Revelation 9

1 And the fifth angel trumpeted; and I saw, that a star had fallen down from heaven into earth; and the key of the pit of deepness was given to it. [And the fifth angel sang in trump; and I saw that a star had fallen down from heaven into earth; and the key of the pit of deepness was given to him.]

2 And it opened the pit of deepness [And he opened the pit of deepness], and a smoke of the pit ascended up, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darked, and the air, of the smoke of the pit.

3 And locusts went out of the smoke of the pit into earth [And of the smoke of the pit locusts went out into the earth]; and power was given to them, as scorpions of the earth have power.

4 And it was commanded to them, that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only men, that have not the sign of God [that have not the mark of God] in their foreheads.

5 And it was given to them, that they should not slay them, but that they should be tormented five months; and the tormenting of them, as the tormenting of a scorpion, when he smiteth a man.

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

7 And the likeness of locusts be like horses made ready into battle [And the likeness of locusts be like to horses made ready to battle]; and on the heads of them as crowns like gold, and the faces of them as the faces of men.

8 And they had hairs, as the hairs of women; and the teeth of them were as the teeth of lions.

9 And they had habergeons, as iron habergeons, and the voice of their wings as the voice of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10 And they had tails like [to] scorpions, and pricks were in the tails of them; and the might of them was to harm men five months.

11 And they had on [upon] them a king, the angel of deepness, to whom the name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but by Greek Apollyon, and by Latin he hath a name Exterminus, that is, Destroyer.

12 One woe is passed, and lo! yet come two woes.

13 After these things also the sixth angel trumpeted [After these things also the sixth angel sang in trump]; and I heard a voice from the four corners of the golden altar, that is before the eyes of God,

14 and said to the sixth angel that had a trumpet, Unbind thou four angels, that be bound in the great river Euphrates. [saying to the sixth angel that had a trump, Unbind the four angels, that be bound in the great flood Euphrates.]

15 And the four angels were unbound, which were ready into hour, and day, and month, and year, to slay the third part of men.

16 And the number of the host of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them.

17 And so I saw horses in vision; and they that sat on them had fiery habergeons, and of jacinth, and of brimstone [and brimstone]. And the heads of the horses were as [the] heads of lions; and fire, and smoke, and brimstone, cometh forth of the mouth of them [and of the mouth of them fire came forth, and smoke and brimstone].

18 Of these three plagues the third part of men was slain, of the fire, and of the smoke, and of the brimstone, that came out of the mouth of them.

19 For the power of the horses is in the mouth of them, and in the tails of them; for the tails of them be like to serpents, having heads, and in them they harm.

20 And the other men, that were not slain in these plagues, neither did penance of the works of their hands, that they worshipped not devils, and simulacra of gold, and of silver [and silver], and of brass, and of stone [and brass, and stone], and of tree, which neither be able to see [which neither may see], neither hear, neither wander;

21 and [they] did not penance of their manslayings, neither of their witchcrafts, neither of their fornication, neither of their thefts, were slain [neither of their fornication, neither of their thefts].

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.