REVELATION 9: TRANSGRESSORS ARE COME TO THE FULL

Overview

In the fifth and sixth trumpets, we see in highly symbolic language the rise of Islam, its warfare against the eastern Roman Empire, and its subjugation and conversion of country after country to Islam. The latter part of the sixth trumpet foretells the fall of the Ottoman Empire. In using the Bible to define our symbols, we learn that the fifth and sixth trumpets may also depict the forces of satanic darkness uniting with human agents who have given themselves into the control of Satan by a persistent rejection of God’s truth. Through yielding to satanic influences, men will be transformed into his image of rebellion, though much of the rebellion will be religious in nature. Mankind, originally created in God’s own image to honor and glorify their Creator, will become the habitation of evil spirits. Satan will see in an apostate race his masterpiece of evil, men who reflect his own image, while the sealed saints of God reflect the image of Jesus, their Master.

The trumpets in Revelation 8 depict the events that transpire before the door of mercy has shut. The last two trumpets or woes in Revelation 9 depict events that come upon the wicked in consequence of the rejection of truth. They are symbols and descriptions of coming events, written two thousand years ago, describing the work of demons and the unleashing of unrestrained human passion and the resulting destruction that follows.

The Fifth Trumpet

Revelation 9:1

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

“And I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth”

And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18)

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. … And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:3–4, 7–9. Satan is the dragon who, by deception, caused the fall of one third of the angels of heaven, and both he and his angels were cast down to the earth.)

The expression “I saw a star fall from heaven … and to him was given” represents the special work of Satan, for the star is addressed as a personal being. Satan fell to this earth long ago, to plunge the world into sin and rebellion, and into an ever-increasing abyss of chaos and confusion and sorrow.

The fifth and sixth trumpets describe the woes that Satan has wrought upon the planet, first through the Islamic invasion, and then when the door of mercy is shut. We see in these trumpets his special work over a planet that will eventually be given fully into his control, except for the small remnant who have been sealed with the Father’s name in their foreheads.

“To him was given the key”

And when I saw him [the Son of man], I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:17–18. Christ has the keys of hell and death—in other words, control or power—for He alone has power and authority to open or shut the grave.)

And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his [my servant’s] shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah 22:22. The key here represents dominion or authority.)

And I will give unto thee [the disciples] the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19. The keys of authority are granted according to God’s Word.)

The key, as we have noted in the texts above, is a symbol of control or the power to open and close. All true power and authority is vested in Christ and in His Word. Here, by God’s allowance during the fifth trumpet judgment, the special activity of Satan is manifested. He is allowed to exercise a degree of control or power over the inhabitants of the earth. In the past he utilized Islam as a means to that end. In an end-time setting this event speaks of the time when he is given control over the unrepentant inhabitants of the entire world.

“The bottomless pit”

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 hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:11; see also 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 14:30. Satan is the god and prince of this world, and the destroying angel of the bottomless pit.)

And when they [my two witnesses] shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Revelation 17:8)

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1–2. Satan is bound in the bottomless pit by a chain of circumstances.)

The term “bottomless pit” represents the earth in a state of confusion and darkness. The expression is used in Revelation when Satan and his agents are especially at work to create trouble and chaos, and describes the results of his work. Satan is the master of this bottomless pit and he causes the world to be an abyss of confusion in his warfare against God and His truth.

Satan, the star fallen from heaven, is now given total control, or the keys of this earth—the pit. In a limited degree this was the case as he utilized the Islamic invasion. For out of the abyss or bottomless pit of the Arabian deserts arose the followers of Mohammed, who were to convert and conquer by the sword the nations of the Middle East and beyond.

Satan’s control over the bottomless pit of this world of sin and chaos will be entire, when this unrepentant world has finally sinned away the day of grace and the door of mercy shuts. The restraint that has been upon Satan and wicked men will be removed. Satan will then have total control of the human race. The four angels of Revelation 7 will have ceased holding the fierce passions of man in check. Satan the destroyer will plunge the inhabitants of this world into one great time of trouble and torment.

Revelation 9:2

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.

“There arose smoke out of the pit”

And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. (Hosea 13:2–3. People who sin more and more, making idols of their own understanding, shall be like smoke out of a chimney that is blown by the wind and eventually disappears.)

For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. (Isaiah 9:18–19)

As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who employ and send him. (Proverbs 10:26 AMP)

 “Sun and the air darkened”

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2. Christ is the Sun of righteousness.)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:1, 4–5, 9)

Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. (Micah 3:6. The sun goes down on the false teachers and prophets, meaning they are left in darkness and God does not speak through them.)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. (John 20:22)

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (Acts 2:2. The Holy Spirit came as a wind or a breath of air.)

