a locust, it does look like a horse. But this will be like a horse prepared for battle. "And on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold."

Signifying their victory. "And their faces were like the faces of men." Probably an indication of the fact that they had intelligence. They had hair like the hair of women. Now, ladies, this is no slam against women. Like a woman. What does that mean? Well, remember, the Romans were constantly fighting barbarians, hordes of barbarians, and barbarians in the first century did not cut their hair. It added to their appearance of ferocity, their long hair. That's what this is signifying as well.

Their teeth were like the teeth of lions, showing their voracious appetites. They had breastplates like the breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. Verse 10. "They have tails like scorpions and stings, and in their tails is the power to hurt men, not kill them, for five months." "They have a king over them, the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon." Both of those names mean "destroyer."

"The first woe is passed. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things." As terrible as this judgment is, unimaginable pain for five months, it's nothing compared to the second woe, the sixth judgment that is yet to come. The sixth trumpet, the second woe, is that of a demonic army.

Look at Revelation 9, beginning with verse 13. "Then the sixth angel sounded. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God. And one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great River Euphrates.' And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour, and the day, and the month, and the year were released so that they would kill a third of mankind."

What is happening here? The sixth angel with the sixth trumpet is not only sounding the trumpet, he's participating in the execution of this judgment. He is commanded to release the four angels bound at the River Euphrates. Now, again, are we talking about heavenly angels or demonic angels? Well, the key is they are bound, they are chained. No heavenly angel is chained. These are four judged angels who have been chained at the River Euphrates.

And the four angels, the four demons who had been prepared for the hour, the day, and the month, and the year were released so that they could kill a third of mankind. Remember, the locusts were told they can't kill anyone. But these four commanders of a demonic army will kill one-third of mankind. And how is it they're going to kill a third of the human beings on the earth? It's going to be through a 200 million-member demonic army.

And we find it described, beginning in verse 16. "The number of the armies of these demonic horsemen was 200 million." "I heard the number of them." In Greek it says "twice 10,000 times 10,000." There's no reason to take that symbolically. That's pretty precise. 200 million.

Look at the description that you find of this army in verse 7. "And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them." In other words, this is what it looked like to me, John. "The riders had breastplates the color of fire, that would be red, and of hyacinth, that would be blue, and of brimstone, that would be yellow. And the heads of the horses are like," notice the word "like," the heads of lions. These aren't real lions, but they appeared to John like lions.

"And out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. And a third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm."

So many times, John uses the word, "it's like, it's like, it's like." Now, this is conjecture, imagination on my part, but I think it's sanctified imagination. If you were John on that island of Patmos in the first century and God has transported you to the 21st century or the 22nd century to look at the end of the world and a great war that was occurring, how would you, as John from the first century, describe the weapons of modern war in the 21st century?

What words would you use to describe a helicopter flying through the sky? Or a massive tank that billows smoke and destruction? Or a rocket launcher sending missiles? How would you describe that? You would use language just like this. And I think that's what you're seeing John do here. He's describing a real war with real forces at work.

And what was the result of this plague? The result was a third of mankind was killed. Now, remember, back in the seal judgments, in Revelation chapter 6, and the fourth judgment, a fourth of humankind had already been killed. Now you add a third. That means by the end of this plague, over half the world's population. Today that would be three and a half billion people have died.

Now you would think if the world had witnessed that fifth trumpet judgment, those scorpion-like creatures causing people to beg to die. And the sixth judgment, a third of the world killed, you would think certainly that would bring people to their knees to repent and turn to God. Not so.

Look at the response to these first two woe judgments, beginning with verse 20. "And the rest of mankind, those who survived, who were not killed by these plagues, they did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold and silver, and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries, nor of their immorality, nor of their thefts."

They not only didn't repent, they continued to sin. And they sinned even more frequently and intensely. You know, you see that happening today. None of this is hard to believe. Worshiping demons? We see the worship of Satan and demons at an all-time high right now. I just read this week of a case of a group involved in satanic worship, a pregnant woman was killed along with her six children. You read of horrific things happening in the name of Satan. That will happen then.

Idolatry, it's not just wood statues, but gold and silver, and stone and wood. Today materialism is an idol to so many people. They worship money, they worship their possessions instead of the God who gives them those possessions. "And they did not repent of their murders."

How can that be? How would people murder and not repent of their murders? As Christians, we acknowledge the horrible, horrible sin of abortion in our country today, and the government legalization of abortion. And every year 1.4 million children are murdered as a result of abortion. And what do we do? Do we repent of that? No. A large segment of our population absolutely celebrates it.

And one of the worst perpetrators and facilitators of abortion is Planned Parenthood, which is nothing but a slaughterhouse for the unborn. That's all that it is. Oh, they talk about, they talk about they're there to protect women's health. They're there to protect a woman's reproductive rights.

Well, just think about it. If 1.4 million children are killed through abortion every year, that means 700,000 of those are girls that are killed. How does that work out for their health? How does abortion help their reproductive rights? Planned Parenthood is a racist organization. It was founded by a racist named Margaret Sanger to control the black population by killing them.

