Revelation 9: Unlocking & Unleashing Hell

Bible Study Series: Revealing Jesus in Revelation

Revelation 9: Unlocking & Unleashing Hell

by I Gordon

We have been moving like a swift snail and a speedy sloth through Revelation and last time we listened to the first four trumpets sound. This, you might recall, is the 'Greenie's worst nightmare' because each blast brings forth a judgement directly upon this earth and its ecosystem. We saw that God will judge that which man turns into an idol and that is what humanity has done with this planet. Now as devastating as those judgments will be, none of them are as bad as the three remaining trumpets.

Revelation chapter 9 is before us today and it's fair to say its theme is, well, dark. There are some parts of Revelation that are hard to comprehend and some that you may not want to comprehend. Today's chapter, for some, could be seen as the latter. If you were to ask me what the 'most frightening must-miss events' in Revelation are, I would say, in order:

But we need to remember that all scripture is from God and He has revealed these things for a reason. It is a trumpet sound of warning for the unbeliever and a refocusing for the believer. So we'll explore the first two woes (Rev 8:13) today in trumpets 5 and 6, looking at:  

• The unlocking and opening of the abyss - what is it and what comes out?
• The strange looking locusts - why do these locusts not act like normal locusts and what can they do?
• The Euphrates - why are there angels bound there and what happens when they are released?
• The non-repentance of mankind - Has humanity been 'given over'?
• And like normal we'll add little applications for our lives today as we move through.

Trumpet 5 & Woe 1: The unlocking and opening of the abyss

Rev 9:1-3 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. (2) When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. (3) And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.

The Bible says repeatedly that the Great Tribulation will be the worst time in all of human history. Jeremiah, Daniel and Jesus Himself all said this.¹ Now there have obviously been terrible times before. This last century has seen two world wars and the horrors of the Holocaust. So this begs the question, what makes the Great Tribulation worse? Well, one reason (and it is not the only one) is what we read about in this chapter - The opening of the Abyss. To sum it up, demonic spirits that are currently bound, and have been bound for possibly thousands of years, are released in this day. Selah - stop, pause and think about that! The first three verses of Revelation 9 contain three main points that need to be defined to lay a foundation for what is happening in this chapter. They are: 1. The Fallen Star   2. The Unlocked Abyss   3.The odd-looking Locusts with large teeth.

Mankind is not able to find death!

Rev 9:4-6 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (5) They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. (6) During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

There have been some devastating locust swarms on this earth. Recently, 2019-2022 saw some of the worst locust destruction in African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia especially. These locust swarms even went further east devastating areas of India and China. Natural locusts devour anything green but don't go after men. These demonic types in Revelation go after men but don't touch anything green! 

Application - God's Protection for His Own

As bad as this sounds (and it is terrible for unbelievers), it would do well for believers, right about now, to be reminded of God's full power and control over demons, and His protection of His own. Notice that these that come out of the Abyss are 'told' who they can and cannot harm and they have to obey. They cannot touch or harm anyone that has the seal of God on their head. So who are these again? Well we saw in Revelation 7 that the 144,000 Jews are specifically sealed in their forehead and this protection will extend I believe to any believer of this day. God always draws a distinction in His judgements between those that are His and those that are not. We've mentioned in previous studies some of the parallels between the judgements in the Egypt exodus and Revelation where we again see the distinction God brings between those that are His and those that are not. For example: 

• Flies - Exo 8:22 'But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
• Livestock - Exo 9:3-4 the hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field...(4) But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.' 
• Darkness - Exo 10:22-23 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. (23) No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
• Death of firstborn - Exo 11:5-7 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl... (6) There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt...(7) But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.' Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

God's protection applies to all ages. We see a similar thought when Satan came before God in Job 1, where he had to ask and get God's permission to be able to afflict Job because God had placed a 'hedge' of protection around him. And even with God's permission Satan could not go one inch further than what God had allowed. Believer, you are protected by God. Thank Him for it! As mentioned earlier, Satan or any demonic entity cannot just do to you what they will. So while we should be aware of the enemy's tactics and resist him as Peter says, we should not be living in fear of what the enemy 'might' do to us. If you are born again, you are in the family of God, and be assured that our heavenly Father looks after His family. You are sealed with His Spirit. You are protected. There is a hedge around you. And always remember that greater is He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world!  

What are these 'locust-like things' coming forth?

