A Summary of Revelation Chapter 9

Revelation 9

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

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.

3 And there came out of the smoke locusts on the earth: and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

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.

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 strikes a man.

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.

7 And the shapes of the locusts were like to horses prepared to battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

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.

10 And they had tails like to scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

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 has his name Apollyon.

12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

13 And 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 which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

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.

16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

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.

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.

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like to serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

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:

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Revelation 9 provides a profound prophetic description of the fifth and sixth trumpets, detailing the rise of Mohammedanism and the Ottoman Empire as divine judgments upon an apostate church. 🌟

The Fifth Trumpet: The Rise of Islam 🗡️

• The Fallen Star: The fifth trumpet commences with a star falling from heaven, representing an apostate earthly leader like the Persian king Chosroes Revelation 9:1EVRR276+2.

• Opening the Abyss: This leader's fall was the key that opened the bottomless pit, symbolizing the vast Arabian deserts from which the smoke of delusive doctrines arose Revelation 9:2SYNPT 213+2.

• Symbolic Locusts: Out of this smoke emerged locusts, representing Arabian horsemen who were commanded to spare vegetation and only torment those without the seal of God Revelation 9:3-4EVRR277+2.

• Five Months of Torment: This power was not permitted to "kill" or politically destroy the Eastern Roman Empire initially, but to torment it for five prophetic months, which equals 150 literal years Revelation 9:5+1HST August 1, 1840, page 70.5+2.

• The Destroyer King: Their king is identified as the angel of the bottomless pit, named Abaddon or Apollyon, signifying "a destroyer" Revelation 9:11APEC 114.1+2.

• Chronology: This period is identified as the time between July 27, 1299, when Othman first invaded Nicomedia, and July 27, 1449HST August 1, 1840, page 70.5+2.

The Sixth Trumpet: The Ottoman Supremacy 🏹

• Loosing the Four Angels: The sixth trumpet begins with the loosing of four angels bound in the river Euphrates, representing the four sultanies of the Ottoman Empire Revelation 9:13-15HST August 1, 1840, page 70.5+1.

• Political Destruction: Unlike the fifth trumpet which only tormented, the sixth trumpet had the mission to "slay the third part of men," signifying the total political downfall of the Eastern Roman Empire at Constantinople Revelation 9:15APEC 114.1+2.

• The Prophetic Period: The time given for this work is an hour, a day, a month, and a year, which totals 391 years and 15 days Revelation 9:15HST May 1, 1840, page 19.18+1.

• Termination in 1840: Added to the end of the 150 years in 1449, this period terminated exactly on August 11, 1840, when the Turkish Sultan voluntarily surrendered his independence to the European powersBEST June 1, 1896, page 163.2+2.

• The Great Army: The prophecy describes a massive cavalry of two hundred million, with breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone, reflecting the use of gunpowder and firearms in their conquests Revelation 9:16-17BDOC 56.1+2.

Significance and Lessons 📜

• Reliability of Prophecy: The literal and minute fulfillment of these dates—ending exactly on August 11, 1840—confirms the absolute reliability of the Word of GodEVRR293+2.

• Protection of the True Church: While Islam served as a scourge to the apostate church, it often provided a measure of protection or toleration for true Christians who kept the commandments of GodEVRR285+1.

• Call to Repentance: Despite these solemn judgments, the rest of the world did not repent of their idolatry, murders, or sorceries Revelation 9:20-21SSP 180.1.

• The Three Woes: These two trumpets constitute the first and second woes, signaling that the third and final woe will follow quickly under the seventh trumpet Revelation 9:12+1GNT 105.2+2.