Bird's-eye view
In this ninth chapter of the Revelation, we come to the fifth trumpet, which is also the first of the three woes. What John sees is a torrent of demonic imagery, a vision of hell being let loose upon the earth. But as with everything in this book, we must ask the questions: what earth, and when? The framework of Revelation is the covenant lawsuit of God against apostate first-century Israel, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. These trumpets are the escalating alarms of war, the covenant curses promised in Deuteronomy coming home to roost. This passage, then, is not a picture of 21st-century helicopter gunships, but rather a symbolic depiction of the spiritual torment and chaos that fell upon the land of Judea as the Roman armies, God's instrument of judgment, closed in. It is a vision of a society coming apart at the seams, a people given over to a torment of their own making because they rejected their Messiah. The key is that this torment is spiritual and psychological before it is physical, a maddening affliction that makes death seem like a welcome relief.
The imagery is drawn straight from the Old Testament, particularly from the prophet Joel and the Egyptian plagues. This is crucial. God is treating apostate Jerusalem as the new Egypt, and He is visiting upon her plagues that are reminiscent of the first exodus, only this time it is for judgment, not deliverance. The locusts are not literal insects; they are demonic forces, unleashed to afflict the minds and souls of those who have rejected God and do not bear His seal. Their king is the angel of the abyss, the Destroyer, which is to say, Satan himself. This is what happens when a nation under covenant with God commits spiritual adultery and is given over to the god she has chosen.
Outline
- 1. The First Woe: Hell Unleashed (Rev 9:1-12)
- a. The Fallen Star and the Key to the Abyss (Rev 9:1)
- b. The Smoke of Deception Darkens the Land (Rev 9:2)
- c. The Demonic Locust-Scorpions (Rev 9:3)
- d. A Targeted Torment (Rev 9:4)
- e. Five Months of Agony (Rev 9:5)
- f. A Desperate, Futile Search for Death (Rev 9:6)
- g. The Fearsome Appearance of the Tormentors (Rev 9:7-10)
- h. The King of the Abyss (Rev 9:11)
- i. The First Woe Concludes (Rev 9:12)
Context In Revelation
The fifth trumpet follows directly upon the first four, which described judgments upon the "third part" of the earth, sea, rivers, and heavens (Rev 8). This "third part" should be understood as the land of Israel, the central focus of God's covenantal dealings in that era. The trumpets, like the seals before them, are not a strictly linear chronological sequence, but rather a "recapitulation," looking at the same period of judgment from different angles. The seals depicted the historical and political upheaval leading to Jerusalem's fall. The trumpets depict the same events as a series of covenantal alarms, God's declaration of war. After the fourth trumpet, an eagle flies through heaven crying "Woe, woe, woe" (Rev 8:13), announcing that the final three trumpets will be of a far greater intensity. The fifth trumpet, therefore, marks a significant escalation. The judgment moves from the created order to a direct, demonic assault on the minds of ungodly men. This sets the stage for the sixth trumpet, which will unleash an army to bring about physical death, all of it culminating in the final destruction of the city.
Key Issues
- Identifying the "Fallen Star"
- The Meaning of the Abyss
- The Symbolic Nature of the Locusts
- The Identity of Those Without God's Seal
- The "Five Months" Period
- The Connection to the Prophet Joel
- The Identity of Abaddon/Apollyon
The New Egypt
One of the central keys to unlocking Revelation is recognizing how John, under the inspiration of the Spirit, reapplies Old Testament judgments against pagan nations to first-century Jerusalem. The city that was once the holy city has become, through her rejection of the Messiah, "spiritually...Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified" (Rev 11:8). This is a staggering indictment. The fifth trumpet, with its plague of demonic locusts, is a direct echo of the eighth plague on Egypt (Exodus 10). But these are no ordinary locusts. They don't eat grass; they attack men. They are a spiritual plague.
The prophet Joel also prophesied a devastating locust plague as a picture of the Day of the Lord, describing the locusts as a mighty army, with the appearance of horses, the sound of chariots, and the teeth of lions (Joel 1-2). Peter announced on the day of Pentecost that the "last days" prophesied by Joel had begun. The judgment Joel foresaw was now arriving, not upon Babylon or Assyria, but upon the generation that had crucified the Lord of Glory. John is simply taking the established prophetic vocabulary and applying it to the great climactic event of that age: the un-creation of the old covenant world and the establishment of the new.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1 Then the fifth angel sounded. Then I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth, and the key of the pit of the abyss was given to him.
The trumpet sounds, and John sees a "star from heaven which had fallen." This is not a literal celestial event. In Scripture, stars can represent angels (Job 38:7) or rulers. Given that this figure holds the key to the abyss, the dwelling place of demons, this is best understood as a powerful angelic being. Who is it? Some suggest it is Satan, who fell from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18). Others suggest it is a good angel, acting as God's jailer, given authority to open the prison. But the most compelling reading, given the context, is that this is Satan himself. He is "given" the key, which is crucial. He does not seize it. His power is delegated and circumscribed. God is sovereignly using the malice of the devil to accomplish His own righteous purposes. Satan thinks he is winning a great victory by unleashing hell, but he is merely an instrument of God's judgment against a Christ-rejecting people.
