KBM Revelation Chapter 9 Part 1

Hello there and welcome to our 195th episode of Kids Bible Minute. I’m your host Landon Rowell and I’m also the local preacher for the church of Christ in Ramona, OK. I’m so thankful you have decided to study God’s precious Word with me this day and I hope you have your Bible with you while we have our Bible study. Also, because I don’t want you simply taking my word for what we will be studying I would like for you to open your Bible up to each verse I mention and read that verse for yourself so you can see God’s Word personally. Most of the time I will read the verses too so you can read along with me when I do. So when I mention a verse just pause this podcast, open your Bible to that passage, read that verse and then unpause the podcast and read along with me as I read the verse out loud. If you are new to our study, first I want to say thank you for studying with us and secondly I want to let you know that you can reach all archived or past episodes easily at ramonacofc.com in the podcast section where there is a direct link to Kids Bible Minute past episodes. As you all know we have been studying through the book of Revelation and last week finished up looking at chapter 8, which of course means we are now on chapter 9. Chapter 8 ended with 1/3rd of all the land, sea, freshwater, and heavenly bodies (sun, moon, stars) destroyed. This was a call for Rome to repent and stop letting Satan be their puppet master. Chapter 9 ushers in the first and second of three “woes” described in Revelation 8:13.

Revelation 8:13 ESV

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

From this we see that trumpet blasts five, six, and seven are these woes. In Revelation 9:1-12 we have the fifth trumpet and first woe. This is God sending harsher punishment than before in hopes of getting Rome to repent. There are a few things of note we should consider here. First, the “star fallen from heaven to earth.” This is obviously a “he” and isn’t deity because “he” needs permission “the key” to open the bottomless pit. Considering his name is in Hebrew “destruction” and Greek “destroyer” (verse 11) it seems likely that it’s Satan. Second, the “bottomless pit” or “bottomless abyss” comes from the Greek word that simply means immeasurable depth. It is somehow connected to the spiritual realm but it isn’t heaven, hell, or hades. It seems to be a special spiritual realm for the evil spirits (Luke 8:31; Romans 10:7). Third, the crazy looking locust that come out of the abyss. Locus have always been a symbol of fear because of the danger they pose humanity. In 125 B.C. locust were driven into a sea, died, and washed back up on shore. Their decayed bodies caused a plague that killed several thousand in Libya, Cyrene, and Egypt. In 1886 locust in Algiers were so destructive that 200,000 people died from the famine they caused. God even used them as a punishment for sin (Psalm 78:46; Psalm 105:34-35). So it’s no surprise God uses their symbolism here. Fourth, the five months. This could be five literal months since that is a locus’ actual life span. It could be dealing with an indefinite time line as the number five is half of 10 which means human completeness and lastly it could be dealing with the “prophetic day” as seen in Ezekiel 4:6, wherein a day is a year and this this would last 150 years. We are not given enough information to determine which one it is specifically. What we do know is that during this time people were wanting to die rather than repent. Douglas Ezell once wrote, “When the illusions, fantasies and lies are exposed to the light of reality, men often cry for death rather than face their failure and respond to the grace of God.”

Well, that concludes this Bible study for today. As always, I want to thank you for studying God's precious Word with me and I want to encourage you to continue to study God's Word every day. Be sure to use the wonderful material and other podcasts made available through the BWM App or website at biblewaymedia.org. I also personally have a website at gospel-preacher.com. Of course, make sure you ask your parents if it is ok by them before you download the app or go to those websites. I also encourage you to contact me personally with question about the Bible at the Ramona church of Christ email address [e-mail] or through our Facebook Page. Make sure you message the Ramona church of Christ in OK not California. Until we have an opportunity to meet again, peace be with you in Christ Jesus our Lord.