Revelation Chapter 9

The star John saw that fell from heaven was an angel as angels are sometimes called stars in scripture. This angel having the key to open the bottomless pit could be the same angel we read about in Revelation 20:1-3 that God gives the key to that opens the bottomless pit where Satan is bound. When the bottomless pit was opened locust came up out of it. In reference to a smoke these locust would be to numerous to number, Judges 7:12, and look like dark smoke as they rise and swarm if you saw them from a distance. Once they became closer to your vision you would see that it wasn’t smoke, but a hoard of locust. Their attributes of what God is purposing them for is what gives them their power to sting as in tormenting those who have not the seal of God on them. They are compared as scorpions that literally sting using the power of their tails as they raise them above their head.

Revelation 9:4-6

God gives specific instructions to keep their focus on what they are being released to accomplish for Gods purpose over the next five months. There is a reason why they are not allowed to hurt the grass or any green thing including trees as we will see in the next few verses. They are only allowed to torment, but not kill those people who do not have Gods seal on them. The torment will be so tremendous that those without Gods seal will want to kill themselves, but God holds His hand against it.

Revelation 9:7-11

The locusts are actually the fallen angels from heaven that refused to stay in the limits of Gods authority before the flood in Noah’s day, Genesis 6:1, 2; Job 2:1; 1 Peter 3:18-20; 2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6. These disobedient angels are different then the ones that Satan draws a third of to himself. God has reserved them and set them bound in outer darkness far from the brightness of His glorious realm, or as scripture says chained and bound them into a bottomless pit.

This pit could not be a part of the actual earth as the pits of earth have bottoms so this would be in the spiritual sense of the area of darkness that has no physical location in the Universe. These angels have been spared for the particular purpose that God has for them as they are released by God to torment man for five months then their final judgment comes at the end when they are cast into the lake of fire. These could be the very same angels Jesus went down to preach to before He ascended up to heaven, 1 Peter 3:19, 20.

Angels can do miraculous supernatural things and unfortunately fallen angels can still do many of these same things, as they were created with these abilities. A fallen angel can only attack someone if they have spiritual authority, grounds and rights to do so like that of Satan tormenting Job as it’s Gods authority that uses them to inflict torment on those during His wrath.

They have interaction with humans spiritually as in dreams and visions and also can take on physical appearances before men like that of Lot who saw two men stand before him, Genesis 19:1. These angels will take on the form of locust, but given instruction by God not to hurt the green grass or the trees.

The demonic angels that appear to look like a swarm of locust coming up out of the ground in the numerous numbering of them is likened unto horses prepared for battle, Judges 7:12. The description given in vs. 7-10 is also likened unto ancient battle horses that were decked out with a full plate of armor that helped protect them like their riders from swords, axes, maces, and lances during battle.

The armor, similar to their rider, had a full head piece including a plume of horse hair coming out of the crown of the helmet. The horses face pieces would also be fashioned like that of a man’s except it would be extended to cover their mouth giving them an appearance as having sharp teeth in the design.

The coming approach of these angels would sound like that of chariots and horses running into battle. It’s like when a storm develops you hear the thunder in the distant and when the storm gets closer the louder the thunder becomes. Being they are transformed into locust the sounds of their wings will be similar as a thundering noise.

The tails and the sting of their tail are compared to a scorpion as the torment they will inflict on men will feel like that of a scorpion’s sting. A regular locust has no stingers in its tail nor can they bite or break the skin of a person, but a locust on a larger scale can bite, but not able to penetrate the skin deep enough to draw blood. Scripture says they have stings in their tail so it would be apparent that these are not normal locust. There would be much torment on a person by the number of locust that land on them.

Apollyon is king over the bottomless pit that was given the key meaning Gods authority and power was given him to open the pit and gives these angels that are transformed into locust their authority to go forth and torment men for five months. Apollyon means destroyer in Greek and destruction in Hebrew as he is known as Abaddon in Hebrew. He is an angel of God that He uses throughout the OT and here in vs. 1, 11 to bring about Gods commands when it comes to the destruction of people of disobedience, Exodus 12:23; 2Kings 6:14-18; Proverbs 15:11, 12; Jeremiah 4:7; Daniel 10:13; 1 Corinthians 10:10.

