Rev 9, The beginning of the three woes

Rev 9:1-12 (ESV) 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.  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.

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



• The fifth trumpet is the first woe
• John is evidently having some difficulty describing things in chapter 9. He uses "as" and "like" more than any other chapter in the bible
• We see another star falling. This most certainly is an angel, possibly fallen
• At this point fallen angels can still traverse to Heaven
• The fact that he has a key, would suggest a good angel
• The "abyss" or literally "bottomless pit" is the abode of Satan, some demons, and the beast. It is also a preliminary prison for some of the inhabitants
• In Revelation, smoke usually symbolizes judgment, doom, and torment (although it also has connection with holy things) (Constable)
• This is also the third blackout so far (verse 2)
• The fact that they are told not to harm to grass means that this takes place at least a season after the first trumpet judgment
• There are three views of the locusts
1. Literal. Difficulty is with the sting of the scorpion
2. Literal in description, that is a modern machine of war
3. Third, would be demons assuming the characteristics of locusts. This would fit with the command, to protect those with the seal
• The creatures' job is to torment (for five months)
• The creatures have a leader, a fallen angel (which tends to support the third theory), Abaddon or Apollyon, both of which means destroyer
• This is probably not Satan but some other demon (Satan is introduced more dramatically later on in the book)
• Why?
• Certainly, as we saw earlier in the worldwide revival, there is mercy in giving people time to repent
• But in this case, one of the main purposes of the tribulation, wrath against unbelievers
• I'm sure people were happy when the five months finally ended, but the reprieve is short


Rev 9:13-21 (ESV) 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 sapphire 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.



• This is the sixth trumpet blast and the second woe
• The 200M army has various interpretations
• There were 70M in WWII combined
• China has the capability to put 200M men in the field. In church history, this has often been taken literally. Clearly, what John is describing can be viewed as modern war equipment
• But, there is an argument that they are demons
• They seemed to be under the command of the four angels
• They are bound near Euphrates, which is near Babylon
• Their description does hot match humans
• The result
• 1/3 of mankind killed which when taken together probably means half of the world's population has already died
• Men did not repent
• Not of the work of their hands
• Not of idolatry
• Not of murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, or theft
• APPLICATION: Never tire of repentance. Evaluate your life and witness -- do we struggle with idolatry, our accomplishments, evil?