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Commentary on Revelation

Chapter 9

The fifth trumpet: the opening of the bottomless pit

Rev. 9:1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.

This is the first of the three woes predicted by the eagle in 8:13. The star fallen from heaven is spoken of as "he" who has been given a key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; that is, he has authority over the pit. He opens the shaft of the bottomless pit and causes darkness to cover the sun. This star seems to represent Satan. Recall Luke 10:18 - "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Lightning and stars falling from heaven, as we have seen, are often used to depict God's judgment. Also, recall John 12:31; 14:30; and 16:11 where Satan is called the ruler of this world. Finally, recall Hebrews 2:14 - "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he [Christ] himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage." Satan is also depicted here as having the power of death and bondage to the fear of death. A dark cloud of smoke is seen rising from the pit to darken the sky. Recall 2 Cor. 4:3,4 - "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God." That is, Satan is depicted as blinding people's minds to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel. The smoke from the pit thus depicts the spiritual and moral blindness which Satan causes. Note that this a punishment from God. Moral and spiritual blindness is a disease which destroys the heart of a person or a nation. The bible often depicts such a condition as a punishment from God:

1. Rom. 1:24-28 God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity

2. 2 Thess. 2:11 God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false.

3. Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, 'I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes.'

4. Mark 4:11-12 And he said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again and be forgiven.'

Recall that the lowering of moral standards contributed directly to the decline and fall of the Roman empire. Schaeffer says that Rome fell because it did not have a sufficient inner base. Recall Prov. 14:34 - "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth; 4 they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads; 5 they were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them. 7 In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. 12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

Locusts: Compare the eighth plague against Egypt. This is the first trumpet that directly affects man. The first four only affected man indirectly through his environment. This trumpet brings torment but not death. In fact, the torment is pictured as being so extreme that those afflicted seek death. Why 5 months? Some commentators say that this is the usual duration of a locust plague. Their description, which combines beauty with vicious power, further emphasizes the extreme horror and terror associated with this judgment. Decadence often hides its destructive power with a thin veneer of beauty. Its looks attractive to the outer man while it devours the inner man with its "teeth of a lion." Recall 1 Pet. 5:8 - "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour." Compare 2 Cor. 11:14 - "For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." Thus, Satan is a devouring lion who looks like an angel of light. Those sealed with the mark of God in Chapter 7 in anticipation of the tribulation were not harmed. Recall our earlier comments on Rev. 7 and Ezekiel 9. The decadence and moral decay of Rome was not a punishment against God's people but it did affect God's people. Many lost their lives because of it. The locusts' king is Satan. His name means destroyer in both Greek and Hebrew. Satan is king of the abyss. Satan is the prince of the powers of the air (Eph. 2:2). Note that Satan is seen here as God's instrument of punishment and judgment. A common misconception is that God and Satan are locked in a battle of good versus evil the outcome of which is uncertain. Satan was created and is used by God when and how he sees fit. Satan was defeated at the cross:

John 12:31-32 - "Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

Jesus' death judged the world, not Jesus. Jesus' death defeated Satan, not Jesus. Jesus' death draws, not repels, all men. Satan was defeated at what he probably thought was his greatest triumph.

The sixth trumpet: the four angels released

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulphur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulphur issued from their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulphur issuing from their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents, with heads, and by means of them they wound.

The sixth trumpet depicts warfare as an instrument of God's judgment. This judgment is released by a voice from the altar. Recall (8:3-5) that the judgments in this book were prompted by prayers from God's people for justice. The four angels represent armies which God would use against Rome. It has been said that 'War made Rome.' God is saying here that war will also unmake Rome. The angels are 'released' by a voice from the altar; that is, they are under God's control and direction. Why are they pictured as being allowed to cross the Euphrates river? Crossing the Euphrates was a vivid picture from the Old Testament used here to represent the threat of military power. The Assyrians and Babylonians crossed the Euphrates river to attack the Jews. See Isaiah 7:20 and Isaiah 8:7-8 where the river is used to depict military might. The threat is also enforced by the huge number of invading horsemen which are seen. 'Twice ten thousand times ten thousand' is 200 million. This vast number increases the atmosphere of terror and emphasizes the great power which God has at his disposal. Similar imagery is used in Ezekiel 38 and 39 with regard to Gog and Magog. (We will discuss this passage later.) As before, only a third is killed; that is, this judgment at first is only partial and allows for repentance. Why are the horses described in this way? The description further increases the level of terror which this picture intends to convey. The intent is to frighten. Joel 2:4ff uses similar language in depicting the Babylonians as locusts invading Judah. Also, Habakkuk 1:8 uses similar language with regard to Chaldean horsemen (fiercer than evening wolves). In the Old Testament such pictures were intended to frighten and did not literally occur. We have the same situation here. Lindsey says this army literally depicts an army of 200,000,000 Chinese invaders yet the horses represent mobilized ballistic missile launchers. Remember our earlier comments regarding consistency.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk; 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their immorality or their thefts.

These early judgments are partial and allow for repentance. Those remaining, however, do not repent but instead continue with their idolatry and murder. Like the Sodomites they continued, even after being blinded by God, to look for a door to commit iniquity. The trumpets had not been able to convince them to repent. Later judgments will not give them any chance to repent at all. Notice that Chapter 9 depicted two types of judgments from God: Internal corruption and external invasion. Compare the reasons behind the decline and collapse of Rome that are discussed in Appendix A. The question at this point is: How will this unrelenting, powerful enemy be stopped? These judgments had an effect on Rome which was similar to the effect the plagues had on Pharaoh - he hardened his heart and increased his persecutions. God's people need assurance and comfort. Chapters 10 - 12 provide this.