As we continue the study of the Trumpet Judgments in chapter 9, these judgments will be severely felt by the ungodly upon the earth. If you are a member of the universal church, you will not have to go through the happenings of this chapter. It is not the “blessed hope” of the church to experience these cataclysmic happenings. The church will have been taken out of the world by this time, and these are the things which will happen in the Great Tribulation Period to a world that has renounced Christ. As verse 1 of chapter 9 opens, our attention is drawn to the fifth trumpet.
When the fifth trumpet judgment begins (vv. 1-12), a star falls from heaven. This star has been given the keys to the bottomless pit. The preferred meaning of “the bottomless Pit” is the long shaft or well of the abyss. In chapter 8, we were introduced to a fallen star by the name of Wormwood (Revelation 8:10-11). But we have a different kind of star because it is called “him” and acts with intelligence. This star is an unusual person, who is given a key to the bottomless pit! We believe that this star is Satan. There is a passage from Isaiah 14:12, that suggests that the star is Satan, for this verse says: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
In Luke’s Gospel, there is a passage that further suggests that the star is Satan, for Christ said: “And He (Jesus) said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). Furthermore, the Apostle John will state later that Satan was put out of heaven and cast to the earth (Revelation 12:7-9). Because of the reference to “he” in verse 2 and “king” in verse 11, many biblical scholars are in agreement that the fallen star of verse 1 is Satan, who was cast out of heaven at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:9), and was given the key to the bottomless pit. As the star (Satan) used his key, there appeared a great smoke that darkened the sky and sun. Emerging from the smoke came creatures called locusts that had the sting of scorpions! (Revelation 9:2-3).
According to verse 4, these locusts were commanded not to inflict harm upon the vegetation and trees, but were permitted to inflict pain upon people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. In verse 5, these locusts were given power to torment people for five months. Since Satan had the power to open the bottomless pit, these locusts may have been demons who appeared in the form of locusts! The home of the Abyss would be the home of demons (Luke 8:31). The pain inflicted upon mankind will be severe; moreover, men will try to take their own lives, but it is of no avail (v. 6). After the frightful and unusual description of the locusts in verses 7-10, the Apostle John informs us that these uncommon locusts demons are led by a king whose name is Satan. His name is given in both Hebrew and Greek and means “destroyer” (v. 11).
We come now to the sixth trumpet judgment (vv. 12-21). With the sounding of the sixth trumpet, the Apostle John hears a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God (v. 13). The sixth angel was told to release the four angels bound by the Euphrates River (v. 14). Many biblical scholars advance that these angels are demons, for holy angels are not bound. With the release of these demons, one-third of the world’s population will be slain (v. 15). You will remember that one-fourth of the world’s population was slain with the fourth seal (Revelation 6:7-8). These two judgments taken together, will result in over one-half of the world’s population being slain! There will be many people who will die during the Great Tribulation Period, and Christ’s Second Coming will bring the Great Tribulation to a close, for Matthew 24:22 says: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” According to verse 16, the loosing of the four angels (demons) will result in the emergence of an army of two hundred million.
In verses 17-19, the Apostle John had a vision of unnatural horses with riders that brought about terrible destruction. With such devastating judgments inflicted on mankind, one would have thought that such judgments would result in mankind’s repentance; however, mankind persists in doing evil (vv. 20-21).
May God Bless!
Dr. Johnny Calvin Smith
