Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

18 December 2025

Reading From Revelation 9

“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 on 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. They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpionwhen it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.”—Revelation 9:1-6

What a terrifying scene! It is interesting that the star is called a “he.” When I read these descriptions it seems as though John is struggling to find human words to adequately describe what he was seeing. I know the Holy Spirit was telling him what to write, but even still, our God communicates what we can handle in our finite minds within the limitations of human language. We can’t handle the whole truth right now. When we reach Heaven and know even as we are fully known, there will be no fallen, earthly limits on our understanding.

The grass, plants and trees are aspects of the natural world that were created by God and called good by their Creator. They did not sin against Him, but they have been affected by the sins of humanity. It is fascinating that the locusts will be told not to harm the natural world, but only those who are not sealed to God. It makes me wonder if the fire of God will cleanse the globe of the effects of sin, destroying only that which has been tainted by wickedness and leaving unharmed His pure creation to be renewed to its paradisiacal glory as the New Heaven and the New Earth.

After the five months of torture, there still will be people who refuse to repent. Unreal. The prideful, stubborn rebellion of mankind is unreal. “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” What will it take for some people to see the destructiveness of their sin?

“Lord Jesus, please soften as many hearts as possible before Your Second Coming. Before it’s too late. We know that Your Holy Spirit is drawing all people to You, but only those who are willing to listen and heed Your call will be safe. Thank You for Your promise that if we draw near to You, You will draw near to us. Let it be so, Lord Jesus. May we approach Your Throne of Grace with broken hearts, contrite spirits and be changed by Your love. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.”

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. —I Peter 1:3-5

Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.—Isaiah 32:1-2