This is my understanding as I study this.
Rev 9:1-3
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.
Rev 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.
Rev 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.
