Revelation Chapter 9. Vision 3, part 2 - Trumpets 5 &6.

Vision 3 The Seven Trumpets.

Study 2: Revelation Chapter 9 The 5th and 6^th Trumpets.

9:1-12 - The Fifth Trumpet.

REV 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.

REV 9:2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.

REV 9:3 And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.

REV 9:4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

REV 9:5 They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

REV 9:6 During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

REV 9:7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.

REV 9:8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.

REV 9:9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.

REV 9:10 They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.

REV 9:11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.

REV 9:12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

9:1 " a star fallen from heaven" c/f 8:10, 12:7-9.

Greek literally:- "was thrown down" - implies a past act.

The idea of "coming down from heaven" is intended to indicate to us that this is not a human person, rather it is angelic. Therefore we are not seeing here the Antichrist who later rises out of the sea (REVELATION 13:1). This is the Spiritual force behind the Antichrist.

"he" - this star has a personality, therefore we are not to see it as being a literal star. We are intended to identify it with Satan.

Hence this trumpet occurs AFTER the event of ch 12:7-9 in earth time. Therefore this happens during the last 3 1/2 years, but exactly when is not certain. The fact that the effects of it are limited to "5 months" could suggest that it occurs only 5 months before the End.

"key to the bottomless pit" – Greek, "abyssos - same word as in Genesis 1:2LXX "the deep". This is not Sheol, or Hades.

1 Enoch tells us that this was where the fallen angels who had intercourse with the daughters of men (Genesis 6) were sent after the flood. Here they were bound until the End.

c/f 1 Peter 4:19, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6.

According to Enoch the fallen angels were, after this, treated in two groups. One group had sex with women and were sent to the Pit/Abyss. The other group were still allowed freedom "in the heavenlies" to operate the Satanic kingdom. The NT references above clearly refer to this belief which was popular at the time of Christ.

It appears that in the last days the Satanic empire in the heavenlies is evicted - this is the theme of Revelation 12 and the first four trumpets. However with this the marshalling of Satan's forces is not complete. In the fifth trumpet we see the release of the fornicating angels. The limitation of their activity to 5 months is probably to prevent a reoccurrence of the Genesis 6 situation where the women brought forth Nephilim (or giants) who oppressed men.

However we can expect that they will indeed try that again and women will be raped by them. The time limit of 5 months simply prevents offspring from being born.

9:2 "sun and the air were darkened" c/f the 4th trumpet.

The abyss was traditionally believed to be the source of volcanoes, so the darkness is probably an indication of coming volcanic activity on earth in the natural sphere. This again is but a sign of a greater spiritual reality. There will be a greater spiritual darkness coming on man. Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), and the air was given to man as his domain (Genesis 1). Hence we can assume that this means a spiritual blindness is coming on man greater than has ever been seen before.

Possibly air pollution will be a physical sign of this spiritual pollution.

9:3 "locusts" - Exodus typology again. However it is clear that these are not real locusts, but are spiritual forces.

C/f Joel 2:10, 1:4ff - they symbolise invading armies coming on the "fig tree and the vine", i.e., Israel and the Church.

"scorpions" c/f Astrology = Scorpio = Satan.

C/f :- Luke 10:9, 11:12.

Their poisonous sting is proverbial (Ezekiel 2:6). However it is usually not fatal, rather it causes excruciating pain.

"like" - they are not actually scorpions, just like them in that their sting is in their tail.

C/f Isaiah 9:15 - false prophets are the tail.

The plague here involves false prophets perverting truth which results in spiritual anguish for those who accept their teaching. The anguish arises from a guilty conscience.

9:4 "Those who have the seal of God" are therefore unaffected by this plague as their consciences have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.

Note again the idea of God's people being separated from those under judgement, again an Exodus typology idea.

C/f Exodus 8:20-24 - "set a division" literally = "set a redemption".

"not to harm any grass or earth or tree or any green thing".
This clearly tells us that we are not looking at literal locusts. The effect of this plague come only on men - it is a spiritual plague.

9:5 "5 months" - some locusts have a 5 month life span. The sting of a scorpion is generally not fatal, rather results in sickness for 3-4 days. Hence a literal interpretation is excluded.

C/f Genesis 7:24 "150 days" = 5x30 = 5 months.

The locust was one of the symbols of Apollo, which was a favourite god of some of the Roman emperors.

9:6 Guilt leads to insanity and suicide. Some interpreters feel that this verse suggests that men discover, with, Satanic help, a counterfeit eternal life. Men unlock secrets to life and death. Unfortunately the experiment backfires and only serves to prolong the agony of those who seek to escape from life.

9:7 "horses" symbolise conquest - physical or spiritual.

John's description here sounds like an Arab warrior on his steed, but he indicates again that the literal interpretation is not the crux. These locusts are only "like" i.e. are a symbol.

