me out with that song, and they turned it up so I could hear what background it was. It might not sound pretty, but I tried to sing loud enough to drown it out. Pat, you did a great job. I like that song. Let's open our Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 9. Revelation chapter 9, I'm preaching on when ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! Or you could call this sermon HELL ON EARTH. because that's what's going to be in the tribulation period. Now we come to the last of the three trumpets that are also called the three woes. And the three woes, or the three last trumpets, describe the suffering of men at the hands of God's judgment and how terrible it's going to be. This chapter describes two frightening armies that will be liberated at just the right time and permitted by God to judge men. The first is the army from the pit, and we're going to look at that, verses 1 through 12. Number one, if you're taking notes, number one, These all start with a W, excuse me, with a U, and the second word is a P. I want you to notice the unnamed personality. The unnamed personality, chapter 9, verse 1, And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth. And to him was given the key, and the key in the Bible represents authority. and this key is given to him by the authority of God, was given the key of the bottomless pit. This fallen star is Lucifer the devil himself, and this is talking about the fall of Satan that we read about in Isaiah chapter 14. So we want to turn there, hold your place and look at Isaiah and chapter 14. tells about the fall of Lucifer, the devil, when he fell from heaven with his demons. Isaiah chapter 14, look at verse 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, the sun of the morning? Or that name means a day star. How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thy heart, Notice the five I wills of Satan. And when Satan said, I will, sin began in heaven and he was cast out. And thou said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will set upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. Yea, thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the white pit." So I believe the pit in Revelation is also hell itself. Now, look at Luke chapter 10, the Gospel of Luke chapter 10. Luke's Gospel chapter 10 and verse 18, And He said unto them, I beheld... this is Jesus speaking... I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven... fall from heaven. And then in Revelation... go back to Revelation chapter 12... Chapter 12 of Revelation, verse 7, And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought against his angels. And prevail not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world. HE WAS CAST OUT INTO THE EARTH AND HIS ANGELS... THAT'S THE DEMONS... WERE CAST OUT WITH HIM. WHEN SATAN REBELLED AGAINST GOD IN HEAVEN AND WAS CAST OUT, HE INFLUENCED A THIRD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN TO REBELL WITH HIM AND THEY WERE CAST OUT. SO NOW GO BACK TO MY TEXT AND WE'RE LOOKING AT REVELATION CHAPTER 9. Not only do we see the unnamed personality in verse 1, but number 2, the unveiled pit. The latter part of verse 1 says, He was given the key to the bottomless pit, and He opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace. and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke out of the pit." Again, can you imagine what these environmentalists would think about that? These people that believe in this climate control and pollution? Well, it's going to be a lot of that in the tribulation period, and they won't be able to do a thing about it. Here we see a pit is open. where we see an army of demons. Remember I said there's two armies in this chapter. First of all, an army of demons out of the bottomless pit. You see, this pit, ladies and gentlemen, is the prison house of demons. It's the place of detention for fallen angels. We find that in Peter. Turn over a few pages to the left of your Bible and look at 2 Peter. 2 Peter. verse 4, 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4, For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and that's the pit, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them unto chains, He imprisoned them of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment, that's what's going to happen in Revelation. Now look at Jude, the book of Jude, right before Revelation. Just before the book of Revelation is the little book of Jude, and look with me at verse 7. Verse 7 says, Even as Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for the example, suffering the VENGEANCE OF ETERNAL FIRE! Do you hear that? ETERNAL FIRE! I didn't want to miss verse 6, and the angel which kept not their first estate, that's how they were in heaven before they sinned, that means their proper dominion, but left their own habitation, that's when they rebelled with Satan, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. And now is the great day in Revelation when He will judge the fallen angels and release them from the bottomless pit. I CALL THESE FALLEN ANGELS, DEMONS, THE HORRIBLE FIENDS OF HELL. REVELATION CHAPTER 20 TELLS US WHAT WILL HAPPEN. TURN TO REVELATION 20. and beginning