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8. The Holy Spirit that brings conversion is like the wind; i.e., a current of air, breath, breeze, spirit, etc.)

The Effect of the Darkness

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. (Ephesians 4:18. Men’s spiritual understanding is darkened through separation from God.)

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4. Satan has blinded the eyes of men, which means he has obscured their comprehension of spiritual things.)

But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:23. As men ignore or reject Christ and the truth of His gospel and the convicting work of the Spirit of truth, the eyes of their understanding, and the whole body, meaning their works and life and actions, become full of darkness.)

The Historical Fulfillment

The star, the holder of the key, the one who opens the bottomless pit, is addressed as “he” throughout these texts, indicating a personal being, which is Satan and the forces of evil he uses. The fallen star (or false prophet and teacher) Satan used was Mohammed and the religion of Islam. The false teachings thus promulgated caused the truth of God and the gospel of salvation to become obscured or darkened by the smoke of falsehood and error, leaving men still in their sins. This smoke has darkened the hearts of men over vast populations of the earth. By means of conquest and war, the religion from the bottomless pit of Arabia’s deserts was spread, a religion that seeks salvation by works and therefore leaves men in darkness and sin.

Future Application

At the end of time, when the pit of hell is opened, chaos will reign. Spiritual confusion and wickedness like smoke, will envelop the whole world in gross darkness, which the deceived will still claim as an age of great light and progress. Why is there such deception? “Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

This rejection of light and the subsequent deception that comes upon men has continued for thousands of years and will until Christ, the Sun of righteousness, and the power of His truth, and the breath or air of His Spirit are totally withdrawn. The sun and the air will be darkened by the smoke of wickedness, brought about by rebellion and spiritual blindness. There is no word from the Lord. The Spirit of God no longer strives with mankind, for the sun or light of truth has been rejected forever.

Revelation 9:3

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

Characteristics of these locusts:

• Given power as scorpions to hurt (verse 3)

• Torment men who have not the seal of God (verses 4–5)

• Look like horses; on their heads are crowns like gold, faces of men, hair like women, with teeth like lions (verses 7–8)

• Have breastplates of iron; the sound of their wings is like that of chariots going to battle (verse 9)

• Tails like scorpions that sting (verse 10)

• Have a king over them named Apollyon or destroyer (verse 11)

We can see from these characteristics that the locusts of Revelation 9 are not literal. However, like the locust plagues of the Old Testament, they are instruments of judgment because of rebellion and sin. The verses following will establish this principle of interpretation.

“Out of the smoke locusts”

Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. (Deuteronomy 28:38. The locust were brought for judgment against the disobedient.)

If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13–14. Death, pestilence, lack of rain, and locusts work together as judgments to lead men to repentance.)

For a [heathen and hostile] nation [of locusts, illustrative of a human foe] has invaded My land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jawteeth of a lioness. (Joel 1:6 AMP)

Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. (Nahum 3:17. The armies and leaders of Assyria are likened to locusts that flee away.)

“As the scorpions of the earth”

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:19–20. Christ gave His disciples power over scorpions and serpents, representing the spirits; i.e., demons.)

And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 2:6. The rebellious house refers to the people of Israel, whose threats or taunts sting like scorpions.)

For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. (2 Chronicles 10:11. King Solomon’s reign grew oppressive, with forced labor and heavy taxation to meet his many projects. Rehoboam declared his oppression would increase and be like the whip of scorpions.)
 
Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint. (Deuteronomy 8:15. Scorpions are found in the wilderness area of the deserts.)

The Historical Fulfillment

As men have separated themselves from God and have become increasingly wicked and perverse, God allows the locusts, which are a symbol of the torment brought by the fallen star, or Satan. Out of the abyss of the deserts of Arabia arose the great religion of Islam. Out of the smoke of error and sin arising from the pagan Arab polytheistic religions was to come a new religion with one god, Allah. Allah was originally one of the many gods of the desert pagans. Now Allah, the moon god of Arab paganism, was to become the god of Islam who challenged the God of creation.

This new religion of Allah was a combination of elements of Arab paganism and Jewish and Christian traditions, a religion designed to obscure the true view of the Creator God. This religion emerges from the bottomless pit. The angel or king of the bottomless pit, according to Revelation 9:11, is named “destroyer.” Thus the intent of Islam was to make obscure or smoky the light and truth of God. The religion spread from Arabia not by love and self-sacrifice, but, like locusts with a scorpion’s sting, it was to spread its wings afar in a jihad, or religious conquest. Thus it spread by means of destruction and the sting of the sword, or warfare.

