CHAPTER 9

(A.D. 96)

THE FIFTH TRUMPET

¹And the fifth Angel sounded (presents the fifth Judgment, and as stated the first woe), and I saw a star fall from Heaven unto the earth (actually refers to Satan, as the next phrase proclaims [Lk. 10:18]): and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. (Christ gives this key to Satan, although He may use an Angel to hand the key to the Evil One [Rev. 20:1].)

²And he (Satan) 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. (This will probably be concentrated in the old Roman Empire territory.)

³And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth (these are demon locusts, even as the following Verses prove): and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power (refers to the sting in their tails, and the pain this will cause).

⁴And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree (normal locusts destroy plant life; but these are not allowed to do so); but only those men which have not the Seal of God in their foreheads (refers to the 144,000 Jews who have accepted Christ as their Saviour [Rev. 7:2-8]).

⁵And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months (this will be literal, yet these creatures will be invisible): and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man (pain and swelling).

⁶And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. (For pain to be so bad that people want to die is bad indeed! Evidently painkilling drugs will not work. It will be interesting how medical doctors diagnose all of this, to say the least.)

⁷And 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. (These are demon spirits, but will be invisible. If they could be seen, this is what they would look like. We arent told their origin in the Bible. We know they were not originally created in this manner, but evidently became this way in the revolution instigated by Lucifer against God [Isa. 14:12-20; Ezek. 28:11-19].)

⁸And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. (They were, no doubt, originally created by God to perform a particular function of praise and worship, even as the living creatures, but they have suffered this fate due to rebellion against God.)

⁹And 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. (We are given a glimpse here into the spirit world. This is the reason such foolish efforts as humanistic psychology are helpless against such foes. The only answer is Christ and the Cross.)

¹⁰And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. (This Judgment is limited to five months, which tells us Satan can only do what God allows him to do.)

¹¹And they had a king over them, which is the Angel of the bottomless pit (gives us further insight into the spirit world of darkness), whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue has his name Apollyon. (This is a powerful fallen Angel, who evidently threw in his lot with Lucifer in the great rebellion against God. Only four Angels are named in Scripture, Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer, and Apollyon, the first two being Righteous.)

¹²One woe is past (refers to the fifth Trumpet Judgment); and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. (The word behold calls attention to the fact that the two remaining woes will be exceedingly horrific.)

THE SIXTH TRUMPET

¹³And the sixth Angel sounded (this is the second woe), and I heard a voice from the four horns of the Golden Altar which is before God (this is the Altar of Incense; the voice is probably that of the same Angel who came and stood at the Altar, and had much Incense [6:9; 8:3]),

¹⁴Saying to the sixth Angel which had the Trumpet, Loose the four Angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. (These are evil Angels, hence previously bound. The river Euphrates signals the area. It is where it all began, it is where it will all end, and it is being prepared even now.)

¹⁵And 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. (These four Angels are not to be confused with the four Angels of Rev. 7:1. Those are Righteous Angels, while these four are evil. They are executors of Gods wrath. Once again, this Judgment will be mostly confined to the old Roman Empire territory.)

¹⁶And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand (200 million): and I heard the number of them. (This is not symbolic of a human army, but rather demon spirits, which, as well, will be invisible.)

¹⁷And thus I saw the horses in the vision (demon horses), 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. (All of this presents demon spirits riding demon horses.)

¹⁸By 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. (Quite possibly, over three hundred million people will die as a result of this particular plague. Whatever they think to be the cause, the actual cause will be what is described here.)

¹⁹For 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. (Once again, we are here given a glimpse into the spirit world. Thats the reason Paul said we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [Eph. 6:12]. As well, that is why all efforts to oppose such are fruitless, other than Christ and the Cross.)

²⁰And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues (once again, probably confined to the Middle East area) yet repented not of the works of their hands (as is obvious here, men do not easily repent), 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 (all worship of God must be based strictly on the Sacrifice of Christ and the Name of Christ, else it is a work of mans hands, which God can never accept [Eph. 2:13-18]):

²¹Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (The Holy Spirit again emphasizes the fact that they will not repent. Repentance by the world must be in the realm of the sin of man creating another god. In the Church, Repentance must be in the realm of the sin of the creation of another Sacrifice.)