Revelation 9

1-6 7-12 13-15 16-21

1-6

The fifth trumpet is blown and John sees a star fall from heaven, I did not read one commentator that believed that this a literal star, but a person, angel, or Satan the star referring to a high or prominent person like we call athletes and actors stars today. One historicist view is that this star is Mohammed, who was of princely pedigree but the previous generation of his family had lost its rule, and the locust plague he releases is the Saracens or Muslim Arabs and their campaigns against the Eastern Roman Empire. There was also mention that the Hebrew word for locust and Arab are very similar in sound, arbeh of the locusts, and arbi of an Arab. Unlike actual locust this plague was commanded not to harm the grass and all green things growing on the earth, this is in striking parallel to Mohammed’s instructions in the Koran not to destroy the palm trees, nor any fields of corn and not to cut down any fruit trees. The Saracens were not able to kill papal Rome as a political body but did torment them “for a while”. The five months that are given to the “locust” are seen as five prophetic months of 30 days each for a total of 150 days, if you take each day as a year this very closely lines up with time Mohammed adopted the policy of making converts by the sword in AD 612 to the time when the ceased from their ravages and moved their capital to Bagdad in AD 763. Quick math is 151 years but the months were not listed so it may be 150 and a few months. Even some of the pre-millennial commentators agree that this interpenetration is well founded.

There was another historicist view that the star falling from heaven is Boniface, the third bishop of Rome who assumed the title of universal bishop. The damage described being spiritual and not physical, his damnable doctrines and deception subjecting people to a spiritual torment for a limited period of time, the five months not being literal but symbolic. There was also a mention that there are some Catholic writers that view this fallen star and locusts as being Martin Luther and the Lutheran Reformation, Luther being the fallen star who defected from the papal church, but if Luther was the fallen star and the locust , his doctrines, were to continue for “five months” even viewed as a symbolic meaning a limited time, the Reformation has been going for over 350 years and still are the particular grief of the Papal Catholics.

The preterist view of the fallen star and the locust plague is that the star may have been an angel or a high priest that is spreading heresies and false principles that infected the Jewish people around the time of the seige of Jerusalem. Another person saying that this entire generation of Jews became demon-possessed and progressively went insane leading up to the fall of Jerusalem. Some even hoping that the walls would come down and the Romans would put them out of their misery, seeking death and not finding it.

The view that all of Revelation is purely symbolic and spiritual believe that the fallen star is Satan and his influence is clouding men’s minds like the sun and air were darkened in verse 2. The locusts are demons that Satan unleashes and attack human and not the grass or any green thing. Satan’s rule will not be permanent and the five months in verse 5 corresponds to the normal lifetime of a natural locust and this woe will be for a limited duration.

There are some pre-mil interpretations that the fallen star the pope and is the same fallen star as written on chapter 8:10 and the key he is given is a system of teaching that develops apostasy. Another is that the locust are an invading army likening it to the prophecy against of Gog in Ezekiel 38. The more literal interpretation is that the fallen star is Satan, but this is not picturing his initial fall from heaven, here he is given the key to the bottomless pit from its keeper, the Lord Jesus Christ Revelation 1:18 “... I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”, so that he can release these demons on mankind for a limited time. The opening of the pit releases smoke that darkens the sky symbolizing the corruption of hell that is being released to pollute the world. Swarming out of this smoke comes the the demons that resemble locusts reminiscent of the locust plague in Exodus. MacArthur believes that the demons who cohabited with women in Satan’s failed attempt to corrupt the human race and make it unredeemable from Genesis 6:1-4 are in the pit but they may not bee these demons as they are said to be in eternal bonds suggesting that other demons have been imprisoned since Genesis 6. These demons also have some sort of tail that resembles a scorpion tail that has the power to inflict pain. They were told, probably by God who gave Satan the key to the pit, and who controls everything for his purpose, not to harm the grass and trees showing that these demons have limits. Another limit that they are given is to only harm those that do not have the seal of God on their foreheads showing that true believers will be spared just as God sheltered Israel from the Exodus plagues. These will be the 144,000 Jewish evangelists from chapter 7 and all that they have brought to Christ during the tribulations. Also God limits the demons by not allowing then to kill anyone and he limits their torment to five months, which is again the normal lifespan of a locust May to September. During this five month torment period it is possible that death itself will be suspended, at least for those whom the demons are torturing, they will seek death and will not find it. All attempts at suicide will fail by divine intervention, guns will not kill, people will not be able to drown themselves, poisons and drug overdoses will not work, and throwing yourself off buildings and bridges will have no effect. For this period there will be no escape from this torment.

