Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Revelation Chapter 9 mean?

John’s Revelation from Jesus has shown God’s judgment on the earth, first symbolized as the opening of seven seals, and now as the blowing of seven trumpets. Chapter 8 described the last seal, which inaugurated the trumpets. The first four resulted in catastrophic destruction to trees and grasses, the seas, fresh waters, and even natural light. Even so, the prior verses warned that the impending judgments would be even worse.

Chapter 9 begins with the fifth angel’s trumpet. John observes a “star” falling to earth, which is immediately said to be given a key. “He,” clearly, is not a literal astral body, but a person. In connection with other statements made in Scripture (Isaiah 14:12), this is most likely Satan. Importantly, Satan is “given” this key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. This is not a power or authority he naturally possesses. This abyss is the realm of confinement for some demons, and Satan’s use of the key releases a horde of creatures. Their mission is narrowly defined: to torment only non-believers, and not with death. Rather, like scorpions, these locust-like beings will cause agonizing and inescapable pain for five months (Revelation 9:1–6).

Though briefly described as “locusts,” these demonic creatures are only vaguely like the common insect. John describes them as resembling war horses, to be expected since locust heads and horse heads have a similar shape. They wear what appear to be crowns, either a literal piece of jewelry or a golden colored band on their head. John depicts them with women’s hair, lions’ teeth, iron armor, and thunderously loud wings. Some suggest these are John’s attempt at describing something like a modern helicopter. The leader of these creatures carries names in Hebrew and Greek, both meaning “The Destroyer” (Revelation 9:8–11).

Chapter 8’s ending warned that the last three trumpet judgments would be far worse than the first four. The sixth trumpet precedes a voice from the altar in heaven. The voice commands that four angels be released from imprisonment at the river Euphrates. Since God’s angels are free, these beings are fallen angels—demons. Their role has been carefully planned, and their release delayed until a specific instant in time. Their purpose is to kill one third of the remaining population of earth. The four angels seem to command a vast army, given a specific number by John: two hundred million troops. John’s description of his “vision” here again leads to speculation that he might have seen modern military equipment. The army kills a third of mankind, by smoke and fire from their mouths (Revelation 9:12–19).

The Bible often speaks of mankind’s stubbornness and disobedience. God’s actions during the end times, in some ways, are meant to make this clear and obvious. Despite the horrific judgments that will happen, humanity at large will still refuse to repent and come to God in faith. This passage refers to idolatry—possibly in both a literal and a metaphorical sense—as well as using a Greek word implying drug use. Sadly, even when God’s power and prophecy are on full display, most people will refuse to turn from sin and submit to their Creator (Revelation 9:20–21).

Chapter Context
The ninth chapter of Revelation continues the report of what happens when the seven angels blow their trumpets. Chapter 8 described the first four trumpet judgments; chapter 9 reports the fifth and sixth. The events in chapter 9 are much more severe than those which came before. The severity of judgments increases dramatically with each trumpet blast. These judgments precede the final series of events, called the bowl judgments. Revelation chapters 15 and 16 will reveal what happens under these judgments.

Verse by Verse

Verse 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.

When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, a star falls from heaven to earth and receives the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. Clearly, the “star” in question is not an inanimate object, but a person. Isaiah 14:12 refers to Satan’s fall from heaven and calls him “Day Star.” At some point prior to the dawn of human history, Satan, also referred to as Lucifer, rebelled against God and led other angels in the rebellion. Some of these fallen angels have been locked up in the Abyss, which is another term for the bottomless pit.

However, Satan receives the key to the Abyss and releases them. Some Bible teachers equate this event with the description of Satan’s banishment from heaven in the middle of the tribulation. Cast down to the earth, Satan will relentlessly pursue Israel and hope to destroy her (Revelation 12:1–10).

It is important to observe that the key to the Abyss does not belong to Satan. This verse explicitly says that this key must be given to Satan. God permits him to have the key, and to unleash the means of this particular judgment, so sinners will see the end results of their own evil.

