Revelation Study Week 21: 9:1-21

Before we dive into this text let’s review:

Chapter 1: We have the introduction to Revelation and the vision of Christ

Chapter 2 & 3: We have the 7 letters to the churches

Chapter 4: We have a vision of the throne room of heaven

Chapter 5: We have the Scroll and the Lamb

Chapter 6: We have the first six seals

1st Seal is the White horse

2nd Seal is the Red horse

3rd Seal is the Black horse

4th Seal is the pale green horse

5th Seal is the Cry of the Martyrs

6th Seal is the Cosmic Disturbances

Chapter 7: We have the 144,000 sealed and the great multitude

Chapter 8: We have the seventh seal with silence in heaven/censer/prayer of the saints

1st Trumpet strikes 1/3 of the vegetation

2nd Trumpet strikes 1/3 of the seas

3rd Trumpet strikes 1/3 of rivers and springs of water

4th Trumpet strikes 1/3 of the sun, moon, stars

Revelation 8:13

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew in midheaven, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

Now we start the first of three woes. Up to this point everything that has happened has happened to the earth, now it gets serious, before people were indirectly effected, now people are directly effected.

The New Revised Standard Version (Chapter 9)

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had 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 authority like the authority of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.7 In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped 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 scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, with stingers, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. 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

There is a lot of description in these verses to dig through...

I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth...

as discussed before a star would destroy the earth so must be something like a meteor, but since it has the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit, it must be something more like an angle, a fallen angel.

he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit…

or abyss

Smoke from the bottomless pit...

Locust from the smoke was given authority like that of the scorpions of the earth...

Unlike the locust of Exodus 10: 12-15 these don’t damage the vegetation…the thing locust normally consume.

only allowed to torture those who did not have the seal of God on their forehead.

People will seek death but will not find it...

The only time in all of history we find that people will not be able to die!

Their appearance:

Like horses ready for battle.

what looked like crowns of gold were on their head

faces were like human faces with women’s hair

teeth like lions teeth

scales like iron breastplate

wings sounded like chariots with horses rushing into battle

tails like scorpions with stingers

What they are not!!! Helicopters!!

Their king is the king of the bottomless pit, who’s name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon

the definition being destroyer or to destroy

Why would a merciful God not show mercy in this situation, allowing suffering but the inability to die?

This suffering is meant to bring about repentance, a short time of suffering that brings repentance is mercy when eternal suffering is on the line!