Revelation 9 describes the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets, bringing two significant judgments on the earth. The fifth trumpet releases locusts from the bottomless pit, symbolizing punishment upon those without God's seal, while the sixth trumpet unleashes a massive army destined to destroy a third of mankind as part of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem. Despite these calamities, survivors fail to repent of their evil deeds, which included idol worship and persecution of Christians.

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SECTION OUTLINE NINE (REVELATION 9)
The fifth and sixth trumpets are sounded, bringing two judgments on
the earth.
I. THE FIFTH MESSENGER/ANGEL SOUNDED/TRUMPETED,
RESULTING IN THE FIRST WOE (9:1-12)
A. The trumpet sound results in a star falling from heaven to
the earth. He is given the key to the bottomless pit;(9:1-
2):
1. What does the star represent and its fall from heaven?
Nation to be destroyed by a wicked ruler.
Is 14:4 ..against Babylon 12, Lucifer the morning star
Lk 10:18 I saw Satan fall from heaven
Hint: find two individuals said to fall from heaven. One in
the OT, one in the NT. What does it represent here?
a. The Babylonian ruler fell from his exalted position
when he began to rule wickedly. See Rom 13:1-4 for
God’s rules for rulers.
His work had become to destroy his land and kill his
people (Is 14:20)
b. Satan had ruled as ruler of disease and death. His fall
represented his defeat by Jesus overcoming death. But
he continues handing out death and disease.
c. Here, the star represents the persecuting ruler
executing punishment upon Jerusalem, also
persecutors. The Jews had used the Roman rulers to
convict Jesus and crucify Him. Now it is those rulers
who will destroy them, their city and nation.
2. What is the definition of the bottomless pit? Check
some newer versions.
Bottomless pit – the pit, the bottomless = abyss
a. Check other passages in Revelation.
Rev 9:11 a messenger comes from there
Rev 11:7 a beast comes out of there
Rev 20:3 Satan is cast down there
b. Does one of Jesus’ miracles involve this place?
Lk 8:30-31 not cast the demons into the abyss
d. What is represented by the smoke, sun and the air?
Remember the occasion this is about.

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The abyss is the home of evil, the demons. The smoke
represents the release of the coming destruction. Note
Gen 19:28. The sun and air darkened indicating the
accompanying difficulties over the lives of the Jews of
Judah and Jerusalem.
Joel 2:1-2, 19 a day of darkness and
gloominess ..blood and fire, vapor and smoke
B. The carrying out of the first woe is described (9:3-12)
1. Locusts come out of the smoke (9:3, 7-10a)
Locusts are consistently represented as punishment
Joel 1:4-6 palmerworm, locust, ..a nation come up
a. They are given power like scorpions (9:3a).
Pain from venom inflicted from strikes of their tail
Deut 8:15 in the wilderness
1 Kings 12:11 Rehoboam used them as a figure of
Speech for punishment
Ezek 2:6 locusts are represented as the wicked who
torment the good
2. They are given a command. (9:4-6)
a. Who is not to be hurt?
Those with the seal of God
Eph 1:12-13 first trusted in Christ.. trusted ..heard
the truth..the gospel..believed…ye were sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise
Mat 24:14 gospel preached in all nations, then the
end comes - see Col 1:23 to every creature
Rev 7:3 sealed in their foreheads
Rev 14:1 having His Fathers name written in their
foreheads
What represents them in the passage?
The grass, green thing or trees
See notes 0n Rev 8:7
b. Who is to be hurt.
Those who don’t have the seal of God in their
foreheads
Ezek 9:4-5 set a mark upon their foreheads
c. What is to be done to them?
They are not to be killed but tormented 5 months.

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Scorpion stings are very painful, but usually don’t
kill the person
Hint: As you study this, remember the actual
situation that this is about.
3. The locusts are described in various ways. (9:7-10)
Do some research on locusts in the middle East.
Locusts appear there generally in the 5 months of
the growing season. See April 25, 2021 article in
Jerusalem Post at https://www.jpost.com/israel-
news/plague-of-pests-lots-of-locusts-swarm-israels-
south-watch-666251
a. Horses prepared to battle – the symbolism
The Roman army
b. Wearing golden crowns, faces like men-
The rulers directing the army
See Joel 1:1-6 ..hath the locust eaten
See Joel 2:1-4 …as the appearance of horses
Same symbolism referring to the Chaldeans war
against Jerusalem in Joel’s time
c. Having hair as hair of women, teeth like a lion
Jer 51:27 ..horses come up as bristly locusts
Joel 1:6 nation come up …teeth of a lion
d. Having breastplates like those of iron, sound like
chariots of many horses in battle
Obvious symbolic of soldiers
e. Tails like scorpions, stings. To hurt men 5 months.
Why 5 months?
The siege of Jerusalem was originally designed to
get the Jews to give up. But they refused.
The siege began in April of AD 70 and ended in
August AD 70 when the Roman army breached its
walls, a total of 5 months. The temple destroyed
and the city burned. Millions killed.
See Lk 21:26, Lk 23:28-31, Matt 24:22 and Mk 13:12
& 20.
4. They have a king. (9:10)
He is the king of this huge locust army