The locusts here are not literal but rather are a symbol of the vast hordes of Muslim soldiers who moved through village after village, city after city, leaving devastation in their paths as they tormented their victims like scorpions. One historical account records of Mohammed’s followers, “like locusts, the Osmalis swarmed in all directions, and no village missed their notice up to the very walls of Constantinople.”1

Islam, though claiming to be a religion of peace, is, as the Bible says, a religion and movement coming from the bottomless pit, with the destroying angel as its guiding light. It afflicted the earth like the desolating locusts, with the addition of the pain and sorrow of the scorpion’s sting.

Future Application

The demonic forces of Satan like locusts are given mastery and power over the earth. Like the wicked king Rehoboam, they shall chastise wicked men with the torment of the scorpion’s sting, for the the majority or earth’s inhabitants have chosen Satan as king. At this time the demons of hell will have full control over men, as they have been released from the pit, no longer bound and limited by the restraining hand of God.

Revelation 9:4

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.

They had orders to do no harm to any grass, green thing or tree upon the earth, but to injure only those human beings who did not bear the seal of God upon their foreheads. (Revelation 9:4 Phillips)

“Should not hurt”

Saying [to the four angels holding the four winds], Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Revelation 7:3. The sealed ones are not hurt.)

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. (Revelation 6:6. The people of God, filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit and partaking largely of the wine, a symbol of Christ’s atoning blood, are not hurt.)

My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. (Daniel 6:22)

“Not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing”

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7–8. The man who trusts in the Lord shall be like a tree planted near the waters, with green leaves.)

He dawns on them like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, when the tender grass springs out of the earth through clear shining after rain. (2 Samuel 23:4.This verse describes the effect of a righteous king, the morning light, upon the people who prosper and shine as the grass after the rain.)

The Historical Fulfillment

Revelation 9:4 was fulfilled in A.D. 632, when abu-Bekr, the commander who succeeded Mohammed after his death, gathered his forces for conquest. At this time, he gave the following command:

“When you fight the battles of the Lord, acquit yourselves like men, without turning your backs; but let not your victory be stained with the blood of women or children. Destroy no palm trees, nor burn any fields of corn. Cut down no fruit trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only such as you kill to eat. When you make any covenant or article, stand to it, and be as good as your word. As you go on, you will find some religious persons who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God that way: let them alone, neither kill them nor destroy their monasteries: and you will find another sort of people, that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns; be sure you cleave their skulls, and give them no quarter till they either turn Mohammedans or pay ‘tribute.’”2

We see here that the locusts are not literal, for they do not hurt the vegetation, which is unlike a normal swarm of locusts, which eat all vegetation in their path, bringing famine and destruction. The emphasis here is on those who are not hurt, which was a class of Christians who had the seal of God, the earnest of the Spirit, which led them to keep the law of God and shun iniquity. (See 2 Timothy 2:19; 2 Corinthians 1:22.) Anciently, monasteries were Bible training schools rather than institutions where monks or nuns reside and work, as we would understand
the term today.

Future Application

The forces of Satan, when let loose with no restraint from God, are not allowed to hurt the sealed saints of God, whose experience, like the grass and all green things, is full of life and love from the Lord.

“Seal of God in their foreheads”

And he [the second beast] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. (Revelation 13:16)

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand. (Revelation 14:9)

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)

And they [the servants of God] shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4)

Revelation reveals two classes of people at the end who are either sealed or marked in the forehead: the worshippers of God and the worshippers of the beast. Each class will have a distinct mark and a distinct mind-set or spirit. One class follows the commandments and religion of men; the other follows God’s commandments and worships the true God.

These locusts, in the past and in the future, are a judgment or scourge upon those who are not following the truth and ways of the Lord. Revelation 9:4 is a promise that even in the midst of judgments coming on the ungodly and apostate, God will sustain His true children. This promise has application to long ago as well as after the door of mercy has shut. God’s sealed and obedient children shall not be hurt by the demonic forces, symbolized as locusts and scorpions afflicting the earth.

Revelation 9:5

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 striketh a man.

They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment (distress, vex) them for five months; and the pain caused them was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a person. (Revelation 9:5 AMP)

“Not kill them, but that they should be tormented”

Tormented—to vex with grievous pains (of body or mind), to torment to be harassed, distressed3

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18. In a time of judgment, being fearful of God brings torment.)

