What will it take to bring people to Repentance?

 Read Revelation 9.

In chapter 8, a series of seven trumpets began to sound sequential alarms of judgment.  The first four were aimed at the natural world and affected humans indirectly.  The last three will target people and are referred to as three "woes" (8:13).

Trumpet #5, the first Woe-(vv.1-12)
This bottomless pit is either Hades or certainly related to it.  Once this shaft is opened, smoke will pollute the air and darken what light is left emanating from the sun.  These demonic, flying, stinging pests will create great misery upon all those who have not turned to Jesus to be saved.  Would not any sane person realize God's power and repent by now?  But Satan is a deceiver.  He makes even his most hideous and repulsive works seem somehow attractive to an unbeliever.

Trumpet #6, the second Woe-(vv.13-19)
The voice is probably Jesus Himself.  These special angels are being kept at this very moment in that location, waiting for "the hour, the day, the month, and the year" when they will be released to kill 1/3 of mankind (v.15).  An army, 200 million strong, will be mobilized to conduct this slaughter.

Now, will the remaining 2/3 of mankind repent?

The last two verses foretell the sad response of the hardness of the human heart.  After all God has provided in the way of escape, after all God has unleashed to demonstrate His absolute power, they "did not repent".  In their rebellion, they will refuse to turn to the only hope they have.

They refused to repent of their false worship, choosing instead to have faith in demonic spirits and things they made up in their own minds and with their own hands.  They refused to repent of their personal sins, including murders, so-called magical practices, sexual immorality, and taking things that do not belong to them.

But we see this same insanity present now in this day of grace.  Jesus offers forgiveness of sin and a sure escape from the coming wrath of God.  "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:36).  Choose life!