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Revelation 9

Revelation book home•Chapter 9 of 22•21 verses

Chapter overviewAt a glance + deeper study

REVIEWED OVERVIEW

Revelation 9 Overview

The fifth trumpet releases a plague of tormenting locust-like beings from the bottomless pit under a king named Abaddon/Apollyon. The sixth trumpet releases four bound angels at the Euphrates and an immense mounted force that kills a third of humanity. Yet the survivors still refuse to repent of idolatry, murder, sorcery, fornication, and theft.

RevelationBook

9Chapter

21Verses

ProphecyDivision

Before you read Revelation 9

Coming from

The seventh seal opens with silence in heaven, followed by seven angels receiving trumpets. The prayers of the saints rise before God, then the first four trumpets strike earth, sea, rivers, and heavenly lights. A flying angel/eagle announces three remaining woes for the inhabitants of the earth.

In this chapter

Leads into

A mighty angel descends with a little book open, plants one foot on sea and one on earth, and cries like a lion. Seven thunders speak, but John is forbidden to write their words. The angel swears there will be delay no longer when the seventh trumpet sounds. John eats the little book; it is sweet in his mouth but bitter in his belly, and he is told he must prophesy again.

Key understandingExplore deeper

The locusts are unlike ordinary locusts and are described with supernatural features; forcing them into modern military hardware is speculative.

The chapter emphasizes hardened refusal to repent even after unmistakable judgment.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Demonic powers remain under divine limits

The locusts receive boundaries on whom and how long they may hurt.

Judgment does not automatically produce repentance

Survivors can harden themselves even under catastrophe.

Idolatry is spiritually empty

People worship objects unable to see, hear, or walk.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Joel 1–2

Locust imagery and the day of the LORD form important prophetic background.

Luke 8:31

Demons recognize the abyss as a place of confinement.

Psalm 115:4–8

Idols are described as unable to see, hear, or walk.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not identify the locusts with helicopters or modern weapons as though Scripture says so

Their description is apocalyptic and supernatural.

Do not make the Euphrates reference into automatic proof of one present nation

The text names the river and bound angels, not a modern state.

Do not miss the moral conclusion

The chapter ends by naming idolatry, murder, sorcery, fornication, and theft as sins survivors still refuse to repent of.

Read Revelation 9 watching for…

The bottomless pit.

The locusts’ limits and appearance.

Abaddon/Apollyon.

The four Euphrates angels.

The vast cavalry.

The sins survivors refuse to abandon.

Chapter outline4 sections

1-6The fifth trumpet opens the bottomless pit and locust-like tormentors are released for five months 7-12The terrifying locust army is described, and the first woe passes 13-19The sixth trumpet releases four angels and a vast mounted army that kills a third of mankind 20-21Those not killed by the plagues still refuse to repent of idolatry, murder, sorcery, fornication, and theft

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

And 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 which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Revelation 9:12

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