at verse 1, Revelation 20 verse 1, And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key... that means authority... of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years... that's during the thousand-year millennial when we'll rule and reign with Christ on this earth in perfect peace. and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that, he must, by the permissive will of God, he must be loosed, or released, a little season, just a little while. And we'll study that when we get to it. So from number 1, the unnamed personality, verse 1. Number 2, the unveiled pit, verse number 1, 2, and 3. I didn't read verse 3, so let's read verse 3. And there came out of the smoke locusts. upon the earth, and of them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power." Now, these are not literal scorpions or locusts. By the way, you remember that was one of the plagues in Egypt, the locusts. They ate everything up, their corn fields, their wheat fields, and everything else. But these locusts are not actual real locusts that we would think of. but they're actually DEMONS! DEMONS! Number 4, number 3, notice the UNBEARABLE PUNISHMENT! The unbearable punishment, verses 4 through 10. And here we see the punishment is given out. Look at verse 3 again. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth, and unto them was given power or authority as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth... that was in the other plagues... neither any green thing... that was in the earlier plagues... neither any tree," that was in the other judgments, "...but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads," verse 5, "...and to them it was given that they should not kill them," they shouldn't kill men, "...but that they should be tormented five months." The Bible says in Raph, God remembers mercy. God is merciful to them in the sense they only have to suffer for five months, but when they die and go to hell, it's for eternity. He said they should be tormented five months, and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man. Now these locusts are symbolic of demons which are loosed upon the earth in chapter 9. and they torment men like a sting of a scorpion. Verse 6 says, And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it. They shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. They won't even be able to commit suicide. The pain is so severe upon these men upon the earth that they'll seek to die and not be able to find it. God will withhold death from those in the tribulation period because He wants them to SUFFER, to suffer His judgment. Verse 7, And the shape of the locusts were like unto, so this is symbolic, horses prepared unto battle, and on their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold. AND THEIR FACES WERE AS THE FACES OF MEN, AND THEY HAD HAIR AS THE HAIR OF WOMEN, AND THEIR TEETH WERE AS THE TEETH OF LIONS, AND THEY HAD BREASTPLATES AS IT WERE BREASTPLATES OF IRON, AND THE SOUND OF THEIR WINGS WAS AS THE SOUND OF CHARIOTS OF MANY HORSES RUNNING TO BIDLE. and they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt men five months." Now, you've got to realize John wrote this by the inspiration of God in about 95 A.D. before there were any weapons, modern weapons, invented such as guns, tanks, helicopters. And I'm not saying it is, but it could be that John was seeing modern warfare. What has a sting in their tail? Well, a gunner inside of a plane or a helicopter that was used so mightily in Vietnam. What could be these other things? It could be these breastplates of iron. It could be tanks. Now again, that COULD be. I'm not saying it IS, but it COULD be. But John was just trying to do what he knew to describe them. I want to tell you what these features represent. The description of locusts indicates that they are demons who are given physical forms in order to manifest their destruction and torment. Horses show their warlike characters. Now this is talking about the demons. Their crowns depict that they're conquerors over the enemy. Human faces show their intelligence. Their feminine hair perhaps makes them seductive and THE TEETH OF LIONS SHOW THEM TO BE DESTRUCTIVE AND HURTFUL. BREASTPLATES OF IRON MAKE THEM INDESTRUCTIBLE. WINGS SYMBOLIZE SWIFTNESS. THE STINGS IN THEIR TAIL GIVE THEM POWER TO HURT. AND FORTUNATELY FOR MANKIND, THIS PERIOD ONLY LASTS FIVE MONTHS. BUT THE NEXT JUDGEMENT IS EVEN WORSE. The worst is yet to come. The worst is yet to come. He says in number 4, the unscrupulous prince, verse 11, And they had a king. Who? The locusts, the demons. They had a king over them, which is an angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abandoned, which means destruction. But in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon, which means destroyer. Now keep that in mind. Satan is referred to as destruction and destroyer. Now would you look with me at John 10. Keep that in mind, what I've just told you. Look in John chapter number 10 and verse 10. John's gospel, chapter number 10 and verse 10. The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. In other words, that's what he did. The thief cometh not but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. What