a star fallen from heaven
In some passages, angelic beings are referred to as "stars" (Job 38:7;
Isa. 14:13). "Fallen" is
peptoko'ta , perfect tense
having already fallen.
Some believe this is the star named Wormwood which fell at the third
trumpet judgment
(Rev. 8:10). The final fall of Satan from heaven occurs in
Revelation 12:9-10.
the bottomless pit
"Bottomless pit" is better translated
the shaft of the abyss.
The
shaft
is a long and narrow opening which leads to the
abyss . The shaft is normally sealed.
The inhabitants of the abyss are fallen angels
(Luke 8:30-31).
They are held there due to their participation in a particularly grievous
sin
(Gen. 6:4;
2Pe. 2:4-6;
Jude 6).
9:2 - the pit is opened
he opened the bottomless pit
The contents of the pit are
unimaginably
evil and
greatly
frustrated. The fallen angels therein surpass anything we can imagine--hence the
fantastic description in the verses to come.
smoke arose... like the smoke of a great furnace
One of the "pillars of smoke" described by Joel on the Day of the Lord
(Joel 2:30).
Hot due to subterranean activity below the earth's crust
(Luke 16:24).
9:3 - locusts come upon the earth
locusts came upon the earth
Another parallel with the plages of Egypt
(Ex. 10:12-14).
This is the "army of the Lord" which Joel saw
(Joel 2:10-11).
given power as the scorpions of the earth have power
As
the scorpions of the earth. These are not natural scorpions!
1)
They are
locusts. 2)
They are
of the abyss,
not the earth.
9:4 - to harm men
commanded not to harm natural systems, but men
The exact reverse of natural locusts.
only those men who are not sealed
This is why the 144,000 were sealed in a previous chapter
(Rev. 7:4). See the previous lesson on
Revelation 7.
9:5 - authority to torment
not given authority to kill
Authority is
given
from elsewhere -- by God.
He is providing additional opportunity for repentance (or to demonstrate
lack thereof).
like the torment of a scorpion
Both the pain of the initial sting and probably from an injected poison.
9:6 - men will seek death
men will seek death
Due to intense fear and pain men will wish they were dead. "They will desire" epithy'mesouosin
(lust after) death.
But they will
ou me'
(emphatically not!) find it.
death will flee from them
They will continually seek to die and death will continually flee.
Death may be prevented by the control demons have over men by way of
possession
(Mark 9:20-22;
Luke 8:27-29).
9:7 - like horses
shape of the locusts was like...
What John is shown exceeds anything he has seen before
so he must resort to extensive simile
to give the closest approximation to that which is familiar.
The description is
as close as he is able to relate,
there is no indication it is intended to be interpreted
symbolically.
See the lesson where we discussed the
Interpretation of Symbols.
like the appearance of horses
Joel used the same simile
(Joel 2:4-5).
The heads of horses and locusts are similar. The words for
locust
in German and Italian mean "hay-horse" and "little horse," respectively.
9:8 - hair and teeth
hair like a woman's hair
Elsewhere, locusts are said to be "bristling" (Jer. 51:27).
Some suggest a reference to their antennae, but here more likely
the actual hair of the demonic form.
teeth like lion's teeth
Joel used the same simile
(Joel 1:6-7).
They do not harm with their mouths--this refers to the
rapaciousness
of their destruction, in a similar way that natural locusts
devour
every green thing in their path.
9:9 - breastplates and wings
breastplates of iron
Refers either to actual breastplates, or to the chest region. The Greek
word is
tho'rakas
from which we derive the term "thorax," used to describe that portion of the body of an insect.
sound of wings like chariots
Joel heard the same multitude
(Joel 2:5).
9:10 - tails like scorpions
stings in their tails
"Stings" is
ke'ntra
which is also used of a pointed stick
(Acts 9:5;
Acts 26:14)
and figuratively to describe the power of death to hurt
(1Cor. 15:55).
9:11 - Abaddon, Apollyon
they had a king
Natural locusts have no king
(Pr. 30:27).
This is a
demonic
horde.
Their uniform advance was also noted by Joel
(Joel 2:7-8).
Abaddon, Apollyon
Meaning,
destruction
and
destroyer .
Abaddon is from the Hebrew root
abd
meaning "to perish or be destroyed." Apollyon is the Greek form.
9:12 - one woe is past
one woe is past
The judgment of the fifth trumpet is past,
the first of the three woes mentioned in
Revelation 8:13.
behold, still two more woes are coming
As horrible as the first woe was, it did not result in death.