Context Summary
Revelation 9:1–6 tells what happens when the fifth angel blows his trumpet. This trumpet judgment is more severe than the previous trumpet judgments. A star, presumably Satan, falls from heaven and receives a key to the bottomless pit. He uses the key to release a demonic force of locusts that torment unbelievers for five months. The torment is so severe that people seek death but are unable to find it. The verses that follow describe the locusts and tell what happens when the sixth angel blows his trumpet.

Verse 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.

According to this verse, when Satan opens the shaft of the bottomless pit, dense, extremely hot smoke billows from the shaft. The smoke is so heavy and black that it darkens the sun and earth’s atmosphere. The pollution that spews from the bottomless pit is an appropriate environment for the spiritually polluted fallen angels.

The bottomless pit—the Abyss—is a realm of confinement for demons. When Jesus cast many demons from a man in the country of the Gerasenes, the demons begged Him not to command them to depart into the Abyss (Luke 8:31). While Jesus reigns on earth for a thousand years, Satan will be confined to the Abyss. Revelation 20:1–3 tells us John saw “an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit [the Abyss] and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended.” The bottomless pit or Abyss is also mentioned in Romans 10:7, Revelation 11:7, and Revelation 17:8.

Verse 3. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth.

This verse reports that “locusts” emerge from the billowing smoke that arises from the bottomless pit. Later verses will expand this description, showing that these creatures only bear resemblance to insects. Some interpreters even suggest that John might have seen military machines from the future.

John would have been familiar with a plague of locusts. These voracious insects often troubled the Middle East. Sometimes clouds of locusts were so dense that they blotted out the sun and covered so much of the land that scarcely a square inch was untouched. Exodus 10:12–20 identifies the eighth plague the Lord imposed on Egypt in the time of Moses as a plague of locusts. The swarm of locusts was so thick that it covered the entire land of Egypt and darkened it. When the locusts had eaten all the vegetation, not a green thing remained.

However, the locusts John saw were far different from the ordinary kind. As this verse states, they received “power like the power of scorpions.” The most potent ability of a scorpion is its sting: painful with venom that inflames the nerves. The ill-effects of the sting may last for days. This passage will continue to explain the terrible effects of these demonic creatures.

Verse 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.

Prior verses described Satan being given a key to a bottomless pit. Using this key, he releases a swarm of demonic creatures first compared to locusts. In the ancient world, massive swarms of locusts could devastate crops and obliterate food supplies. These creatures are not insects, however, and they have a much different purpose. They are described as having a power like that of scorpions, known for their sting, and later verses expound on their terrible appearance.

We learn from this verse that the locust-like demons John saw were told not to target vegetation but only unbelievers, those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. God protects His children. Psalm 91 declares this truth. The psalmist writes: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty…For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence” (Psalm 91:1–3). In verses 9–10, the psalmist writes: “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.”

Of course, a believer may experience illness, injury, and even death, but only if the Lord allows it. When He does allow adversity and death, it always works for the believer’s good. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). From prison the apostle Paul testified: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

The specific mission of these creatures, and the narrow effect they have, is one challenge to interpreting later descriptions as a reference to modern war machines.

Verse 5. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone.

Verse 3 referred to locust-like creatures having a power like that of a scorpion—an animal most infamous for its painful sting. Here, this is further explained. The torment brought by these creatures compares to that of a scorpion’s sting. Scorpions sting with the end of their tail, not normally producing death, but the experience can be extremely painful and the effects can last several days. The Lord puts specific restraints on these locusts. They can torment only unbelievers, and only for a period of five months. Further, they are not allowed to kill them.

The locust-like demons released from the bottomless pit are given a specific target: those not marked with the seal of God. In other words, they can only attack non-believers (Revelation 9:4).

Deuteronomy 8:15 reminds the Hebrews that the Lord led them safely through the Negev, “the great and terrifying wilderness,” that housed “fiery serpents and scorpions.” Just as the Lord protected His people from scorpions during their journey to the Promised Land, so He will exempt His sealed believers from the sting of scorpions in the tribulation, when the fifth angel blows his trumpet. Allegedly, scorpions are still common in the Negev, and a mountainous region that touches Palestine is called Akrabbim from the Hebrew Akrib, meaning scorpion.

