Plagues from the Bottomless Pit

They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Revelation 9:4

Revelation 9:1–21– The Book of Revelation: Worship. Obey. Endure.
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost  – August 28, 2022 (am)

Joh.3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. This is perhaps the most familiar verse in all the Bible. It tells us in one sentence what it means to live under the reign of God, the kingship of Christ that was celebrated with such vivid imagery back in cc.4-5.

We meet another king in this passage (11), called elsewhere the ruler of this world (Joh.12:31), the god of this [age] (2Co.4:4 tniv), the prince of the power of the air (Eph.2:2). And we see by contrast a bit of his reign—where allegiance to him ultimately leads us. Pro.14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. This can sound so innocuous when we hear it, like it’s some sort of a mild warning to make sure to get enough exercise or eat enough vegetables. But here in Rev.9 we catch a glimpse of the way of death that stands in contrast to the eternal life Jesus mentions (Joh.3:16), and it’s nothing innocuous.

We also need to keep in mind as we move through this passage that these judgments are the beginning of the the expression of the holy wrath of God, released, at least in part, remember, in answer to the prayers of His people (8:3-5).

And even though there’s a progression here from the first seal to the seventh, and now the first trumpet to the seventh, we need to resist the urge to see these as a neat chronological progression. Rather, it seems certain that there’s repetition and recap going on, multiple tellings of similar events at different times or from different angles, and an intensification in the severity of the events with each retelling. In fact, seeing that the seven trumpets seem to be the content of the seventh seal, and (though less obviously) the seven bowls (c.16) are the content of the seventh trumpet, these judgments roll out like those fireworks that explode concentrically two or three or four times with one launch.

Let’s look at this chapter in three parts.

The Fifth Trumpet: The First Woe – 1-12

John finished our c.8 with the pronouncement (8:13) of three woes to those who dwell on the earth at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow! Now, here they are. 1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. As we noted last Sunday, we recognize now that there’s no way a star can fall to the earth without incinerating the earth long before it arrives. But now we see here that this word star doesn’t always mean what we first think of when we hear it. This star is some sort of living being—and we get that; we still call famous entertainers stars today—1 … he was given the key to the… bottomless pit. We’ll see in a moment who this is.

2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. In John’s vision, then, just to be clear, hell opened up and is belching smoke into the air to the point of darkening the skies. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth—just think of these as demons, fallen angels—and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. Scorpion stings are very painful but usually not fatal. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. This is a judgment of God on the ungodly, and no one or nothing else. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months. That’s a long time for this kind of trial. It’s not just an hour (3:10 Philadelphia) or ten days (2:10 Smyrna), but it’s also not forty-two months (13:5 the beast). [These demons] were allowed to torment those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. This word torment is interesting. It is primarily spiritual and psychological when used elsewhere in [Rev.] (Beale 1999 497). So, these stings don’t seem to be describing physical pain. The image is more like demons doing just what demons do, namely, magnifying the spiritual/emotional/psychological struggles that people face to the point that they just want to die, but their struggles are not terminal—6 … in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. This battle is hellish, but not yet final.

Then John begins to describe these locusts (7-10), and it’s straight out of the prophet Joel in the wake of his describing the coming judgment of the Lord. Joe.1:4 What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. Then he goes on to write: Joe.1:6 … a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness. Joe.2:4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. 5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6 Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. 7 Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. 8 They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. 9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. And these are just the armies of enemy nations. In our text the locusts are the demons of hell! And: 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon (the depths of Sheol, destruction), and in Greek he is called Apollyon (to destroy, but also a variant of Apollo). This is Satan himself, his first appearance in this book. In Isa.14:12, the king of Babylon is described as a star fallen from heaven, and that passage is associated with Satan. Jesus used a similar metaphor in Luk.10:18 … I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. The point here is that the star came from above to below (it’s already fallen) with the key to the [abyss].

So, the first woe (12) is the demons of hell under the direction of Satan getting the green light to torment the ungodly, to ensnare them hopelessly in their debilitating, dehumanizing battles, but not to kill them, and not to touch God’s people.

The Sixth Trumpet: (The Second Woe) – 13-21

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, the place where the martyred saints are praying (6:9) and where fire was gathered to hurl judgment on the earth in answer to those prayers (8:3-5), 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” Bound suggest that these angels are also under judgment and their intended destruction has been prevented awaiting, as we’ll see, the particular appointed time—again, God is in charge (Ladd 136). The Euphrates was one of the four boundary rivers of Eden (Gen.2:10-14), but it was also the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire (cf.16:12). 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind, again significant but not yet final judgment. This is like a warning, a shot across the bow of unconverted humanity regarding coming judgment. And this time we see a terrifyingly stepped-up fighting force. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. If we do the math that’s 200,000,000 troops. And we know that’s humanly an achievable number (Time, 21 May 1965).

But let me ask at this point in our study, do you think this is a literal number? Consider how it’s stated (not 200,000,000 but twice then thousand times ten thousand). And consider what we’re talking about, namely, an army rising out of hell as the prepared judgment of God, ultimately intended to draw human history to a close and sent out, at least in part, in response to the prayers of His persecuted, martyred people. Also, the language in vv.17-19 shows us, first, that John is seeing this in a vision; second, that both horse and [rider] are [wearing] the colors of fire, smoke (sapphire), and brimstone (sulfer) (Ladd 137), like the judgment of Sodom (Gen 19:24) and other places (Beale 1999 511); and, third, we’re still fully immersed in the language of apocalyptic, still drawing from the language of Joel, and now also from Psa.68:17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands….

Answer, surely this could be a literal number of demons set loose to execute God’s judgment. But doesn’t it sound more like John is just describing the total inhabitants of hell? And by the way, when we premillennialists goad our amillennial friends telling them if Satan is bound during this age he must have a mighty long leash, perhaps we should recall what John sees here: four angels who are bound (14).

A Chilling Outcome – 20-21

The images in vv.17-19 make John’s summary in vv.20-21 all the more remarkable. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. Even when facing these events, the ungodly still did not repent of any of their godless ways, not even their idolatry, following false gods when the power of the true God is being manifest so clearly! Surely this proves to us that salvation is of the Lord! Unless He opens our eyes, we simply will not see!

Conclusion

The question is, do we see things any more clearly than they as we read these descriptions from the page?

Not everyone can. Some read these descriptions and, despite the ones we already see happening today—and those on the heels of so much fulfilled prophecy throughout human history—they remain unimpressed, nonplussed, indifferent, and outright unbelieving. But that’s no surprise. Jesus said that Mat.7:13 … the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 [But] the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

So, what is our best response to Rev.9 this morning? Give thanks to God for your salvation! Praise Him that Joh.3:16 [He] so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life! Thank Him from the bottom of your heart that you have been set free from the ruler of this world (Joh.12:31), the god of this [age] (2Co.4:4 tniv), the prince of the power of the air (Eph.2:2), and so have been taken out from under the threats of Rev.9, the perishing! We’re saved by God in Christ from the way of death! (cf. Pro.14:12)

Worship this God. Obey Him. Endure in that obedience for His glory and in thankful praise for His deliverance and promise of eternal life with Him and with the Lamb!

And never, never again take your salvation for granted. Never underestimate its worth or be ashamed of its exclusivity. Only Jesus paid it all! And today’s text puts before us the beginning of what would come upon us if it hadn’t already fallen upon Jesus on our behalf!

So, let’s praise Him together even now as we gather at the His Table.

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Resources

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NEXT WEEK’S SERMON: The Opening of a New Interlude, Revelation 10:1–11