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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Revelation 9:1 - 9:6
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev_9:1-6
1Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 2He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. 3Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green tree, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a Man_1:6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.
Rev_9:1 "and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth" There have been several theories as to the identity of this personified star who is called an angel.
1. because the verb is perfect tense, it could refer to Satan having fallen in the past and continues to be fallen from heaven (cf. Isa_14:12; Eze_28:16; Luk_10:18; Rev_12:9)
2. because of the context it could be just another servant angel involved in God's judgment (cf. Rev_20:1)
Angels as falling stars are often found in the intertestamental Jewish apocalyptic literature.
▣ "the key of the bottomless pit was given to him" A "key" is mentioned in Rev_1:18; Rev_20:1. It symbolizes authority. God exercises authority over the demonic hordes of judgment.
The abyss is a Greek term that meant "depth" negated by an alpha privative.
1. It is used in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT) in Gen_1:2; Gen_7:11; Psa_42:7; Psa_107:26 for the depths of the waters of creation.
2. In Psa_71:20 it refers to the holding place of the dead.
3. This is also true of I Enoch 18:12-16; 21:7-10; 108:3-6, where it is both a temporary and final prison of fallen angels.
4. It seems to be synonymous with the term "tartarus" (cf. 2Pe_2:4 and I Enoch 21:7), a place where evil angels are held in prison (cf. Luk_8:31; Jud_1:6; Rev_11:7; Rev_17:8; Rev_20:1-3; and I Enoch 10:4; 86:1; 88:1; Jubilees 5:6-11).
5. Paul used this term (abyss) in Rom_10:7 for the place of the dead (cf. Isa_24:21-22).
6. Later the rabbis said it was the name of the unrighteous part of Sheol/Hades (see Special Topic at Rev_1:18).
▣ "was given" There is a series of passive verbs in both chapters 8 and 9, which emphasizes God's control of both history and the demonic (cf. Rev_8:3; Rev_8:7-8; Rev_8:11-12; Rev_9:1; Rev_9:3-5). Often Jewish writers used passive voice as a circumlocution for deity's actions.
Rev_9:2 "smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace" This terminology is used in several senses in the OT:
1.it accompanied the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Gen_19:28)
2. it accompanied the judgment of God on the nations (cf. Isa_34:10)
3. it accompanied the presence of God on Mt. Sinai (cf. Exo_19:18)
Rev_9:3 "locusts" These are often used as symbols of God's wrath (cf. Exo_10:12-15; Joe_1:4; Joe_2:1 ff) because they symbolized an invading army (cf. Rev_9:7; Joe_2:4-5; Joe_2:7-9).
Rev_9:4 "They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree" These demonic forces are limited in their punishment. They must not destroy any plant life and they can only torment, but not kill, the unbelievers (cf. Rev_9:5; Rev_7:4); the believers are protected by God (as they were in the Egyptian plagues).
▣ "the seal of God on their foreheads" See full note at Rev_7:2. It is an allusion from Eze_9:4.
Rev_9:5 "five months" Some interpret this time span as the life expectancy of a locust. However, it is possibly one-half the number ten, which would be another metaphor for a limited judgment (cf. Rev_6:6; Rev_6:8; Rev_8:7-12).
▣ "the torment of a scorpion" The sting of a scorpion is another OT metaphor (cf. 2Ch_10:11; 2Ch_10:14).
Rev_9:6 This is a direct parallel to Rev_6:15-16, which may be additional evidence for the recapitulation theory among the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls. This may be an allusion to the judgment of the faithless idolatrous Jews of Jerusalem in Jer_8:2-3.