Verse 6. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

Prior verses described Satan releasing a horde of locust-like demons, limited to torment—not kill—unbelievers only. Their ability was comparted to that of a scorpion (Revelation 9:1–5). This verse reveals that the locust-like creatures’ “scorpion” stings will be so painful that victims will want to die. The Greek wording of this verse implies that the people stung will seek death vehemently or earnestly. The pain of this experience will not be something one “gets used to.”

That someone in horrible agony would want to die is not hard to understand. What’s less clear, in this verse, is the implication that these afflicted non-believers will be unable to die. Somehow, in some way, they will be prevented from ending their own lives to cut short their suffering. What exactly this means, Scripture is not clear. Perhaps the sting so immobilizes victims that they give no outward sign of pain—preventing others from mercy killings or other interventions. Perhaps their condition renders them temporarily immune to other drugs and chemicals. Or, it might be simple supernatural intervention keeping them alive.

The reference to “five months” in the prior verse may, also, suggest that the effect of the demons’ sting lasts five months for those who are stung. Scripture isn’t explicit about this, but that possibility might explain why people would seek death for something so painful and chronic.

This period of inescapable torment parallels the concept of hell. Physical death is the separation of the spirit/soul from the body, which leads to eternal suffering for unbelievers. They will experience eternal death: a forever separation from God. Jesus told a story in Luke 16:19–31 about a rich unbeliever who died and went to Hades. His story also focused on Lazarus, a beggar who died and went to Paradise, where he enjoyed the company of Abraham. The rich man called upon Abraham to show him mercy by sending Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool his tongue with the water. The rich man confessed he was “in anguish in this flame” (Luke 16:24). At the end of human history, the occupants who suffer in Hades will be consigned to the lake of fire, where their agony will continue eternally (Revelation 20:7–15).

Verse 7. In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,

In this verse the apostle John begins his description of the demonic locusts that Satan released from the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:1–6). John compares them to horses equipped for warfare; the relationship to war is more noteworthy than the relationship to horses, since a typical locust’s head vaguely resembles that of a horse, naturally. These beings are also said to have faces like those of people.

These creatures have something on their heads that looks like a crown or crowns. This might be a colored band with a shiny golden hue, hair or bristles, or a literal article of clothing.

The scene pictures the locusts as powerful invaders. Joel chapters 1 and 2 provide a similar description of locusts prophesied to invade Israel in the day of the Lord. Also, Joel refers to the locusts’ attack with the image of an invasion by a ferocious army from the north (Joel 2:20). Many interpreters believe Ezekiel 38:1–16 describes this invading army as Russia and her allies. Daniel 11:40–45 also predicts an invasion into Israel by a powerful northern aggressor. If these are identical, the demonic locusts will control this northern army, and direct it across the Euphrates to invade Israel (Revelation 9:14–16).

It seems God will use this invasion to chastise the world, and Israel in particular, for its idolatrous worship of the Head of the Revived Roman Empire (Revelation 13:13–15). We know He brought the Babylonian army into Judah in 586 BC because of her idolatry (2 Kings 22:16–17; 2 Chronicles 36:11–17).

Context Summary
Revelation 9:7–12 more thoroughly describes the locust-like beings which ascend from the bottomless pit. They appear like horses galloping into battle. They have something on their heads resembling crowns. Their faces are humanlike; their hair is like women’s hair; and they have teeth like lions’ teeth. Their chests seem to be iron plated, and the noise of their wings sounds like chariots and horses rushing into battle. They torment humans for five months, and their leader is Apollyon. Joel 2:1–11 prophesies an invasion of locusts, sharing similarities to the description in this passage, and adding details some suggest are references to modern machines of war.

Verse 8. their hair like women ‘s hair, and their teeth like lions ‘ teeth;

The description of the locusts that ascend from the bottomless pit continues in this verse. John writes that their hair resembles women’s hair. This could possibly be about their manes, because John saw the locusts as appearing like horses (Revelation 9:7).

