Revelation 9

Revelation 9:1

9:1, 2 The star fallen from heaven may be a fallen angel or even Satan himself. He had the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit (the abyss in Greek). This is the dwelling place of demons. When he opened the entrance to the abyss, billows of smoke poured forth, as if from a huge furnace, veiling the landscape in darkness. 9:3, 4 Swarms of locusts emerged from the smoke, capable of inflicting excruciating pain like the sting of scorpions. But their power was restricted. They were forbidden to harm vegetation. Their victims were those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads, that is all who were unbelievers. 9:5, 6 Although their sting was not fatal, it inflicted torment that lasted for five months. It was so intense that men wanted to die, but they could not. These locusts probably represent demons which, when released from the pit, took possession of unsaved men and women. This demon-possession caused the most intense physical suffering and mental torture, as it did with Legion in Mar_5:1-20. 9:7 The description of the locusts is designed to create an impression of conquest and victory. Like horses prepared for battle, they were a conquering host. Wearing gold-like crowns, they were authorized to rule in men’s lives. With human-appearing faces, they were creatures of intelligence. 9:8-10 With hair like women’s, they were attractive and seductive. With lion-like teeth, they were ferocious and cruel. With armor-like iron breastplates, they were difficult to attack and destroy. With wings that made a great sound, they were terrifying and demoralizing. Tails like scorpions equipped them to torture both physically and mentally. Their power … to hurt men five months meant unrelieved suffering. 9:11 They had a king … whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon (destruction), but in Greek … Apollyon (destroyer). This is generally understood to refer to Satan. 9:12 The first of three woes is past. The worst is yet to come. The judgments increase in intensity. 9:13-15 The mention of the golden altar which is before God links the following judgment to the prayers of God’s oppressed people. The sixth trumpeter releases four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. These four angels, perhaps demons, had been held in readiness for this exact moment to go forth and kill a third of mankind. 9:16, 17 Following them were two hundred million riders on horses with breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The horses’ heads were like lions’, and their mouths belched fire, smoke, and sulfur (brimstone). 9:18, 19 These three: fire, smoke, and brimstone, represent three plagues which kill a third of mankind. Not only do the horses kill with their mouths, but they also wound with their serpentine tails. There are many unanswered questions in this passage. Are the four angels in verse 14 the same as those in 7:1? Are the riders real men, or do they represent demons, diseases, or other destructive forces? What are the three plagues that are pictured by fire, smoke, and sulfur? It is worth noticing that death is inflicted by the horses, not the riders. One writer suggests that the mighty army of horsemen might symbolize some irresistible delusion of the devil, coming from the East. Hamilton Smith says: Their power is in their mouth may indicate that this delusion will be presented with all the persuasive eloquence of speech. But behind the delusion is the power of Satan, symbolized by their tails being like serpents. 9:20, 21 Although two-thirds of mankind survived these plagues, they did not repent, but continued to bow down to demons and handmade idols, lifeless and impotent. They did not turn from murders, sorceries , sexual immorality, and thefts. Punishment and suffering cannot change a sinner’s character; only the new birth can do that.