Lesson Three

Chapter 9:1-12

The Fifth Trumpet in Revelation - The First Terror (Woe)

a) The three sources of evil in the world according to Ephesians 2:1

1. Satan and his demons - these are rebellious fallen angels who work evil schemes against God's creation. We need to put on the whole Armor of God to wrestle victoriously over them (Eph. 6:10-20).

2. Our sin nature - these are the sinful desires that are in us due to Adamic fallen nature. Our will power alone will not stop this. We need the voice of the Spirit to lead and empower us (Roman 8).

3. Strongholds - these are worldly mindsets or philosophies of the culture that shape our worldview and hinder our acceptance of the true Jesus of the Scriptures. They form the lens that we see the world through, not knowing that we have this lens until we go to another part of the world ( i.e. some cultures look down out of respect, but Canadians look in your eyes out of respect.)

b) Verse 11 Questions: What is the Abyss (bottomless pit)? Is it hell or something different? We will answer this in the next lesson.