The torment of this chastisement was so great that men would seek death, but not find it and desire to die and death will flee from them as God holds His hands against it.

Revelation 9:12-15

There are three woes mentioned as each one is God’s call to repent and turn back to Him before the door of Salvation is closed forever when Christ returns.

The four horns of the golden altar before God in His tabernacle on earth use to be sprinkled with blood from the animal sacrifice to cleanse and purify it from the sins of the Israelite’s, Leviticus 4:7, 16:18. The golden altar being in the tabernacle of God before His throne in heaven is that of the four gospels of grace. The voice coming out of the four horns is Jesus who is the only one worthy of opening the seven seals and sending out the seven angels with a trumpet sound which means one sent out by Gods great power and authority.

Jesus now speaks to the angel with the sixth trumpet and commands him to let loose the four angels that are bound in the Euphrates River that have been prepared by God for the hour, day, month and year of His angry indignation against those who follow after other gods. The four angels are Gods warring angels who will war against the enemies of God killing a third of mankind that refuse to repent.

Revelation 9:16-19

John knows the number of the horsemen as he heard the number to be two hundred million. The four angels will take each to them five hundred thousand horsemen or Gods warring angels and since there are four angels that lead this army I would think they would go out to the four corners of the earth as they kill a third of the earths population.

Each horseman has a breastplate of fire, jacinth and brimstone. The breastplate represents the heart of these two hundred million warring angels that are being lead by the four angels as they are all subject to Gods will and purpose. The horse’s heads being likened unto a lions head represents strength, predatory and majesty of a ruler or king as being God in His fierce power of this particular chastisement on men. The fire, smoke and brimstone literally proceeds out of the mouths of these warring angels as we read in the literal fire of God in Exodus 9:23; 2 Kings 1:10; Numbers 11:1; 16:35; Leviticus 21:9; Psalms 104:4. By these three that are fire, smoke and brimstone a third of mankind will be killed.

Revelation 9:19-21

Here is the importance of the area of the Euphrates River and what the four angels were prepared for to battle against. Surrounding the Euphrates River are four Assyrian Babylonian type countries that make up one third of the worlds population. These countries are Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq (Babylon) that make up parts of the old Assyrian nations.

Assur, son of Shem and Grandson of Noah, defiled himself against God and was made god over the Assyrian nations he founded as the Assyrians called him Asnapper and set up monuments to worship him and named their capitol after Assur, Ezra 4:10, Nahum 3:1-19. You will need to do a more extended study in who Assur was and how these four nations came to be as it would be to lengthy to add to this particular study in Revelations.

The power was in their (Assur) mouth from the beginning as Noah and his sons were faithful to God teaching their families through the power and authority of Gods spoken word in all truths. From the time of Assur falling away from God unto even present day the power is in their (Assyrian/Babylonian type nations) tail as their prophets teach lies, Isaiah 9:12-16, leading the people of these nations to fall prey to worship devils and set up their various idols that are made by hand that are abominations to God. This is similar to the judgment of Ephraim in Isaiah 9:8-21 and the destruction of Assyria in Isaiah 10:1-19.

These two hundred million warring angels that are lead east, west, north and south through these four nations by the four angels who have been prepared will literally strike down one third of the world’s population. God only needs to speak those things into existence as the warring angels breathe real fire out of their mouths as we read in other scriptures to this fact to consume those who refuse to repent.

This comes out to be two hundred million of a seven billion population that is in the world today that will be killed by these warring angels. These four nations refuse to repent of their murders, sorceries, fornication and thefts against God and his faithful servants that have been martyred and will continue to die a martyr’s death for the sake of the witness and testimony of Jesus they carry through out these nations.

Genesis 19:1 (LEB)

The Rescue of Lot from SodomAnd the two angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. Then Lot saw them and stood up to meet them. And he bowed down with his face to the ground.

Genesis 6:1 (LEB)

Prelude to the FloodAnd it happened that, when humankind began to multiply on the face of the ground, daughters were born to them.

Exodus 12:23 (LEB)

And Adonai will go through to strike Egypt, and he will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, and Adonai will pass over the doorway and will not allow the destroyer to come to your houses to strike you.

