This document discusses three questions to ask when studying a chapter from the Bible: 1) What does the chapter say? 2) What does it mean specifically to me? 3) What am I going to do about it? It then summarizes portions of Revelation chapters 8-9, covering the fifth and sixth trumpet judgements involving locusts from the abyss and four angels with a 200 million strong army riding strange steeds. Finally, it lists four purposes of trouble and trial in our lives according to scripture: for spiritual growth, as a result of living for Christ, because the world is cursed under an enemy, and as corrective discipline.

1. Three Easy Questions

2. Three Questions when you read the chapter you wish to study:
1. What does the chapter say?
2. What does that mean – specifically – to me?
3. What am I going to do about it?
Some add an optional memory verse as a part of the process to
help them retain what God has said to them.

4. Woe! Woe! Woe!

5. KV 20, 21 - Corrective Discipline Ignored
1-12: The First Woe - Locusts on steroids
13-19: The Second Woe - 200 Million strong
20-21: And still humankind does not turn...

6. Revelation 8 Revelation 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7. The Fifth Trumpet Judgement (First Woe)
Locusts from the Abyss (Gk: ἄβυσσος or
abussos)
• These locusts are demonic in origin. Cf.:
Proverbs 30:27 – “The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in ranks” speaking of
normal locusts
• King of these locusts is Abaddon (Heb:
“destruction” or Apollyon (Gk: “destroyer”)
• Some have postulated that these are
descriptions of modern military weaponry,
there is credence to that
• Whatever the case, they are under the
direction of a very dark commander

8. The Sixth Trumpet Judgement (Second Woe)
The Four Angels and their 200-Million-Strong
army on very strange steeds
• The woe here is actually the loosing of the
4 angels – they are to kill a third of all
mankind, most likely with the army
described here (v18)
• Did you note the 1/3 again? We’ve seen
that before – last week. What is the
significance of it? I do not know.
• The steeds of the army are particularly
strange. At first, I thought “tanks.” But
they also have a tail that has a serpent’s
head? What tank has that? I think this is
another demonic or demonically influenced
army under the command of these 4
angels.

9. What is the purpose of trouble and trial in our lives? In scripture,
there are several purposes:
1. To cause spiritual growth in our lives through suffering
2. As a result of living for Christ (The world hated Him, it will hate
us also, and He told us that Himself!)
3. Because the world is a cursed world under control of an enemy
that clearly hates us
4. As corrective discipline to bring us to the end of our
resources and turn us back to our Creator God