Studies In Revelation Chapter 9 Series

Note: I used many sources to study this book, one of my favorites is Revelation: God’s Word for the Biblically-Inept by Daymond Duck and some out of different study bibles.

Title: The Fifth & Sixth Trumpet

Theme: Still will not repent

Text: Rev 9:1-21

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18 AV) also see Is 14:12

It would seem that this fallen angel is Satan himself. Some people translate this verse as “had fallen” instead of “fall”. In either case it could easily refer to Satan. It could be a symbol to John.

We will see the bottomless pit mentioned again in 11:7 which is where the beast comes from and in 20:3 where Satan will be thrown for 1000 yrs.

And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. (Luke 8:30-31 AV)

The demons don’t like the “deep” or the abyss.

Who holds the key?

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:18 AV)

Notice that Satan has to be give the keys.

2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

When the pit is opened it causes a great cloud of smoke. It is so great that it darkens the sun. This is probably literal but there is also a spiritual application. Satan when he comes causes a great deception over the minds of the people.

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 AV)

It would not be hard to imagine a swarm of locusts that are so thick they blot out the sun.

3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

They were not normal locusts but they had power as scorpions. Scorpions rarely kill but they sting.

4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. (Rev 7:3)

Remember the ones that the last plagues avoided (Ex 8:22) They could bother only those who did not have the mark. 144,000 had the mark.

Was there any others that served God that did not have the mark but was not sealed? I wonder. It seems that anyone that did trust Christ were persecuted and killed

Notice that God is in control of them. He tells them what to do. They could not eat the grass. Which is surprising because this is what they would naturally do but instead they attack man. 1) they are demon possessed 2) after the condition of the society after war then if they did eat the green with this number of locusts and the size it would probably destroy the earth.

5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

Time is 5 months. Scorpions rarely killed people (only children) but there stings were very painful but only for several days here it is 5 months.

6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Satan's desire is not to kill people but to torture them. Here is the true side of Satan.

7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

Notice the symbolic language: “like unto” “as it were” “as the”

So this could be symbolic, it could be John describing to us what he saw in his language.

horses-strength

crowns-conqueror

faces of men-intelligence

In Italy and some foreign countries locusts are called “little horses” because of their similarities.

8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.