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Satan personified as the persecutor. Later referred
Rev 12:9-12 the great dragon
Rev 20:2 that old serpent
So this king is the dragon beast, the serpent, Satan
leading this army of the abyss. Remember earlier
references:
Rev 2:9 synagogue of Satan
Rev 2:13 Satan’s seat
Rev 2:24 depths of Satan
a.Where is he from?
From the abyss, the abode of the demons
a. What is his name?
His name is and their meanings are:
Abbadon in Hebrew – destroyer
Appolyon in Koine Greek – destroyer
Satan is the adversary – 1 Pet 5:8 devour
5. One woe is past. Two more to come
Who said this?
In Rev 8:13 the flying messenger/angel announced
the three woes. Not here, not the eagle, one of the
elders or one of the creatures.
Here John specifies one woe being past and two
remain.
II. THE SIXTH MESSENGER/ANGEL SOUNDED/TRUMPETED (9:13-
21)
A. John heard a voice (9:13-14)
1. Where did it come from?
From the 4 horns of the golden altar. There was one
voice from the area before the throne where God and
Jesus were, the authority to initiate the attack.
2. What did it say?
Loose the 4 messengers which are bound at the
Euphrates river
Remember there were 4 messengers in Rev 7:1 that
were holding back the four winds (the gospel) and told
not to hurt anyone until there were those sealed (Eph
1:13). This time period was that referred to when

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faithful disciples escaped Jerusalem as Matt 24:15-16,
Mk 13:14, Lk 21:21 recorded. Also references to the
time shortened to allow their escape per Mat 24:22, Mk
13:20, Lk21:21 and Josephus’s record of Titus pulling
back for four days
3. Why the Euphrates River? Where is it located in
reference to what event is actually being discussed?
The Euphrates is the eastern border of the promised
land per Deut 11:24. The great river in Gen 15:18.
In Is 8:7-8 the king of Assyria passed on the way to
attack Judah.
Jer 46:9-10 & 13 Nebuchadnezzar would come from
the Euphrates to attack Egypt
The Roman army would come from the other side of
the Euphrates river, cross it on way to Jerusalem
A. The action (9:15-19)
1. What was the result of what the voice from the 4 horns
said?
The 4 messengers were loosed. They had been
restrained in Rev 7:3. They are now loosed to
complete their mission.
a. Have we heard this voice before? Yes
When?
Rev 1:10 the first voice John heard
Rev 4:1-2 from the throne v 9 him that lives forever
b. For what period was the preparation?
For THE hour, a day, a month, a year
c. Prepared for what?
The 4 messengers that had been restrained were
preparing for the destruction of Jerusalem and the
Jewish state for the release of the armies
d. What did John hear of what was loosed?
John heard the number of them and stated it to be
2 hundred thousand thousand or 2 hundred million
representative of an overwhelming force.
e. What did John see?
John saw the army as represented in the symbols.
They are an impressive sight that cannot be
ignored. In verse 9 the locusts had breastplates of

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iron, impervious shields. Here the horsemen have
armor of glittering colors. The heads of the horses
were like lions that issued fire and smoke and
brimstone. The fire and brimstone indicate the
punishment the approaching army from the
Euphrates was to inflict. Multiply the figure and see
this 200 million strong army glowing and issuing fire
and brimstone and it is a sight of imminent
destruction.
f. What was their mission?
a. One of destruction of a third of men
g. How did they accomplish it?
By the fire and brimstone and smoke.
h. Any similar use of any of these terms in the OT
prophets or by Jesus?
Ps 11:5-6 upon the wicked rain fire and brimstone
Ezek 38:22 I will plead against him (Gog v16) rain
upon him fire and brimstone
Is 66:15-16, 24 the Lord will come with fire ..with
flames of fire ..look upon the carcasses of those
who transgressed against me..where their worm
dieth not. An allusion to the valley of the son of
Hinnom outside Jerusalem’s wall where the garbage
and bodies of dead animals were dumped. Constant
smoke, alive with worms, pestilence and odors.
Jesus used the figure to refer to Gehenna in Mk
9:44-48. Final punishment Rev 20:15
i. What event is being discussed?
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish state
Matt 24:15 abomination of desolation
Lk 19:43 shall cast a trench
Lk 21:20 & 22 Jerusalem compassed with
armies..days of vengeance
People died of pestilence, starvation in the siege of
Jerusalem
B. There were some that were not killed by the plagues.
(9:20-21)
1. What did they not do?

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They didn’t repent of their deeds
2. In the context of the event being described, who are
these people?
These survivors were evidently Jews, for the punishment
being meted out was upon the Jews who killed the
Messiah and were persecuting and killing Christians.
What they did not repent of was specifically those things
they historically violated in Moses law.
Deut 32:17 ..they sacrificed unto devils, not God
Is 2:8..the work of their own hands
Is 40:19-20 ..a graven image spread with gold
Jer 10:1-5 ,,they speak not
Ps 115:4-7 mouths they speak not, ears they hear not
3. Are they referred to previously in Revelation?
Rev 2:20-21 gave her space to repent and she did not
Rev 2:14 have them who hold the doctrine of Balaam
To eat things sacrificed unto idols ..commit
fornication
Rev 3:9 ..them of the synagogue of Satan