The greatest tragedy is not that the world around us is shaken, but that the heart within us stubbornly refuses to turn back.
By Rev. Paul Zhang (张崇助牧师)
AI-generated narration; not Paul Zhang’s recorded voice · Still They Did Not Repent
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Preacher: Rev. Paul Zhang (张崇助牧师)
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2026
Scripture: Revelation 9:20–21
Revelation 9:20–21 (English rendering of the Chinese text supplied)
20 The rest of humanity, who were not killed by these plagues, still did not repent of the works of their hands. They continued to worship demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, wood, and stone—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
21 Nor did they repent of their murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, or thefts.
Central Message: The greatest tragedy is not that the world around us is shaken, but that the heart within us stubbornly refuses to turn back.
Core Challenge: The world has already been shaken. How long will your heart remain hardened?
Brothers and sisters, today we come to the final two verses of Revelation chapter 9.
I believe these are the two heaviest, most piercing verses in the entire chapter.
What has happened before this?
The fifth angel sounded his trumpet. The shaft of the bottomless pit was opened! Smoke rose from it! Locusts came out! People suffered terribly.
Yet they still did not wake up.
Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. Four angels were released. An army of two hundred million mounted troops appeared. Fire, smoke, and sulfur came from the horses’ mouths.
And then Scripture tells us:
One-third of humanity was killed!
Brothers and sisters, think about that.
What if you saw such a scene with your own eyes—a city devastated, countless families losing loved ones?
People who ate together yesterday are gone today.
People who were planning next year’s business yesterday no longer have a tomorrow.
If you stood among those ruins, would you be afraid?
Would you begin to think about your life?
Would you fall to your knees and ask, “God, what should I do?”
We tend to assume that after such a terrible disaster, people would surely repent.
But verse 20 says something astonishing: “The rest of humanity, who were not killed by these plagues, still did not repent of the works of their hands.”
Brothers and sisters, listen carefully!
Still they did not repent!
One-third had died, yet those who remained still did not repent!
Death stood before their eyes, yet they refused to turn to God!
This is the most terrifying part of Revelation chapter 9.
Not the locusts. Not the mounted army. Not the fire. Not the smoke.
Not even death alone.
But this: The human heart can become that hard!
Brothers and sisters, let us not rush to criticize the people in Revelation. Let us look at ourselves first.
What have we experienced over these past few years?
A pandemic. Economic hardship. Business losses. The deaths of loved ones. Illness and the aging of our bodies.
How many times have we prayed to God with tears in our difficulties?
“Lord, please help me!”
“Lord, please give me one more chance!”
But what happened after the trouble passed?
Did we change? Did our hearts become softer? Do we love the Lord more? Are we more willing to obey God?
Or did we simply return to our old ways once everything went back to normal?
Brothers and sisters, through this passage God calls us to face a question today:
God has reminded you again and again. How much longer will you wait before you truly repent?
Today we will reflect on this passage in three parts.
Text: Revelation 9:20
“The rest of humanity, who were not killed by these plagues, still did not repent of the works of their hands. They continued to worship demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, wood, and stone—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.”
Brothers and sisters, notice two words in this verse:
Demons.
Idols.
John does not merely say that these people loved gold, silver, and possessions.
He says explicitly that they continued to worship demons and idols.
This shows us that idolatry is more than psychological dependence. It also involves real spiritual betrayal.
In 1 Corinthians 10:20, Paul says that the sacrifices of the Gentiles are offered to demons, not to God.
Scripture is not saying that wood and stone have divine power in themselves.
An idol cannot see, hear, or walk.
But when people abandon the true God and turn to idols for protection, power, and salvation, they enter into false worship.
This is not merely a matter of cultural custom.
It is a matter of whom we worship.
Brothers and sisters, human beings were created in the image of God.
We were created to know God, worship God, and glorify God.
But sin makes us unwilling to let God be Lord.
What do people want?
They want a god who will meet their demands.
When I want to get rich, I want him to make me rich.
When I want safety, I want him to keep me safe.
When I want success, I want him to make me successful.
But whether I must obey him or change my life? That is another matter entirely.
Brothers and sisters, this is the deep sinfulness behind idolatry:
People do not want to worship God; they want to use God.
Verse 20 specifically says, “the works of their hands.”
What bitter irony!
Isaiah 44 tells a story.