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. (Revelation 18:7–10)

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. (Revelation 14:9–10. Worshippers of the beast are tormented.)

And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. (Matthew 8:6)

When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) (Luke 8:28–29)

Throughout Scripture, those who are tormented are those who have separated themselves from God through false religion and disobedience. Because of this, Satan is allowed to afflict them with tormented consciences and demonic harassment and disease. In the historical interpretation of prophecy, Satan used the torment of war and the affliction that war brings.

Revelation 9:6

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

“Men seek death, and shall not find it”

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. (Job 3:20–26. Job is described as seeking death because of his affliction and the thought God had separated from him.)

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3–4)

The Historical Fulfillment

The five-month period brought to view in the fifth trumpet demonstrates the accuracy of the historical application to the Muslim forces. Five months are equal to 150 days, each month being thirty days according to Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:3–4. In Bible prophecy, a day is symbolic of a year. (See Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.) The five months are, therefore, 150 literal years.

According to this prophecy, the Muslim armies, swarming like locusts, would war against the eastern Roman Empire for a 150-year period, but without total conquest, for they would be given power to “torment” but not to “kill.”

Othman, the first king of the Muslims, made his initial attack against the eastern Roman Empire in a.d. 1299 on July 27. From that date, the Ottoman Turks tormented the eastern Roman Empire for 150 years, without complete victory until A.D. 1449.

Because of the constant torment of war and attacks upon the eastern Roman Empire and Constantinople, the people may have felt death was preferable to life. However, given the tenacity of the human spirit, they carried on and lived through the horrors of the Islamic invasion.

Future Application

The despair of salvation lost brings to the wicked the hopelessness of their case as they seek release from the torment of guilt and demons. However, spiritual death through surrender and repentance into the kingdom of God is no longer possible, for the door of mercy has shut. (See Romans 6:2–8.)

The expressions “tormented five months” and “men seek death, and shall not find it” may be describing certain types of slow, lingering deaths brought about by biological or nuclear warfare. Alternatively, it may be the result of the plagues that are poured out upon the worshippers of the beast. For five months, many of the inhabitants of earth shall drink this bitter cup. While suicide would be possible in the above scenario, the term “seek death and shall not find it” reveals there is no way out of this calamity; no rest or release is possible.

Revelation 9:7

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

“Locusts were like unto horses”

A fire devoureth before them [a great people and a strong]; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. (Joel 2:3–4. A destroying army of locusts is likened to horses coming in the judgment.)

The Historical Fulfillment

The use of horses figured greatly in Muslim warfare. It was so much a part of their culture that Bedouin chiefs used the tail of a horse as an ensign. Thus, it is not surprising that the Muslim cavalry in battle appeared to John as locusts in number and looked like horses. John’s expression “on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men” is his interpretation of the Muslim warriors in their brightly colored turbans.

Revelation 9:8

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

“Were as the teeth of lions”

For a [heathen and hostile] nation [of locusts, illustrative of a human foe] has invaded My land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jaw teeth of a lioness. (Joel 1:6 AMP)

A vast army of locusts (literally “a nation” margin), covers the land. It is a terrible army too numerous to count, with teeth as sharp as those of lions! (Joel 1:6 TLB)

My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. (Psalm 57:4)

And he [the Lord] will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly: none shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind: their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. (Isaiah 5:26–29. Babylon comes like a roaring lion against Israel in judgment.)

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

The Historical Fulfillment

The symbolism in Revelation 9:7–8 describes the vast hordes of Muslim soldiers who moved through village after village, city after city, like a swarm of locusts on horseback, they had long hair and had the fierceness of a lion in battle.

Revelation 9:9–10

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

The Historical Fulfillment

These locusts, like warriors, wore a soldier’s breastplate. The sound of the charging cavalry was like the sound of chariots and horses rushing to battle. The five months of torment by the tails is the same time period brought out in verse 6. The pain of the scorpions’ sting is a symbol of the pain inflicted by the Muslim warriors, whose standard or ensign was the horse’s tail.

Future Application

Revelation 9:7–10 describes demonic forces in conjunction with wicked men who torment the inhabitants of this world. No doubt war is part of this torment. The shape of modern helicopter gunships reminds us of locusts. The sound of galloping horses, to a man in the first century observing them in vision, as John did, without benefit of having seen them physically, may have been the closest comparison possible. Even the men piloting these locust-like machines of death appear insect-like in their helmets, though with the faces of men.