John also writes in verse 8 that the locusts’ teeth were like the teeth of lions. This description concurs with Joel’s prophetic description of the invading army from the north. Joel 1:6 says, “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.” The reference to lions’ teeth emphasizes the ferocity of these demonic locusts. However, despite their appearance and potential destructive force, they cannot afflict God’s people. Their mission is to torment “only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4). Believers have nothing to fear because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Verse 9. they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.

John’s vision includes the spectacle of Satan releasing a horde of locust-like demons from the bottomless pit. Their purpose is to bring five months of excruciating pain, but not death, on nonbelievers. This passage fleshes out more details about their appearance, which includes a horse-like shape, human-like faces and hair, and lion-like teeth. The locusts’ thoraxes resemble horses’ armor plates, making them appear invulnerable. The noise of their flight, being so dense, resembles the loud sound of chariots and horses rushing into battle.

Obviously, John’s vision of future events leaves room for interpretation. Some passages in this writing seem extremely literal (Revelation 1:11), others clearly figurative (Revelation 7:1). Since this throng of locusts is demonic, interpreters differ on whether what John sees here is a literal vision, a metaphor, or possibly an attempt for an ancient writer to describe modern technology.

Some Bible teachers see this invasion of locusts as an end-times military invasion of infantry and heavily armed helicopters. The breastplates, they say, depict the armored fronts of the helicopters, and the loud noise is that of the numerous helicopters in flight. Obviously, the Bible predates modern warfare, and it would have been meaningless to believers in John’s day and those of pre-modern times to use the term “helicopters.” This could even, possibly, be a military technology that doesn’t exist as of the time this commentary is being written. However, the description John provides fits the description of modern warfare, and so does Joel’s description in Joel 2:5: “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.”

It is not beyond reason to perceive of the northern invader as rushing into Israel with helicopters and other military resources. The interpretation, of course, cannot be dogmatic. Prior verses seem to imply a narrow role for these “locusts” (Revelation 9:4–5), one not easily explained as a military operation.

Verse 10. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails.

John has described a demonic horde as similar to locusts, having tails and stings like scorpions, but also like horses with crowns, human faces and hair, lions’ teeth, iron armor, and a roaring noise. Some interpreters compare this to the image of a stereotypical modern-day attack helicopter: a front appearing somewhat like an insect’s eyes, prominent upwards-curving tail, loud noise, and with teeth painted on the front for effect. The effects of these creatures, however, seem more in line with a demonic or spiritual interpretation than some kind of war machine.

Originally the word kentra, the Greek word translated “stings” in this verse, referred to goads or pricking irons used in torture. When the Lord appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, He told Saul, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14). Apparently, Saul—later called Paul—had been under sharp conviction for his persecution of believers. The conviction felt like pricking torture in his soul. The scorpions’ stings will feel like sharp, pricking torture in those who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads (Revelation 9:4). Scorpions’ power to sting resides in their tails, and the demonic scorpions’ stinging power resides in their tails.

Those who receive the locusts’ stings suffer severely. Prior verses can be taken to mean that the demons are active for five months, or even that the effects of their stings last that long for anyone who is stung (Revelation 9:5)!

Verse 11. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

Demons, as fallen angels, are presumed to have ranks in the same way as loyal angels. Satan, sometimes referred to as Lucifer, once held a position near God’s throne. But he tried to usurp God’s throne and consequently lost his privileged position. Since his rebellion, he has been called “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). In Revelation 9:11 we learn about another high-ranking fallen angel. He is called Abaddon in Hebrew, literally meaning “destruction” and Apollyon in Greek, literally meaning “one who destroys.” Both names can be summarized as meaning destroyer. He is “the angel of the bottomless pit” and is king of the demonic locusts. Perhaps his human counterpart is the king of the North who leads the invasion into Israel in the middle of the tribulation and leaves a trail of destruction in his path (Daniel 8:23–25).

Satan and Abaddon and all their demons are on a mission to destroy humanity. How different they are from our Lord who came into the world to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10)!

