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Revelation Friday Night Bible Study 07NOV25 (Revelation 9:1-12)

Revelation 9:1-12

 

“Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.

 

When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.

 

Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

 

They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. In those days, people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!

 

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. They had hair like women’s hair and teeth like the teeth of a lion. They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months, they had the power to torment people.

 

Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer. The first terror is past, but look, two more terrors are coming!” (Revelation 9:1- 12).

 

            Numerous events are currently unfolding that are leading us toward the prophecies foretold in the Book of Revelation. We are seeing partnered nations become enemies, capitalists turn to socialists, Israel increasingly becoming an agitation to her neighbors, radical Islamists winning political offices at the ballot box despite their agendas, government and media deceptive gaslighting tactics being sewn as truth, people taking from those who have to give to those who want, and church leaders who are mostly motivational speakers rather than watchmen on the wall, failing to sound the alarm and call people to repentance. We do not have to wonder if we are living in the last days because the evidence of the times is all around us. Yet, there are even more things to come, and we as believers in Christ must be ready for what’s to come until Jesus comes to get us.

 

 

 

 

The Fifth Trumpet

In John’s vision, he saw the fifth angel blow his trumpet, and a series of events ensued. We will dissect and simplify the verses to best understand their meaning as they pertain to the end times.

 

a.) John saw a star that had fallen to the earth and was given the key to the Abyss (bottomless pit). According to biblical scholars, this star represents Satan, who was once Lucifer, also known as the morning star. The Bible says: “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15). Lucifer had fallen from Heaven in the beginning and is ready to wreak havoc with an extreme force that he has already unleashed on humanity, knowing that his time is short.

Many biblical scholars debate the timing of Satan’s fall. Some theologians argue that Satan has already fallen from Heaven, which took place immediately after His rebellion, while others suggest Satan’s fall is yet to come, as he still has limited access to Heaven as the accuser of the brethren, as described in Revelation 12:10. This verse will be discussed in greater detail later. For now, we will align this lesson with the previous verse from Isaiah, in which Satan’s fall has already taken place, with the exception that he still has access to make accusations against the people of God and needs God’s permission to do evil. The Bible says: “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it” (Job 1:6-7). This verse in Job allows one to understand that Satan is no longer presiding in Heaven as Lucifer but has been kicked out as a fallen star. Nevertheless, he still has access to the first and second heavens, but not to the place where God resides.

In John’s vision, the fallen star was given the key to the abyss, also known as Tehom (תְּהוֹם), which in Hebrew means “the deep” or “deep pit.” Satan did not already possess the key to the abyss, but it was given to him upon God’s timing. Therefore, many evil things that could have occurred on earth have only been delayed and thwarted because God holds the devil at bay. However, just as God allowed Satan to release his whole force on Job, except for taking his life, Satan wants and must have permission to do the same thing with all mankind. And sadly, that day is quickly approaching, for he looks to take out the saints of God and destroy souls in the process. The Bible says: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32-33). During biblical times, as part of the sifting process, wheat went through a large strainer to remove debris and other impurities that clung to the grain during the threshing process. This separated the usable grain from the inedible grain. Therefore, Jesus used this analogy to warn Simon Peter that the enemy wanted to shake his faith to the core, and he would fail the test, but the Lord prayed for him that even after the test, Peter’s faith would be reestablished, and his testimony would strengthen others. (This test was referring to when he was confronted about knowing Jesus upon His arrest, but he denied knowing the Lord three times. This story can be found in Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, and John 18:15-18, 25-27).

b.) John saw that when Satan opened the Abyss, smoke came out and darkened the sun and sky. This bottomless pit is a place with no bottom or end, otherwise known as hell. Furthermore, it is a place where demons do not want to be, as seen in the story of the exorcism that Jesus performed with the possessed man living in the graveyard. The Legion of demons wanted to be cast out into the pigs instead of being sent to the Abyss. This story can be found in Luke 8.  

As we continue to elaborate on this verse, it is essential to note that some biblical scholars interpret the darkening of the sun and sky as a literal event, while others view it as a symbolic representation of dark times to come on the earth's surface. For the sake of understanding the text, both views are biblically plausible. The Bible says: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31). The prophet Joel spoke of the sun being darkened right before the return of Jesus, and Jesus, himself, gave this warning of what was to come. The Bible says: “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).

The sun being darkened in the Bible was a sign of judgment upon the land. Therefore, before Jesus’ return, darkness will fall just as it did in one of the plagues in Egypt. Darkness can also refer to the experience that will be present in the hearts and minds of men as the judgments unfold. Furthermore, the wicked will suffer in accordance with their evil deeds, and their hearts will be black as an unlit sky, but they will refuse to repent. The Bible says: “Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance? But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:4-5). What does the Lord desire from the wicked? Repentance! Yet, most will refuse to do so because their hearts have been hardened just as Pharaoh’s was.