Exodus 9:23 (LEB)

And Moses stretched out his staff to the heavens, and Adonai gave thunderThe word often translated “voice” or “sound” is also used to describe thunder, as in this chapter and hail, and fire went to the earth, and Adonai caused hail to rain on the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 21:9 (LEB)

“‘As forOr “And” the daughter of any priest, if she is defiled by prostituting, she is disgracing her father — she shall be burned in the fire.

Leviticus 4:7 (LEB)

The priestOr “And the priest” shall put some of“from” the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before Adonai, which is in the tent of assembly, and all the restImplied by the context of the bull’s blood he must pour out on the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of assembly.

Numbers 11:1 (LEB)

The Israelites ComplainAnd it happened, the people were like those who complain of hardship“complain of bad” in the hearing“in the ears” of Adonai, and Adonai became angry,“his nose became hot” and the fire of Adonai burned among them, and it consumed the edge of the camp.

Judges 7:12 (LEB)

Now the Midianites,Hebrew “Midianite” Amalekites,Hebrew “Amalekite” and all the people of the east were lying in the valley, like a great multitude of locusts; their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand that is on the shore of the sea.

2 Kings 1:10 (LEB)

Then Elijah answered and said to the commander of the fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty!” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

Ezra 4:10 (LEB)

and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River) and now

Job 2:1 (LEB)

The Adversary’s Attack on Job’s PersonAnd then“And it came to be,” or “and it happened” one day the sons of GodOr “the heavenly beings,” or “the angels” came to present themselves before Adonai, and SatanHebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary” also came into their midst to present himself before Adonai.

Proverbs 15:11 (LEB)

SheolA term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld and AbaddonPoetic synonym for “Sheol.” Only mentioned in the OT in relation to Sheol, the grave, or death. are before Adonai, how much more“more for” the hearts of the children of men!

Isaiah 9:12-16 (LEB)

Aram from the east and PhilistinesHebrew “Philistine” from the west — and they devoured Israel with the whole mouth. He has not turned away his anger in all of this, and his hand is still stretched out.13And the people did not turn to the one who struck it,That is, the people and they did not seek Adonai of hosts.14So Adonai cut off head and tail from Israel, palm branch and reed in one day.15EldersHebrew “Elder” and the respectable“one lifted up of face” are the head, and prophetsHebrew “prophet” who teach liesHebrew “lie” are the tail.16And the leaders of this people were misleading them, and those who were led were confused.

Isaiah 10:1-19 (LEB)

Woes on the WickedAh! Those who decree decrees of evil, and writers who have written harm,2to guide the needy away from legal claims,Hebrew “claim” and to rob the justice from the poor of my people, to make widows their spoil; and they plunder orphans.3And what will you do at the day of punishment, and at calamity? It comes from afar! To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth,4save that they bow down under the prisoners and fall under the slain?“except he will bow down under a prisoner and under slain they will fall”; “under” could also mean “in the place of” In all of this his anger has not turned away, and still his hand is stretched out.5Judgment on Assyria’s ArroganceAh! Assyria, the rod of my anger, and a staff is in their hand: my wrath!6I send him against a godless nation, and I command him against the people of my wrath, to capture spoil and to carry off plunder, and to make themHebrew “him” a trampling place, like the clay of the streets.7But he does not think this,Or “so” and his heart does not plan this. For it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off not a few nations.8For he says, “Are not my commanders altogether kings?9Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?10As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idolsHebrew “idol” — and their images were greater than those of“from” Jerusalem and Samaria —11shall I not do to Jerusalem and its idols what I have done to Samaria and her idols?”12And this shall happen: when the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion“the mountain of Zion” and Jerusalem, “I will punish the arrogance“fruit of the greatness of the heart” of the king of Assyria and his haughtiness.”“the pride of the height of his eyes”13For he says, “I have done it by the strength of my hand and by my wisdom, for I have understanding, and I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and I have plundered their stores, and like a bull I have brought down the inhabitants.Or, “those sitting,” that is, rulers sitting on thrones14And my hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples, and like the gathering of forsaken eggs, I myself have gathered all the earth. And there was no fluttering wing or open mouth or chirp.”15Does the ax boast against the one who cuts with it, or the saw magnify itself against the one who moves it to and fro? As if a rod should move the one who lifts it!“As a rod waving even the one who lifts it up” As if a staff should lift up that which is not wood!“As a staff lifting up not wood”16Therefore the Lord, Adonai of hosts, will send leanness among his sturdy warriors, and a burning like the burning of fire will burn under his glory.17And the light of Israel will become like a fire, and his holy one like a flame, and it will burn and devour his thornsHebrew “thorn” and briersHebrew “brier” in one day.18And he will destroy the glory of his forest and orchard completely,“from soul and to body” and it will be like the wasting away of one who is sick.19And the rest of the treesHebrew “tree” of his forest will be a small number, and a boy can write them down.