Verse 12. The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

The final verse of chapter 8 warned that there were three trumpet judgments yet to come, worse even than the first four (Revelation 8:13). Chapter 9, so far, has focused entirely on the fifth trumpet judgment, which is the “first woe” of those three. Two more—the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments—lie ahead.

The word “woe” indicates severe suffering and distress. The tribulation is a seven-year period of severe end-times suffering and distress. The second half of this era, called the great tribulation, increases the severity of God’s judgment on unbelievers as He pours out His wrath upon them. In His Olivet Discourse Jesus advised righteous Jews to flee to the mountains when an idolatrous image stands in the holy place. He remarked, “Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:20–21). Believers today should be extremely grateful that God has saved us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

Verse 13. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,

According to this verse, the sixth angel blows his trumpet, and the apostle John hears a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God. As described in Exodus, the altar in the temple had four curved projections on the corners (Exodus 27:2). The sixth trumpet judgment involves this voice speaking, giving orders to angels who unleash a massive army, causing the death of one third of earth’s remaining population.

Contrary to the opinion of some doubters, God is not a disinterested Creator who winds up the world like a watch and then retreats to let it run down on its own. He is very much involved in what happens on earth. This verse shows He is involved in what takes place under each trumpet judgment. When the sixth angel blows his trumpet, heaven responds. Although an invasion from the northeast is about to begin, God is behind the scenes. He uses the invasion to chastise apostate Israel. It should encourage believers to know God understands and is in control of what happens on earth. He sees even the sparrow’s fall and has numbered the hairs of our head (Matthew 10:29–30). Nothing can separate a believer from God’s love (Romans 8:35–39).

Context Summary
Revelation 9:13–21 provides further insight into the assault by the northern invader. Earlier in chapter 9 we read about a horde of demonic locusts ascending from the bottomless pit. Now we read about two hundred million heavily armed cavalrymen, whose horses have heads like those of lions and tails like those of snakes. Four angels residing at the Euphrates allow the demonic army to advance across the river. The swarm of locusts described earlier may control or even possess these two hundred million cavalrymen. What follows is the annihilation of one third of humanity. However, the rest of humanity refuse to repent of their evil deeds, idolatry, murders, sorceries, or sexual immorality. Joel 2 and Ezekiel 38 also prophesy this northern army’s invasion of Israel. Revelation 10 will provide another interlude between the judgments.

Verse 14. saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

These are the words of a voice John hears coming from the four horns of the golden altar (Revelation 9:13), the temple object described in Exodus 27:2. This voice commands the sixth angel with the trumpet to free the four angels who are held captive at the Euphrates river, the ancient boundary between Assyria and Israel. Once again, Revelation reminds us that God is ultimately in control of these events, allowing or announcing each one. At no point in the end times is evil allowed to run entirely out of control.

We know that these are demonic beings because they are described as “bound.” Demons are fallen angels, many of whom are bound in “chains of gloomy darkness” (2 Peter 2:4). God’s good angels are not bound but are free, as are some of Satan’s angels / demons. Ephesians 6:12 tells us “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

The region of the Euphrates, where these four angels are bound, has a notorious relationship to human sin. The first murder was committed, presumably, not far from the garden of Eden, in the Euphrates region (Genesis 4:8). The first war confederacy took place in that region (Genesis 14). Nimrod began his kingdom there (Genesis 10:8–12). Babylonian idolatry sprang up in the region and will be judged there (Zechariah 5; Revelation 18).

Verse 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.

Prior verses indicated these beings were “bound,” meaning they are fallen angels, or demons. This verse reports that the four angels had been prepared precisely for the time of their release. The words, “the hour, the day, the month, and the year” are not intended to be added together into some exact amount of time. Rather, this expression means God had prepared them for this precise instant of their release—for this exact moment in history.

The purpose of these demons’ release was to kill one third of mankind. Daniel 12:1 predicts this terrible time. It states: “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.” Also, this level of catastrophe was part of what Jesus predicted, calling it a great tribulation. Matthew 24:21–22 records His words: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

Jesus’ words are not entirely symbolic. The fourth seal judgment (Revelation 6:7–8) released the “pale” horseman who caused the death of one fourth of earth’s people. This sixth trumpet judgment slays one third of those who survive, meaning the apocalypse has already killed half of the pre-tribulation population. Death on that scale, in only a few years, would eventually lead to human extinction, if not held in check by God.