"for battle" implies organisation and planning. This is pre-planned, a prearranged deception that is coming on man.

The deception we are looking at here is Humanism in its purest form, symbolised in the worship of man in the person of the Antichrist. Several clear aspects of Humanism are revealed here:

(1) "crowns" - diadema – king’s crowns. They claim royal dignity, but it is not divinely conferred. Here we see man claiming royalty. Man is king. Natural scorpions have no corresponding feature.

(2) "like human faces" - It professes to be humanitarian, having a human intelligence and wisdom. On the surface it looks good. The problem with humanism is that its humanitarian face has no philosophical basis, so it collapses when under stress. Christianity gives the only basis for believing in the worth and nobility of man. Humanism only rates us among the animals.

(3) "like woman's hair" - they are effeminate. Part of this coming deception involves the confusion of the role of the sexes in society. God made us male and female with differing temperaments and functions in society. Humanism confuses this. Men tend towards feminism, women strive to compete with men. Because of the way men are denigrated in Humanism their roles as leaders in society and the family are undermined. Society ends up leaderless in the real sense, but crying out for a leader. Because of this need for leadership Humanism will bring society to the point where it will accept a strong tyrannical despot, the Antichrist.

The deception involving women supplanting men in ways God has not determined to be holy is as old as Satan himself. The whole system of Babylon is based on a “woman” (Revelation 17:3).

Again the symbolism could come from the Parthian armies who traditionally wore long hair.

(4) "teeth like lion's teeth" - the figure is of savage and cruel speech. Though humanism looks nice on the surface one only has to study its speech to see how evil it is. The Antichrist will be the epitome of this. This is the old "wolf in sheep's clothing".

C/f Joel 1:6.

(5) 9:9 "scales like iron breastplates" - the breast symbolises the heart, the seat of love and compassion. These demons have no love, compassion or conscience. Humanism distorts the meaning of love and compassion. We have only to think of abortion and euthanasia to see this.

(6) 9:9 "wings like ... many chariots" - a deafening noise, incessant, designed to batter you into submission. This work of deception never stops. People end up believing it because of its constant repetition. This is the tool of Humanism - repetition. We see this even in the work of government today - statements are made which are obviously ridiculous, but the constant repetition of them establishes them as "truth" which people end up believing.

Evolution is the most successful of Humanism’s doctrines. The scientific evidence actually is stacked against Evolution, but the constant repetition of it, and the assumption that it is true, has established Evolution as "FACT". Indeed anyone who questions it is ridiculed as being foolish. However the facts are on the side of the "foolish" (see 1 Corinthians 2&3).

The effect of Evolution as a doctrine is far more devastating than we can imagine. As it reduces men to be "nothing more than an advanced animal" it robs men of their potential and dignity before God. We kill animals for sport and food, hence as man is "nothing more than an animal" it is OK to kill people too. Hence abortion and euthanasia, genocide and other atrocities have their roots in Evolutionary doctrine.

Evolution also completely undermines all Biblical authority. If we accept Evolution, then we say that the Bible is wrong, in that the Bible claims God created mankind. Once we accept that one part of the Bible is wrong we have no way of determining if any of it is right.

(7) 9:10 "in their tails" - these spirits tempt men to sin, promising great things. But in the end there is only pain.

C/f Genesis 3 "you shall not surely die, but you shall be like God".

However sin always has its backlash. Humanism does this - promising men a better future it propagates all sorts of things. We have only to consider the torment many go through after an abortion to see this.

"Men live in peace before sin, but afterwards a fire burns."

The symbolism comes from the terror of the Parthian army whose mounted archers would shoot one volley as they advanced and then another over their horses tails as they withdrew. Hence they could "wound with their mouths and with their tails".

(8) 9:11 - "king" - C/f Proverbs 30:27 - locusts have no king.

"Name" = a character.

"Abaddon/Apollyon" = the Destroyer.

Apollyon - from Apollo - the link by which the Roman emperors claimed Divine status -i.e. there is a hint here that this deception takes men to the ultimate in humanism, the deification of man and the worship of him.

The double use of the name is probably so that we will have no difficulty in identifying who John is talking about later of when he tells us "the time has come for destroying the destroyers of the earth".

9:13-19 - The Sixth Trumpet.

REV 9:13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.

REV 9:14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."

REV 9:15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

REV 9:16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

REV 9:17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.

REV 9:18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.

REV 9:19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

9:13 "a voice from the four horns of the golden altar" - the incense altar under which the dead saints rest (6:9-11).

This voice is possibly either:

(i) An angel calling out in response to the Church's prayers for vindication or,

(ii) The command of the Church itself. Whichever we take it to be it is part of the vindication of God on the Churches witness.

Hence this is part of the final judgement.

9:14 "the sixth angel who had the sixth trumpet" - one of the archangels.

