Jul. 03, 2024

“REVELATION”

9:1-21

*Liberation- Revelation 9:1-21

*The Fifth Trumpet: The Army From The Pit- Revelation 9:1-12 

Revelation 9 describes two frightening armies that are liberated at just the right time and permitted to judge mankind.

Revelation 9:1 “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

vs.1 - “star”- referred to as “him”- thus clearly possessing personality. A “key to the bottomless pit” is literally the “the pit of the abyss” and cannot be given to a thing or an object but to a person.

Luke makes it clear that this “pit” is the abode of the demons:

Luke 8:31 “And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.”

Revelation 20:1 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.” 

The “Bottomless Pit” is not hell of Hades. This is not the lake of fire, for that is the final “prison” for Satan and all who follow him:

Revelation 20:10 “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

The fifth trumpet is also referred to as the first woe; Rev. 9:12

*The fallen angel uses the key to the abyss:

Revelation 9:2 “And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.”

The fallen star is a person, the king over the beings in the pit:

Revelation 9:11 “And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.”

Isaiah 14:12-14

Revelation 9:3-10 “Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. 7The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.” 

They will torment for five months- vs.5- the sting of a scorpion is said to be one of the most painful stings. The venom seems to set the veins and the nervous system on fire, and the effects can be several days, of course here it will be five months.

vs.6- the pain is so intense men will seek death, but cannot find it.

It will only affect those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. vs. 4

vs.12- indicates that although one woe is past, “two more woes are coming after these things.

The Sixth Trumpet-The Army From The East-Revelation 9:13-21

Revelation 9:13-15 “Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.”

vs.13-15- As the sixth trumpet blows, John hears a voice from the horns of the golden altar before God, which says release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.

An Evil Army of 200 Million- 

Revelation 9:16-19 “Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.”

Only the Unrepentant Killed by This Judgment

Revelation 9:20-21 “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Sin Keeps Man from Repentance:

Instead of turning to God during the Tribulation period, human beings will turn in rebellion away from God. What are the sins that keep them from coming in repentance to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? The same sins that keep people from coming to Him today!

1. Idolatry- Rev. 9:20 “did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.”
2. “Murders” Rev. 9:21- Violent murders will be a common practice during the Tribulation.
3. “Sorceries” Rev.9:21- Magic arts, drugs, drunkenness.
4. “Sexual immorality”- Rev.9:21- this will be rampant during the Tribulation too. 
5. “Thefts” Rev. 9:21- people will be doing anything they can to get their hands on money and food.