Many planes and gunships have gruesome faces with teeth painted on the front. With the smoke of the rockets, that would surely meet the image John was trying to describe. However, as likely as warfare at the end of time will be, Revelation is written in symbolic language. And we need to learn from the Bible as much as we can to understand the symbolism.

Using the Bible to help us understand these verses, we see a picture of great warfare under the direction of demon-controlled men, which transpires because of mankind’s rejection of the life offered by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The chaos and warfare and demonic activity of these verses come as a result of the rejection of God. He leaves men to reap what they have sown, to be ruled by the leader they have chosen, Satan, the self-described god of this world. Satan is described in the next verse as a destroyer.

Revelation 9:11

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 hath his name Apollyon.

“The angel of the bottomless pit”

This angel messenger is Satan, the one in charge of the forces issuing from the bottomless pit.

Abaddon—of Hebrew origin, a destroying angel.4 The name of the angel-prince of the infernal regions, the minister of death and the author of havoc on the earth5

Apollyon—the angel of the bottomless pit, the Destroyer6

“They had a king over them”

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31. Satan is the prince of this world.)

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4. Satan is the god of this world.)

And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. (Mark 3:22. Satan is the prince of the devils.)

The Historical Fulfillment

The locusts went forth in bands, without a king, having many caliphs among them but with no central leadership. In 1299, Othman, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, established a government that eventually spread over the majority of the Muslim world. Beginning in 1299, for 150 days (five months, or 150 prophetic years), he warred against the eastern Roman Empire and Constantinople, tormenting but not subduing it until the 150 years of prophecy ended in 1449. In this year Constantine, the last of the Greek emperors, was crowned, but only by permission of the Turks. The torment had done its work, as independence was taken away by degrees until the king of the empire submitted. By 1453 the seat of the eastern empire, Constantinople, was under the rule of the Muslim Turks, a situation that continues to this present day.

Future Application

The locusts and wicked men and demons have one leader, one king, whose name is destroyer, and who brings destruction with him. Revelation 9 is a description of the full fruits of Satan’s rulership and kingdom once the door of mercy has forever shut and the vast sea of humanity is under his control.

Revelation 9:12

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

The sixth trumpet brings to view the final demise of the eastern empire under the cruel warfare of the Ottoman Empire.

The Sixth Trumpet

Revelation 9:13

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.

The sixth angel blew his trumpet and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the golden altar that stands before the throne of God. (Revelation 9:13 TLB)

“Four horns of the golden altar”

And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil: and he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:26–27)

And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same. And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about. (Exodus 37:25–26)

“Which is before God”

And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:5)

And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation. (Leviticus 4:7)

And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Leviticus 4:18)

The golden altar that is before God refers to the altar of incense in the Old Testament sanctuary, which was directly in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Behind the veil were the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat with the golden cherubim on either side; the mercy seat represented the throne of God.

Whose voice is it that speaks from heaven? We are not told. But many times throughout Revelation John hears voices. These voices come at different times from angels, from the twenty-four elders, from the living creatures, and from Christ. This voice coming from the altar shows us that the events of the sixth trumpet—and indeed all the events of Revelation—are under the direction or allowance of heaven.

In a historical setting the voice from the altar speaks during a time when intercession still pleads for guilty man, for though the four angels are loosed (see verse 14 below), their destruction is limited and not worldwide.

Revelation 9:14

Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

“The great river Euphrates”

Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks. (Isaiah 8:7)

That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! (Isaiah 18:2)

Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers? Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof. For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. (Jeremiah 46:7–8, 10)

The Historical Fulfillment

The command goes forth from the voice from the altar that the restraints upon the Muslim invasion should be removed, represented by the four angels being loosed. Then the Muslim Turks, like a rushing river, were let loose upon the eastern Roman Empire. Now the Muslim invasion would no longer just torment, as is depicted in the fifth trumpet, but would have the power to kill and destroy.

Future Application

No longer is this golden altar the scene of intercession, as in Revelation 8. Now the voice says to loose the four angels. This is similar to Revelation 7, where four angels are told to hold the four winds of strife until God’s people are sealed, after which destruction and chaos is let loose. Notice in the next verses the prominence of fire. When these angels are loosed, destruction follows their path. Waters and rivers, while having a literal meaning, also describe men and nations and the overflowing rivers of armies, which bring judgment and destruction.

Revelation 9:15

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.

The Historical Fulfillment

Revelation 9:15 is a time prophecy, literally constituting 391 years and fifteen days. It is related to the five months or 150 years of torment discussed in Revelation 9:5. If the 150 years commenced in 1299 and ended in 1449, the starting date for the “hour, and a day, and a month, and a year” of prophetic time is 1449 and takes us to August 1840. One year is equal to 360 days according to the Jewish reckoning of time and therefore equals 360 years in Bible prophecy. One month of thirty days is thirty years. One day is one year; one hour is fifteen days. That gives us a total of 391 years and fifteen days.

