Revelation 9

Trouble from the Abyss

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth; and to him was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. 2 And he opened the Abyss, and smoke came up out of the pit like the smoke of a huge furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the Abyss.

9:1-2 The “star” here is no literal star but a living being, as can be seen from the language concerning him. He is probably an angel.⚜

3 And from the smoke locusts came out upon the earth, and power was given to them like the power the scorpions of the earth have. 4 And they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

9:4 Grass, plants and trees are what literal locusts eat.⚜

5 And they were not given power to kill them, but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it, and will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

9:6 Compare Rev 6:16; Jer 8:3 – wanting to die but afraid to commit suicide.⚜

7 And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. And on their heads were something like crowns of gold, and their faces were like men’s faces. 8 And their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth like lion’s teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails, and they had power to hurt men five months.

9:7-10 These “locusts” are the strangest creatures ever to appear on earth, almost indescribable. “Horses and wings” speak of speed. “Crowns” suggest authority to do what they do. “Men’s faces” indicate intelligence and personality. What do these “locusts” symbolize? If they come out of the abyss (vs 2,3), and this is very likely, they are evil spirits, demons. If they are only produced by the smoke which comes from the abyss, they may be another sort of plague caused by Satan and his helpers working among the nations.⚜

11 And they had a king over them, the angel of the Abyss, whose name in the Hebrew language is Abaddon, but in the Greek language he has the name Apollyon.

9:11 Both Abaddon and Apollyon mean “Destroyer”. Some think he is Satan, and he may be. We know that Satan is the great destroyer of men – John 8:44; Heb 2:14; 1 Pet 5:8. However, if he is shut up in the Abyss with the “locusts” he cannot be Satan. Satan is not thrown into the Abyss until the return of Christ – Rev 20:1-3. Also we should observe that this horde of “locusts” will not kill people (v 5).⚜

12 One woe is past. And look! Two more woes are coming after this.

Four angels and terrible destruction of life

13 And the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates”. 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third part of mankind. 16 And the number of the army of horsemen was two hundred million. And I heard their number.

17 And I saw the horses in the vision were like this: Those who sat on them had breastplates of a fiery colour, and a dark blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulfur. 18 By these three, by the fire, and by the smoke and by the sulfur which came out of their mouths, a third part of mankind was killed. 19 For their power is in their mouths, and in their tails; for their tails were like serpents and had heads, and with them they do harm.

9:16-19 Compare Joel 2:2-11. Two hundred million (twenty crores) make a vast army indeed. At present the armies of all the nations on earth would not add up to anything near this number.⚜

No repentance

20 And the rest of mankind which was not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they would no longer worship demons, and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, or of their sorceries, or of their sexual immorality, or of their thefts.