9:1It is not known whether this “star” that fell from the sky is Satan, a fallen angel, Christ, or a good angel. Most likely it is a good angel, because the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit is normally held by Christ (1:17, 18), and it was temporarily given to this other being from heaven (see also 20:1). This being, whoever he may be, is still under God’s control and authority. The bottomless pit represents the place of the demons and of Satan, the king of demons (9:11). See also Luke 8:31 for another reference to the bottomless pit.
Life Application Study BibleRevelationChapter 9
Revelation 9
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 2183, 2184
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
9Revelation 9
The Fifth Trumpet Brings the First Terror
19 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.* 2When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke. 3Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. 4They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5They were told not to Kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. 6In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them! 7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. 8They had hair like women’s hair and teeth like the teeth of alion. 9They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. 10They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months they had the power to torment people. 11Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer. 12The first terror is past, but look, two more terrors are coming!
The Sixth Trumpet Brings the Second Terror
1313Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. 4And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.” 16Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. 161 heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops. 17And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths. 18One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses. 19Their power was in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people. 20But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Textual footnotes
- 9:1 Or. the abyss, or the underworld, aiso in 9:11.
Life Application Notes 9 notes
9:3The prophet Joel described a locust plague as a foreshadowing of the “day of the LORD,” meaning God's coming judgment (Joel 2:1-10). In the Old Testament, locusts were symbols of destruction because they destroyed vegetation. Here, however, they symbolize an invasion of demons called to torture people who do not believe in God. The fimitations placed on the demons (they could only torment people for five months) show that they are under God’s authority.
9:3ffMost likely these locusts are demons—evil spirits ruled by Satan who tempt people to sin. They were not created by Satan, because God is the Creator of all; rather, they are fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion. Gad limits what they can do; they can do nothing without his permission. Their main purpose on earth is to prevent, distort, or destroy people’s relationship with God. Because they are corrupt and degenerate, their appearance reflects the distortion of their spirits. While it is important to recognize their evil activity so we can stay away from them, we must avoid any curiosity about or involvement with demonic forces or with the occult.
9:11The locust-demons have a leader whose name in Hebrew and in Greek means “Destroyer.” It may be a play on words by John to show that those who worshiped the great god Apolto worshiped only a demon.
9:13The altar in the Temple had four projections, one at each corner, and these were called the horns of the altar (see Exodus 27:2).
9:14The word angels here means fallen angels or demons. These four unidentified demons will be exceedingly evil and destructive. But note that they do not have the power to release themselves and do their evil work on earth. Instead, they are held back by God and will be released at a specific time, doing only what he allows them to do.
9:15Here one-third of all people are killed. tn 6:7, 8. one-fourth of ail people were killed. Thus, over one-half of the people in the world will have been killed by God’s great judgments. Even more would have been killed if God had not set limits on the destruction.
9:16In John’s day, this number of mounted troops in an army was inconceivable, but today there are countries and alliances that could easily amass this many soldiers. This huge army, led by the four demons, will be sent out to destroy one-third of the earth’s population. But the judgment is still not complete.
9:20,21These people were so hard-hearted that even plagues did not drive them to God. People don’t usually fall into immorality and evil suddenly—they slip into ita little bit at a time until, hardly realizing what has happened, they are irrevocably mired in their wicked ways. Any person who allows sin to take root in his or her life will end up in this predicament. Temptation entertained today becomes sin tomorrow, a habit the next day, then death and separation from God forever (see James 1:15). To think you could never become this evil is the first step toward a hard heart Acknowledge your need to confess your sin before God.