 

 

 

c.)    John described locusts coming out of the smoke onto the earth and being given the power of scorpions. Yet, they were not allowed to harm vegetation, but only those who did not have God’s seal on their foreheads. The Bible says: “Having believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is a guarantee of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit seals those who are in Christ, but those who reject the Lord will have the mark of the enemy. Therefore, the locusts in John’s vision are no ordinary pests but demons, demonic entities, and hordes of wickedness that come from the Abyss, and they were given the power to cause great suffering to those who did not have the seal of God.

 

There are going to be plagues and other judgments that take place on the earth where there will be no cure or escape. Yet, God will not allow those whom he seals to experience His wrath. Only those who do not have the seal of God will receive just punishment for their rebellion and wicked ways. The Bible says: “But the wicked will perish: Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke” (Psalm 37:20). Once again, just as God did not allow His people to suffer the judgments that were put on the Egyptians, the same mercy will happen in the end for those who belong to Him and are here during the Great Tribulation.

 

Remember, this does not mean that the saints will not have to endure persecution, which is from the enemy. But the saints of God can be comforted in knowing that the wrath of God does not doom His people to the same judgments and destination as those who are not saved. The Bible says: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). As this verse reminds us, we do not have to fear the wrath that will come upon the whole world because Jesus is our protection, and His blood shields us just as the lamb’s blood did upon the Israelites’ doorpost, which was a sign of protection from the death angel to pass over their homes.

 

John saw that these locusts were given the power of scorpions. A scorpion’s sting can cause symptoms from mild to severe. We will dig into why this may cause many to wish for death in the next verse.

 

 

d.)   The scorpions were allowed to torture the people who were not sealed with the mark of God. The people would long to die, but God would not let them, and this would be for a total of five months. The sting of a scorpion can produce many symptoms. Now, many symbols in Revelation are symbolic of something to come. However, this seems to represent a plague or event, such as war, that will cause many to wish they were dead.

Let’s breakdown the symptoms of a scorpion’s bite (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017).

Mild signs and symptoms might include:

a.       Pain, which can be intense

b.      Numbness and tingling in the area around the sting

c.                   Slight swelling in the area around the sting More-severe signs and symptoms might include:

d.      Muscle twitching or thrashing

e.       Unusual head, neck, and eye movements

f.        Drooling

g.      Sweating

h.      Vomiting

i.        High blood pressure (hypertension) or low blood pressure (hypotension)

j.        Accelerated heart rate (tachycardia) or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)

k.      Restlessness or excitability or inconsolable crying (in children)

These symptoms can make an individual wish for death if magnified to an extreme level. These plagues would indeed be without mercy for those who are unsealed with the mark of God. This is not to say that the scorpions that John saw in his vision will be the actual plague, but even if symbolic, it would mean that there would be extreme suffering and physical pain. John the Baptist had them as part of his diet along with wild honey. Therefore, they can be a blessing to those under God’s protection and a curse to those without.

The prophet Joel spoke of locusts being a destroyer as an act of judgment. The Bible says: “What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what

the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten. Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips. A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white” (Joel 1:4- 7).

 

Again, this plague could very well be that of locusts, or it could be a plague even brought on by war, such as the after-effects of nuclear weapons. Many try to debate what it will be, but one thing that should be made clear, this will be a plague that will have people begging for death.

 

 

e.)    John described the locusts as looking like they were prepared for battle. They looked like gold crowns were on their heads and had the face of a human.

They had women’s like hair and lion’s teeth. They wore armor made of iron and had wings that sounded like chariots. They had tails that stung like scorpions that tortured people for five months. What

is John describing here? Some have described this as military gear and planes used in war. The description of crowns and human faces could

represent governmental leaders coming against each other.

The woman’s hair and the lion’s teeth would be the appearance of peace and calm only to cover up the true intentions of calamity and war. The iron armor with wings could be helicopters made of iron and the propellers that sounded like chariots.The tails that stung could be the bombs and missles that come down, causing harm to the people. Could this be a five-month battle? Could this be people will be in pain from the after-effects for five months?

The Word of God says that there will be wars in the last days. The Bible says: “This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths” (Zechariah 14:12). The description of this plague in Zechariah seems to describe nuclear war. One can only pray God’s mercy on those who have been rebellious and will suffer this judgment.

 

f.)   Their king is the angel that unlocked the bottomless pit. His name is Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, which means the Destroyer. The devil is called the destroyer of all mankind. The Bible says: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

 

g.)    The first woe (harsh judgment) was complete, but two more woes (harsh judgments) were to come.

 

Saturday's Prayer 01NOV25