“Revealing the Revelation”
December 6, 2009
Chapter Nine
Revelation 9
1The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
12The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns[b] of the golden altar that is before God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Last week we started the chapter with silence. Heaven was silent for a half hour. This seemed so unusual and out of place because there was so much noise going on before this in heaven. You may remember we suggested that heaven was silent because of what was about to happen. All of heaven paused with bated breath, because of what was about to happen.
And then, seven angels were given seven trumpets and when they blew their individual trumpets some really bad stuff happened. The first trumpet brings a plague on vegetation. A third of the vegetation is burned up.
The second trumpet blasts - and something LIKE a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. Some think, perhaps a meteor crashes into the sea and results in great oceanic upheaval. Others speculate it may be a bomb.
The third trumpet sounds and now a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky, and turned a third of the water sources, springs and rivers, bitter.
The fourth trumpet sounds and we have a third less light in the world. The day is darker and so is the night.
The first four trumpets reveal the mercy of God. He warns. He prepares. These are partial judgments striking only one-third of the world. They are meant to warn and lead a rebellious world to repentance before the final curtain call. For now, God spares more than He smites. But the worst is yet to come. And so we come to chapter Nine.
“1The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.” Revelation 9:1-2
The fifth angel sounded his trumpet and John saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth and this star was given the key to the Abyss. This Scripture clearly shows us that this star is a person or being, not a literal star. The verb tense indicates that he already had fallen. But who is this star? Suggestions have included Nero, a fallen angel, an evil spirit, Satan, the Word of God, a good angel, or even Jesus Himself.
In context, this star is probably an angel; whether he is a good or bad angel depends on his relation to the angel of the bottomless pit in Revelation 9:11. If the angel of Revelation 9:1 one is the same as the angel of Revelation 9:11, it is an evil angel - probably Satan himself. That this star is fallen makes us associate him with Satan, or another high ranking evil angelic being. If it is a different angel, it may be a good angel sent by God to open up this bottomless pit for the purposes of judgment. My personal feeling is that it is referring to Satan, himself. Check these Scriptures out.
3Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” (Revelation 12)
7And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Rev 12)
Satan was an angel in heaven before he was hurled down to the earth with a third of the angels who chose to follow him. So my feeling is that it is Satan who is given the key to the abyss and it is he who lets loose the terrible destruction. It would be like him. He is the destroyer. He comes to kill, steal and destroy. That is his nature. Always remember that. He comes as an angel of light sometimes and offers pleasurable things. Don’t believe Him. He is a liar. That is always his nature. He is never your friend. He is never for you.
Notice that the key is given at a specific time and for a specific purpose that furthers God’s plan. This angel - evil or good - serves God’s purpose, even if he does not intend to. Don’t you know that must drive Satan crazy! He does his best to hurt you, and kill your spirit. He tries to destroy you – but God works it all out for good. (Romans 8:28) He never allows more than we can bear. And it is in our weakness that we are most strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9) You can’t lose – when you are a child of God. We always have hope. We always have the assurance that eventually God will bring us through the trial and into blessing. All we have to do is hang on. Endure to the end.
This is the fifth angel sounding a trumpet. There were seven seals, followed by seven trumpets. In their arranged order, they are similar. The first four seals and the first four trumpets presented judgments directed against the earth. In the first four seals, these were the “four horsemen” bringing tyranny, war, famine, and death on the earth. In the first four trumpets, these were the ecological destruction of the vegetation, seas, fresh waters, and sky.
The last three seals focused upon heaven. There was the cry of the martyrs, cosmic disturbances, and the heavenly prelude to the seven trumpets. But the last three trumpets will speak of hell - and in terms of the demonic.
So the angel blew his trumpet and a fallen angel open the Abyss. Where is the bottomless pit? Many scholars think that it may be in the center of the earth, because there, one might say that all is “top” and nothing is “bottom.” It’s kind of like standing on the North Pole – everything is south from there. If you were at the bottom - or center of the earth – there would be no bottom. But the “bottomlessness” of the pit may be symbolic.
The Greek word abyssos is a prison for certain demons (Luke 8:31, 2 Peter 2:4, and Jude 6). This is probably the same place as this bottomless pit. Generally, this place is considered the realm of the dead, the same as Hades (Romans 10:7). If this is true, it gives a terrible glimpse of what Hades is like. Smoke, horrible creatures, demons, and who knows what else is there.
When the door is opened, the first thing that happens is smoke comes out – but not just any kind of smoke. It was smoke like from a gigantic furnace. The black smoke must have been terrible. The sun and sky was darkened by the smoke. And out of the smoke came these awful creatures. Take a look at them.
“7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10They had tails and stings like scorpions…”
Don’t you know that would be a terrifying sight! But I have good news. Hell is not in control – heaven is. Satan is not in charge – God is. These horrible things could only do what God allowed them to do and no more. Look at their limitations. They couldn’t harm the grass or any plant or tree. Isn’t that what locus do? A swarm of locus was very familiar to the people of John’s day. They knew what it was like to have a swarm of locus come in and strip every living plant bare. But God does not allow them to give into their destructive nature. Not only that – but that were not allowed to touch the people of God. They had a seal on their forehead to protect them.
