6.) The Key to the Abyss
/In my previous writings about the fifth trumpet, I have mainly focused on the significance and meaning of the locusts that are released when the Abyss is opened, as is mentioned in Revelation 9:1-4:
“The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”
I have previously identified the locusts as the Moslem Arabs, in accordance with other expositors of Scripture:
“This visitation is reminiscent of the plague of locusts that infested Egypt (Ex. 10:13-15). As early as the 8th century A.D., Beatus, a Spanish monk, is said to have identified the symbol of the locusts with the Moslem Arabs, who in his day had just overrun North Africa, the Near East, and Spain. Since his time many expositors are on record as having made a similar identification.” 7 BC 791.
As a modern-day fulfillment of this prediction, we are now seeing an influx of refugees, estimated by the October 19, 2015, TIME magazine, to be approximately “60 million migrants on the move worldwide.” This is “more refugees . . . on the move than at any other time since the end of World War II.” This migration is certainly catching the attention of Europe, the U.S. and the rest of the world, especially as this massive influx of people impacts the economic resources of the recipient countries.
But there is another aspect of the fifth trumpet that is not usually discussed. What is the significance of this amazing prophecy of the opening of the Abyss? Who is the fallen star to whom the key to the Abyss is given? The answer is found in Revelation:
“They [the locusts] had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek, Apollyon.” Rev. 9:11. (mg. Abaddon and Apollyon means Destroyer.)
“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” Rev. 20:1-3.
Not a lot is known about the Abyss, but it seems that even demons do not want to go there, for when Jesus was casting out a legion of them from a possessed man, the demons “begged Him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.” Luke 8:31. Here is a clue of why this might be:
“In Rom. 10:7, ‘deep,’ abussos, is used to describe the place of ‘the dead.’. . .Used as an adjective . . . the word means ‘bottomless,’ ‘boundless.’ When used with reference to intelligent beings, abussos seems to imply isolation from other beings and the inability to escape from the situation—as of a man in death or confined alone in a dungeon.” 5 BC 604.
Through the centuries, as people have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the demons who previously had access to their lives, are now kept at bay by the Holy Spirit and angels who are assigned to guard the Christian. But this protection from demonic influences is not absolute. Every person still has the power to choose whom he or she will serve. If we yield to the temptations and suggestions of the evil one, we will be influenced by them. Even children are not safe from danger!
“Children are the lawful prey of the enemy because they are not subjects of grace. They have not experienced the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. The evil angels have access to these children, and some parents are careless and suffer them to work with but little restraint. Parents have a great work to do in this matter by correcting and subduing their children and bringing them to God and claiming His blessing upon them. By faithful and untiring efforts and the blessing of grace entrusted of God upon the children, the power of evil angels will be broken; a sanctifying influence is shed upon the children, and the powers of darkness must give back.” CT 118.
“There is not an impulse of our nature, not a faculty of the mind, or an inclination of the heart, but needs to be, moment by moment, under the control of the Holy Spirit of God. There is not a blessing which God bestows upon man, nor a trial which He permits to befall him, but Satan both can and will seize upon it to tempt, to harass, and destroy the soul, if we give him the least advantage. Therefore, however great one’s spiritual light, however much he may enjoy the divine favor and blessing, he should ever walk humbly before the Lord, pleading in faith that God will direct every thought and control every impulse.” MYP 62.
“Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished by means of which his temptations assert their power.” 7 BC 927.
“Through defects in character, Satan works to gain control of the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed.” GC 489.
“The thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character.” 5 T 310.
So it has been the lot of mankind since the fall in Eden to be surrounded by evil spirits who want to access our minds with thoughts that come from himself. Anger, pride, lusts of the flesh, criticism, hate, fear, and all the kaleidoscope of emotions common to man are experienced by everyone sometime in their lives. Satan not only instigates these negative emotions, but he capitalizes upon them to reach the heart and destroy faith in God and progress in the Christian walk.
But God does not leave us to become the sport of the enemy. Through Jesus we have an ever-present Friend to walk beside us – One who knows our frame, who has experienced our sorrows and temptations, and has the answer to our every problem. He has traveled the road before us, and has conquered every foe on the cross of Calvary. We can trust Him with every thought, every feeling, every experience that we go through. The pathway to heaven has been paved by our Savior! We have nothing to fear if we follow Him!
What, then, does it mean for humanity now when demons are released from the Abyss in this last bit of time just before Jesus comes? What purpose could God have for allowing this to happen? In order to understand this better, I believe we must go back and review the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. After He went back to heaven, Jesus ministered to His people to keep them faithful during the hundreds of years of pagan and papal persecution. This was His first apartment work, and His goal was to sustain His people through the trials caused by the falling away from truth that Satan caused in attempting to destroy what Jesus had accomplished in the establishment of His Church. During this period God’s people were accounted “perfect” by enduring to the end of their lives and not giving up their faith.
“To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we go in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” 1 Cor. 4:11-13.
“I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” 2 Tim. 2:10, 11.
