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Revelation 9 · Berean Standard Bible

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¹Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. ²The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. ³And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. ⁴They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion. ⁶In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them. ⁷And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men. ⁸They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions. ⁹They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. ¹⁰They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months. ¹¹They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon. ¹²The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow. ¹³Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God ¹⁴saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. ¹⁷Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur. ¹⁸A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths. ¹⁹For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm. ²⁰Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. ²¹Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.

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Revelation

Revelation 9

"The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets"

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Detailed Analysis

Event Description

Star Fallen From Heaven: The fifth trumpet judgment begins with a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth, given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. Locusts From the Abyss: The opening of the Abyss releases smoke and locusts upon the earth. These locusts are described in vivid detail, with the power of scorpions, commanded not to harm the grass but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Torment, Not Death: The locusts are permitted to torment people for five months, but not to kill them. The torment is so severe that people seek death, but death eludes them. First Woe: This trumpet is declared as the first woe, one of three particularly severe judgments.

Vivid Artistic Descriptions

The Horrors of the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets

Abyss Unleashed: Visualize the opening of the Abyss, unleashing a dark cloud of locusts, a nightmarish swarm bringing torment to those not sealed by God, a terrifying manifestation of divine judgment. The Army of Destruction: Picture the release of the four angels and the vast, fearsome army, a symbolic force of divine retribution, bringing unprecedented destruction to a rebellious world.

The Horrors of the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets

Song

Trumpets of Dread

Full Poem

THE FIFTH TRUMPET'S GLOOM A star descends, the Abyss unsealed, Locusts emerge, their power revealed. Tormenting those, not God's elect, Five months of pain, with no death to expect. THE SIXTH TRUMPET'S TERROR Four angels freed, their time has come, Two hundred million, their drums do drum. Fire, smoke, and sulfur, death's dark heralds, A third of mankind falls, in battles unparalled.

Conclusion

Divine Judgment and Human Hardheartedness: Chapter 9 intensifies the theme of divine judgment, particularly focusing on the hardness of the human heart even in the face of God's manifest wrath. Cross-References: Exodus 10:12-15: The plague of locusts in Egypt, similar to the locusts from the Abyss. Joel 2:4-10: Describes an invading army, akin to the description of the horsemen in the sixth trumpet. Romans 1:21-32: Discusses the persistence of humanity in sin despite clear evidence of God's divine nature and wrath. In summary, Revelation 9 presents two deeply symbolic and terrifying trumpet judgments. The fifth trumpet unleashes a hellish swarm of locusts that torment the unsealed, and the sixth trumpet releases a vast, destructive army, killing a third of mankind. The chapter underscores the theme of God's severe judgment and the persistent rebellion and sinfulness of humanity, even amidst clear signs of divine wrath.