"release the four angels...bound...at the river Euphrates"

C/f 7:1-3 - the same angels but their location has changed. The fact that they are now released shows that the Churches task is complete and the Church itself is complete. Hence we are very close to the end.

Who is the angel? - C/f notes on Ch 17 - we shall identify the restraining Angel as Gabriel. This is possibly the same angel.

The sixth trumpet leads into the day of the Lord so this probably coincides with the removal of the protection on the two witnesses (see ch 11).

These four angels are related to the apocalyptic horsemen, but here they seem to have a different task later in the program of the end.

"the great river Euphrates" - the change in the location is understandable. John was previously (in ch 6) describing judgement on the whole earth, but the final drama of this judgement centres on the Middle East, and Palestine in particular. Hence these four spirits which were restrained by the four angels are now orchestrating the kings of the east.

The Euphrates has great Biblical significance:

(i) It is the border of the Roman empire. The Parthians lived opposite to Rome across the river. They were excellent horsemen and archers. Persia is therefore one of the eastern Kings.

(ii) It is the ideal border of the Promised Land. There seems to be indications that at one stage of the latter days Israel will again extend her border up to the Euphrates.

(iii) The Euphrates was one of the "rivers of Eden", where sin began, so here it will be judged.

(iv) Babylon, the source of Satanic religion, is found on the Euphrates. The world religious, economic and political system which began there will also be judged there.

(v) As the northern border of the Promised Land the prophetic warnings of enemies from "the north" which we find repeatedly in the OT are hinted at here. We are expected to refer back to these prophecies to understand what John is taking about.

Isaiah 14:31; Jeremiah 1:14f, 6:1,22, 10:22, 13:20, 25:9,26, 46:20,24, 47:2; Ezekiel 26:7, 38:6,15, 39:2.

"Four angels" - implies several possibilities:

(i) Four nations in the confederacy.

(ii) Four is the symbol of completeness on earth, implying that all the nations of the east are involved.

(iii) Possibly at the end of the age East Asia will be made up of four power blocs which unite. These blocs could be based on the four major ethnic groups in the area.

9:15 "the hour, the day, the month, the year" - God's timing is exact. He will not be late.

"to kill 1/3 of mankind" - still only a limited destruction.

NOTE:- The continuous conflicts we see in REVELATION during the Tribulation is a clear sign that Antichrist never becomes a world dictator, as is often taught. Clearly at Armageddon there are at least three power blocs confronting each other.

"200 million" c/f Psalms 68:17,18. A "thousand thousand" is considered to be an innumerable number.

In China in 1969/70 they claimed an armed militia of 200 million men.

9:16 "Calvary" - horse troops - In 1969 Russia bred over one million horses, mainly for the use of the army. Russia is one of the few armies in the world to still maintain and equip a full cavalry force.

Again we are seeing something that has two levels of understanding: a spiritual and a natural. In REVELATION there are two levels of activity:

(i) A spiritual warfare between Satan and God, and their respective forces. Vs 4 implies a demonic force.

(ii) A working out of that conflict in the natural realm in man's political arena. Vs 16 implies a human manifestation.

9:17 "breastplates of fire" i.e. red.

"sapphire" - blue.

"sulphur" - yellow.

The smoke is the same colour as the flame. It could indicate some form of explosion.

9:18 "Fire, brimstone, smoke" - often interpreted to be separate plagues, but nuclear blasts would produce all three of these effects:

(i) The destruction of the blast.

(ii) The resulting fire.

(iii) The radiation of the "smoke".

C/f Zechariah 14:12 - seems to describe radiation sickness and atomic blast.

9:19 "in their mouths - and in their tails".

Alludes back to the fifth trumpet. In reality the sixth trumpet is but an intensification of the fifth.

The Parthians bound up their horses tails so as to make them look like serpents. But John is really trying to tell us that these things are devilish in nature and origin.

The thing about nuclear warfare is that there are two sources of death:

(i) The blast itself - "in their mouths".

(ii) The subsequent radiation - "in their tails"

9:20 - 21. Man's irrepentance.

REV 9:20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood- idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

REV 9:21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The Church is now sealed, the rest of mankind, like Pharaoh and his forces in Egypt, are totally hardened. Their gods of materialism, humanism and Satanism have blinded them beyond repentance.

There are four things listed here that will characterise the last days. Truly "every man will do what is right in his own eyes". The four are:

"Plunder" = the violation of person, lawless violence.

"Sorcery" = the violation of Religion.

"Fornication" = the violation of home, family and morality, rape.

"Theft" = the violation of property.

The imagery of Gog from Ezekiel 36,37 is heavily used in this chapter, thus hinting at the end. But John is not yet ready for the end. Again his concern pastoral and he interrupts his narrative to talk of the situation of God's people.