Step Out of Denial

Beware of deception and false teaching. Continue to rely on your higher power, Jesus Christ, to support you, teach you, correct you and save you in recovery.

Dig into the symbolism of Revelation to encourage and guide to you to truth.

Revelation 9 is a warning for all Christians, all people, and especially people in recovery to beware of deception and false teaching. John uses metaphorical language to help us understand that believing false teaching from the world and living in unbelief is a life of torment.

We know the setting of chapter 9 is planet earth by the symbol(s) of a falling star (v.1), the grass of the earth, any green plant, any tree (v.4), and people living without God’s seal (v.4). Locusts, with “power given to them like the power scorpions have,” represent the ones holding the false teaching. They are not allowed to destroy the food, but they are allowed to torment a group of people for five months.

Revelation 9:5–6 (CSB)

5 They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.

Across the Bible there is a consistent theme of the power the believer has over evil, and the damage false teaching can inflict on the unbeliever (Duet 32:33; Prov 32:32-33; Matt 23:15-33). In Revelation 9 deception is depicted as torment. Luke’s gospel and the Psalms (Luke 10:17-19 cf. Ps 57:4-7) support describing false teaching and deception as a torment to unbelievers.

At Celebrate Recovery we encourage you to step out of the denial that perpetuates belief in false teaching and into God’s grace that will empower you with the truth (Principle 1).