The Fifth and
–
Revelation chapter
nine provides and account of the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets.
These are two of the three angles that were included in Revelation 8:13.
"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven,
saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by
reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to
sound!" The last three trumpets are often called the "woe"
trumpets and they are discussed in Revelation chapters nine through eleven.
The woe of the
fifth trumpet is represented under the figure of an immense army of locusts
bringing calamity upon the earth. A
star fell from heaven and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. When
he opened the pit the swarm of locusts comes forth on the earth. They are
commanded to do certain work. They were to torment those that did not have the
seal of God on their foreheads. However, they were not to kill them. A very
vivid description is given of the destructive horde of locusts.
The sixth angel
sounded and four angels which were bound in the great river
The
fifth angel sounds his trumpet – Revelation 9:1-3: As the fifth seal
was opened a star was personified. "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 9:1) The star that looses the smoke and
locusts from the bottomless pit was Satan. "And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him." (Revelation 12:9) Man's greatest enemy will always be the Devil
himself.
The locust came
forth with smoke from the bottomless pit. The smoke was dark, blinding smoke.
It was a smoke that shut out the sun and the air. This is a picture of how the
Devil works to shut out the true light and life from God. The false teaching of
Satan blinds the minds of people to the truth of God's word. Satan literally
blinds the minds of his victims. "In whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (II
Corinthians 4:4)
Satan has the power to deceive and
destroy spiritually. He is even able to cause the death of the wicked. The
Devil uses his power to incite man to rebel against the Almighty. When people
serve Satan rather than Christ they will face certain torment.
The
locust and their work – Revelation 9:4-12: Locusts are a universal symbol
of destruction. The locusts are not literal. We know this because these locusts
would not touch the grass, nor any green thing, or tree, as locusts do, only
men. (Revelation 9:4) These locusts had a king over them. (Revelation 9:11)
Literal locusts do not have a king over them. "The locusts have no king,
yet go they forth all of them by bands." (Proverbs 30:27) These locusts do
not hurt the land, nor do they hurt the people of God.
The kings over
these locust had names in the Hebrew tongue Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue
hath his name Apollyon." Both the words Abaddon and Apollyon means
"destroyer." The name is mostly translated simply with the word
"destruction" as in Job 26:6. "Hell is naked before him, and
destruction hath no covering."
The locusts came
out of the smoke. They did not hurt the vegetation. Neither did they hurt the
people of God. As people swallow the lies of the Devil (false doctrine) these
locusts sting them. False doctrine does not hurt the faith of God. It did have
a destructive effect on the
The
The
sixth angel sounds his trumpet – Revelation 9:13-15: The sixth angel
sounded and four angels were loosed. The purpose of the four horns of the
golden altar was to prevent the coals from falling from the altar. God's judgment
was coming on the wicked
In the book of
Jeremiah Euphrates was pictured as the land of the enemies of Gods' people.
There are many enemies to God's truth. A great army is loosed for the war
against evil. God decreed when this would take place to the very hour, and day,
and month, and year. There will be victory for the persecuted saints by the
decree of God!
The
army of horsemen – Revelation 9:16-21: Sadly man would not listen to
God so he sent froth fire and brimstone. This is reminiscent of
The wicked
The fact the
ungodly will be punished should motivate us to obey God. The precious blood of
Jesus cleanses those who obey the gospel. To obey the gospel one must hear the
salvation message (Romans