7-12

For those who interpret this this trumpet to be the Muslim Arabs under Mohammed the crowns are their turbans and they were men with long hair as Muslim men typically will have long beards and long hair, some writing of them as turbaned Arabs with their uncut hair. The breastplate of iron is literal as the Saracens wore iron coats of mail, from the Koran: “God has given you coats of mail to defend you in your wars”. The stings in their tails may refer to the fact that the Saracens were known to be adept at fighting rearward over the tails of their horses. There is also an Islamic tradition that speaks of locusts being dropped into the hands of Mohammed that had the inscription on their wings “We are the army of the Great God”.

Those believing the fall of Jerusalem interpretation liken them as an invading army of demons that wear crowns of something like gold but is not real gold representing their pretended authority. That they have hair like women’s hair may be a reference to their transvestism, as the writer Josephus describes: With their insatiable hunger for loot, they ransacked the houses of the wealthy, murdered men and violated women for sport; they drank their spoils with blood, and from mere satiety and shamelessness gave themselves up to effeminate practices, plaiting their hair and putting on women’s clothes, drenched themselves with perfumes and painting their eyelids to make themselves attractive. They copied not merely the dress, but also the passions of women, devising in their excess of licentiousness unlawful pleasures in which they wallowed as in a brothel. Thus they entirely polluted the city with their foul practices. Yet though they wore women’s faces, their hands were murderous. They would approach with mincing steps, then suddenly become fighting men, and, whipping out their swords from under their dyed cloaks, they would run through every passerby. Their teeth like lions teeth speak of their ferocity, like scorpions they are malicious, their breastplates like iron giving the appearance of invulnerability and their king is Satan himself.

For the literal interpretation this trumpet could be John attempting to describe these demons with no point of reference using words like appearance and like either showing he could not describe them from his reference point in the first century AD or that these are symbolic of what the demons looked like. Like horses prepared for battle showing that they are warlike, powerful and defiant. Crowns like gold, victors’ crowns, indicating that they will be invincible, unstoppable, and all-conquering. Faces like men indicating that they are intelligent, rational beings and not insects. Like the hair of women emphasizing their seductiveness, like the sirens of Greek mythology. Teeth like the teeth of lions showing that they will be far more fierce, powerful, and deadly that actual lions. Breastplates of iron further showing their invulnerability and they will be impossible to resist or destroy. The sound of them like many horses rushing into battle, there will be no escaping their massive, worldwide onslaught, nowhere to run or hide. Again saying that they have tails and stingers like a scorpion showing that their purpose is to inflict pain, but only for a limited time, five months. The demons have one who is ruling over them and his name means destroyer. Some do see this as Satan but also could be a high ranking demon in Satan’s hierarchy.

There was a mention from one of the pre-millennial commentator that said that he has a Christian friend who was a Green Beret in Vietnam and when he first read chapter 9 he said, “I know what those are! I’ve seen hundreds of them in Vietnam, they’re Cobra helicopters!” Can you imagine John from the first century trying to describe a modern attack helicopter?

This trumpet ends with another warning that there are still to woes coming after this literal hell on earth.

13-15

For the historicist view, like the previous trumpet was describing Mohammed and the Saracen Muslim Arabs, the sixth trumpet is describing the Tartars who conquered Bagdad and the Saracen empire in 1055 and converted to Islam becoming known as Turkomans or Turkmans. For a long time after the Turks did not expand west across the Euphrates as if they were being bound or restrained by some mighty power. But they did and conquered Constantinople and toppled the Byzantine Empire. There is a description of some convoluted math using a year for a day and if you add up the hour, day, month and year mentioned and using the Julian calendar of 365 days and not the Jewish witch is 360 days you get 396 years and 106 days which correspond to 1055 and the fall of Bagdad and 1453 and the fall of Constantinople. If you use the Jewish year it is from 1062 when the Turks crossed the Euphrates to begin their conquest and 1453 the fall of Constantinople.