is he talking about? The thief cometh except, that word means but, means except to steal. Satan steals the souls of people. He kills them through drugs, alcohol, and other things, and to destroy people's lives as He's doing today through alcohol, drugs, and many, many other things. Verse 12, One woe is past, and behold, there come two more, two woes more hereafter. Again, the worst is yet to come. We said, number one, we looked at the unnamed personality, verse 1. Secondly, we looked at the unveiled pit, verse 1b through 3. Thirdly, we looked at the unbearable punishment, verse 4 through 10. And number four, we looked at the unscrupulous prince, verse 11 through 12. But number five, the unloosed prisoners. The unloosed prisoners. Look at verse 13. And the six angels sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the six angels which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels. Now this means demons here. These angels are fallen angels, demons. Loose, and the reason we know they're not God's angels is because God's angels are not in chains. God would not say, Loose them. So when the Bible says, Loose, that actually means that they were chained and in chains in the bottom of spit, and so the word means to RELEASE, LOOSE the four angels, which are bound... again, God's angels are not bound... are bound in the great river Euphrates, by the way, which borders the land of Israel. Verse 15, And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay, look at it, to slay the third part of man. Now here's the second army. Many believe it's another demon army, but I believe that this verse is talking about a literal army of real men. an army from the east, but unable to act until God gives them permission. In verse 15b, in the fourth seal, in the fourth seal back in the other chapter, ONE FOURTH OF THE EARTH'S POPULATION IS DESTROYED. NOW, IN VERSE 15B, AN ADDITIONAL ONE THIRD OF MANKIND IS DESTROYED IN THE TRIBULATION. That means HALF of the world's population will be KILLED at this time in the Tribulation period. If that happened today, that would mean 4 to 5 BILLION people killed at this point in Revelation. Number 5, excuse me, number 6. THE UNRESTRAINED POWER, VERSE 6, THE UNRESTRAINED POWER, VERSE 16, AND THE NUMBER OF THE ARMY OF THE HORSEMEN WERE TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND THOUSAND, AND I HEARD THE NUMBER OF THEM, THAT'S TWO HUNDRED MILLION. VERSE 17, AND THUS I SAW THE HORSES IN THE VISION, AND THEM THAT SAT ON THEM HAVING BREASTPLATES OF FIRE, THERE'S THAT WORD FIRE, What color is fire? Red. What country has the emblem of red? Red China. Is this going to be China? I don't know. The Bible don't say. It could be. And brass plates of fire and jacksonite and brimstone, what color does brimstone suffer? What color does it suffer? And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths issued," here it is again, "...fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three were the third part of men killed, by the fire, by the smoke, by the brimstone which issued out of their mouths." FOR THEIR POWER IS IN THEIR MOUTH AND IN THEIR TAILS, FOR THEIR TAILS WERE LIKENED TO SERPENTS, AND HAD HEADS, AND WITH THEM THEY DO HURT. I BELIEVE THIS IS A HUMAN ARMY EMPOWERED BY SATAN HIMSELF AND HIS DEMONS THAT WILL INVADE THE LAND OF ISRAEL IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. And this will be the beginning of the Battle of Armageddon, which we'll get to later. Battle of Armageddon is when all the enemy nations that belong to the Antichrist, controlled by Satan, will come against the little land of Israel to wipe them off the face of the earth. And when they do that, the Lord comes in the air. And all these armies stop fighting Israel and turn their attention to the LORD and HIS armies, US. Riding on them white horses. And we don't have to pick up any guns or knives or swords, and God just speaks the word and destroys them all. And the Bible, we'll get to it, Revelation says there'll be so much bloodshed, that the valley 200 miles long would be filled with blood up to the bridle of a horse. That's a lot of blood. But ladies and gentlemen, I said there's going to be at least 4 to 5 billion killed, and that's a lot of bloodshed, is it not? Could this be China? The Bible speaks about the kings that come against Israel from the east. We know the north is Russia. We know the south is the Arab nations, the enemies of Israel. Who's the east of Israel? I told you that Jerusalem is the center of the earth. When the Bible speaks of the North, it ALWAYS, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, means NORTH OF JERUSALEM. Jerusalem is the new capital, thank you for Trump, the capital of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. And when the Bible speaks of north, it means north of Jerusalem. When the Bible speaks of the west, it means west of Jerusalem. When the Bible speaks of the south, it means those countries, nations south of Israel or Jerusalem. And when the Bible speaks of east, it means those nations east of Israel. What's east of Israel? Vietnam, Red China, North Korea and her allies. But wait a minute. What in the world is 200 million men? In