Bible students in the 1800s predicted the demise of the Ottoman Empire. At this time Egypt was at war with Turkey. The powers of Western Europe intervened, limiting Egypt’s success. The ruler of Turkey voluntarily surrendered all rights into the hands of the combined forces of Western Europe, signaling the end of the Ottoman Empire.

This prophetic interpretation was first published by Josiah Litch in 1838. The fall of the Ottoman Empire came to pass on August 11, 1840, exactly 391 years and fifteen days after the fall of Constantinople, the capital of the eastern Roman Empire, on July 27, 1449.

Many of the nations with us today are the creation of the western powers after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the influence of which, like a flickering candle, was at last extinguished by the end of the first world war. Earlier in our studies of the first four trumpets, we saw that the phrase “a third part” meant affliction and judgment on a portion of the Roman Empire. From the loosening of the four angels, the last vestige of the eastern Roman Empire was to come under the control of the Muslim Ottoman Empire; thus the meaning of the phrase “to slay the third part of men.”

“Third part of men”

A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. (Ezekiel 5:12. A third part represents those under the affliction of God’s judgments for sin and disobedience.)

Future Application

Throughout the visions represented by the sounding of the trumpets, the term “a third” is used. If added up literally, it would be more than the whole. To say it another way, if all the “third parts” were literal, the human race would be completely destroyed by now. The “third part” means a significant part, though not the majority.

The sixth trumpet is a further description of the work of the destroying angels or messengers, as the four angels of Revelation 7 no longer hold back the winds of strife. At a given time in the future, at an appointed hour, day, month, and year known only to God, the door of mercy will close. Then the fallen angels of Satan will have free reign on the earth and will afflict mankind like an overflowing, relentless flood.

Revelation 9:16–17

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

And in [my] vision the horses and their riders appeared to me like this: the riders wore breastplates the color of fiery red and sapphire blue and sulphur (brimstone) yellow. The heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and from their mouth there poured fire and smoke and sulphur (brimstone.) (Revelation 9:17 AMP)

Two hundred thousand thousand—an innumerable multitude, an unlimited number innumerable host7

Mouth—by implication language; figuratively an opening (in the earth); the front or edge (of a weapon)8

The Historical Fulfillment

The idea of 200 million warriors gathering in one place is difficult to imagine, even with today’s vast populations of China or India. This term “two hundred thousand thousand” is speaking of the myriad Turkish warriors on horses, clad in their dress of red or scarlet, jacinth or blue, and yellow. While there were numerous armies in the world of that day, the European armies were largely foot soldiers; the cavalry were comparatively few compared with the rest of the army. In contrast, the Muslims made extensive use of soldiers on horseback.

Horses and horsemen are symbols of war and judgment. “The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles, from Taurus [Tarsus] to Azeroum, and the blood of 130,000 Christians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet.”9

The heads of the horses, described as lions, symbolize strength, courage, and fierceness. With firearms and gunpowder newly introduced in warfare, guns being discharged by men riding horses would appear to John, writing in the first century, as fire, smoke, and brimstone issuing out of the horses’ mouths. “The incessant volleys of lances and arrows were accompanied with the smoke, the sound, and the fire of their musketry and cannon.”10

Revelation 9:18

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.

“Fire, smoke, and brimstone”

Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. (Genesis 19:24–25.)

Upon the wicked he [the Lord] shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. (Psalm 11:6)

And I will plead against him [Gog] with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. (Ezekiel 38:22)

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. (Revelation 14:9–10)

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

The Historical Fulfillment

The third part of men killed represents a significant portion of the eastern Roman Empire. Under the sixth trumpet, the Muslim Turks were to slay or kill eastern Rome, meaning it was to be destroyed as a political power. To accomplish that end, they would have to strike at the heart of the empire, the capital, Constantinople. This great city had stood for centuries; many attempts had been made to capture it, but all in vain. It seemed as if it would last forever. However, the Turks determined to capture the city and being Muslims and fanatically opposed to Christianity, especially the apostate Christianity centered in Constantinople they eventually succeeded. They became a terrible threat to Europe as well.