A man cuts down a tree.
He uses some of the wood to make a fire, bake bread, and warm himself.
And what does he do with the remaining wood?
He carves it into an idol.
Then he kneels before it and cries, “Save me!”
Brothers and sisters, do you hear what is happening?
A moment ago he was using that very tree to cook his meal.
Now he kneels before the leftover wood and asks it to save him!
He makes something with his own hands and then bows down before it.
Is that not absurd?
But today, let us not laugh at people in ancient times.
We may be doing exactly the same thing.
Only the materials from which we carve our idols have changed.
We Chinese people often have certain recognizable strengths:
We work hard.
We can endure hardship.
We have a sense for business.
We are willing to sacrifice for our families.
These can all be good qualities.
But brothers and sisters, even good things can be placed in the wrong position in our lives.
When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing you do?
Do you pray to God?
Or do you check your phone first?
You check your orders, exchange rates, stock prices, bank accounts, and whether today’s sales have dropped.
At night you lie in bed, physically exhausted, while your mind is still calculating:
How much is the rent this month?
How much do I owe in employee wages?
Can I open another store next month?
Can I buy another house this year?
Brothers and sisters, I am not saying that you should never think about these things.
Running a business requires responsibility.
Caring for a family requires wisdom.
But let me ask you:
If you spend all day thinking about making money, when do you seriously think about your soul?
Some people will lose sleep for days over a single order.
They will immediately rearrange their schedules for a customer.
They will sacrifice rest for the sake of business.
But when Sunday worship comes, they say:
“Pastor, I am too busy.”
“Pastor, I cannot leave the store today.”
“Pastor, once business settles down, I will definitely attend worship regularly.”
Brothers and sisters, the question is not simply whether you have time.
The question is:
What matters most in your heart?
If you respond immediately whenever a customer calls, but repeatedly postpone your response when God’s Word calls you, have you ever asked yourself:
Who is really ruling your life?
We may say with our mouths, “Jesus is my Lord.”
But our lives may say, “My business is my lord.”
We may sing, “Lord, I will follow You all my life.”
But when money is involved, we say, “Lord, please stay out of this part of my life.”
Brothers and sisters, this is not a small matter.
It concerns whom we truly worship.
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, Aaron collected the people’s gold earrings and made a golden calf.
After God had delivered them from Egypt, they turned around and worshiped that calf!
Brothers and sisters, what is most frightening about this story?
It is not that they had never experienced God’s grace.
Quite the opposite.
They had experienced it!
They had experienced the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea, and God’s provision in the wilderness.
Yet they still made an idol.
Today we must also be careful.
God has given you wisdom, the ability to work, a family, a business, and health.
All these are gifts of grace.
But could you take the very blessings God has given you and use them to build an idol that replaces Him?
God gives you wealth so that you may be a faithful steward, not so that wealth may become your master.
Brothers and sisters, money can buy a house.
But money cannot buy eternal life.
Money can pay medical bills.
But money cannot guarantee that you will never die.
Money can make life comfortable.
But money cannot forgive your sins.
One day, when death truly stands before you, can the orders in your hands save you?
Can your bank account save you?
Can your property deeds save you?
No!
So today God asks us:
Why do you place your eternal hope in things that you will one day lose?
Text: Revelation 9:21
“Nor did they repent of their murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, or thefts.”
Brothers and sisters, John names four categories of sin here:
Murder.
Sorcery.
Sexual immorality.
Theft.
Why does he name these sins?
Because when we worship the wrong object, our lives gradually move away from God’s ways.
What the heart worships, the life will often serve.
Someone may say, “Pastor, I have never killed anyone.”
Thank God for that.
But in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus reminds us that God looks not only at outward behavior but also at anger and hatred within the heart.
Of course, hatred and actual murder are not the same action, nor should we confuse their legal consequences.
But Jesus exposes this truth:
The sin that harms others often begins with hatred in the heart.
Brothers and sisters, have we ever hated someone?
Have we refused to speak to someone for years because of a small financial interest?
Have brothers and sisters in a family become enemies over an inheritance?
Have we held a grudge against someone in church because of one sentence or one incident?
You may never have used a knife to hurt someone.
But have you hurt someone with your tongue?
Have you spread unverified stories?
Have you deliberately damaged another person’s reputation behind their back?
Brothers and sisters, God sees our outward actions.
