REVELATION 9:11
(We are once again privileged to have Mako Kato, our summer intern, share his thoughts on our passage today.)
Read Revelation 9:11.
We read in this verse that the king over this destruction is Abaddon, or Apollyon, the destroyer.
We often think of Satan as a deceiver, and he is, but he is also a destroyer. 1 Peter 5:8 warns Christians to be alert. “Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” it says. (ESV)
Satan wants to destroy. He wants to tear people down. We read of demon-possessed people in the gospels. The demons cause these people to fall into fire and into water (Matt. 17:15) or cry out and bruise themselves with stones (Mark 5:5).
And Satan continues to destroy today. A friend in Central Asia shared about Satan’s attacks on the believers there. A nun became a Christian and shortly after was killed in a car accident. Others have become sick or been poisoned for their faith.
People still worship Satan around the world. When I went to Papua New Guinea some years ago, two of the believers there, Odaya and Suduwama, shared their testimonies. They shared how they used to live in fear of evil spirits, who looked like short, red beings. They wouldn’t let any light into their huts because they were worried the evil spirits would look in. After someone died they would shoot arrows around the body to ward off the evil spirits. They lived in fear of these beings.
Maybe we don’t realize Satan’s presence as much here in the U.S., but he is very much at work. He wants to hurt us as Christians. I know I had a period of struggling with evil thoughts. Maybe you have had similar experiences or voices telling you were worthless.
It taught me I couldn’t fight it on my own strength. I needed God. I needed to pray, immediately, and I also asked my parents for prayer. I would remember verses like James 4:6-8 which encouraged me to resist the devil, but draw near to God.
I believe that we cannot lose our faith as Christians, but Satan can try to make us doubt God. He can try to make us Christians who don’t act on our faith and aren’t salt and light in the earth.
Going back to the verse in 1 Peter 5:8-9, after it describes Satan as a lion it says, “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (ESV)
Satan is trying to destroy both us and our Christian brothers and sisters around the world. Let’s remember to pray for them. And if you are having trouble being attacked by Satan and his demons… If you are having evil or depressing thoughts, please turn first to God, and also find someone you can confide in and pray with.
