Revelation - Chapter 9

Revelation 9.1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. Revelation 9.2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. Revelation 9.3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. Revelation 9.4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Revelation 9.5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. Revelation 9.6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. Revelation 9.7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. Revelation 9.8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. Revelation 9.9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. Revelation 9.10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. Revelation 9.11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. Revelation 9.12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. Revelation 9.13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Revelation 9.14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. Revelation 9.15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. Revelation 9.16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. Revelation 9.17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. Revelation 9.18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. Revelation 9.19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. Revelation 9.20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Revelation 9.21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Revelation : Chapter 9

Revelation Chapter 9: The Trumpets of Terror Revelation chapter 9 describes the fifth and sixth trumpets, revealing unprecedented horrors unleashed upon the earth. This gripping text highlights the release of demonic creatures from the abyss, as well as a vast supernatural army wreaking havoc. Human suffering and global destruction are described with disturbing intensity. The themes of demonic possession, divine judgment, and human impenitence are central to this passage. Revelation 9 amplifies the urgency of the prophetic message addressed to us.

Five Enlightening Bible Passages

Let's consider together five biblical passages that shed light on the deeper meaning of this troubling chapter.

Joel 2:4-5

"They are like horses and attack like cavalry. With a noise like the roar of chariots, they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire that consumes the stubble, like a mighty army in battle array." Joel's description of an invading army strongly evokes the vision of locusts in Revelation 9.

Exodus 10:12-15

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over Egypt, so that the locusts may come over the land and devour all the vegetation that remained after the hail. [...] They covered the whole face of the earth, so that it became black. They devoured all the vegetation and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. There was nothing green left on the trees or on the plants of the field in all the land of Egypt.' The locust epidemic in Egypt acts as a precursor to the vision of locusts in Revelation 9.

Genesis 19:28

"Abraham looked at Sodom and Gomorrah and all the plain, and behold, thick smoke rising from the earth, like the smoke of a furnace." The image of smoke rising like a furnace is echoed in the description in Revelation 9:2.

Jeremiah 8:17

"Behold, I will send poisonous serpents among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you, declares the Lord." The image of serpents sent into judgment by Jeremiah resonates with the creatures described in Revelation 9:19.

Proverbs 5:3-4

"For the lips of a wicked woman drop honey; her voice is smoother than oil, but at the end it is bitter as gall, sharp as a two-edged sword." This description of something sweet at first but ultimately bitter echoes the experience of the mighty angel in Revelation 10:9-10.

These passages remind us of the gravity of the message of Revelation and the importance of remaining vigilant in the face of the spiritual dangers that surround us. May our faith guide us through these troubled times, and may we find strength in prayer and meditation on the Scriptures.