He also sees our hearts.
The word translated “sorceries” in verse 21 is related to the Greek word pharmakeiai.
In its context, it refers to practices associated with magic and sorcery.
It does not refer to ordinary modern medicine or the proper use of medication.
Brothers and sisters, why do people turn to sorcery?
Often, it is because they are afraid.
Afraid that their business will fail.
Afraid of losing their health.
Afraid of the future.
Afraid that their destiny is not under their control.
So some people seek fortune-tellers, consult feng shui, or ask for magical charms.
They hope to control the future through some mysterious power.
But brothers and sisters, Christians must understand this clearly:
Our security is not based on being able to predict our destiny. It is based on belonging to God.
We do not need to seek another mysterious power to guarantee our safety.
We need to learn to trust the Lord who created heaven and earth.
True faith is not demanding that God arrange everything according to our plans.
True faith is being willing to obey God even when we do not know what tomorrow holds.
Someone may say, “Pastor, I have not committed adultery.”
But Jesus says in Matthew 5:28 that whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus does not want us to examine only our outward behavior.
He wants us to face the desires within our hearts.
Today smartphones make so many things easy.
You do not have to leave your home.
No one else has to know.
With just one screen, a person may enter a world of sexually impure content.
Others develop inappropriate emotional relationships outside marriage.
They say, “We are just chatting.”
But their hearts are slowly turning away from their spouses.
Brothers and sisters, sin often does not happen all at once.
First, the heart gives it permission.
Then, little by little, it becomes action.
So do not wait until your family has been seriously wounded before you face the problem.
Be honest before God today.
Brothers and sisters, theft is not limited to entering someone’s home at night and taking their possessions.
Theft may also appear in everyday business life.
Deliberately deceiving customers.
Withholding wages that should be paid.
Knowingly hiding false financial records.
Taking what does not belong to us for personal gain.
All these things require serious self-examination before God.
Of course, lawful tax planning, legitimate business negotiations, and earning a profit through honest work are not theft.
But deliberate fraud, misappropriation, and evasion of rightful obligations do not become acceptable simply because “everyone does it.”
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we are very good at calculating.
But we calculate profits and leave conscience out of the equation.
We calculate how much we earn, but not how many people we hurt.
We ask only, “Is this worth it?”
But we fail to ask, “Is this right before God?”
You may deceive your customers.
You may deceive your employees.
You may deceive your friends.
You may even deceive your family.
But you cannot deceive God.
Consider David.
David committed adultery and then arranged for Uriah to die in battle.
He committed grave sins.
But at first he did not voluntarily confess.
He tried to cover them up.
Then the prophet Nathan came to him.
Nathan told him a story about a rich man who took a poor man’s little lamb.
David became furious when he heard it.
He said that such a man deserved punishment!
Nathan replied:
“You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7)
Brothers and sisters, those words are weighty.
You are the man!
At last David said, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13).
Brothers and sisters, God’s Word asks us today:
Are you the person who can always see other people’s problems but refuses to admit your own?
Are you the person who criticizes other people’s sins while making excuses for your own?
Are you the person who sings loudly on Sunday but is unwilling to obey God from Monday through Saturday?
Are you the person who has heard many sermons but has never truly changed?
Stop saying, “Other people do the same thing.”
Stop saying, “My situation is different.”
Stop saying, “In today’s society, you cannot make money unless you do this.”
Brothers and sisters, where does repentance begin?
It begins with one sentence:
“Lord, I was wrong!”
Repentance is not merely feeling sorry.
Repentance means turning around.
Turning from idols to the true God.
Turning from sin to holiness.
Turning from ruling our own lives to letting Christ be Lord.
If you have deceived someone, stop deceiving them and do what you can to make restitution.
If you have hurt your family, admit your wrongdoing, take responsibility, and seek genuine, lasting change.
If you are trapped in an inappropriate relationship, stop the sin and seek the help and accountability you need.
If your heart is full of bitterness, ask the Lord to help you stop allowing hatred to rule you.
Brothers and sisters:
True repentance is not just tears falling from our eyes; it is our feet beginning to turn in a new direction.
Now, please turn back to Revelation chapters 8 and 9.
In chapter 8:
The earth was shaken.
The sea was struck.
The waters became bitter.
The light grew dark.
In chapter 9:
The bottomless pit was opened.
Darkness came out.
Suffering arrived.
