1 - 12 The Fifth Trumpet
1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment 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 flees from them. 7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like [the teeth] of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
V1. The star John sees when the fifth angel sounds is already on the earth. He does not see that star falling from heaven, but he knows that it has fallen to earth from it. Both in Revelation 8 and in this verse it is about a star from heaven on the earth. In both cases you see a power that once had been a recognized person of authority with a religious character, but now has fallen and has been degraded. It acts whether under satanic influence (Rev 8:10) or as satan himself (Rev 9:1).
The star is given “the key of the bottomless pit”. The possession of a key means the possession of power over a territory to which the key gives access (Rev 1:18; 3:7). Here it is about “the bottomless pit”. The star has power over the dark forces of the bottomless pit. The star therefore seems to be a symbolic presentation of satan. The dark forces of the bottomless pit have satan as king (verse 11). The bottomless pit is the place where at this moment the evil is still being kept in control. When satan gets the keys he will let loose these evil forces, as the next verses show. When God has achieved His purpose with this loosening He will lock up all evil forces, including satan, for a thousand years (Rev 20:1-3).
V2. The star opens up the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit is the lowest, most depraved source of evil, from where the worst danger emanates. Up to this moment that pit had been closed, for the worst evil could not manifest itself yet. But once the pit has been opened, swarms of evil spirits are released and flood the earth. They wrap themselves in a “smoke” like “the smoke of a great furnace”.
It is a black, dense smoke that causes an eclipse of the sun. Besides the light the smoke also takes away the warmth. The smokes works like a suffocating blanket and takes away all the oxygen. The smoke takes away everything that supplies light and warmth (the sun) and it defiles the spiritual atmosphere of the human society (the air). A spiritual darkness descends upon men, depriving them of all sight and insight of a healthy society.
V3. That it is not about a usual smoke, even it is extremely dense and black, appears also from what comes out of it. The smoke that arises from the pit appears to be a means of transport of “locusts”. The locusts represent satanic powers (Exo 10:12-20; Joel 1:4-7). These insects destroy everything they come across.
The atmosphere of the thick smoke of the previous verse is a resort for powers that like locusts destroy all life and like scorpions hurt people. Someone who has been stung by a scorpion will be completely restless and driven to total insanity, as long as the poison is active. This will happen to the Jews as a result of their rejection of God in their Messiah (Deu 28:28,65; Mt 12:43-45).
V4. The powers of darkness will be released. They rise in swarms from the bottomless pit to do the only thing they can do: spread death and destruction. Yet they cannot go about their business undisturbed. They only can and are permitted to do what God wants to use them for. Therefore a limitation is imposed on them. The limitation is to such a great extent that only one purpose is left for them. They are allowed to carry out their pernicious work to “the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads”.
This indication seems to show that this very judgment of the fifth trumpet, specifically strikes the wicked mass of the Jewish people. You have seen in Revelation 7 that out of Israel one hundred and forty-four thousand people were sealed. Now you see the purpose of it. It is a warranty against the deceptive and pernicious spirits from the bottomless pit. The apostate Jews are the object of the judgment because they have had more knowledge of God than other people, but have rejected that knowledge by their rejection of God’s Messiah.
V5. Besides a limitation of the territory over which they can assert their wicked power, also a limitation is imposed on these spiritual forces for the practice of causing pain and for the duration of the practice of their power. This pain is extremely severe. It will make people desire to die. The duration is relatively short, namely five months. But you may know from experience how long a relatively short time can be when you are suffering extreme pains from moment to moment. It is remarkable that this duration is the same as the normal lifetime of the locusts, which is also five months.
By the way, you can see a proof of God’s mercy in the fact that the apostates are not immediately killed. Due to this ‘delay’ the individual still gets the chance to repent. The fact that this chance is not taken shows how much man has hardened his heart. However severe the pain of the scorpion’s sting may be, man refuses to consider going to God and to beg Him for mercy (verse 20; Rev 16:9).
V6. The sting of the scorpion is not a literal sting, just as the scorpion is not literal. Also the locusts are not literal locusts. It is about symbols of creatures that will operate in an extremely sadistic way. They have a satanic pleasure, according to their nature, in tormenting people in a way that these people will seek to die, for they think that in that way they can escape the tormenting pains. But death, the last weapon of satan, withdraws itself from them, so that the torments remain.
The torment that is caused consists of hellish teachings that will torment people in their heart and conscience from which they cannot escape. The control of demonic influences is a result of having opened themselves for occultism, spiritualism, sorcery and fortune-telling. These movements find more and more followers. People who surrender themselves to it will be struck with insanity. They will try to commit suicide to escape, but they will not succeed.
V7. Then a description of these demonic powers follows. From this description it appears that they love war and are aggressive. Horses are a good symbol for that. In some countries locusts are called ‘little horses’ because of the similarity of their head to that of a horse (cf. Job 39:23). They are also unstoppable, but they move on triumphantly, which you can derive from what you see on their heads on which something “appeared to be crowns like gold”. It also indicates that they claim royal dignity.
