Revelation 9

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

8

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

9

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.

10

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

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.

12

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

13

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

14

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

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.

16

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

17

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.

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.

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.

20

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:

21

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

previous|next

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to: Revelation
Book: Revelation
Chapter: 9

Overview:
The fifth trumpet is followed By a representation of another
Star as falling from Heaven and opening the bottomless Pit, out
of which come swarms of locusts. (1-12) The sixth trumpet is
followed By the loosing of four angels bound in the great River
Euphrates. (13-21)

1-12 Upon sounding the fifth trumpet, a Star fell from Heaven
to the Earth. Having ceased to be a Minister of Christ, he who
is represented By this Star becomes the Minister of the Devil;
and lets loose the powers of Hell against the churches of
Christ. On the opening of the bottomless Pit, there arose a
great smoke. The Devil carries On his designs By blinding the
eyes of men, By putting out Light and knowledge, and promoting
ignorance and error. Out of this smoke there came a swarm of
locusts, emblems of the Devil's agents, who promote
superstition, Idolatry, error, and cruelty. The trees and the
Grass, the true believers, whether young or more advanced,
should be untouched. But a secret Poison and infection in the
soul, should rob many others of purity, and afterwards of peace.
The locusts had No power to hurt those who had the Seal of God.
God's all-powerful, distinguishing Grace will keep his people
from total and final apostasy. The power is limited to a short
season; but it would be very sharp. In such events the Faithful
share the common calamity, but from the pestilence of error they
might and would be safe. We collect from Scripture, that such
errors were to try and prove the Christians, 1Co 11:19. And
early writers plainly refer this to the first great Host of
corrupters who overspread the Christian Church.

13-21 The sixth Angel sounded, and here the power of the Turks
seems the subject. Their time is limited. They not only slew in
War, but brought a poisonous and ruinous religion. The
antichristian Generation repented not under these dreadful
judgments. From this sixth trumpet learn that God can make one
enemy of the Church a scourge and a Plague to another. The
Idolatry in the remains of the eastern Church and elsewhere, and
the sins of professed Christians, render this Prophecy and its
fulfilment more wonderful. And the attentive reader of Scripture
and history, may find his Faith and Hope strengthened By events,
which in other respects fill his Heart with anguish and his eyes
with tears, while he sees that men who escape these plagues,
repent not of their evil Works, but go On with idolatries,
wickedness, and cruelty, till wrath comes upon them to the
utmost.