Free Bible Commentary
“Revelation 9:1-6”
Categories: Revelation“Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.”
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“Historians agree that three major factors contributed to Rome’s demise: natural calamity, internal rottenness, and outside invasion. It seems that these three areas are symbolized, first, in the warning sounds of the trumpets, and again, but more completely, in the outpouring of God’s wrath from the seven bowls which are yet to be revealed. The first four trumpets were pictures of natural calamity used by God as an agent of destruction. The fifth and sixth trumpets emphasize mankind’s role in the downfall of Rome, an empire weakened by internal wickedness and finally overcome by external invasion. In this pageantry the symbolic details are used to make an impression. The lesson is missed if one attempts to interpret a meaning for each specific part of the vision rather than visualizing the scene in its entirety portraying a single message.” (Harkrider)
When “the fifth angel sounded” John saw, not a star “falling” from heaven, but a start that “had fallen” previously to the earth from heaven. This star likely represents Satan, the very one of whom Jesus said, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18), and of which John wrote, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Revelation 12:9). This dark star stands in stark contrast to Jesus, “the bright morning star” (revelation 22:16), in that he cracked open “the bottomless pit” which unleashed some terrible “woes” (Revelation 8:13) upon the inhabitants of the earth. The power (“key”) that God had “given to him” did not grant him free reign to do every dastardly deed he desired to do (Job 1:12; 2:6; Luke 22:31-32), but only limited mayhem which ultimately served the Lord’s purposes.
When the star “opened the bottomless pit” (the present realm of Satan and his demons), “smoke went up” and “the sun and the air were darkened” (verse 2). The darkness produced by the noxious smoke which ascended from the abyss is “the veil by which ‘the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…should not dawn upon them’ (II Cor. 4:3f).” (Hailey) Whereas, in the Bible light and darkness are symbols for righteousness and evil, the “darkened” sun and air characterize Satan’s wicked influence which the Roman world had succumbed to and was greatly responsible for the empire’s downfall.
“Out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth” (verse 3). These were not ordinary locusts because they did not wreak havoc upon vegetation as is the norm for these irksome insects (verse 4). Their prey was of the human variety and they only brought “hurt” upon “the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” This scorpion-like “insect invasion” represents the “sting” of sin when men decide to follow the course of their own, lust-driven appetites, and are forced to suffer the consequences of their ungodliness. Galatians 6:7-8 warns us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” The fifth trumpet depicts the moral corruption that rotted the Roman Empire from within. The next trumpet will represent the destruction wrought upon the Empire from the invasion of its external enemies.
This fierce assault only tormented God’s enemies for “five months” (verse 5), which represents only a limited period of time. The number 10 is the symbol for that which is perfect or complete, so half of 10 depicts that which is partial. God’s wrath had not yet reached its full capacity, so once again, much worse is yet to come!
Please read Revelation 9:7-12 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