After the long dark ages of persecution, Jesus moved into the final phase of His ministry in the second apartment—the Holy of Holies—where He would cleanse His people of all sin, and blot out the records of their transgression by the application of His blood. This has taken longer than our forefathers hoped, for they longed to see Jesus come in their day. But it was not to be! There was so much to be done to get a people ready for translation that Jesus’ work in the Most Holy Place has now continued for several generations. To that generation who accepted the message in 1844 and endured the great disappointment, Jesus gave this promise:
“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold onto what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” Rev. 3:10, 11.
Notice the reference that Jesus makes here concerning “the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Our forefathers did their part to accept the wonderful news that Jesus is coming soon. But before that happens, there will be an “hour” of trial to test everyone. Could it be possible that we have come to the beginning of that hour? Notice that the fifth trumpet when the Abyss is opened is the first woe which comes upon mankind. Black smoke pours from the Abyss and darkens the sun and the sky! What a symbol of the satanic spirits who cause darkness upon every person that is not protected by Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness! And that is precisely where we are in time.
Notice that the demons are allowed to attack everyone who does not have the seal of God in their foreheads—and that seal will not be placed on God’s people until they are fully cleansed of their sins. I personally believe that God is allowing the return and additional power of the demons now to push everyone to either go into one camp or the other. Because God’s people are not fully cleansed and sealed at this time, we are being targeted by familiar spirits who have had access to us in the past, and still claim rights to have influence over us. This is their last chance to win the battle against Christ by bringing His people under their besetting sins. They will try us on every avenue available to them, whether sins of the past that have not yet been blotted out, or besetting sins of the present. They will attack us in every way possible, trying to bring us down. Our only hope is to run to Jesus and cling to Him as Jacob did on the night before meeting his brother, Esau. And if we persevere in prayer as he did, we, too, will be victorious over the hosts of darkness!
My first experience came soon after the fourth trumpet ended in late September when the Pope visited America – which, of course, was also the beginning of the fifth trumpet. Shortly thereafter, someone sent me an email announcing the debut of a new TV sitcom called, “Lucifer – the angel who got a bad rap.” As I looked at the picture of the star, I felt as though I was looking straight into the eyes of the devil himself. Something passed between the seductive evil eyes in the picture and my soul. As quickly as possible, I looked away. But for four days and nights I was tortured by the influence of the evil presence that was harassing my mind and emotions.
Finally I was determined to be set free, and I knelt down before the Lord in my morning prayer and pleaded with Jesus to set me free and cleanse me forever. I asked Him to blot from my books in heaven any record of sensuality from my childhood until that very moment, and to cover my record with His precious blood. I confessed everything that I could remember in that category. Then I asked Jesus to send all the demons to the pit, (or wherever they go now) to await their final judgment. Finally, I asked Jesus to seal my mind from any possibility of the demons returning to enter my mind again, and to fill me with His Holy Spirit. After two hours of wrestling and praying, peace came to my soul. I could feel that the demons were gone, and that the presence of Jesus was filling my heart. I had been on my knees for about two hours! With rejoicing in my heart, I claimed this wonderful promise:
“O Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor. They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped all memory of them.” Isa. 26:13, 14.
Since that time, over a year has passed, and I have experienced many other categories of cleansing from weaknesses and besetting sins. After each experience I have greater peace and quietness in my soul. Trials that used to cause me to be emotionally distressed now seem to have no entrance to my heart. I sense a continual quietness and trust in Jesus, and a growing protection from the accusations and threatenings of the evil spirits or from people. My trials and the trials of those around me have increased, but Jesus is doing for us what no one else can do: He is bringing us into such a close relationship with Himself that we can face the present and the future unafraid, knowing that He is ever at our side. Demons may threaten, kingdoms rise and fall, disasters proliferate around the world; but with Jesus ever near, we can say with confidence: “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day!” 2 Tim. 1:12.
And you, Friend—have you also felt that there are greater attacks against you, your family and friends, and around the world? This is to be expected now, for God is allowing the growing pressure to cause us to turn from the attractions and pressures of this world, and come into the hiding place of His protection before it is too late. The fifth trumpet is the time when Jesus is cleansing and blotting out the sins of His people. If we wish to be among the 144,000, we must “follow Him wherever He goes”! See Rev. 14:4, 5. Soon this cleansing time will be past, and Jesus will step out of His intercessory role, close the door to the second apartment, put on His kingly robes, and go out to punish the nations of earth for their iniquity! His final call to His people now is found in Isaiah 26:20, 21, and Revelation 18:4, 5;
“Come, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.”
“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.”
Soon there will be only two classes of people on the earth—those who have heeded the call and cooperated with the cleansing and blotting out of their sins, and those who have resisted the voice of the Spirit of God and hardened their hearts until the door of salvation closes, leaving them to suffer the wrath of God in the seven last plagues. Which group will you be in when our Lord stands up and says, “It is finished”? May that day find you and your loved ones safe under the shelter of His wings!
Note: For further understanding of the process of blotting out of sins, please access my paper on this subject.
