Revelation 9 Explained

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The Great Tribulation

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📖  Revelation 9:1-6

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

In this passage, John describes the judgment of the fifth trumpet, which is the first of the three “woes” announced in Revelation 8:13. This event takes place during the first half of the seven-year Tribulation, according to the sequence of events presented here.

A star that has fallen from heaven is given the key to the bottomless pit and opens it. Thick smoke rises from the pit, followed by creatures described as locusts. They are given power to torment people for five months, causing suffering comparable to the pain of a scorpion's sting.

However, these creatures are not permitted to harm those who have the seal of God on their foreheads. Their authority is limited: they cannot kill people, but only torment them. This shows that God remains sovereign in the midst of these judgments and protects those whom He has sealed.

The suffering will be so severe that people will seek death, but death will escape them. This judgment marks a dramatic intensification of the events during the first half of the Tribulation and constitutes the first of the three “woes.” Two other particularly severe judgments will still follow before the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

📖  Revelation 8:13

13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

In this verse, John sees an angel flying through the midst of heaven and announcing three “woes” that will come upon the inhabitants of the earth. This announcement comes after the first four trumpets and warns that the final three trumpets will bring even more severe judgments.

These three woes correspond to the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets. They mark a further intensification of God's judgments during the Tribulation. The events that follow will be particularly severe and will have a profound impact on humanity.

This announcement shows that the judgments are far from over. On the contrary, the final three trumpets will introduce increasingly severe events, preparing the way for the events that will follow until the final judgments of God.

📖  Revelation 9:7-12

7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

In this passage, John continues describing the judgment of the fifth trumpet, the first of the three “woes” announced in Revelation 8:13. The creatures released from the bottomless pit are described with terrifying characteristics, combining the appearance of horses, men, lions, and scorpions.

Their description emphasizes their supernatural power and terrifying nature. They are given authority to torment people for five months, but their power remains limited to what God permits them to do. They also have a ruler, called Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, a name associated with destruction.

This event takes place during the first half of the seven-year Tribulation. Verse 12 states that the first woe has now passed, but that two more are still to come. The judgments will therefore continue to intensify.

📖  Revelation 9:13-19

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

In this passage, John describes the judgment of the sixth trumpet, which is the second of the three “woes” announced in Revelation 8:13. A voice from the altar commands the sixth angel to release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.

A vast army of horsemen then appears. Their number is given as two hundred million. The horses and their riders have a terrifying appearance, and fire, smoke, and brimstone come out of the horses' mouths.

The result of this judgment is devastating: one third of mankind is killed by these three plagues. Following the previous judgments, the sixth trumpet therefore brings an even greater loss of life and demonstrates the severity of the events taking place on the earth.

The power of these creatures is described as coming from both their mouths and their tails. John emphasizes the supernatural and terrifying nature of this army, which is given authority to kill an enormous part of humanity.

This event takes place during the first half of the seven-year Tribulation and constitutes the second woe. The trumpet judgments therefore continue according to the prophetic sequence.

📖  Revelation 9:20-21

20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

In this passage, John reveals that despite God’s severe judgments, much of humanity will refuse to repent. Those who survive will continue to practice idolatry, worship demons, and persist in murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.

This event will take place during the first half of the Tribulation, after the judgments of the fifth and sixth trumpets. Despite God’s repeated warnings, many people will harden their hearts and refuse to turn away from their sins.

This passage shows that God’s judgments are also intended to call people to repentance. Yet those who deliberately reject Jesus Christ will continue in rebellion against God, demonstrating that humanity’s greatest problem is not a lack of evidence for God’s existence, but the hardness of the human heart.