“The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. Then locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth… The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the gold altar that is before God, I heard a voice say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year, were released to kill a third of the human race. The number of mounted troops was 200 million; I heard their number… The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:1–3, 13–16, 20–21 HCSB)
Note: Once again, I have shortened the passage above by leaving out some of the description from each trumpet judgment. I’ve only done this for brevity and would encourage you to click the link above and read the entire chapter.
If you’ve been following along in this study of Revelation, by now you’ve surely realized that my desire is not to use these verses to identify any current events. My sole desire is to see, hear, and understand what John was trying to convey to the original recipients of his visionary letter. If we can understand what he wanted them to glean from these words, then we can also glean insight, understanding, and strength to face similar challenges in our lives. My desire and prayer for you is that you will approach these studies with a prayerful attitude that seeks God’s truth and His will for your life as you face daily challenges to your faith.
As I mentioned last week, the first four trumpets closely mirrored the first four seals, and these final three trumpets also mirror the final three seals. Some see the seals, trumpets, and bowls as distinct and different judgments, but I believe they are the same judgments, just seen from different perspectives. If they truly are distinct, then they are very, very similar in their focus and desired outcome. My goal in this study is not to step through each detail of these events but to point out what I believe are the key elements and how those might have impacted John’s audience—and how they should impact us.
The fifth angel blows his trumpet, and John sees a star “that had fallen” from heaven to earth. This star is personified throughout the vision, and we see him identified at the end of this passage with the name Destroyer. Notice, John didn’t actually see the star fall, but he saw a star that had fallen—past tense. This indicates that the “star” had fallen sometime in the past but that its condition of being “fallen” had continued and was ongoing. Most scholars see the personified star as Lucifer or Satan, the fallen angel who was cast out of heaven in the distant past because evil was found in his heart (see Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28; Luke 10:18).
The fallen star is given the key to the abyss, and he opens it, releasing a massive plume of smoke that rises up and darkens the sun, turning the sky a dark gray. From out of the smoke plume, a massive horde of locusts begins to spread out across the earth. Massive locust swarms are well known to the recipients of John’s visionary letter. As they move across the landscape, they consume every living plant in their path. But this horde is different; they are told not to harm the grass, green plants, or any trees. However, this horde of locusts is given the ability to torment humans in a way that causes men to desire death but be unable to find it. They are only permitted to harm, but never kill, those who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads.
Next, John gives us a fearsome description of this locust horde. They’re like horses equipped for battle, with gold crowns, faces like men, hair like women, and teeth like a lion. Their chests are like iron breastplates, and their tails have stingers like a scorpion. The sound of their wings is like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle, but they’re only given the power to harm people for five months. Their king is the angel of the abyss, and his name is Abaddon (in Hebrew) or Apollyon (in Greek). Both names translate to Destroyer.
We get so wrapped up in this description that I think we miss or overlook the key elements. So pay attention to these things. First, the fallen star has no power that wasn’t given by God, including the key to unlock and open the abyss that holds the elements of this fifth trumpet—the plague of locusts. Second, the locust horde does not behave naturally and destroy the crops, grass, and trees but is specifically denied that ability and only allowed to harm those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Third, the locust horde has only the power to torment and is not permitted to kill. The torment is severe enough to cause the tormented to wish they were dead, but death is denied them. Lastly, the torment is limited to five months. If you’re enduring the torment, five months will seem like a lifetime, but it is limited and restricted to a specific time frame by the power and will of God.
The sixth angel blows his trumpet, and a voice that comes from the four horns of the gold altar says: “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” The voice comes from the four horns of the altar and would seem to be the voice of God. Some think that these four angels are “evil” because they are “bound,” and that word is reserved in Scripture for use with evil beings. While that is certainly possible and likely, it is important to note that their bonds are only released at the command of God. In addition, notice that these angels were prepared for that specific moment (hour, day, month, and year). That tells me that not only is this completely under God’s authority, it is also according to His divine plan and was planned for this specific moment in time. This did not just “happen” and is certainly not a surprise to Him. Everything we’re seeing in John’s vision is under God’s sovereign control and fully within His plan.