Isaiah 9:8-21 (LEB)

Adonai’s Anger against ArroganceThe Lord has sent out a word against Jacob, and it fell on Israel.9And all of the people knew it, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria in pride and arrogance of heart, saying,10“The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stone. The sycamore-fig trees were felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”11So Adonai strengthened the adversaries of RezinOr “his adversaries” if a copyist added “of Rezin” in error against him, and he provoked his enemies —12Aram from the east and PhilistinesHebrew “Philistine” from the west — and they devoured Israel with the whole mouth. He has not turned away his anger in all of this, and his hand is still stretched out.13And the people did not turn to the one who struck it,That is, the people and they did not seek Adonai of hosts.14So Adonai cut off head and tail from Israel, palm branch and reed in one day.15EldersHebrew “Elder” and the respectable“one lifted up of face” are the head, and prophetsHebrew “prophet” who teach liesHebrew “lie” are the tail.16And the leaders of this people were misleading them, and those who were led were confused.17Therefore the Lord did not rejoice over its young men, and he did not have compassion on its orphans and widows, for everyone was godless and an evildoer, and every mouth was speaking folly. In all of this his anger did not turn away, and still his hand is stretched out.18For wickedness burned like fire; it consumed brier and thorn. And it kindled the thickets of the forest, and they swirled upward in a column of smoke.19The land was burned through the wrath of Adonai of hosts, and the people became like fire fuel. People had no compassion toward each other.“A man does not have compassion toward his brother”20They devoured on the right but still were hungry and devoured on the left but they were not satisfied. Each one devoured the flesh of his arm,21Manasseh devoured Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they were against Judah. In all of this his anger has not turned away, and still his hand is stretched out.

Jeremiah 4:7 (LEB)

A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out. He has gone out from his place to make your land as a horror, your cities will go to ruin without“from not” inhabitant.

Daniel 10:13 (LEB)

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood before me“to front of me” for twenty-one days. And look,Or “finally” Michael, one of the chief princes, came to assist me, and I left him there beside the king of the Persians.

Nahum 3:1-19 (LEB)

The Doom of the Wicked City is CertainWoe to the city that has shed much blood!“bloods” She is a deceiver,“All of her is deception” She is filled with plunder, She has hoarded her spoils of war.“Prey does not depart”2The crack of the whip! The rumbling of the chariot wheel! The galloping of the horse! The racing of the chariot!3Chariots charge! Swords flash! Spears glitter! Many corpses are piled high!“Many dead, piles of corpses” There is no end to the slain! They stumble over their dead!4Harlot Nineveh Will Get What She Deserves“Because of the many idolatries of the prostitute, the beautiful charm of a mistress of witchcraft, she who enslaves nations by her harlotries, and peoples by her sorceries,5“Look! I am against you!” declares“a declaration of”Adonai. “I will strip up your skirts over your face; I will let nations look at your nakedness and your shame.6“I will throw filth upon you, I will treat you with contempt, I will make you a spectacle.7“And it will be that everyone who sees you will flee from you, And theyHebrew “he” will say, ‘Nineveh is destroyed!’ Who will mourn for her? From whence shall I seek comforters for you?”8Nineveh Will Suffer the Same Fate She Inflicted on ThebesAre you better than Thebes?Hebrew “No-Amon” She who sits at the Nile, surrounded by her waters, her rampart was the sea and water was her wall.9Cush was her strength, Egypt without end; Put and Libya were among your allies.“your helpers”10Yet she went into captivity as an exile; her children were dashed to pieces at the head of the streets; they cast lots for all of her nobles; all of her dignitaries were bound with chains.11You also will behave like a drunkard; You also will hide yourself; You also will seek refuge from the enemy.12Nineveh’s Defenses Will FailAll of your fortifications are like fig trees with ripe firstfruits — if they are shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater.13Look! Your troops are like women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire will consume the bars of your gates.14Draw water for a siege! Strengthen your fortifications! Go to the mud pit! Trample the clay! Grasp the brick mold!15There fire will consume you; the sword will cut you off. It will consume you like the locust. \innerVerseHeading{Nineveh’s Defenders Will Flee} Multiply yourself like the locust! Multiply yourself like the grasshopper!16You have increased your merchants more than the stars of heaven; like the locust they will shed their skin and fly away.17Your officials are like locusts; your commanders are like a swarm of locusts. They encamp on the walls on a cold day; when the sun rises, they fly away — no one knows where they have gone.18Nineveh Will Come to an EndYour shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria! Your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains; no one can gather them.19There is no healing for your wound; your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you will clap their hands for joy concerning you, For who has not suffered at the hands of your endless cruelty?“For over whom has your endless cruelty not passed?”