Verse 16. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.

This passage has been describing four imprisoned angels—demons—released to kill one third of the remaining human population. Here, however, John suddenly refers to a numbered army. Some speculate that the horde of demonic locusts, released earlier in the chapter (Revelation 9:3) might be involved in controlling or guiding this army along with the four released angels.

This verse gives the number of the invading cavalrymen as “twice ten thousand times ten thousand,” which is a staggering two hundred million! John makes a point of saying that he heard this figure. Rather than giving a generic figure, or some number he might have been able to count, John relays what he was told about the size of this army. That implies the count is meant to be taken literally.

Isaiah 8:7–8 depicts this invasion as the work of the king of Assyria. The future leader of the invasion is referred to in Ezekiel 38:1–3, using the infamous phrase “Gog and Magog,” or “Gog, of the land of Magog.” Ezekiel describes the army commanded by “the chief prince of Meshech” as “horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords” (Ezekiel 38:4). The northern invader will seek Israel’s resources (Ezekiel 38:10–13). Like a flood, this army will sweep over Israel and reach Jerusalem’s neck (Isaiah 8:8).

In John’s era, it would have been unthinkable to imagine an army so enormous—according to some historians, the entire world population was less than two hundred million in AD 95. In the modern era, of course, there are nations such as India and China with total populations five times that size. As a result, many equate this army of two hundred million horsemen with an army from the Orient, described in Revelation 16. However, that attack occurs when the sixth bowl is poured out. It seems the judgments follow a roughly chronological order: first the seal judgments, then the trumpet judgments, and finally the bowl judgments.

Verse 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.

This passage continues to describe a military whose number John heard given specifically: two hundred million. These are part of an attack levied by four angels formerly imprisoned and prepared for this very moment in history (Revelation 9:13–15).

In this verse John describes the cavalrymen as wearing breastplates the color of fire, sapphire, and sulfur, roughly the equivalent of red, dark blue, and yellow. The heads of the horses resemble the heads of lions. This description compares with the description of the demonic creatures released earlier from the Abyss: “like horses prepared for battle…their teeth like lions’ teeth” (Revelation 9:7–8).

The Bible often depicts horses in connection with war. Job 39:19–25 depicts the horse as mighty and brave enough to rush into battle. Verse 23 says, “Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin.”

Revelation 9:17 says fire, smoke, and sulfur proceed from the invading horses’ mouths. As with the creatures of verses 7–9, some Bible teachers see in this description an allusion to modern warfare. One can imagine how a resident of the ancient middle east might try to describe a vision of a modern theatre of war. The smoke and fire of cannons, tanks, helicopters, aircraft, rifles, and helmeted soldiers would evoke dramatic imagery from such a person. If this is true, then the army John sees is very literal. Whether such interpretations are correct, it is certain that the invading army is a powerful and deadly strike force.

Verse 18. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

Prior verses depicted an army numbering two hundred million, unleashed along with four specially-prepared angels (Revelation 9:13–17). Some see John’s description, including references to fire and sulfur coming from their “mouths” as an attempt to describe modern warfare coming from a man who’d never seen anything more advanced than catapults and giant crossbows. Others prefer to interpret this as a more supernatural or literally demonic force. John reports in this verse that the fire, smoke, and sulfur from the horses’ mouths kills one third of mankind. Combined with the earlier death of one fourth of humanity (Revelation 6:7–8), the tribulation has so far halved earth’s population.

The idea that literal smoke and fire could be used as weapons by an army is not farfetched. Smoke inhalation and fire can kill, and so can the fumes of burning sulfur. This result is reminiscent of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord rained on them sulfur and fire (Genesis 19:24). All the residents of those cities were destroyed except Lot, his wife, and their two daughters (Genesis 19:25; 2 Peter 2:7). Second Peter 2:6 reports that “by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.” A similar fate awaits unbelievers in the tribulation, when fire, smoke, and sulfur issues forth from the invading army’s horses’ mouths.

