17/05/2023 Wednesday
The Revelation
Study of John’s Revelation
Chapter 9
Chapter 9 – The Trumpets
Commentators agree that this chapter is one of the most difficult sections to understand and interpret in the entire book (McGee 966; Wiersbe 594).
The Fifth Angel Blows His Trumpet (Re 9:1-12) 1st WOE!
John sees a star that fell from heaven (v.1).
This star is personified, so it is not a twinkling star of the sky.
The star may be Satan “having fallen” perfect tense from heaven.
If it is Satan, he cannot do this until God gives him permission.
The star opened the bottomless pit* (v.2-3).
Smoke came out and darkened the sun and air. This may be a type of spiritual darkness from the demonic pit as well.
Demonic locusts came out, and they had power like scorpions. Did God give them the power or Satan? Either way, God controlled it.
Chapter 9 – The Trumpets
God was in control of the demonic locusts (v.4-5)
These may be the imprisoned demons of 2Pe 2:4 and Jude 1:6.
Satan and his demons hate men whom God created. They will seek to torment humans mightily. Remember how they tormented the
demon possessed man of the Gadarenes (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39)?
They were not to hurt vegetation, but only unsealed people (v.4). God protected Israel from most of the plagues of Egypt as well.
The sealed are the 144,000. I cannot find any verse that says all the saints will be sealed.
They were not to kill people, but only to torment them (v.5).
Men will seek death, God will not let them die (v.6)
Chapter 9 – The Trumpets
The locusts had a strange appearance (v.7-10)
They wore armour like horses prepared for battle (v.7).
They wore crowns on their heads (v.7).
Their faces were like that of men (v.7).
They had hair like women (long hair, 1Co 11:15) (v.8).
They had teeth like lions (v.8).
They wore breastplates like iron (v.9).
The sound of their wings was like running chariot horses (v.9).
Their tails were like scorpions that stung and hurt men (v.10).
Chapter 9 – The Trumpets
The locusts had a king over them (v.11).
He was the angel of the bottomless pit. Satan???
His name is Abaddon (Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek).
These dreadful locusts were the first woe! (v.12).
Are these descriptions literal or symbolic? God does not tell us?
Chapter 9 – The Trumpets
The Sixth Angel Blows His Trumpet (Re 9:13-21) 2nd WOE!
When this trumpet blew, John heard a voice from the golden altar (v.13; cf., Re 8:3).
The voice spoke to the sixth angel with a trumpet.
He was to release the four angels that are bound in the river Euphrates. These angels prepared to kill 1/3 of the men still living.
The army of the four angels numbered 200 million.
The soldiers had breastplates of fire, etc.
Their horse’s had heads as fire-breathing lions.
Their power was in their tails shaped like snakes with biting heads.
Are these soldiers demons or demonically controlled men? Is their description literal, demonic, or types of modern artillery?
Chapter 9 – The Trumpets
Those not killed by the army refused to repent (v.20-21)
They continued worshipping idols and devils.
They refused to repent of their sins:
Demon and idol worship
Murder
Witchcraft
Fornication
Thefts
Personal Application
The trumpet judgments will be dreadful. Rebels against God will suffer for their sins, but even then
God’s loving heart is longing for men to repent. They refuse!
Now is the time for us to urge unbelievers to repent and trust Christ.
God's Answers to Life's Questions
