Devotional 13 March 2025
Revelation 9:15-21 ESV “So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. [16] The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. [17] And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. [18] By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. [19] For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. [20] The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, [21] nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
The vision John describes here is striking. The vast number of soldiers—200 million—symbolizes an overwhelming force. This represents the Roman armies advancing in judgment against Jerusalem. While there wasn’t literally 200 million of them, it might as well would have been. As Rome prepared to strike, they issued warnings of surrender. These warnings were like fire from their mouths—powerful, intimidating, yet still giving Jerusalem a chance to yield. Tragically, those warnings went unheeded.
The power in the horses’ tails suggests the aftermath of ignoring those warnings. The siege that followed was devastating. Josephus vividly describes the horrors of Jerusalem’s fall, revealing that stubborn hearts refused to relent even as the city crumbled.
John points to the true tragedy: “The rest of mankind… did not repent.” Even after seeing judgment unfold, many refused to turn from their sins. Their idolatry, violence, and corruption persisted. This echoes Jesus’ words in Luke 13:3: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
This passage warns us that a hardened heart is dangerous. God’s warnings are not meant to harm us but to turn us back to Him. As Peter reminds us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
If God is speaking to you—through hardship, Scripture, or conviction—heed His voice. His warnings are not cruel but gracious. They call us to repentance, where we find mercy, hope, and life in Christ.