Revelation 9 offers a picture of God’s judgment-to-come against the Roman empire. The judgement is described (through metaphorical/apocalyptic language) as a swarm of locusts, as big as horses, with armor and nasty big pointy teeth, descending upon Rome to devour the empire of sin and Christian-persecution.

The chapter paints a grim picture for all those allied against God’s people. At the same time it offers reassurance to God’s people that the Lord hadn’t forgotten about them and that they would be taken care of.

But…what about the rest?

What about those who were not associated with Rome, but were also not God’s faithful children? What about God’s unfaithful children, who gave up when the going got tough? What will happen to them?.

Later in the chapter, John writes that God is going unleash the full fury of His vengeance against the sinful world. It’s described (again, in metaphorical/apocalyptic language) as a cavalry of soldiers, whose horses had lion-heads, and which breathed fire like dragons.

Scary.

For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Revelation 9:19-21

John writes that the stampede of His wrath will go against God’s enemies, including “the rest of the men” who were not killed by the plague of locusts. Who are the rest? They are those who, while not engaging in persecution against God’s people, had engaged in rejection of God’s ways. They worshiped devils (demons; evil), they bowed before golden idols, they committed murder, they practiced sorcery (false worship), they committed fornication, they coveted after and stole worldly things.

But they would say “we never attacked God’s people!” as though that excuses their other sins. People tend to justify their own wrong doing by comparing their actions to the actions of others: “well at least I’m not like that guy!” they say.

God says they will not be spared. This chapter may be about punishment to Rome for their many crimes, but in the end no one will escape the wrath of God. In the end, no one will escape the wrath of God.

In the end no one will escape the wrath of God…

 

without Jesus Christ.