Some interpreters suggest that the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments will have no impact on those who come to faith in Christ after the rapture. The locust-like army from earlier in this chapter was explicitly told to target only unbelievers. However, there is no specific mention that the four angels (Revelation 9:14) or the massive army (Revelation 9:15–16) are given any such restriction. Those who think God will spare believer from these events point to the protection of God’s people in the land of Goshen when God unleashed the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 9:22–26; 11:4–7).

Verse 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.

John has described the two-hundred-million-strong army using the imagery of horses. This verse tells us the horses’ power resides in their mouths and in their tails. The locusts in John’s earlier vision, as well as these invading “horses” are said to be able to use their tails as deadly instruments. For this reason, some interpreters believe the locust-like creatures released from the Abyss (Revelation 9:2–3) will have taken on the appearance of horses to participate in this next trumpet judgment.

Prior verses indicated that a third of the people remaining on earth would be killed in this attack. In horrific situations such as that, mass casualties become mass corpses that pile up like firewood. We can only imagine the panic, terror, and devastation of such an event.

Many unbelievers today trust in their own security on the basis of false gods, such as material goods and money, or in medical science. One of the purposes of the tribulation is to prove, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that nothing can prevent the wrath of God on sin. Only personal faith in the Savior will exempt anyone from eternal suffering in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11–15).

Verse 20. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

A running theme of the Bible is humanity’s stubbornness. The events of Revelation, in large part, are meant to demonstrate that God’s wrath and judgment on man is well-deserved; even when confronted with the most terrible consequences imaginable, humanity at large refuses to submit or to repent. According to this verse, unbelievers who are not killed by the events described in this chapter still refuse to repent. They show no remorse or indication of a change of mind and heart. They continue to practice idolatry by worshiping demons and manmade idols of gold and silver and bronze and wood.

Whether in the literal sense of bowing to statues, or the symbolic sense of emphasizing wealth and pleasure above God, idolatry is among the most dangerous and most often condemned sins in Scripture. It is no wonder Paul warned the Corinthians about idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:19–21), and the apostle John commanded, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

John’s description here notes that these idols cannot see or hear or walk. They are lifeless. Daniel charged King Belshazzar of Babylon with the sin of idol worship. He told him: “You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know” (Daniel 5:23). He also told Belshazzar the price of his idolatry: his kingdom would come to a sudden end, given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:26–28).

Verse 21. nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

This verse informs us that unbelievers who are not killed by the plagues of this chapter refuse to repent of their evil deeds. This follows a pattern clearly established in the Bible: human beings, in general, are stubbornly disobedient and sinful. Even when facing consequences, the natural human response is to cling to sin and selfishness.

In the tribulation, crimes such as murder will rise to unprecedented figures. As Jesus predicted, “lawlessness will be increased” in the tribulation (Matthew 24:12).

The unrepentant also refused to abandon their “sorceries.” This is an interesting term, and one easily misunderstood in the modern world. For those raised in modern western culture, the term “sorcerer” evokes the idea of a magic-user or a spell-caster. There is a sense in which that kind of magic—or attempts at it—are part of man’s rebellion against God. When Paul preached at Ephesus, converts to the gospel burned their books of magic arts worth fifty thousand pieces of silver (Acts 19:19). However, the Greek root word translated here as “sorceries” is pharmakeia. We get the modern English words “pharmacy” and “pharmaceuticals” from this term. As such, this is a reference to drugs, poisons, potions, and other illicit substances. Ancient “sorcerers” were those who controlled the minds or actions of others, often by use of such chemicals. It’s reasonable to think drug use, abuse, and trafficking will reach huge proportions in the tribulation.

Sexual immorality will also abound in the tribulation. Despite all signs that God is judging humanity for their sin, those who indulge their sexual passions in illicit ways refuse to abandon their vile habits. Nor will they stop stealing and robbing. The unwillingness of these offenders to repent illustrates the desperate wickedness of the human heart (Jeremiah 17:9). It speaks to the justice of God’s wrath on earth.

End of Chapter 9.

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