1
Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and to him was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.

2
He opened the shaft of the Abyss, and smoke rose from the shaft like smoke from a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft.

3
And out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth, and power was given to them like the power of scorpions of the earth.

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.

5
They were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.

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.

7
The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces,

8
and their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth;

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

10
They have tails like scorpions, with stingers, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months.

11
They have as king over them the angel of the Abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

12
The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to come.

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

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

15
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.

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

17
And this is how I saw the horses in the vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and sapphire and sulfur; the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire and smoke and sulfur.

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

19
For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, with heads, and by means of them they inflict harm.

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

21
and they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

📖 Revelation 9 – Locusts from the Abyss & the Destroying Army

🔔 Quick Summary

After the four trumpets in Revelation 8 struck the universe, the next two trumpets now bring spiritual terror and massive destruction. These are the first and second “woes” of the three woes announced earlier (Revelation 8:13).

✨ Content Details

1. 🎺 The Fifth Trumpet – Locusts from the Abyss (vv. 1–12)

🔥 The Abyss Is Opened (vv. 1–2)

“A star fell from heaven… the key to the Abyss was given to him.”

• “Star” often signifies a spiritual being, possibly a fallen angel.
• Abyss = Abaddon / a place of demonic torment.
• When it is opened, dark smoke comes out, covering the light – a symbol of spiritual darkness.

🪰 The Locusts Attack (vv. 3–10)

“Locusts… were given power like scorpions… to torment for 5 months.”

• These locusts are not ordinary locusts – they do not eat plants, but torment people.
• They attack only those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (compare Revelation 7:3).
• The torment lasts 5 months; they do not kill, but torment.
• A terrifying picture: like war horses, faces like humans, hair like women’s hair, teeth like lions’ teeth – symbols of terror and total chaos.

👑 Leader of the Locusts: Abaddon / Apollyon (v. 11)

“Their king… the angel of the Abyss, named Abaddon (Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek).”

• Both names mean “destroyer” – the leader of the demonic army.

🚨 The First Woe Is Over (v. 12)

“The first woe has passed… two more woes are coming.”

2. 🎺 The Sixth Trumpet – The Destroying Army from the East (vv. 13–21)

🧨 Four Evil Angels Are Released (vv. 13–15)

“The four angels bound at the Euphrates River were released…”

• These angels had been prepared for a specific hour, day, month, and year – showing God’s judgment is perfectly timed.
• They lead an army that will kill a third of mankind.

🐎 A Terrifying Cavalry (vv. 16–19)

“The number of troops: 200 million… their horses spew fire, smoke, and sulfur from their mouths…”

• This army is most likely symbolic (because of the number and the fantastic imagery).
• They kill with fire, smoke, and sulfur – a picture of judgment like Sodom and Gomorrah.
• They also have tails like serpents – destructive power from behind as well.

💔 An Unrepentant Heart (vv. 20–21)

“The people who were not killed… still did not repent… they kept worshiping idols and practicing sorcery, sexual immorality, murder, and theft.”

• Even after seeing the horror, people still remained hard-hearted.
• This shows how deep human stubbornness and evil can be.

💡 Meaning and Reflection

1. God allows spiritual judgment as a warning – yet He still gives time to repent.
2. This judgment shows that the devil can only act as far as the Lord permits.
3. Terror does not always lead to repentance – only a heart softened by the Holy Spirit can truly change.
4. The prayers of believers and their faithfulness (the seal on the forehead) are protection in difficult times.
5. We must be alert to the hardness of our own hearts – do not wait until it is too late to repent.