Revelation 9

More than twice the writing is dedicated to the description of the fifth and sixth trumpets than that of the first four. 9:1  The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.  The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. The star now must be read symbolically since it was given a key.  This star is more than the mountain like object of the second trumpet and the fiery star of the third trumpet.   The star of the fifth trumpet is an angel.  A star is a biblically developed  symbol for angels.  (Job38:7) In Revelation 20:1 we see an angel coming again with the same key: "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain." The Abyss is the Greek word abyssos “abyssos”.  It refers to: 1)  a prison for certain demons Luke 8:31; 2 Peter 2: Jude 6 2)  the realm of the dead Romans 10:7 The Abyss is mentioned again in Rev. 11:7 and 17:8 as the place the beast comes from 9:2  When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.   9:2  The sun and sky were darkened  by the smoke from the Abyss. 9:3  And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. Locusts invasions go back in time.  They are recorded in Joel's vision (Joel 1:6; 2:4-10) Again these locusts go beyond the natural interpretation. Although they are described in these natural ways they are clearly a symbol of something more: a)  five months is the normal length of a locust life span (May-September) b)  the use of the name "locust" c)  "the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle"   These are the reasons that the term "locusts" must be taken to mean more than the natural insect: a)  They come from the smoke of the abyss b)  Power like a scorpion c)  They did NOT harm the grass (Destruction of every plant is the focus of a natural locust invasion) d)  They hurt people, but only the unbelievers e)  They tortured people, but where not given permission to kill them f)  Looked like horses prepared for battle g)  Something like crowns on their heads h)  They had faces like humans (this symbolically means that they had personalities and where persons, not humans) i)  They had women's hair (this would symbolize the attraction that people had to them) j)  They had teeth like lions (symbolizing how ferocious they were) k)  Breastplates of iron (symbolizing undefeatable) l)  They had tails and stings like scorpions m)  They had a king Revelation 9 More than twice the writing is dedicated to the description of the fifth and sixth trumpets than that of the first four. 9:1  The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.  The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. The star now must be read symbolically since it was given a key.  This star is more than the mountain like object of the second trumpet and the fiery star of the third trumpet.   The star of the fifth trumpet is an angel.  A star is a biblically developed  symbol for angels.  (Job38:7) In Revelation 20:1 we see an angel coming again with the same key: "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain." The Abyss is the Greek word abyssos “abyssos”.  It refers to: 1)  a prison for certain demons Luke 8:31; 2 Peter 2: Jude 6 2)  the realm of the dead Romans 10:7 The Abyss is mentioned again in Rev. 11:7 and 17:8 as the place the beast comes from 9:2  When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.   9:2  The sun and sky were darkened  by the smoke from the Abyss. 9:3  And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. Locusts invasions go back in time.  They are recorded in Joel's vision (Joel 1:6; 2:4-10) Again these locusts go beyond the natural interpretation. Although they are described in these natural ways they are clearly a symbol of something more: a)  five months is the normal length of a locust life span (May-September) b)  the use of the name "locust" c)  "the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle"   These are the reasons that the term "locusts" must be taken to mean more than the natural insect: a)  They come from the smoke of the abyss b)  Power like a scorpion c)  They did NOT harm the grass (Destruction of every plant is the focus of a natural locust invasion) d)  They hurt people, but only the unbelievers e)  They tortured people, but where not given permission to kill them f)  Looked like horses prepared for battle g)  Something like crowns on their heads h)  They had faces like humans (this symbolically means that they had personalities and where persons, not humans) i)  They had women's hair (this would symbolize the attraction that people had to them) j)  They had teeth like lions (symbolizing how ferocious they were) k)  Breastplates of iron (symbolizing undefeatable) l)  They had tails and stings like scorpions m)  They had a king 9:19  The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. Notice the use of the word “like 9:20  The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands;  they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 9:21  Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. The five works of mankind's hands: 1)  demon worship (idolatry) 2)  murders 3)  magic arts—pharmakon 4)  sexual immorality—porneia 5)  thefts The purpose for the plagues is: judgment on man for his sinful choices To bring the nations of the world to repentance