Revelation 9.1-12-The Fifth Trumpet Judgment (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday June 26, 2024

The Day of the Lord Series: Revelation 9:1-12-The Fifth Trumpet Judgment

Lesson # 29

Revelation 9:1-12 records the fifth of the seven trumpet judgments, which is the first woe, and results in the release from prison of fallen angels who look like locusts and are energized by Satan and are not permitted to kill men but only to torment them.

Revelation 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. 7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. 12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. (NIV84)

In Revelation 9:1-2, John describes Satan as a fallen star who has been given by God the key to the Abyss, which is a prison for fallen angels.

The “star from heaven which had fallen to the earth” is a symbolic reference to Satan.

There are several reasons that substantiate this interpretation.

First of all, the perfect tense of the verb pipto (πίπτω), “had fallen” is an “intensive” perfect, which emphasizes the present state produced by a past action.

It emphasizes the present state of Satan that is the result of the past action of rebelling against God (Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-14) and his being expelled from heaven by Michael and the elect angels, which is recorded in Revelation 12.

That this star in Revelation 9:1 is not literal but symbolic for a person is indicated in that the star is called a “him,” which is the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), which means “he himself” but is translated by the NIV84 as “the star.”

Also, that this star is not a literal one but symbolic for a person is indicated in that the star is seen performing the actions of personality.

For example, he opens the abyss (verse 2) which would indicate that the star is in charge of these creatures of the abyss and somehow related to them.

Also, the star is given the ascriptions and appellatives of a person as seen in verse 11, which describes the star’s specific relationship to the demonic creatures of the abyss.

This star is not a literal one but symbolic for a person because this star is spoken of not only as a person but also as a king.

Specifically, he is called the “angel of the Abyss,” and he is given the names, “Abaddon” and “Apollyon.”

That the star of verse 1 is the king and angel of verse 11 seems clearly indicated in that the mention of this fallen star in verse one would be meaningless unless he is the personage who opens the pit.

Unless this is the case, why call attention to a fallen star?

Furthermore, the fact the star was given the key and authority to open the pit in order to bring destruction on the world also fits with the names given to this angel of the abyss.

Both names, “Abaddon” and “Apollyon,” mean “destruction,” which is supported by the fact that, in Scripture, angels are called “stars” (Job 38:7).

In fact, Satan is specifically referred to as a star (cf. Isa. 14:12 with Luke 10:18).

Other Scriptures teach us that Satan is the ruler or king of the fallen angels since they are viewed as under his authority (Matt. 12:24, 26; Eph. 2:2; Rev. 12:4, 7).

The locusts mentioned in connection with this fifth trumpet judgment are not literal locusts but rather demons.

This is indicated in that many of the fallen angels are incarcerated at this point in history in the “the shaft of the Abyss” (translates the Greek expression tou phreatos tēs abyssou (τοῦ φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου), which means literally, “pit of the abyss”) according to a comparison of Luke 8:31; Revelation 9:11, 11:7, 17:8, 20:1 and 3.

In fact, Satan during the millennial reign of Christ will be imprisoned in the abyss according to Revelation 20:1 and 3.

The “Abyss” or “bottomless pit” is one of four compartments of Hades, which is located underneath the earth:

(1) Paradise: the place of the departed souls of believers before the resurrection of Christ (Lk. 23:39-43; Eph. 4:8-9) who were transferred to heaven after the resurrection of Christ (Eph. 4:10).

(2) Torments: the temporary fire for the souls of unbelievers from all dispensations (Lk. 16:19-31).

(3) Tartarus: the abode of the fallen angels of Genesis 6 who possessed unregenerate men in order to have sex with unregenerate women in order to corrupt the human race and prevent the incarnation of the Son of God (1 Peter 3:18-22; 2 Peter 4; Jude 6).

(4) The Abyss: the place of imprisonment for the demons who violated certain rules for angelic creation and will be released during the Tribulation (Lk. 8:30-31; Rom. 10:7; Rev. 20:1-3).

In Revelation 9:3-6, John records these demon armies attacking human beings but they cannot kill anyone but only torment people.

In Revelation 9:7-10, John describes the characteristics of this demon army.

In Revelation 9:11, John writes that these demons have a king over them and in verse 12, there is the announcement of two more woes.

The fact that these locusts are not literal locusts but rather fallen angels is indicated in that locusts do not have scorpionlike stings in their tails.

Also, locusts do not have a leader according to Proverbs 30:27 whereas in Revelation 9:11, John describes these locusts as having a leader.

Secondly, Revelation 9:4 asserts that they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads and of course, we know that locusts devour vegetation (Deut. 28:38, 42; Joel 2).

Furthermore, real locusts are destroyers but this army in Revelation 9:1-12 only tortures those who are unbelievers.