We learned last time that with the sounding of the fifth trumpet, satanic power began to roam the earth. They cause great torment and suffering to unbelieving people. We read in Revelation 9:6, “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” The unbelieving person who is tormented by these demonic powers is completely hopeless and sees no future.
But beware! The torment is for a little while —five months. Let us not forget that even the fifth trumpet is a blow to the shofar; in other words, it has a warning function! God releases the tormentors on man that they may repent! So that they will see through the true nature of Satan and his henchmen! That is why it is so poignant when we read in verse 20 that mankind does not repent at the plague of the 5th trumpet nor that of the 6th trumpet.
Now there is the question of what the 5th trumpet is about. What is the evil that befalls the unbeliever and is such a tremendous torment for a time?
This section can be read in light of a Scripture passage like Romans 1:24 and beyond. It shows that God gives over to the lusts of their hearts the man who undermines the truth. Where does that lead? To being filled with such things as “unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, etc.” (Romans 1:29). Then, in Romans 2:9, it says, "Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile.” Similar themes are found in Galatians 5. Consider, for example, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and the evil in those cities.
And don't we see this happening in everyday life as well? When evil gets a grip on man, the result is frenzy, boundless desolation, despair, chaos, and murder. The boundaries of civilization fall away, and civilization turns out to be only a thin layer on the surface. And under the right circumstances, we see man becoming a beast, in the grip of evil, addicted to his lusts, only out for himself. Let us see and view world events around us in this way. Evil has man in its grip for a short time now, but what will it be when it has man in its grip for eternity?
This solemn image makes it even more crucial that we seek the Lord in repentance and faith and serve as witnesses for Christ in this suffering world. That more will be added to the number of those who will be saved. How urgent the task of witnessing for Christ truly is! All the signs and judgments are not enough to bring man to repentance; the Word of God is essential.