2 And he opened the pit of the abyss and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
When the abyss is opened, the first thing that emerges is smoke. Not fire, but smoke. This smoke is so thick it darkens the sun and the air. Smoke in Scripture is often associated with judgment (Gen 19:28), but here its primary effect is darkness and confusion. This is the smoke of satanic lies, false doctrines, and blinding propaganda. Before the physical destruction comes the spiritual and intellectual darkness. The leadership of Israel had been given over to a profound spiritual blindness, and this is the symbolic representation of that reality. They could no longer see the Son, Jesus, and the air, representing their whole spiritual atmosphere, was choked with demonic deceit.
3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Out of this confusing smoke, the agents of torment emerge: locusts. As noted, this is a direct allusion to Joel and Exodus. But these are not natural locusts. They are given the power of scorpions, whose sting is intensely painful. This tells us their mission is not agricultural devastation but human torment. They are demonic spirits, the very real spiritual forces that were driving the madness, infighting, and zealotry within Jerusalem in the years leading up to the final siege. Josephus's account of the civil war inside the city, with various factions slaughtering one another, reads like a nation that has been given over to a legion of demons.
4 And they were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
This verse makes the symbolic nature of the locusts undeniable. They are commanded to do the one thing locusts would never do: leave the vegetation alone. Their target is specific: "only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." This refers back to Revelation 7, where the 144,000, representing the Christian church (both Jew and Gentile), were sealed for protection. The Christians in Judea, heeding Jesus's warning in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24:15-22), fled the city before the final siege began. They were protected from this covenantal wrath. The judgment was poured out upon the apostate Jews, the ones who had said of Jesus, "His blood be on us and on our children!" (Matt 27:25).
5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.
The authority of these demons is strictly limited. They can torment, but they cannot kill. This is not yet the final, physical destruction. This is the period of intense psychological and spiritual agony leading up to it. The torment is compared to a scorpion's sting, which is excruciating but not typically lethal. The "five months" is likely symbolic. It could correspond to the typical lifespan of locusts, or it could refer to a specific period during the Jewish War. For example, the final, intense stage of the Roman siege under Titus lasted approximately five months, from April to September of A.D. 70. During this time, the suffering inside the city from famine, disease, and factional fighting was unimaginable.
6 And in those days men will seek death and will never find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.
This is the result of the demonic torment. The agony is so profound, so relentless, that life becomes an unbearable burden. Death, which men normally fear, becomes a longed-for escape. This is a picture of absolute despair. When a man's worldview collapses, when his covenantal identity is destroyed, and when he is given over to the lies of the enemy, this is the result. It is a living hell, a foretaste of the second death. Josephus records numerous instances of people in such despair during the siege that this description is not hyperbolic.
7-10 And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. And on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses running to battle. And they have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months.
John now provides a detailed, composite description of these demonic beings, drawing on imagery from Joel and elsewhere. They are like horses prepared for battle, indicating their military, organized, and aggressive nature. The crowns like gold speak of a false, demonic authority. Faces like men suggest intelligence and rationality twisted to evil ends. Hair like women could suggest something seductive or deceptive. Teeth like lions speak of their ferocity and power to tear and destroy. Breastplates of iron show they are invulnerable to human attack. The sound of their wings is like a massive army, creating terror and panic. And their tails like scorpions reiterate that their power is in inflicting agonizing torment. This is not a photograph of a futuristic monster; it is a collage of Old Testament symbols designed to convey the intelligent, ferocious, deceptive, terrifying, and tormenting nature of these demonic powers.
11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
Unlike natural locusts, which have no king (Prov 30:27), this demonic horde has a commander. He is the angel of the abyss, and his name is given in both Hebrew and Greek to emphasize that this judgment is coming upon the Jewish people through the agency of the Gentile Romans. Both names, Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek), mean "Destroyer." This is Satan. He is the ultimate destroyer, the one who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The apostate Jews had rejected their true King and Shepherd, and so God gave them over to the authority of the Destroyer. They had chosen a murderer (Barabbas) over the Prince of Life, and now they were reaping the consequences.
12 One woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
A heavenly announcement concludes the section. The first woe, the demonic torment, is over. But this is not the end. Two more woes, corresponding to the sixth and seventh trumpets, are still to come. The intensity of the judgment is about to increase yet again, moving from agonizing torment to widespread death.
Application
While this passage finds its historical fulfillment in the first century, the principles it reveals are timeless. The first and most obvious lesson is that sin has consequences, and rebellion against God, particularly covenantal rebellion, invites judgment. When a people or a nation that has been blessed with the light of the gospel turns its back on that light, it should not be surprised when a profound spiritual darkness descends.
Second, we see the reality of demonic power. The spiritual world is real, and our battle is not ultimately against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). Satan and his minions are real, and their goal is to torment and destroy. They operate through lies, confusion, and accusation. The smoke from the abyss is still a potent weapon, clouding the minds of men with false ideologies and blinding them to the truth of the gospel. We must not be ignorant of the devil's devices.
But the most important application is the glorious good news of the seal of God. In the midst of this terrifying judgment, God's people were protected. They had the seal of God on their foreheads. This seal is not a physical mark, but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which marks us out as belonging to Christ. Those who are in Christ are safe from the wrath of God. While we may face persecution from the world, we are delivered from the curse of the law and the torment of the Destroyer. The only true refuge from the woes that must come upon a rebellious world is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He descended into the abyss for us, so that we would never have to. He endured the ultimate torment on the cross so that we might have peace with God. Our only hope is to be sealed by Him, to belong to Him, and to heed His voice in the midst of a world that is all too often darkened by the smoke of the pit.