revelation 9

Haystack bible commentary

"Stacks and stacks of commentary...."

==revelation 9:1-3:

Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 
​2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power

​​Of the bottomless pit - This key, that the apostate leader has, was to the bottomless pit.
The term for “bottomless pit” comes from the Greek word abussos, which means deep, bottomless and profound. In the Greek it is also applied to the original state of the earth in Genesis 1:2, where the earth was “without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” A good description of this is found in Jeremiah 4:24-27, these texts clearly refer to the end of time after the second coming of Christ, but we are looking only at the description of the earth not the time frame. The description given is one of a desolate wasteland, thus this apostate leader had the key to open the desolate wasteland. - - Revelation Bible Prophecy

==revelation 9:3-21:

3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 
4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.
 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 
​9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 

​Verses 1-11 detail the fifth trumpet judgment, where a star (Satan) opens the bottomless pit, releasing demonic locusts that torment humanity for five months but do not kill them. The locusts are described as horse-like with scorpion stings. Verses 13-21 describe the sixth trumpet judgment, where four angels bound at the Euphrates River are released, leading a vast army that kills a third of mankind with fire, smoke, and brimstone from their mouths and tails. Despite these plagues, the rest of mankind does not repent from their idolatry and immoral lifestyles.  
Fifth Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 9:1-11)
A fallen star (identified as Satan) is given the key to the bottomless pit.  From the pit, smoke rises and darkens the sun and air.  Locusts emerge from the smoke, possessing power like scorpions.  They are instructed to torment only those without the "seal of God" on their foreheads for five months, but not to kill them. The locusts are described with terrifying features with faces like men, hair like women's, teeth like lions' teeth, and tails like scorpions. Their torment is compared to a scorpion's sting, and people will seek death but be unable to find it. 
Their king is the angel of the bottomless pit, known as Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek), meaning "Destroyer". 
Sixth Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 9:13-21)
A voice from the golden altar orders the release of four angels bound at the Euphrates River. 
These angels, prepared for a specific hour, day, month, and year, are released to kill a third of mankind. 
The army of horsemen is described as immense, numbering two hundred million. 
The horses have breastplates of fire-red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. 
They have lion-like heads and fire, smoke, and brimstone come from their mouths. 
Their power to inflict harm is in their mouths and their tails, which are like serpents with heads. 
This plague kills a third of mankind. 
The remaining people, despite this severe judgment, still do not repent from their idol worship, murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, or thefts. 

​The first "woe" is released after a star, interpreted by many as Satan, falls from heaven and is given the key to the bottomless pit.  Smoke pours out of the pit, and from the smoke emerge demonic locusts with the power of scorpions. These are no ordinary insects, as their bizarre, hybrid description suggests.
     The locusts are commanded not to harm any vegetation but to torment only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. This seal serves as a divine mark of protection for believers. The locusts are allowed to torture these people for five months with pain so severe that they will seek death but will be unable to find it. The torment is compared to a scorpion's sting.
Fearsome appearance: The locusts are described with the appearance of horses prepared for battle, human faces, hair like women's, and teeth like lions'. They have breastplates of iron and make a sound like many chariots rushing to war.
The destroyer king: The locusts are led by a king, the angel of the abyss, whose name is Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, both meaning "destroyer". 
The sixth trumpet: The army of 200 million
The second "woe" is unleashed after the sixth angel blows his trumpet, releasing four angels who had been bound at the Euphrates River.  The four angels are released, having been prepared for a specific hour, day, month, and year to kill a third of humanity. An army of 200 million horsemen appears, symbolizing an overwhelming and destructive military force. The horses are described with breastplates of fire (red), sapphire (blue), and sulfur (yellow). Their heads resemble lions' heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur come out of their mouths, killing a third of mankind. The horses' destructive power also comes from their tails, which are like snakes with heads that inflict injury. 
Despite the catastrophic plagues, the survivors remain unrepentant. They continue to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.
They do not repent of their evil deeds, including murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft. 

==revelation 9:10-21:

10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 
11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 
14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 
15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 
16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 
18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 
19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
​21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

J​ohn describes the judgments of the fifth and sixth trumpets, detailing two massive waves of destruction and the sobering lack of repentance from the survivors. 
The fifth trumpet (the locust plague): The demonic locusts, released from the bottomless pit, are described as having tails with stingers like scorpions. They are commanded to torment those without God's seal on their foreheads for five months, but they are not permitted to kill them. The torment is so severe that people long for death but cannot find it.
     The locusts are led by a king, the "angel of the Abyss," whose name is Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek—both meaning "Destroyer". This marks the end of the first "woe". 
The sixth trumpet (the Euphrates army): A voice from the four horns of the golden altar commands the sixth angel to release four angels bound at the Euphrates River. The four angels, prepared for this specific hour, day, month, and year, are released with a 200-million-strong army of mounted troops to kill a third of all humanity. In John's vision, the horsemen have breastplates of fiery red, dark blue, and sulfur yellow. The horses have heads like lions, and fire, smoke, and sulfur issue from their mouths, killing a third of mankind. Their destructive power is also in their tails, which are like snakes with heads. Despite witnessing this overwhelming judgment, the survivors still refuse to repent of their sinful deeds. They continue to worship demons and worthless idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. They also refuse to repent of their persistent sins, including murders, sorceries (often linked with drugs or magic arts), sexual immorality, and thefts. 
     The passage reveals the reality of divine judgment and the human heart's stubborn resistance to repentance, even in the face of immense suffering. The sequence of plagues is a warning meant to lead people to change their ways, yet many remain defiant. The severity of the punishment highlights the gravity of sin and idolatry.