Revelation 9:20

“And the rest of men which were not killed by these plagues, etc.] By whom are meant the western antichristian party; and such of them as were not plagued, harassed, and destroyed by the Turks, as in Germany, at least some parts of it, France, Spain, Italy, etc. yet repented not of the works of their hands: their idols, their images of saints departed, which their hands had made; the goodness of God in saving them from the depredations of the Turks, should have led them to repentance for their idolatrous worship of images, but it did not: that they should not worship devils; or demons, a sort of deities with the Heathens, that mediated between the superior gods and men; and here design angels…”

“the rest of the men--that is, the ungodly. yet--So A, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic. B and Aleph read, "did not even repent of," namely, so as to give up "the works," &c. Like Pharaoh hardening his heart against repentance notwithstanding the plagues. of their hands-- (Deu 31:29). Especially the idols made by their hands. Compare Rev 13:14-15, "the image of the beast" Rev 19:20. that they should not--So B reads. But A, C, and Aleph read "that they shall not": implying a prophecy of certainty that it shall be so. devils--Greek, "demons" which lurk beneath the idols which idolaters worship.”

“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues ... - One third part is represented as swept off, and it might have been expected that a salutary effect would have been produced on the remainder, in reforming them, and restraining them from error and sin. The writer proceeds to state, however, that these judgments did not have the effect which might reasonably have been anticipated. No reformation followed; there was no abandonment of the prevailing forms of iniquity; there was no change in their idolatry and superstition. In regard to the exact meaning of what is here stated Revelation 9:20-21, it will be a more convenient arrangement to consider it after we have ascertained…”

“9:20-21 Even when humans are faced with plagues and death, repentance is not automatic. People tend to continue in their evil deeds and to worship demons and idols—things that belong to the created order—rather than worshiping the Creator (see 13:4; 14:9-10; Rom 1:25; 1 Cor 8:4; 10:19-22). • murders . . . witchcraft . . . immorality . . . thefts: What people worship parallels the ways in which they live (see Rev 21:8; 22:15; Rom 1:23, 29-32). • Revelation portrays the extent to which depravity controls unbelievers. It is not logical for people to worship powers and beings that torture and kill them; the powers of sin and rebellion against God are deceptively captivating.”

“And the: That is, those of the Latin and Greek churches, who escaped destruction, still persisted in their idolatrous worship of demons, etc. yet: Rev 9:21, Rev 2:21, Rev 2:22, Rev 16:8; Deu 31:29; Ch2 28:22; Jer 5:3, Jer 8:4-6; Mat 21:32; Co2 12:21 worship: Lev 17:7; Deu 32:17; Kg2 22:17; Ch2 34:25; Psa 106:37; Isa 2:8; Jer 25:6, Jer 44:8; Act 7:41, Act 19:26; Co1 10:20, Co1 10:21; Ti1 4:1 and idols: Psa 115:4-8, Psa 135:15-18; Isa 40:19, Isa 40:20, Isa 41:7, Isa 42:17, Isa 42:18, Isa 44:9-20, Isa 46:5-7; Jer 10:3-5, Jer 10:8, Jer 10:9, Jer 10:14, Jer 10:15, Jer 15:19, Jer 15:20, Jer 51:17; Dan 5:23; Hab 2:18-20; Act 17:29; Rom 1:21-23 Revelation 9:21”