Resilient – A Revelation Daily Devotional – Day 26
Cedar Creek Church August 22, 2025

Day 26 – August 22

Read or listen to the audio version of the Bible Reading and Daily Devotional.

Read Revelation 9 and 11:14-19

Revelation 9
1And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.
12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.
13Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15So 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. 16The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17And 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. 18By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19For 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.
20The 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, 21nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.
The Seventh Trumpet
15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
18The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
19Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

We’ve been journeying through some intense territory in Revelation, witnessing those first four trumpet judgments wreak havoc on creation, systematically exposing the futility of placing our hope in anything but Christ. Now, as we move into Revelation 9 and then jump to the ultimate crescendo in 11, things get even more unsettling, but ultimately reveal the profound hope and peace available to believers.

Revelation 9 introduces the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments, and these are terrifying. The fifth trumpet unleashes a plague of demonic locusts from the bottomless pit. These aren’t natural insects; they’re grotesque, empowered beings designed to torment people who have not placed their hope in God. Their torment is so severe that people would rather die, but death eludes them. This is a targeted judgment, allowing intense, spiritual oppression to torment those who have stubbornly refused to repent. It’s a vivid illustration that there are forces of evil at play, allowed by God to bring specific, agonizing consequences to those who remain in rebellion.

Then, the sixth trumpet sounds, releasing four angels bound at the great river Euphrates. They are prepared to kill a third of mankind. A massive army, unimaginably huge, is unleashed, bringing widespread death through fire, smoke, and sulfur. Despite this horrific devastation, John tells us that the rest of mankind, those who were not killed by these plagues, still “did not repent of the works of their hands.” They continued to worship demons and idols.

Even after witnessing cosmic destruction, widespread death, and demonic torment, humanity’s heart remains stubbornly hardened. Judgment, in itself, does not automatically lead to repentance. It can, instead, harden hearts further.

Even in this horrific display of human depravity and its consequences, God’s hand is absolutely sovereign. He allows these events. He releases these judgments. He is not surprised or overwhelmed by them. His control is absolute, orchestrating even the darkest moments to serve His ultimate purposes, which include revealing the depths of sin and the urgent need for repentance.

Now, after these terrifying “woes” (Revelation 11:14 confirms the third woe, the seventh trumpet, is coming quickly), we leap to the seventh and final trumpet in Revelation 11:15. This is the ultimate shift! When this trumpet sounds, there are loud voices in heaven proclaiming: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever!” This is the moment of decisive triumph! No more partial judgments, no more withholding. It’s the declaration that all earthly kingdoms, all human rebellion, are now definitively overthrown, and Christ’s eternal reign is ushered in.

The twenty-four elders respond, falling on their faces and worshiping God, declaring His absolute power and giving thanks that He has “taken your great power and begun to reign.” And then, the passage describes the opening of God’s temple in heaven, revealing the ark of His covenant, accompanied by lightning, rumblings, thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

What does this final trumpet mean for the believer? It means ultimate hope and peace! Even amidst the terrors of the fifth and sixth trumpets, God’s sovereignty means that His plan is unstoppable.

He is actively working, guiding all things towards His glorious conclusion. And the seventh trumpet reveals that conclusion: God’s full presence is once again (or finally fully) with His people. The temple is opened, the ark (symbolizing God’s presence among His people) is seen. The long journey of judgment and tribulation culminates in the glorious reality of God’s eternal kingdom fully established, and Christ reigning supreme. For those who belong to Him, this means perfect peace, knowing that the King is on His throne, and His presence will now fully indwell and surround them forever. All fear, all sorrow, all torment are finally eradicated by the glorious, undeniable presence of God with His redeemed people.

Prayer: Lord, the judgments of the trumpets are daunting, yet I cling to the truth of Your absolute control over all things, even the darkest moments. Help me to always see that victory in you is already won, and that my hope is not impacted by my circumstances. Amen.