They believe in abortion for any reason. If you don't like the sex of your child, murder it, get rid of it. If that baby is inconvenient to you, get rid of it. They believe in unrestricted abortion for any reason and for any time in the pregnancy, including up until that child is born. While that fully formed baby is in a mother's birth canal, if the parent wants to kill it, kill it, the Democrats say. That is barbaric, that is evil, and it is time that America repent of that barbaric position.

Now, I want to say something very clearly here. God hates a lot of things, not just abortion. God hates lying. He hates the oppression of the poor. He hates immorality. So, pastor, why are you singling out abortion and murder?

Here's a very simple reason: because of history, and especially the dealings of God with his own people. You remember in Jeremiah chapter 1, when God looked down at his own people, the nation of Israel, he saw them sacrificing their own children to the pagan god Molech. It wasn't violence, it wasn't immorality, it wasn't greed that incited God like this, the killing of children on the altar of convenience, the altar of immorality.

And when God saw what his own people were doing, he said, "It never entered my mind that you would do such a detestable thing. But because you have done such a detestable thing, I'm going to send the Babylonians to take you captive." There is something about the murder of children, the sexual abuse of children that incites the anger of God like nothing else.

And you listen to me. God is no respecter of people, of political parties, or of nations. God is not a Republican, he's not a Democrat, and he's not an American. God is impartial in his judgment. And any nation that honors God will be blessed by God. But any nation that dishonors God and murders its own children is going to be judged by Almighty God, and that includes the United States of America. And that is why I'm saying what I'm saying today.

And here is some good news for you. At the end of the first service, a young woman came down. She said today, "I prayed to accept Christ as my savior. I had an abortion, but now today I understand God can forgive me of that sin. And today I'm trusting Christ, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life telling people about God's ability to forgive and warning women about the harm of abortion."

Don't you ever think if you're listening to me that you've committed the unpardonable sin if you've had an abortion. God can and will forgive you. But you have to repent. You have to repent. And in these final days, people will not repent. It's unbelievable that people after those kinds of judgments would not repent.

One commentator says it this way. "Nowhere will you find a more accurate picture of humanity pressed to the extreme. One would think that the terrors of God's wrath would bring rebels to their knees." Not so. "Past the point of no return, they respond to greater punishment with increased rebellion." Such is sinful nature, untouched and unmoved by the mercies of God.

"Once the heart is set in its hostility toward God, not even the scourge of death will lead people to repentance." Then what is it that causes a person to repent? Only one thing. The work of God in that person's heart. The ability to even know of your sin and turn away from that sin and turn to Christ, your ability to do that is a gift that comes from God.

You say, where do you find that in the Bible? I thought that was something I did. No, it's a gift from God. The ability to be able to repent. In 2 Timothy chapter 2, verses 25 and 26, Paul says, "If perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their sense and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."

If you are held captive by Satan right now, the only chance for your eternal salvation is for God to give you the gift of repentance. Listen to me. It's a gift, but it's a gift that will not last forever. Today, today, before it is too late, is the day of salvation.

Guest (Male): It's exciting to realize that at this very moment, men and women around the world are making decisions to move forward in their relationship with God. The book of Revelation continues to inspire readers to do just that. In closing today, let me say a word of thanks to our Pathway Partners and all those who financially support Pathway to Victory with generous gifts. You make it possible for us to present this teaching series on the book of Revelation to men and women around the globe.

To say thank you for your generous gift today, I want to send you my commentary on Revelation. Like our current teaching series, it's also called Final Conquest. You see, passages like Revelation chapter 9 can strike fear into the hearts of readers, but clearly, God intends his coming victory to inspire hope. And in my book, I'll show you how to implement our hope-filled future into the decisions you make every day.

A copy of Final Conquest is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. One last thing. This daily program has drawn so many people like you into our circle of friends, but we rarely get to meet face to face. Well, this coming May 2027, I'll be hosting the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. And I'd love to meet you. This is an exquisite 10-day vacation to some of the most beautiful locations in the world, including the Greek Isles, Ephesus, Rome, and Santorini. You can reserve your spot today by going to ptv.org. Here's David to share our contact information.

You're invited to request your very own copy of the book Final Conquest, along with the booklet Major Characters of the End Times, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Call 866-999-2965, visit ptv.org or text PTV to 78800. And when you give an especially generous gift of $125 or more, we'll also send you the complete Final Conquest Teaching Series on DVD video and MP3 format audio disc, along with Dr. Jeffress's book, Mysteries of the End Times. That's a clear guide to your questions about the rapture, the tribulation, and the return of Christ. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or make your request online at ptv.org.

You could write to us if you'd like, here's that address, PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Next time, we'll look at an unusual passage from Revelation that reminds us of our dependence on God's word. Hear a message called, You Are What You Eat. That's Monday, on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in his word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate, or you can follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Oh, and one last thing before we go, don't forget to reserve your spot on the 2027 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. You've heard me and Dr. Jeffress talk about it, and cabins are going quickly. Just picture yourself aboard the beautiful Celebrity Infinity, sailing round trip from Athens, standing where the Apostle Paul stood in Ephesus, and taking in the breathtaking Greek Islands. Nine unforgettable nights with stops in Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, and more. Every meal prepared, every detail taken care of, plus fellowship with like-minded believers. There's also an optional pre-cruise extension to Athens. To book your spot, go to ptv.org.