World War II, America had only 12 million to go to war, 12 million. This army is 200 million, and in Time Magazine, I read this. I kept it for a while, that China has boasted of having an army of 200 million soldiers. Yeah. The only nation I know on the planet is China that has 200 million soldiers of men. with God's restraint removed. And I'm going to show you that. Evil men will kill and destroy. Listen to this. There is no limit of evil that is beyond wicked men that are not restrained by God's grace. I wrote here, Amen. I want to say that again. that in the tribulation period that has only lost sinners, there is no limit of evil that is beyond men that are not restrained by the grace of God. Number 7. Let me go through these again for you that are taking notes. Number 1, we have the unnamed personality. Verse 1. Secondly, the unveiled pit, verse 1b through 3. Number 3, the unbearable punishment, verses 4 through 10. Number 4, the unscrupulous prince, verse 11 through 12. Number 5, the unloose prisoners, verse 13 through 15. Number six, the unrestrained power, verse 16 through 19. Number seven, the unrepentant people, the unrepenting people, verse 20. Now listen to this. but the rest of the men which were not killed." Not everybody is going to be killed in the Tribulation. Not everybody is going to be killed in the Battle of Armageddon. But what's going to happen to them? Well, let's read, "...and the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not..." Hear that? "...repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship idols or demons, and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk, neither," here it is again, "...neither repented they of their murderers, nor of their sorcerers, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." Now what does that mean? Here's one reason I do not believe anybody will be saved in the tribulation. It says it over and over and over and over and over again, doesn't it? Yeah. It says it over and over again. In verse 20, 21, and other places I could turn to in Revelation, it says they repent not. of their ungodly deeds. But there's more reasons than that that I believe that nobody will be saved in the tribulation. First of all, in order to be saved, you've got to hear the truth of God's Word, and God's agent for preaching the gospel in this age of grace is His Church, His local New Testament Baptist Church. The church is the depository of the truth. Well, you say, where's that at? I'm glad you asked. Look with me in II Timothy, make that I Timothy, 316. II Timothy, Chapter 3. 1 Timothy, I said. 1 Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself," where? "...in the house of God," what is the house of God? "...which is the church of the living God," and what is the church for? The pillar. A pillar is support. It holds something up. That's what the church does. It holds up the Word of God. "...which is the pillar and ground of the truth." What is the truth? The Word of God. What does the ground mean? Base of supply. And so this verse, inspired of God, Paul writing to Timothy says, the church, the house of the living God, the church, is the pillar and ground of the truth. Apart from the church, there's no truth. Now how can anybody be saved in the tribulation when the church is gone? when the pillar and ground of the truth is raptured out at the rapture, along with all saved. Now, I want you to see another important scripture. 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians. Chapter 2. Verse 1, 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 1, "...Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ..." What's the subject? The coming of the Lord. "...and by our gathering together unto Him..." That will be the Rapture. "...that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, because somebody had circulated a letter that was deceiving the saints at Thessalonica and it said, you've missed... the Lord's already come and you've missed the Rapture and it had Paul's name signed to it and that's what he's talking about... don't be troubled or shaken nor by word, nor by letter, as from us," Paul, "...as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first." That's apostasy. That's people leaving the truth and the true church for false religion and false churches. "...and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." That's the Antichrist. who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God," that's the Antichrist, "...or that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." That's what he'll do in the Tribulation period. "...Remember ye not that when I was with you, I told you these things," now watch this, "...and now ye know positively what withholdeth..." You know what that word withhold means? Restrained. "...that what restraineth, that he might be revealed in his time." Who is the one that restrains? The Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. "...for the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he," the Holy Spirit, who now letteth, will let, and that word letteth means restrain, will do so until he be taken out of the way. When does the Holy Spirit be taken out of the way? At the Rapture! Where is