Fire, smoke, and brimstone represent destruction and judgment, and the use of gunpowder in warfare. The Muslim invasion destroyed much of Christianity and left it enfeebled throughout the Middle East and Asia minor, even to modern times. Why would God allow this? Largely because Christianity had become apostate. For the sake of the remnant who were faithful, Islam did not conquer Europe. However, God often used the threat of the Muslim invasions to take the attention of the prelates and kings away from their efforts to exterminate the people of God.

Future Application

Fire and brimstone, as used in Scripture, is associated with God’s punishment. Thus it may be that the 200 million warriors represent an “innumerable multitude, an unlimited number” of forces of demons and demon-controlled men let loose upon this world, as wicked men unrestrained bring fire, smoke, and brimstone (war and death) upon a third (or significant part) of the world.

Revelation 9:19

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

“Power is in their mouth”

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (Revelation 13:2, 5–6)

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6:45)

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Revelation 16:13–14)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21)

“Tails were like unto”

For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. (Isaiah 9:13–16)

Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field; And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. (Isaiah 7:3–7. Two kings, the enemies of Judah, are represented by tails.)

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. (Revelation 12:4. The tail, representing the deceptive nature of Satan, deceived a third of the stars or angels of heaven.)

“Like unto serpents”

Serpent—snake, figurative (as a type of sly cunning) an artful malicious person, especially, Satan11

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (2 Corinthians 11:3. The subtle deceit of Satan is accomplished by bringing a false gospel, a false Holy Spirit, and a counterfeit Christ.)

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:5–6. In consequence of their sin, and as a representation of the sting of death brought by sin, the Lord allowed serpents among the people.)

The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear. (Psalm 58:3–4)

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33. Leaders who pervert and reject the truth are like vipers.)

The Historical Fulfillment

Revelation 9:18–19 depicts the deadly effect of a new mode of warfare. The Turks conquered by means of gunpowder used in firearms and cannon. The power being in the tail of the horses indicates that the horse’s tail was the symbol or emblem of authority and power. The Turks were the first to successfully use gunpowder in the prosecution of warfare, which is one reason this detail is featured in this prophetic description of the Islamic invasion.

The historian Gibbon tells us how Constantinople was taken. Gibbon describes how “the volleys of lances and arrows were accompanied with the smoke, the sound, and the fire of the musketry and cannon;” and “the long order of the Turkish artillery was pointed against the walls, fourteen batteries thundering at once on the most accessible places”. …  “The fortifications which had stood for ages against hostile violence were dismantled on all sides by the Ottoman cannon, many breaches opened, and near the gate of St. Romanus, four towers levelled with the ground”. … “From the lines, the galleys and the bridge, the Ottoman artillery thundered on all sides, the camp and city, the Greeks and the Turks, were involved in a cloud of smoke, which could only be dispelled by the final deliverance or destruction of the Roman Empire”. … The besiegers at length “rushing through the breaches,… Constantinople was irretrievably subdued, her empire subverted, and her religion trampled in the dust by the Moslem conquerors.”12

Therefore, as the prophecy declared, “by these three [fire and smoke and brimstone] was the third part of men killed.” The eastern Roman Empire was no more, and the Muslim invasion subdued the apostate Christianity of the day.

Future Application

Serpents in Scripture are used in both literal and figurative sense. Serpents are used literally as instruments of God’s wrath. When used figuratively they depict the deceit and evil of the wicked, unconverted heart. Because of Satan’s use of the serpent as a medium of deceit in the Garden of Eden, the serpent is a symbol of dishonesty, stealth, and slander, of cunning deceit and evil, and is a symbol of the devil.

In Revelation 9 we see a time of great deceit and of judgments as “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” This is a time of warfare, deception, and pain and sorrow. Even though these horses of war and the affliction and deceit of the serpents are already at work in our day, Revelation 9:20 tells us people will repent not. These verses depict what will be in the future when the door of mercy has shut.

As horses of warfare and affliction are upon the land, with the deceit and sorrow of the serpent, God seeks to awaken the sinner from his slumber. Yet we are reaching a day when although “favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord” (Isaiah 26:10).

Because of this continual rejection of God’s love and mercy, the horses, locusts, and serpents—demons and wicked men—shall be allowed to work their will and way, totally unrestrained, upon a planet in rebellion. For this reason the angel cried out, “saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” (Revelation 8:13).

Revelation 9:20–21

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

“Repented not”

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. (Revelation 16:10–11. Those who receive the fifth plague repented not but blasphemed still.)

Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. (Jeremiah 8:5–7. They repented not of their wickedness, nor even recognized it, even wondering why God should chastise them.)

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. (Revelation 2:21–22. Jezebel, the false prophet, repented not. Then judgment came.)