That “their faces were like the faces of men”, means that they operate with insight. This insight they gained through many centuries of dealing with people. They present their pernicious, unbearable pain-inducing teachings plausibly, humanly, as human rights, rights of the child, right to privacy, but it is to dethrone God. Behind this ‘human face’ demonic powers are hidden who cover their true nature.
V8. Another characteristic of them is that they have “hair like the hair of women”. There is no doubt that it is about long hair. The ‘material’ is, after all, not different from that of man. If you look at what is written about the long hair of the woman in 1 Corinthians 11 (1Cor 11:4-16), you can discover in relation to this remark two aspects in the performance of these creatures.
In the first place their performance is charming, attractive, as long hair is the woman’s adornment, her attractiveness. In the second place about it shows that they are not independent powers, operating on their own, but that they are in reality subject to their superior, satan. That they are subject to satan, is expressed by “their teeth were like [the teeth] of lions”, which indicates that their performance has the savage, cruel and tearing power of lions.
V9. In their relentless cruelty, they are also untouchable to any resistance. Their iron harness shows their invulnerability. It also shows their insensitiveness, their heartlessness, the total absence of mercy. A conscience they do not have or it is seared. The noise of their appearance is frightening (Joel 2:4-6). Their goal is war without compassion. They are whipped up by satan, while causing terror and fear to their victims.
V10. The description closes with indicating once again that the main thing for them is to harm people and that they have a limited period of time for that. The sting is in the tail. That is evident here. The tail represents false teachings (Isa 9:15). They cause spiritual damage by spreading false teachings, which cause an enormous torment. The sting comes from the pit. Dogmas, doctrines and principles that come from the bottomless pit are accepted by the apostate part of Israel and cause unbearable agonies in their souls and consciences.
V11. This verse shows that they are under a leader and do not act independently and at their own discretion. “The angel of the abyss” is their “king”. They are under his dominion. He is the controlling intelligence and the hidden organizer of these pernicious battle orders. His name is written in both Hebrew and Greek. Possibly his Hebrew name points to the antichrist’s connection with the apostate Jewish people and his Greek to the antichrist’s connection with apostate Christianity.
The names have the same meaning: Abaddon means ‘destruction’ and refers more to the result of his work. Apollyon means ‘destroyer’ and refers more to the person himself. No one else than satan can be meant here (Jn 8:44). He is the angel of the bottomless pit, represented in the star (cf. Isa 14:12) which fell down from heaven (verse 1). The antichrist and the beast are animated by him.
V12. An end has come to the first woe, the fifth trumpet. Actually, the disasters that were caused by the locusts from the bottomless pit would last for just five months. It is possible that there is a short break before the next ‘woe’ sounds. Thereafter a third ‘woe’ must come. That only happens in Revelation 11 when the seventh angel sounds the trumpet (Rev 11:15-18).
With the exclamation “behold” attention is drawn to the two more ‘woes’ after this. How terrible the first ‘woe’ has been, both other woes are yet coming. The second ‘woe’ is the sixth trumpet and again refers to the Roman empire, which is connected to the second (the Greek) name of the previous verse. After the judgment on the apostate Jews under the first ‘woe’ follows the judgment under the second ‘woe’ on the apostate Christians.
Now read Revelation 9:1-12 again.
Reflection: Do you already observe the destructive influences in your environment? How can you recognize them?
13 - 21 The Sixth Trumpet
13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: [the riders] had breastplates [the color] of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.
V13. The sixth trumpet is sounded by the sixth angel. The result is that John hears a voice. That may be the voice of God or of the Lord Jesus. That voice comes “from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God”. That gives the impression that this judgment is the result of the prayers of the saints who had prayed for revenge and redemption (Rev 6:9-11; cf. Rev 8:3). The four horns show that the judgment is full of power (horns) and that it is also general (the number four).
V14. Here you read about something that had not happened with any of the previous angels. Namely, an order is given to the angel that has sounded the trumpet. In this way this angel becomes involved himself in the judgment he announces. He is ordered to release the four angels who are bound at the Euphrates river. The Euphrates river is always the border between Israel in the broadest sense (Gen 15:18) and the eastern powers, especially Assyria. It was also the most eastern border of the Roman empire.
These four bound angels must not be confused with the four angels that are ‘holding back’ in chapter 7 (Rev 7:1-3). Here we have the release of powers and there the powers are held back. There we have the good angels who are preventing the outbreak of the evil a little bit longer, here we have the evil angels who are about to cause destruction. The fact that they must be released proves that they are evil angels.
V15. It is remarkably written that the four angels “had been prepared” to be released at an exactly mentioned moment. It confirms the providence of God. He arranges everything in advance that everything may happen at the right moment. He determines the means and the time. God has prepared these angels for a long time already. He has everything in control and makes it come to pass just as it fits in His plan and serves His goal. That also goes for all destroying powers. They are released to “kill a third of mankind”.
V16. With the release of the angels a huge army looms up. It seems that the four evil angels activate these armies. All armies, consisting of horses with horsemen, together form an army of two hundred million horsemen. John hears their number, for it was impossible for him to count. The number is mentioned to give an impression of the enormous mass that has been prepared to wage war.
