Revelation 9

1 And the fyfte angell blewe and I sawe a stare fall from heven vnto the erth. And to him was geven the kaye of the bottomlesse pytt.
2 And he opened the botomlesse pytt and there arose the smoke of a grett fornace. And the sunne and the ayer were darkned by the reason of the smoke of the pytt.
3 And there cam out of the smoke locustes vpo the erth: and vnto them was geve power as the scorpions of the erth have power.
4 And it hurt ye grasse of the erth: nether eny grene thinge: nether eny tree: but only those me which have not ye seale in their forhedes
5 and to the was comaunded yt they shulde not kyll the but yt they shulde be vexed v monethes and their payne was as the payne yt cometh of a scorpion whe he hath stoge a ma.
6 And in those dayes shall men seke deeth and shall not fynde it and shall desyre to dye and deeth shall flye fro the.
7 And the similitude of the locustes was lyke vnto horses prepared vnto battayll and on their heddes were as it were crownes lyke vnto golde: and their faces were as it had bene the faces of men.
8 And they had heare as the heare of wemen. And their tethe were as the tethe of lyons.
9 And they had habbergions as it were habbergions of yron. And the sounde of their wynges was as the sounde of charettes when many horsses runne to gedder to battayle.
10 And they had tayles lyke vnto scorpions and there were stinges in their tayles. And their power was to hurt men v. monethes.
11 And they had a kynge over them which is the angell of the bottomlesse pytt whose name in the hebrew tonge is Abadon: but in the greke tonge Apollion.
12 One woo is past and beholde two wooes come after this.
13 And the sixte. angell blewe and I herd a voyce from the iiii. corners of the golden aultre which is before god
14 saying to the sixte angell which had the trompe: Loose the iiii. angelles which are bounde in the grett ryver Eufrates.
15 And the iiii. angelles were loosed which wer prepared for an houre for a daye for a moneth and for a yeare for to slee the thyrde part of me.
16 And the nombre of horsme of warre were twenty tymes xM. And I herde the nobre of them.
17 And thus I sawe the horses in a vision and them yt sate on the havynge fyry habbergions of a Iacyncte coloure and brymstony and the heeddes of ye horses werre as the heeddes of lyons. And out of their mouthes went forth fyre and smoke and brymstone.
18 And of these iii. was the thyrde parte of men kylled: that is to saye of fyre smoke and brymstone which proceded out of the mouthes of them:
19 For their power was in their mouthes and in their tayles: for their tayles were lyke vnto serpetes and had heedes and with them they dyd hurt:
20 And the remnaunt of the me which were not kylled by these plages repented not of the dedes of their hondes that they shulde not worshyppe devyls and ymages of golde and sylver and brasse and stone and of wood which nether can se nether heare nether goo.
21 Also they repented not of their murther and of their sorcery nether of their fornacion nether of their thefte.

Revelation 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

The fifth trumpet is followed by a representation of another star as falling from heaven and opening the bottomless pit, out of which come swarms of locusts. (1-12) The sixth trumpet is followed by the loosing of four angels bound in the great river Euphrates. (13-21)

Verses 1-12 Upon sounding the fifth trumpet, a star fell from heaven to the earth. Having ceased to be a minister of Christ, he who is represented by this star becomes the minister of the devil; and lets loose the powers of hell against the churches of Christ. On the opening of the bottomless pit, there arose a great smoke. The devil carries on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by putting out light and knowledge, and promoting ignorance and error. Out of this smoke there came a swarm of locusts, emblems of the devil's agents, who promote superstition, idolatry, error, and cruelty. The trees and the grass, the true believers, whether young or more advanced, should be untouched. But a secret poison and infection in the soul, should rob many others of purity, and afterwards of peace. The locusts had no power to hurt those who had the seal of God. God's all-powerful, distinguishing grace will keep his people from total and final apostacy. The power is limited to a short season; but it would be very sharp. In such events the faithful share the common calamity, but from the pestilence of error they might and would be safe. We collect from Scripture, that such ( 1 Corinthians. 11:19 ) early writers plainly refer this to the first great host of corrupters who overspread the Christian church.

Verses 13-21 The sixth angel sounded, and here the power of the Turks seems the subject. Their time is limited. They not only slew in war, but brought a poisonous and ruinous religion. The antichristian generation repented not under these dreadful judgments. From this sixth trumpet learn that God can make one enemy of the church a scourge and a plague to another. The idolatry in the remains of the eastern church and elsewhere, and the sins of professed Christians, render this prophecy and its fulfilment more wonderful. And the attentive reader of Scripture and history, may find his faith and hope strengthened by events, which in other respects fill his heart with anguish and his eyes with tears, while he sees that men who escape these plagues, repent not of their evil works, but go on with idolatries, wickedness, and cruelty, till wrath comes upon them to the utmost.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 9

This chapter gives an account of the blowing of the fifth and sixth trumpets, and of the effects following upon them. The fifth angel blows his trumpet, and a star falls; the key of the bottomless pit is given to him, which being opened by it, out of it comes smoke to the darkening of the sun and air, and out of the smoke locusts, who have power like scorpions, Re 9:1-3; whose power is restrained from using it to the hurt of the grass, or any green thing or tree, only of those who had not the seal of God in their foreheads; but are permitted, though not to kill men, yet to torment them five months, which is worse than death unto them, Re 9:4-6. The shapes of these locusts, which are said to be like horses, are described by their heads, faces, hair, teeth, breastplates, wings, and tails, and are said to have a king over them, whose name is mentioned, Re 9:7-11. The blowing of this trumpet brings on one of the woes mentioned in Re 8:13, and the two other follow, Re 9:12. The sixth angel blows his trumpet, and a voice is heard from the horns of the altar, directed to the said angel, ordering him to loose four angels bound in the great river Euphrates, where they were prepared, for a determinate time, to slay the third part of men, and they were loosed accordingly, Re 9:13-15. The number of the army, under these angels, is given, Re 9:16, and the horses and horsemen are described; the riders by their breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone; their horses' heads as heads of lions, fire, smoke, and brimstone, issuing out of their mouths, by which the third part of men are killed, Re 9:17,18. The reason of this slaughter is, because they had power both in their mouth and tails, which latter were like serpents, and had heads, with which they did mischief, Re 9:19; and yet such who were not killed by these plagues, but escaped, did not repent of their idolatry, murders, sorceries, fornication, and theft, Re 9:20,21.

Revelation 9 Commentaries

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