1 Corinthians 10:10 (LEB)

nor grumble, just as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

1 Peter 3:18-20 (LEB)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, in order that he could bring you to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,19in which also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,20who were formerly disobedient, when the patience of God waited in the days of Noah, whileHere “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was being constructed”) an ark was being constructed, in which a few — that is, eight souls — were rescued through water.

1 Peter 3:19 (LEB)

in which also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,

Jude 1:6 (LEB)

And the angels who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling place, he has kept in eternal bonds under deep gloom for the judgment of the great day,

Revelation 9:12-15 (LEB)

The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things.13A Third of Humanity Killed by PlaguesAnd the sixth angel blew the trumpet, and I heard one voice from the hornsSome manuscripts have “four horns” of the golden altar that is before God14saying to the sixth angel, the one who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates!”15And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released, in order that they should kill a third of humanity.

Revelation 9:16-19 (LEB)

And the number of the troops of the cavalry was two hundred million“twenty thousands of ten thousands”; I heard the number of them.17And in this way I saw the horses in the vision, and those seated on them, who had fiery red and hyacinth-colored and sulphurous yellow breastplates, and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulphur.18By these three plagues a third of humanity was killed — by the fire and the smoke and the sulphur that came out of their mouths.19For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are similar in appearance to snakes, having heads, and with them they cause injury.“they injure”

Revelation 9:19-21 (LEB)

For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are similar in appearance to snakes, having heads, and with them they cause injury.“they injure”20And the rest of humanity who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, in order not to worship“so that they did not worship” the demons and the gold and silver and bronze and stone and wooden idols, which are able neither to see nor to hear nor to walk,21and they did not repent of their murders or of their magic spells or of their sexual immorality or of their thefts.

Revelation 20:1-3 (LEB)

Satan Bound for a Thousand YearsAnd I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.2And he seized the dragon — the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan — and bound him for a thousand years,3and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it above him, in order that he could not deceive the nations again until the thousand years are completed. After these things it is necessary for him to be released for a short time.

Revelation 9:7-11 (LEB)

And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads were something like crowns similar in appearance to gold, and their faces were like men’s faces,8and they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions,9and they had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots“chariots of horses” running into battle.10And they have tails similar in appearance to scorpions, and stings, and their power to injure people for five months is in their tails.11They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name“the name to him” in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

Revelation 9:1-3 (LEB)

Tormenting Locusts from the AbyssAnd the fifth angel blew the trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and the key of the shaft of the abyss was given to him.2And he opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke went up from the shaft like smoke from a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft.3And out of the smoke locusts came to the earth, and power was given to them like the scorpions of the earth have power.

Revelation 9:4-6 (LEB)

And it was told to them that they should not damage the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, except those people who do not have the seal of God on their“the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun foreheads.5And it was granted to them that they should not kill them, but that they would be tormented five months, and their torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.6And in those days people will seek death and will never find it, and they will long to die, and death will flee from them.

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