It is possible that this number should be taken literally. It is also possible that the demonic powers that control this army should be included in this number. These powers come from the east. Perhaps when you see these armies you can think of the great influence of Islam, which is asserting itself more and more strongly in the world.
V17. John tells us that he sees everything in a vision. It is not actually present yet, but he sees with his spiritual eye what will take place. He not only sees events and the scene where it will happen, but he also sees the actors. These are frightening appearances. However, there is no fear with John. That should be the same with you. After all, they are creatures that are in God’s hand. He determines their actions and their way.
The characteristics of these armies are those of hell; they wear the armor of hell. Fire and brimstone are the consuming elements which are used judicially (Gen 19:24). They are also symbols of the everlasting torment (Rev 20:10). Their breastplates again refer to their complete insensitiveness. The heads of lions is a picture of their superiority. What comes out of their mouth comes from their heart (Mt 15:18-19; 12:34; Rev 16:13), which makes clear that their heart is in connection with hell. Their eruptions consume and suffocate everything that is alive and lead into darkness and deception, with no way out.
V18. Hellish means, “the fire and the smoke and the brimstone”, are used in this war to kill people. These armies harvest for death. The means to kill are mentioned twice in these verses and proceed out of their mouths, which is also mentioned twice. “Their mouths” indicate their voraciousness, that is, people are devoured by them. It is also possible that they approach people with an unprecedented eloquence, which causes those people to be captured and in that way become a prey to these armies. In this way they are killed, which in a spiritual sense means that any connection with God, in case there should still be a connection, is erased.
V19. Again the devouring and deceptive nature of this army force is emphasized. The mouth indicates devouring. That the tails with heads indicate guile and treachery is evident from the comparison to serpents. The horsemen appear to have no role here, for there is only mention of horses.
It is remarkable that ‘mouth’ is written here in singular – while before ‘mouths’ was twice mentioned, plural – and ‘tails’ in plural. That shows that on the one hand they are all animated by one spirit and that they act out of that one particular spirit, while the tails indicate the manifold teachings and lies of satan. That the tails have heads indicates that their wicked influence is guided by intelligence.
V20. After the horses have done their pernicious work, a lot of people remain. They will see the massive slaughter wrought by this overwhelming army, but there is no movement among them toward the living God to turn to Him. They have abandoned Him and no trace of any thought arises in them to allow Him to enter their lives.
These people have fallen prey to all kinds of idolatry, demonic powers of violence and destruction. They worship their cultural, technical and medical products, the achievements they have made, without any thanks to God Who enabled them to do so. The different values of the materials that are mentioned indicate that all layers of society, the rich and the poor have surrendered themselves to idolatry. Everyone makes himself an own idol to worship with the means that are available to him. That kind of idol that is worshiped is consistent with the behavior of the worshiper and shows what character he has. You see that in the next verse.
Thereby you should consider that the people who are concerned here are the nominal Christians of Western Europe. It is the part of the world where the light of the gospel has been shining the clearest. But the gospel has degenerated into a social talk of humanitarianism, in which there is no longer any place for God in His holiness. That’s why the light has become darkness. When light becomes darkness, that darkness is the greatest possible darkness (Mt 6:23).
They did not repent of their idols, which means as it is written here, that they “did not repent of the works of their hands”. Their whole life, all of their daily routines was connected with idolatry in such a way that they were totally blind to the fact that they were practicing idolatry. About the idols it is again described that they are totally unable to come into any action. God’s Spirit mocks with that, as you read that also in Isaiah 44 (Isa 44:9-20).
V21. It is remarked once more that they did not repent. In the previous verse you have seen a sketch of the decay of professing Christianity. The works of human hands have become objects of worship. But this fact does not stand by itself. This worship of idols goes hand in hand with an inner depravity which is exposed in the most horrendous way. A borderless selfishness toward other people becomes clear.
A total spiritual degeneration, such as the world has never known before, manifests itself. In worshiping his idols, man also follows the lusts of his corrupted nature without any reservation. In the deeds of man it will become clear that both characteristics of satan, lies and murder, will completely control man in the end time.
It is not about incidents, but murder, sorcery, fornication and thefts are the order of the day. The things that are mentioned show the absolute selfishness of man and the total lack of respect for what belongs to someone else. Any intercourse forbidden by God is eagerly embraced by these people. Where the bond with God is not present ties in society become increasingly loose and respect for the rights and the possessions of others disappear. It's every man for himself.
1. “Murders” indicates the lack of respect for life. You see that today in the legalization of abortion – murder at the very beginning of life – and euthanasia – murder at the end of life. In between are the countless other violent murders.
2. In “sorceries” you see the illicit dealings with demonic spirits to be able to predict future (1Sam 28:7).
3. “Immorality” is a trampling on the marriage instituted by God and a disdain for the rights associated with it (1Thes 4:6).
4. “Thefts” are committed with the greatest naturalness, as if there is a right to another one’s possession. Morality has sunk so deeply that there is no longer any sense of sincerity and honesty.
Now read Revelation 9:13-21 again.
Reflection: Which forms of idolatry do you recognize around you? Do you also see in yourself the danger to worship an idol?