Revelation 9:20-21 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues 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—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
John now gives the application and intended affect of all the seals and trumpets. All these cause great harm to humanity, they will be God’s grace at work in a hard way. These will be tough love to people whose hearts have become hardened by sin. Even after all of these calamities, the people will refuse to repent. John lists a lot of types of sin in these verses. These are manifestations of selfishness and flesh pleasing activities that show the rejection of God’s laws.
Why do they refuse to repent? Possibly a couple of reasons. The world has blinded them and they have believed a false narrative. They have rejected the truth and followed a lie. They have explained away all these events as natural events. They have replaced revelation with science. They have suppressed the Holy Spirit and followed after the false spirits of this world.
We should heed the warnings of these chapters. Although the imagery is difficult to understand or even imagine in our minds, the message becomes clear here at the end. God will brings (or allow) things to happen on earth as messages about his power and sovereignty. These events allow us to rely on his strength and not our own understanding.
Isaiah 55:6: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”
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