[Chapter 9-1] The Plague from the Bottomless Pit (Revelation 9:1-21)
(Revelation 9:1-21)
“Then
the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the
earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the
bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a
great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke
of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to
them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They
were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing,
or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their
foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to
torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a
scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and
will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from
them. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On
their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were
like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth
were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of
iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with
many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and
there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five
months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit,
whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these
things.
Then
the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the
golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the
trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river
Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and
day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now
the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard
the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who
sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur
yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and
out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three
plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the
brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their
mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having
heads; and with them they do harm. But the rest of mankind, who were not
killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands,
that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass,
stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did
not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual
immorality or their thefts.”
Exegesis
Verse 1: Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.
That God gave the angel the key to the bottomless pit means that He decided to bring a plague as terrible as hell on mankind.
The
bottomless pit is also called as the abyss, meaning a place of endless
depth. To bring suffering to the Antichrist living on the earth, his
followers, and those who stand against the righteous, God will open the
bottomless pit. The key to this bottomless pit was given to the fifth
angel. This is a terrifying plague that is as horrendous as hell itself.
Verse 2:
And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like
the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened
because of the smoke of the pit.
When
God allowed the opening of the bottomless pit, the whole world was
filled by dusts like volcanic ashes, bringing in the plague of darkness.
This plague of darkness is reserved for those who love darkness. God is
the God of light who shines on us, giving the gospel of the water and
the Spirit to everyone. To those who believe in this truth, God gave the
grace of salvation and allowed them to live in His bright light. But
those who do not accept the truth face the righteous retribution of God,
for He will bring on them the plague of darkness and His just judgment.
People
are fundamentally born as sinners, and they prefer darkness over light
in their lives. They thus deserve to receive the plague of darkness from
God for rejecting and not believing in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit given by the Lord.
Verse 3: Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
God
will send locusts to this earth and punish the sins of those who oppose
the truth of God in their instinctive thoughts. This plague of locusts
is capable of bringing a pain as excruciating as that of a scorpion’s
sting. Therefore all the sinners of this world must believe in the true
love of God. And those who do not, they must get the first-hand
experience of seeing just how big and painful the sins of their
rejection of the love of God and their stand against Him are.
God
sent the locusts to this earth and made the people pay the wages of
their sins in standing against the God of truth with their instinctive
thoughts. This price of sin is their suffering from the plague of the
locusts.
Verse 4: They
were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing,
or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their
foreheads.
When
God brings the terrible plague of locusts, He does not forget to show
His mercy for those who are sealed by Him. He also commands the locust
not to harm the nature.
Verse 5:
And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for
five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it
strikes a man.
In
Song of Solomon 8:6, God speaks of His love and wrath, saying, “For
love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames
are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.” Likewise, this plague tells
us just how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who
reject God’s love shown through His gospel of the water and the Spirit.
This plague will torment people for five months.
Verse 6: In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
The
plague of locusts will bring such great sufferings that people will
prefer to die than to live in this pain, and yet they will not be able
to die no matter how much they so desire. This plague came because
people ignored God. Thinking that the end of the life of the flesh is
the end of all, they ignored God, who reigns over both life and death.
But through this plague of locusts, God shows us that even death cannot
come but by the permission of God.
Verses 7-12:
The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their
heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the
faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like
lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and
the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses
running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were
stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they
had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in
Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. One woe is
past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
The
tails of the locusts from the bottomless pit have the power to hurt
people for five months. Although in their appearance they look like
women, these locusts are extremely fearsome and cruel beings. This shows
how big of a sin men have committed by pursuing women more than God. We
must not forget that Satan seeks to make us fall into sexual immorality
and tear us away from God by bringing such sins of the lust of the
flesh deep into our lives.
Verse 13-15:
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns
of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who
had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great
river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour
and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
God’s
judgment of sin, which He had long waited in patience for the sake of
mankind, has finally begun. Now is the time of the plague of war that
will kill a third of mankind at the Euphrates River.
Verse 16: Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
Here,
the number of the army of the horsemen is spelled out. This war refers
to a modern electronic warfare. Though a third of mankind is killed in
this war, the surviving people will still continue to worship idols,
stand against God, and refuse to repent of their sins. This shows us
just how hardened everyone’s heart will be with his/her sins in the end
times.
Verse 17:
And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had
breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the
heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their
mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
What
the Apostle John saw were the terrifyingly destructive weapons of the
21st century, such as tanks, fighter planes, and other modern-day arms.
Verse 18-19:
By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and
the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their
power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like
serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
A
huge warfare fought with modern weaponry will come at the end times.
And a third of mankind will die from the plague of the fire and the
smoke and the brimstone came out of such weaponry.
Verse 20:
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not
repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons,
and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither
see nor hear nor walk.
Despite
these plagues, those who survived the war worshipped idols even more
and continued to bow before them, for these people were set to be
destroyed.
Verse 21: And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
This
shows us that in the end times, mankind will never repent of their sins
before God. God will therefore judge these sinners, but permit a new
and blessed world to the righteous.
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