I started to move on, but I think we need to stop a moment and consider the implications of these verses. Absolutely nothing that is happening to the believers in these churches of Asia Minor is outside of God’s control or His divine will. What’s true for them is also true for us. God is at work even in the midst of our broken and sinful world to redeem us and accomplish His purposes. God doesn’t will our sinful choices, but He knows our choices before we make them. Herschel Hobbs has wisely said, “Foreknowledge of an event is not the cause of an event.” If you truly desire God’s will in your life, then He is at work bringing it to pass, in spite of your sin and failings. His Spirit is working—guiding, leading, and correcting His children all along that path. He will bring to completion what He has started in each of you. That’s His promise, and He keeps His promises. I can’t fully explain it, but I fully trust Him in it.
Now that the sixth trumpet has sounded and God has commanded that the four bound angels be released, we see that moment—His planned judgment—begin to unfold. Never too early, never too late, and never beyond His sovereign control. Why is that so important? Listen closely: “So the four angels who were prepared for that moment were released to kill a third of the human race. The number of mounted troops was 200 million; I heard their number. This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur…”
Don’t get lost in the weeds of this description and miss what’s important in those words. When an event like this begins to unfold, it can overwhelm us and evoke a fearful response. But God’s people shouldn’t be overwhelmed with fear of God’s judgment; we are given power, love, and sound judgment and are held by His righteous right hand (see 2 Tim. 1:7; Isaiah 41:10; Ps. 23:4; John 14:27; and Rom. 8:15–39). None of the people, beings, or powers that we find in Revelation are acting outside of God’s sovereignty.
Finally, we get to what I believe is the central theme of this section and trumpets one through six: “The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.”
I’m sure there are many people I know who might read those words and react to them with outrage and contempt. They might react like this: “What kind of god would treat people like that?” “I thought the Christian God was supposed to be a God of love?” “I could never love and serve a god like that!”
Maybe you’ve had some of those same thoughts. I’ve pointed out in several places throughout this study that God is sovereign. But we often struggle with that truth. Slow down—read that again. Yes, even those of us who are Christians struggle with God’s sovereignty. At the heart of sin is our personal rebellion toward and rejection of God’s sovereignty. The very reason God is judging mankind in Revelation is because of man’s rejection of God’s right to rule as sovereign Lord over His own creation.
When we reject God’s Word as truth and sneer at His precepts and commandments, then we’ve built an idol to worship. Most often, that idol is made in our own likeness. In other words, the god we most often worship and serve is ourselves. We may not build our idols out of gold, silver, stone, or wood, but we often worship them in our mirrors, obey their demands, and seek their will in our lives and actions. The god we love the most is the one whose will we desire the most. I think most Americans would be shocked to realize we are as bad as any other culture when it comes to blatant idolatry.
Ok, enough about everyone else. Let’s talk about you and me. When you face issues and challenges in your life today, whose will do you want to reign in your life? What are you going to do when God’s will and your will don’t coincide? Better yet, what are you going to do when your will and God’s will are in conflict and going in different directions? Are you even willing to see that what you often want is not in agreement with what God wants in your life? And if you are willing to see it, are you willing to yield your will and your desires to God’s will and His desires? Are you willing to see your sin for what it really is? It’s a rejection of God’s sovereignty and the first step of idolatry.
We’ve been taught in our culture to ask, “What’s best for me in this situation?” But that’s the wrong question when you’re a Christian, regardless of your culture. The question you should be asking is, “What does God want of me, and what is best for His kingdom in this situation?” I said last week, I don’t want my kids to be good people. I want them to be godly people. Godly people will seek God’s will instead of their own. Godly people look at cultural issues in ways that are distinctly different from their ungodly neighbors. We’re not focused on our own needs and concerns; we’re focused on the needs of others and God’s concerns.
What is God doing through these trumpet judgments? Calling people to repentance: “they did not repent of the works of their hands.” Stop! Listen! Did you hear that? Was that a trumpet blast? How will you respond?
Leave a Reply