The preterist fall of Jerusalem view is that while the locust of the previous trumpet was demonic possession or rot from withing Israel this is the Roman armies or their confederates, many of the troops that invaded Palestine had been previously stationed at the Euphrates. The timing of the invasion was scheduled precisely, down to the year, month, day and hour.

Some see the four angels being restrained as the same four angels in 7:1 who were restraining the winds, but this is unlikely as these angels or more probably demons are being restrained or bound by God. An unfallen angel is always doing God’s will and would not have to be restrained as a demon who is always trying to work against God. There is some that believe that this will be an invasion from the west or the Orient, as the previous trumpet was an invasion from Russia. There is also some variation on who gave the order to release these four, some attributing it to Jesus who is at the right hand of God, and some saying that it may be the voice of the saints in prayer mentioned in chapter 8:3 and also 6:9. MacArthur says that identifying the source of the voice is not possible just the location that it came from the four horns or corners of the golden altar which is before God. The voice commands that these angels or demons be released, and that they have been predestined to this exact time to kill a third of mankind. This total would not include the 1/4th in the fourth seal, or the following seal and trumpet judgments, but be one third of the remaining people left after all of them, this also would mark the return of death on earth so it would be at least 5 months after the pit was opened. From what I have been able to find these 1/4 and 1/3 amounts show that there is a precise number affected in these judgments as compared to the general numbers given in other places in Revelation like thousands of thousands, or a myriad of myriads, or a great many. It also signifies that while there will be a great number it is not a majority thus showing God’s grace and restraint.

16-21

Depending on the translation the number of horseman let loose from the four angels/demons is two myriad myriads, two hundred thousand thousand, twice ten thousand times ten thousand, or 200 million, a myriad being ten thousand. This could either be symbolic of an uncountable number but because John does say that he heard the number of them it could be the actual number of 200 million. One person calculated that an army of men 200 million strong would form a column one mile wide and 85 miles long.

Those believing that this trumpet is describing the Turks it is said that they had the custom of using the term myriads in the numbering of their troops. The color of the breastplates, fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow are like the warlike apparel that the Turks wore, scarlet, blue, and yellow. The reference to fire smoke and brimstone alludes to their artillery they used, firing stones ranging from a 200 to 1,200 pound stone balls. Their power being in their tails calls to mind the practice of high ranking Turks attaching two or three horse tails to a pole as a standard in battle.

The preterist view is that this number is not a literal calculation of the number of Romans who invaded Jerusalem and is symbolic of them and their destruction.

There are some pre-minimalist that believe that this army is consisted of demonic spirits that are given the power to kill mankind. Others that this will be a literal army of two hundred million, most likely from the orient. The Chinese army was reportedly numbered at 200 million during the 1970’s but also listed at 2.3 million by another. John MacArthur does believe that the number is literal he is on the side that this is a demonic army giving one reason as shear logistics of supplying and maintaining a human army of that size that and that they are commanded by the four newly released demons. MacArthur also notes that the colors listed of the riders are fire, smoke, and brimstone are the colors and features of hell and paint a terrifying picture of God’s wrath and are reminiscent of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Horses are frequently associated with warfare in Scripture but these will not be normal horses having heads like a lion with fire and brimstone coming from their mouths. Their tails also being like a venomous serpent able to bite and cause harm from the front and the back.

The chapter ends saying that even though all of these plagues and supernatural punishments from God the people still would not repent, clinging to their idols and continuing in murder, sorcery, and theft. The Greek word for sorceries, pharmakon can also refer to poisons, amulets, charms, seances, witchcraft, incantation, magic spells, and contacting mediums, it is also where we get the English word for pharmacy and pharmaceuticals. After all that has happened and literally hell let loose on earth, murder, theft, and drug use will still run rampant as the unrepentant cling to their sins.