Death appeared.
Yet verse 20 says:
“Still they did not repent!”
Brothers and sisters, this is what should frighten us most.
We often assume:
If people suffer enough, they will repent.
If they become seriously ill enough, they will repent.
If they lose enough, they will repent.
But Scripture tells us:
Not necessarily.
Pharaoh in the book of Exodus is a clear example.
God sent plague after plague.
The river turned to blood.
Frogs appeared.
Locusts came.
Darkness fell.
Did Pharaoh see these things?
Yes!
Was he afraid?
At times, yes!
Did he ever admit that he had sinned?
Yes, he did!
But as soon as the disaster eased, his heart hardened again.
Why?
Because what he wanted was for the disaster to stop—not to truly obey God.
Brothers and sisters, are we like that too?
When we are sick, we pray, “Lord, please heal me!”
When business is bad, we pray, “Lord, please help me!”
When our family is in trouble, we pray, “Lord, please save my family!”
But after the problem is solved, what happens?
Do we love the Lord more?
Do we obey Him more?
Do we become holier?
Or do we only want God to remove our troubles without allowing Him to change our lives?
Brothers and sisters:
We often want our circumstances to change, but we do not want to change ourselves.
Brothers and sisters, I am concerned about a certain spiritual condition.
When a person first believes in the Lord, the heart is tender.
Hearing God’s Word leads to self-examination.
Doing wrong produces uneasiness.
Prayer brings tears of confession.
But what happens later?
The person has been a Christian for many years.
They have heard many sermons.
They have attended many gatherings.
Their biblical knowledge has grown.
Yet their heart has become harder and harder.
A sermon addresses greed: “I know.”
A sermon addresses pride: “I know.”
A sermon addresses forgiveness: “I know.”
A sermon addresses holiness: “I know.”
But what happens after all that knowing?
Nothing changes!
Brothers and sisters, a person’s most dangerous condition is not necessarily complete ignorance of the truth.
It is this:
They have become accustomed to hearing the truth without being willing to obey it.
Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Why does Scripture say “today”?
Because a hardened heart does not form overnight.
The first time someone sins, they feel uneasy.
The second time, they begin to explain it away.
The third time, it seems like no big deal.
Eventually, they no longer see any need to confess.
This is the deceitfulness of sin.
Sin does not merely cause people to do wrong.
It also makes them increasingly unwilling to admit that they are wrong.
Brothers and sisters, at this point we must face a serious question.
If disaster cannot automatically bring repentance,
if suffering cannot automatically bring repentance,
and if even the warning of death cannot automatically bring repentance,
then what hope do human beings have?
The answer is not the strength of the human will.
The answer is the grace of God.
Ezekiel 36:26 says that God will give His people a new heart and a new spirit, remove their heart of stone, and give them a heart of flesh.
Brothers and sisters, listen carefully!
God does not say, “Try harder and turn the stone into flesh yourself.”
He says, “I will give you a new heart!”
This is the hope of the gospel.
We need more than a moment of emotion.
More than one occasion of tears.
More than a single resolution.
We need the Holy Spirit to renew our lives.
We need Him to help us truly recognize sin, truly hate sin, truly become willing to leave sin, and truly turn to Christ.
So today’s sermon cannot end with the command, “You must repent!”
We must also ask:
How can sinners truly return to God?
The answer is found in Revelation chapter 5.
Brothers and sisters, Revelation chapter 9 is very dark.
But do not forget chapter 5.
John heard the announcement:
“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered.”
But when John turned to look, what did he see?
A Lamb who appeared to have been slain!
Brothers and sisters, this is the center of Revelation!
Not the army of two hundred million.
Not the bottomless pit.
Not the number of the beast.
Not the final war.
But the slain Lamb!
Why?
Because humanity’s real problem is not simply how many disasters are happening around us.
It is how much sin is within us.
Our problem is not merely that the world is unsafe.
It is that we have turned away from God.
Our problem is not merely that we will die.
It is that we need forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God.
That is why Jesus Christ came into the world.
He committed no sin.
Yet He laid down His life for sinners.
He bore our sins.
He was nailed to the cross.
He truly died.
He was truly buried.
And on the third day, He rose from the dead!
Brothers and sisters, the cross tells us that sin is not a small matter.
If sin were a small matter, why would Christ have to die for us?