I believe this seal is the Holy Spirit. Remember the story Jesus told of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. Five were wise and had oil in their lamps. Five were foolish and didn’t. I think the light and the oil represents the Holy Spirit. The unwise virgins represents the unwise Christian – the carnal Christian – the ones who never allowed the Holy Spirit to fill them with His presence. After you come to Christ, you will experience a time when you realize that you are struggling with control with God for your life. There will be something in your life that you have a hard time surrendering to Him. You know it is wrong but you continue to do it. You feel terrible and ask forgiveness – but not enough to stop. Maybe there is something the Holy Spirit wants you to do – but you lack the faith or the desire to do it. You may be a Christian – but you are a carnal Christian. You are not a Spirit-filled Christian. That is not to say the Holy Spirit isn’t working in your life – He is – but He is not in total control. It is when you surrender completely to God that you are filled with the Holy Spirit and marked with His seal. The fruit of the Spirit may be the visible manifestation of that seal. This Scripture says that those who do not have the seal of God will suffer torture for five months. Understand that this, too, is an expression of love from God. He only allows this torment in order than people will repent and turn to Him.
Take a look at what that torment will be like. Five months. Sting like a scorpion. So painful men will seek death – and not find it. Their king is the destroyer – or Satan.
The first woe is past - two more to come. The sixth angel sounds his trumpet. A voice comes from the altar and says,
"Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
(v.14)
Do you remember the four angels? They were mentioned in chapter seven, if they are the same ones – and I think they are.
“1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." Revelation 7:1-3
Up to this time the four angels were held back until God’s people were sealed. But now they are released to do their destruction. The demonic locusts described earlier in the chapter were restricted to tormenting mankind. But these four angels have the authority to kill on a massive scale. They bring with them a terrifying army to do their bidding and help them achieve the awesome destruction done. Notice these angels have a specific sphere of activity (a third of mankind) and they execute God’s will in God’s timing.
Notice that these four angels are bound at the great river Euphrates. Why are these angels of judgment connected with the Euphrates River? Is this where the four corners of the earth are? We don’t know – but the Euphrates was and is an important river in the bible. The Euphrates was a landmark of ancient Babylon. It was a part of the border of Israel’s land as promised by God (Genesis 15:17-21). It was also the boundary of the old Roman Empire, which many scholars think will probably be revived under the Antichrist. The Euphrates is also associated with the first sin (Genesis 2:10-14), the first murder (Genesis 4:16), the first organized revolt against God (Genesis 11:1-9), the first war confederation (Genesis 14:1), and the first dictatorship (Genesis 10:8-10). We aren’t shown what the importance of this location is – but it obviously has some significance.
The number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million. Is this number literal or symbolic? One scholar says,” It is possible that the number is not to be taken literally, but simply suggests an army that is impossible to count and is greater than anything mankind has ever seen.” (Hocking)
The Breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone: They are given a weird, grotesque description. This is a powerful picture of horror, destruction and demonic association. Does this speak of a natural or a supernatural army? An army of men or an army of demons? If this describes a natural army of men, then the weird description might speak of modern, mechanized warfare. John may describe modern machinery in the only terms he can, and the result is this weird, grotesque, terrifying account. But, a human army this size has never been seen. The total size of all armies - on both sides - at the height of the Second World War was only 70 million. In 1965 China claimed to have an army and militia of 200 million, but this claim was doubted by many. Maybe the safest interpretation is to see this as a literal 200 million strong army, but a demonic army invading earth. This continues the idea of the demonic army like locusts described earlier in this chapter.
What is the response of the world to all this? Locus hordes, terrifying army, millions of people killed – and what is the response? John writes in amazement, “They STILL did not repent!” In general, mankind still shows no signs of repentance, despite the presence of some pretty overwhelming “signs and wonders.” Mankind continues with his idol worship in a “business as usual” sort of way. They continue in their worship of demons and idols. They continue to murder and steal from each other. They practice magic arts and continual to indulge in sexual immorality.
It is amazing to see how quickly things return to “normal” after some calamity such as an earthquake or a hurricane. We are so quick to forget God’s lessons.
And the number one lesson I want you to take away from all this is that God loves you so much! He doesn’t want anyone to go through this. This Book of John’s Revelation is a terrifying book to many. It is so descriptive. It is so visual. Who could imagine such creatures as these? John was given a glimpse into heaven and a glimpse at the end of our world as we know it. God’s loving purpose was to prepare us. He wants us to get ready. Notice that God only allows all these horrible things to happen. Notice that HE does not cause them to happen and He only allows so much to happen to His beloved children. And I want you to see that the discipline here causes Him regret. As a father regrets that He has to discipline his children – so does God regret this. In astonishment He says, “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues STILL did not repent of the work of their hands!”
I can see such pain and sorrow in those words. I see such love from our Creator and Father. He doesn’t want you to spend eternity in hell. He doesn’t want you to suffer the plagues of Revelation. And He has provided a way of safety in Jesus. He is a ‘Shelter in the time of Storm” (Psalm 91:1) He hides us in the cleft of the Rock (Ex. 33:22). Jesus said,
"… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…” (Matt. 23:37)
In the Book of Revelation Jesus says,
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)
Have you opened the door of your heart and let Jesus in? You can – right now. It simply takes a prayer like this.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for your great love for me. I know I am not deserving of your forgiveness. I have sinned and rebelled against you. Please forgive me. I put my trust in Your love and forgiveness. Cleanse my heart and my life. I give myself to you right now. With your help I will live for you from this point on.