“Worship devils”

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21–23. Men who do all manner of things, even good things, in God’s name are not truly His followers if they commit iniquity or lawlessness, which is disobedience to His law.)

And they worshipped the dragon [symbolic of Satan] which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4. In worshipping or obeying and following the dictates and teachings of the beast, contrary to the law and Word of God, men are in essence worshipping the devil.)

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44. Those who are filled with hatred and jealousy and the spirit of murder and lies, following the lusts of their own hearts, are in reality worshipping the devil.)

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16. The way a person lives their life, whether in sin or seeking righteousness, determines whom they really obey, God or the devil. Whom we obey is whom we worship.)

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:8, 10. To worship the devil is to love and continue in sin.)

The Historical Fulfillment

Despite the great sorrow inflicted upon the eastern Roman Empire and Christendom, men repented not as God allowed an apostate Christian world (or one third of mankind) to be afflicted by the armies of false worshippers. Despite these trumpet judgments, the apostate Christianity of the Orthodox churches of the eastern Roman Empire, and the apostate Christianity of Catholicism in Europe, continued to worship the devil through various forms of idolatry, false doctrines, and a false gospel. The sorrow from warfare, religious deceit, and falsehood still plague mankind in the twenty-first century with ever-growing intensity. Yet we seem not to learn from the past or the present, and mankind still does not repent.

Future Application

The fifth and sixth trumpets are a description of the war, bloodshed, and chaos that will grip this planet after Satan takes full control, after the door of mercy has forever shut. God’s allowance of judgments, and the subsequent continuation of rebellion and sin, shows that the hearts of men have reached a place were they do not want to repent, no matter what happens. In this respect it is like the days of Noah.

In rejecting God, the people of this planet have accepted the devil as god, yet they know it not. These verses speak to us as well, from the twentieth century into the twenty-first, as the intensity of war and turmoil is mounting, just as Jesus foretold in the Olivet discourse. (See Matthew 24; Luke 21.)

Like the Muslim invasion centuries ago, the new terror gripping the planet in the twenty-first century (or at least one of the major ones) is that the apostate western Christian nations and what are described as fanatical Muslim terrorists are once again locked in battle. Current events will eventually lead mankind to accept an apostate Christian system that unites the pagan religions of the world with the political leaders of the world and introduces the mark of the beast system.

For a short time, it may appear to the deceived masses that social and religious solidarity and human development will bring some degree of peace and stability to the planet. However, this confederacy is based upon rebellion to the Word and law of God. It puts the devil in the place of Christ, and it will only end in affliction and sorrow, as depicted in the trumpets of Revelation 9.

Countdown to Armageddon:

Demonic teachings are promulgated as the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet deceive the world to turn against Christ and the truth. (See Revelation 16:13–14.)

The waters of the Euphrates are dried up as support for Babylon comes to an end. (See Revelation 16:12.)

Demon-inspired war and chaos, including possibly limited nuclear war occurs. (See Revelation 9.)

a. Babylon is burned with fire by her lovers, the nations of earth. (See Revelation   17:16.)

b. Her plagues come in one day. (See Revelation 18:8.)

The seventh trumpet sounds, and Christ prepares to come quickly to destroy those who are destroying the earth. (See Revelation 11:14–15, 18.)

The wicked turn their wrath and weapons against Christ, the King of kings, as He comes to rescue His own and put down all the forces of evil, but they are destroyed. (See Revelation 19:19–20)


Endnotes

1.  Herbert Adams Gibbons, The Foundation of the Ottoman Empire, (London: Frank Cass & Co., 1968) p. 198.

2.  Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ed. H. H. Milman, new edition (New York: Harper and Bros., 1845) vol. 5, pp. 189–190.

3.  Greek Lexicon, in The Online Bible CD-Rom, Macintosh Version 2.5.3 (Niagara Falls, NY: Cross Country Software, www.online-bible.com, 1996).

4.  James Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1987).

5.  Greek Lexicon, op. cit.

6.  Ibid.

7.  Ibid.

8.  James Strong, op. cit.

9.  Edward Gibbon, cited by Josiah Litch, Prophetic Expositions, (Boston: Joshua V. Himes, 1842) vol. 2, pp. 183–184.

10.  Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, (London Bell & Daldy 1866), vol. 7 p. 308.

11.  James Strong, op. cit.

12.  Edward Gibbon, cited by Edward B. Elliott, Horæ Apocalypticæ, second edition (London: Seeley, Burnside, and Seeley, 1846), vol. 1, pp. 478–479.
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