the Holy Spirit? Well, first of all, He dwells in His churches. The church is going to be raptured. The local churches of Jesus are going to be raptured out. Where else is the Holy Spirit? In the heart of every believer. You and I that are believers, we're going to be taken out in the Rapture before the Tribulation. How can anybody be saved in the Tribulation or any time apart from a church that preaches the Gospel? And how can anybody be saved apart from the working of the Holy Spirit? You can't. Romans 10, 17 says, For faith comes by hearing, and hearing by what? The Word of God! So I don't see how anybody can be saved in the Tribulation because the Church, the Lord's New Testament Churches as the Bride of Christ is going to be taken out at the Rapture. and all the saved who have the Holy Spirit, they're going to be taken out. How can they be saved apart from the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the Word of God? Listen. Go back to Revelation 9 through chapter 9. Verse 21 says, "...neither repent they of their murderers." And boy, there's murders being committed every day in America and in every major city in America. "...neither of their sorceries." Now, that does have to do with demon worship and satanic cults. But the word, sorceries, comes from a Greek word that we get our English word, pharmacy. And so this has to do with drugs. Drug addiction, use of drugs. Boy, we've never seen a time in our life with so many people, even in our families, that are hooked on drugs. And poor children are just scattered here and there, don't know where they're going to live from pillar to post because mommy and daddy's hooked on drugs, alcohol, or whatever. Nor are there thieves. Why do they steal? To get money for drugs. Every time on television I see the news they say, there was a shooting over in Cincinnati or wherever you're at, there was a shooting. And my wife and I turn to each other and say, drugs, drug dealers. They didn't get their money or they shot and killed somebody for their money. So you see the drug epidemic and killing and stealing all go together. Nor their fornication, and the word fornication means illicit sex of any kind, homosexuality, lesbianism, sex before marriage, in marriage, after marriage, it means any type of sexual... And that's what we're seeing today, a sex-crazy world. Even the commercials on TV are X-rated. They wouldn't have been allowed to talk about things on television and commercials a few years ago. You can't even watch a commercial without changing the channel because they've got somebody on there half-naked or two men kissing each other. So it says in verse 20 and 21, that yet repented not. Now, look at chapter 16. Here's what I was looking for a while ago. Chapter 16, verse 9. Chapter 16, verse 9. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues, and they repented not. You thought, surely, when God begins to pour out His judgment wrath upon men, and they suffer unbearably, they would fall on their faces and say, God have mercy on them. No. They repent NOT to give Him glory. Verse 11. and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores," here it is, four times, "...and repented not of their deeds." The most frightening thing about Revelation chapter 9 is NOT the judgments that God is sending upon men, but the sins that men persist in committing even while God is judging them. I want to say that again. The most frightening thing about Revelation chapter 9 is not the judgment that God is sending upon wicked men, but the sins that wicked men persist in committing even while being judged of God. How sad. Once again, I close my message by giving an invitation to you here today, you in the parking lot, downstairs, or watching me through the internet. I want to tell you if you're not saved when the rapture comes, you'll be left behind to suffer this judgment that we've read about. And then when you die, you'll die and go to hell. And you must be saved BEFORE you die. or you'll go to hell. So to be saved, you've got to realize and believe that, that you're a sinner, you're lost, without Christ, on your way to hell. And then seeing that, you must be willing to turn from that old life, be willing to give it up, and turn your life to Jesus. That's called repentance. And then believe with all of your heart and soul that He died, was buried, and rose again for you. You can do that right there in your home, wherever you're watching me, you can do that. The Bible said, Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. The Bible says in John chapter 1 verse 12, For as many as received Him, and that's what you do to get saved, you receive Him. For as many as received Him, to THEM gave He power, the authority to become the children of God, sons of God, even to them that believe. Do you believe on Him? Do you trust Him? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Could you do that? We'd like to hear from you if you get saved. by the internet, let us know about it. Or maybe there's someone here today who needs to come for scriptural baptism or join the church by moving a letter or whatever, or dedicate your life to the Lord. Maybe you ought to come. Brother Jeff, if you'll come and