Revelation 9 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Revelation 9

9:1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.¹ 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.²

12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire³ and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Footnotes

[1] 9:1 Greek the abyss; also verses 2, 11
[2] 9:11 Abaddon means destruction; Apollyon means destroyer
[3] 9:17 Greek hyacinth

Commentary

v1-6: The star which fell from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the bottomless pit. This star is identified as Abaddon/Apollyon, even Satan himself, v11. Even he has no power except what he received from God Himself.

Through the star, locusts were released onto the earth, which brought suffering to those who were not sealed. Thus, the 144,000 are immune from this particular suffering.

v7-10: The locusts torment men for five months; their appearance and sound is fearful. This period of time, like others mentioned, indicates real events, rather than purely symbolic descriptions.

The locusts, at first site, are not so awful; there are crowns of gold, and human faces. But they bring torment. Like all temptations, there is an offer so different from the reality.

v11: Their king is Abaddon/Apollyon.

v12: The three "woes" begin with the locusts, see 8.13.

v13-16: The sixth angel, and the second woe; the four angels from the Euphrates. They bring death to one-third of mankind. Such terrible condemnation is reserved until the time God ordains.

v17-19: The massive army, some 200 million strong, is released upon mankind. Like the locusts, they have a terrifying appearance. It is the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur which exact the death upon millions.

v20-21: Although the rest of the people remaining on the earth doubtless witness the army of horsemen, they stubbornly refuse to repent, clinging on to their sins.