The second woe (the sixth trumpet) will result in the death of one-third of
mankind
(Rev. 9:13-19)
, whereas the third woe (the seventh trumpet) includes
all seven bowls of God's wrath
(Rev. 11:15;
15:7;
16:2-4,
8,
10,
12,
17).
9:13 - the sixth trumpet
the sixth angel sounded
Each judgment increases in severity. Perhaps a few repent, but most harden
their hearts.
a voice from the four horns of the golden altar
The altar upon which the prayers of the saints were offered prior to the
trumpet judgments
(Rev. 8:3-4).
The next woe is in response to the previous petitions of the saints!
Especially those of the martyrs
(Rev. 6:10).
The horns of the altar symbolized mercy since they provided sanctuary
(1K. 1:50-51;
1K. 2:20),
but now the place of mercy becomes the place of judgment!
9:14 - four bound angels
release the four angels who are bound
Four especially malevolent angels who probably were involved in the same
sin discussed earlier
(Gen. 6:4).
Perhaps they serve as commanders of the army we see next.
These are the "ones having been bound" (perfect tense). They were bound in the past and remain bound to this
moment waiting their moment of opportunity.
at the great river Euphrates
The kings from the east cross the dried up Euphrates
later
at the sixth bowl judgment. Therefore,
the army here is not related to those kings.
The mention of the Euphrates here and in
Revelation 16:12
is an indication that Babylon in Revelation,
as elsewhere in Scripture,
is the literal, historical city.
Near the Euphrates is where the first lie was told, the first murder
committed, the tower of Babel was erected in rebellion to God, it was the
location of the 70-year captivity, and will be crossed by armies
drawn
to their slaughter
(Rev. 16:12).
9:15 - one-third killed
prepared for the day and month and year
Describes a specific
time
only known to God.
one-third of mankind killed
In the judgments of the fourth seal,
one-fourth
of the population perished.
In this judgment, an additional
one-third
will perish. By the end of this judgment,
at least
half the population has been killed.
This would amount to more than
3 billion
if the first seal were to be opened today (December 2003).
(This number would be reduced somewhat by those taken in the Rapture
prior to the Tribulation.)
9:16 - number of the army
two hundred million
Dismyria'des myria'don,
literally "two myriads of myriads," a countless number
(Joel 2:2).
This is not a
human army: 1)
They are led by four fallen angels.
2)
Their description is too fantastic to apply to a human army.
3)
They are innumerable.
4)
This event cannot be connected to the sixth bowl
(Rev. 16:12)
or the invasion of Gog
(Eze. 38-39).
9:17-18 - horses like lions
I saw the horses... those who sat on them
Both horses and riders, but the emphasis in the upcoming description is on
the destructive power of the horses themselves.
Joel saw this same horde
(Joel 2:4-5).
out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone
A similar capability to the two witnesses
(Rev. 11:5).
Fire and brimstone are the result of God's overwhelming judgment
(Gen. 19:24;
Deu. 29:23;
Eze. 38:22;
Luke 17:29;
Rev. 20:10).
Joel saw this aspect of their destruction power, figurative of natural
locusts, but literal in the case of this demonic horde
(Joel 2:3).
9:19 - mouths and tails
power is in their mouth and in their tails
The mouths and tails of the
horses.
It is impossible to approach these demonic horses from either the front or the
rear. Both ends are deadly..
9:20 - no repentance
did not repent
Like Pharaoh in the Egyptian plagues
(Ex. 7:13,
23;
8:15,
etc.), the earth dwellers continue to harden
their hearts.
the works of their hands
Men's hands work for
man's will
rather than God.
Apart from God, men are
creative perverts,
dangerous geniuses(Gen. 11:6).
worship demons
They will explicitly worship a demonic idol
which appears to be brought to life
(Rev. 13:4-8).
Scripture reveals that to worship or sacrifice to an idol
is to worship or sacrifice to demons
(Lev. 17:7;
Deu. 32:17).
Where is human sacrifice
in our own "modern culture"? It goes by other politically correct terms: abortion, euthanasia,
genetic research.
9:21 - murder, fornication, and sorcery
murder
Along with a general deterioration of culture and controls, there will be
widespread "purging" of those who refuse to worship the beast
(Rev. 13:15).
sorceries
Pharma'kon
from which we get
pharmacy.
The employment of drugs, especially for cultic purposes.
Sorcery and all similar activities are outlawed by God
(Ex. 22:18;
Lev. 19:31;
Deu. 18:10-11;
Rev. 21:8;
22:15).
From God's perspective, there is no such thing as
white
("good")
magic!
sexual immorality
Pornei'as
from which we derive
pornography.
Used of all manner of unlawful sexual activity.
Also of
spiritual adultery,
that is
idolatry.
For additional information on this topic, see the commentary.