Rev 9:7-12 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. (8) Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. (9) They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. (10) They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. (11) They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. (12) The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

One word that you see often in this description is 'like'. When John saw these locust-looking creatures, he had a hard time describing them. These locusts were 'like' horses with something 'like' a crown of gold on their head. They had something like a human's face and their hair was like woman's hair... but before you say 'oh, that sounds quite nice... lovely flowing locks - stunning even!' it goes on to say that their teeth were like that of a lion. Errh! It might have been better to just keep the mouth closed and not give the game away, but, to be fair, these creatures aren't coming as an angel of light. They don't come to deceive. Having been finally released from the Abyss, they come to inflict pain. Now because of all these comparisons, some have said that possibly John was describing modern attack helicopters or some other modern gunship that John had never seen before. This fits in a few cases (like the sound of its wings being like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle) but the commonalities are more the exception than the rule. I don't know of many Apache helicopters that were assembled and come out of the Abyss. Nor do I know many gunships that have the angel of the Abyss, Apollyon, as their king! No, these are demonic spirits locked up for this day. We read that they sting like a scorpion and have the power to torment a person, but not kill, for 5 months. 

Now the intense pain for a natural scorpion sting is bad enough, but these demonic beings are given permission to torment not for 24 hours but for 5 months! And this, the 5th trumpet, is just the first 'woe'. The Bible says that the natural locust has no king (Pro 30:27) but this demonic version does... it is the 'angel of the abyss' whose name is Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek. Both names mean the same thing - 'destroyer'. This seems to be a name for a very high ranked fallen angel under Satan, though some take it to be another name for Satan himself. Either way we see the ultimate nature of Satan and his followers and that is to destroy. They are destroyers of people, family and even nations. 

Application - Helping those you know, who are not known, to the Lord

None of this is 'nice' or 'light'. As I am writing this my thoughts go towards those that I know, who are not known, by the Lord. As we go about our days with the sun shining and the birds chirping, it is hard to imagine what this coming day will be like... but that is why Revelation is written in such detail. A chapter such as this is given to warn unbelievers and sober believers. Unbelievers need to realise what is ahead and turn to God for salvation while there is still time. For believers, it should motivate us to both speak to people about the Lord, and speak to the Lord about people. These passages are very sobering. The reality of what is coming makes some want to turn away but it should instead draw us closer to the Lord focusing on what He would desire from us.  

Woe 2: Unleash the four fallen angels at the Euphrates

Rev 9:13-15 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. (14) It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." (15) And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

Now the world is not off the hook yet and with the sounding of the sixth trumpet, the second 'woe' occurs with four more bound fallen angels released. Unlike the previous ones, these will be given permission to kill. Scripture never speaks of the angels who serve God as being 'bound' so we clearly know these are again fallen angels. These four fallen angels are currently bound at the Euphrates river. We do not know who these particular fallen angels are but the fact that they have been kept bound for this exact year, month, day and even hour, should be very troubling to the world. The place of their imprisonment all this time, the Euphrates, is very well known. Revelation later tells us that the Euphrates river will dry up for the kings of the east to make their way for Armageddon (Rev 16:12), and in a telling current event, the Euphrates is currently drying up. But its history is equally interesting... and troubling⁵.  

The four fallen angels that are currently bound at the Euphrates are allowed to kill a third of mankind. At this stage of the Tribulation that is likely to be around 2 billion people. Your mind can't even begin to comprehend that! It has been estimated that all the wars of the 20th century, including World wars I and II, killed 187 million. These fallen angels kill around 10 times that amount... and it seems that they come with 'friends' to help in their 'mission'. 

The 200 million

Rev 9:16-19 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. (17) The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. (18) A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. (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.

Along with the four now unbound fallen angels are two hundred million troops. This number is not a guess or estimate by John but is what he heard from heaven so that will be the number. First we had locust-like creatures and now horses with something like the head of a lion. Both are out to destroy or harm humanity and both are a picture of demons. Some commentators try to link this 200 million up with the coming of the kings of the east, making it a human army coming possibly from China. But scripture describes this army as having plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur coming out of the mouth of these horse-like creatures that have a head like a lion. Fire, smoke and sulfur all fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah all those years ago and will be just as real in the days to come. This is literally war by the demonic realm upon humanity. Speaking of this passage J. Vernon McGee states:   

The horse is the animal of war (see Job_39:19-25). The underworld is now making war on mankind. These creatures from the underworld are unnatural. They are probably demons or demon-controlled. We are given a literal description of them. In his book on Revelation, William R. Newell makes this very timely observation, "Believe, and you scarcely need any comment." The problem with men who come to Revelation and say that it is difficult to understand and impossible to interpret is that they do not believe it. If you simply believe it and read it, it is very clear. Hellish forces will be at work during this period.
J. Vernon McGee

Humanity's response... Oh humanity!