But the cross also tells us that God’s grace is greater than our sin.
He does not wait until we become good people before He is willing to receive us.
He calls sinners to repent and trust in Christ.
You can come before Him.
Confess your sins.
Lay down your idols.
Stop defending yourself.
Receive His forgiveness.
Begin a new life.
Brothers and sisters, today I especially want to say this:
Do not ask God only for more wealth.
You need Christ.
Do not ask God only to make your business successful.
You need Christ.
Do not ask God only to heal your body.
Even more, you need to know the Lord who gives eternal life.
Wealth will pass away.
Health will decline.
Careers will end.
And one day, our earthly lives will come to an end.
But Christ lives forever!
He was dead, and now He is alive forever and ever!
He holds the keys of Death and Hades!
So today, stop running away.
Come back to the Lamb!
Brothers and sisters, today we have reached the end of Revelation chapter 9.
The fifth trumpet sounded.
The sixth trumpet sounded.
Darkness appeared.
Suffering appeared.
Death appeared.
Yet people still did not repent!
Today, let us not treat this passage as someone else’s story.
It is a mirror.
It reflects you.
And it reflects me.
All of us need to examine ourselves before God.
How many warnings have we received over the years?
We have experienced sickness.
We have experienced loss.
We have experienced economic hardship.
We have experienced the deaths of loved ones.
We have experienced our own weakness.
But today, has our heart changed?
Have we truly laid down our idols?
Have we truly turned away from sin?
Have we truly allowed Christ to be Lord?
Brothers and sisters, stop saying:
“When I have time.”
“When I retire.”
“When business becomes stable.”
“When my children grow up.”
“When I have earned enough money.”
How do you know that you have so much time left?
James reminds us that we do not even know what tomorrow will bring.
You can plan tomorrow’s work.
But you cannot guarantee that tomorrow will come.
You can plan next year’s vacation.
But you cannot guarantee that you will be healthy next year.
You can plan your retirement.
But you cannot guarantee that you will live to retire.
So today:
Do not delay any longer!
If you know you have sinned, confess your sin before God.
If you know you have wandered away from Him, return today.
If you know money has taken God’s place, reorder your life.
If you know you have wronged someone, face it courageously and do what you can to make things right.
If you know you have not prayed seriously for a long time, begin again today.
If you have never truly trusted Jesus Christ, respond to the gospel today.
Brothers and sisters, I am not asking you to make a superficial decision out of fear.
My hope is that, seeing both the seriousness of sin and the grace of Christ, you will truly turn back to God.
Romans 2:4 teaches us that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.
God’s patience is not an excuse for us to continue in sin.
God’s patience is grace calling us to return.
So today I want to end these three messages with one statement:
The greatest tragedy is not that the world around us is shaken, but that the heart within us stubbornly refuses to turn back!
Brothers and sisters, the world has already been shaken.
God’s Word has already come to us.
How much longer will you wait?
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!
Do not keep clinging to your idols.
Do not keep making excuses for sin.
Do not keep treating tomorrow as if it were guaranteed.
Today, come to the cross.
Today, turn to the Lamb who was slain and who rose again.
Because:
The bottomless pit may open, but the Lamb still reigns.
Death may come, but the risen Lord is still victorious.
Human hearts may be hard, but God’s grace still calls sinners to return.
May we not become people who experience judgment yet still refuse to repent.
May we become people who hear God’s Word, humbly turn back, and truly obey.
Amen.
Loving and holy Heavenly Father, we come before You.
Lord, we confess that our hearts are often hard.
We experience Your grace, yet we do not always thank You.
We hear Your Word, yet we do not always obey You.
With our mouths we say that You are Lord, yet in our hearts we often allow money, careers, desires, and ourselves to sit upon Your throne.
Lord, forgive us!
Please do not leave our hearts in their hardness.
Shine Your light upon us through the Holy Spirit, so that we may see our sins and stop making excuses or shifting blame.
Remove our hearts of stone and give us tender hearts.
Help us not only to hear Your Word, but also to put it into practice.
Help us not only to weep, but also to change.
Help us not only to speak of repentance, but also to bear the fruit of repentance in our daily lives.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being crucified for our sins and for rising from the dead.
May Your precious blood cleanse us.
May Your grace renew us.
May Your Holy Spirit guide us.
Bring us back to You today, and help us follow You all our lives.
We pray in the holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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