Rev 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 (21) Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

So what did the rest of mankind do that saw this destruction but weren't killed themselves - they cried out to God to save them right? They bowed down and begged God for mercy and salvation yeah? Um... no - they did not repent. Like Pharaoh all those years ago, in the face of great judgment they decided to harden their heart and double down on their rebellious ways. This, I believe, is one of the saddest verses in Revelation. So what did they do? Let's quickly investigate:

• They did not stop worshipping demons! Can you imagine how deceived they must be to continue worshipping that which is out to kill you! It should be mentioned that it will be hard to find an 'atheist' in the Tribulation period. Mankind is inherently spiritual and will again be worshipping spirits on mass... but its demonic spirits! 
• They did not repent of their murders. The Tribulation will be a violent time and this won't stop even after many are murdered themselves. Even today we see things getting way out of control. Human life is no longer sacred... whether it be the unborn or the elderly, or for that matter, those in-between. We have world leaders who desire a depopulation of the planet.  
• They did not repent of their magic arts. The Greek word here is 'pharmakeía'⁶ and is interesting because it speaks of various things. It speaks of drugs, witchcraft and sorcery, illicit pharmaceuticals. It is interesting that we get our words 'Pharmacy and pharmaceuticals' from this Greek word and as we have now seen with Covid19, 'Big Pharma' is now moving into 'gene therapy' drugs as man tried to play God with DNA modification. 
• They did not repent of their sexual immorality. The Greek word here is 'porneia' from which the English word pornography is derived. The Greek word speaks of sexual sins of various types. And we live in an age even now where sexuality and sexual sins have exploded. And they are not only practiced, but openly celebrated! And if you don't celebrate them, look out! In a recent Pride march in June 2023, one of the chants was 'We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re coming for your children'. They weren't lying and iIt seems that by the days of Revelation 9 things have not improved. 
• They did not repent of their thefts - People are already looting and opening walking into shops and taking what they want. A recent 2021 law change in California saw any stolen goods under $950 just labeled a 'misdemeanor' which means that police don't investigate it. This led to people brazenly walking into shops and helping themselves⁷. Now imagine what it will be like in the Tribulation when food is scarce, people are desperate, and the rule of law is totally thrown out the window! 

Conclusion

Like I said at the beginning, this is a dark chapter. It should really come with at least a 'PG13' rating. It is a sad chapter with the realization that humanity would get to this state where this type of judgement is required. But as we have seen, even the demonic judgments of the first two 'woes' do not, on the whole, cause them to repent. Like Pharaoh in Egypt they have hardened their heart to God. 

Application - Harden not your hearts!

So the final application is for all. Harden not your hearts! For the unbeliever, there is still a chance right to the very end if you would but repent and believe. As someone has well said: 'One thief on the cross was saved so there would always be hope. But only one so there would not be presumption.' Now is the day of salvation. Believe in Jesus and His death for you and receive Him as your salvation! For the believer, the message is keep your heart soft towards God and walk in faith, not unbelief. I recently did a short study on the two times that Jesus 'marveled' in the Gospels⁸. The first was in His own home town of Nazareth where they hardened their hearts and wouldn't believe. Jesus could do little for them and just marveled at their unbelief! The other time was with the Roman centurion who didn't even need Jesus to come to his house to heal his servant, but simply believed that if Jesus said the word, all would be well. Jesus marveled at his faith and the servant was healed! Let us be like the Roman centurion and believe. I was reading the book of Hebrews this last week and the following verse stood out to me again:

Heb 4:1-2, 7-11 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. (2) For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith... Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." (8) For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. (9) There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; (10) for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. (11) Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

There remains then, even today, a rest for the people of God. So enter that rest by trusting in the presence and power of the Lord Jesus once again. As a believer, do not be fearful but in whatever you are currently going through, in whatever it is that tries to steal your peace, walk not in unbelief but faith, realizing that Jesus is with you and will never forsake you!  

So we will carry on with chapter 10 next time and just in case we have 'over-dosed' on demonic spirits and the dark side in this chapter, we shall get a little 'breather' in the next for we will be given a glimpse of a 'mighty angel' who shines like the sun. This is one of the good guys, who comes to earth to announce what will take place at the 7th and final trumpet. That is, he will declare God's claim, right and taking of this planet once again. And that is something to look forward to!

God Bless.   

FOOTNOTES