Revelation 8 - 9:12

Introduction
Many commentators and pastors have attempted to put Revelation into well-defined patterns.  Revelation is not intended to be a chronological sequence of events and it is not intended to represent a corresponding historical development.  This is why it is such a complex and difficult book to understand, let along preach.  In attempting to teach and understand Revelation in a nicely wrapped package would give the impression that John was writing a work of literature rather than documenting and sharing with fellow believers these incredible, awe-inspiring visions from God. E.F. Scott writes, “that a perfectly logical apocalypse would be a contradiction.” I tell you this as an introduction because we are going to look at these visions of John and they do not necessarily follow a chronological sequence.
 
Revelation 8
Craig Koester writes, “The trumpet visions (we are about to witness) now reply to the prayers by implicitly raising a question: What if God responds to the prayers by sending wrath on the unrepentant world? What will that accomplish? Readers are shown the horror of pitiless wrath as disasters strike earth, sea, and sky, and demonic hordes of locusts and cavalry torment humanity amid clouds of fire, smoke, and sulfur. Yet the wrath accomplishes nothing. The wicked simply persist in their refusal to repent.”[1] In this we see the hardness of humanities heart and the evil that is restrained from the world.
 
Revelation 8:1 - 5
Vs 1:  Opening of the seventh seal – When the seventh seal is opened there is silence in heaven for about 30 minutes.  The silence is a dramatic pause, what we would call “the calm before the storm”.  It is also thought that this silence is the time when God hears the prayers of the saints. 
 
Vs. 2 – 5: It is commonly held that the events of verses 2 – 5 take place during the time of silence.  This is the preparation that takes place before the judgments are released.  In this we see the seven angels standing before God and each were given trumpets.  Their job is to announce the series of plagues which are to fall on the earth and its inhabitants. 
 
In the OT the trumpet was used for a variety of reasons such as calling the people together (Numbers 10:3), to move the people of Israel on their journey (vss. 5 – 6), to sound the alarm for war (vs. 9), and to celebrate days of sacred feasts (vs. 10).  The priests led the army around the city of Jericho with trumpets.  The Jewish new year is called Tishri which is the “day you blow the trumpets.”  The trumpet was also used in the coronation of a King. 
 
The trumpets in Revelation are called “eschatological trumpets” and they announce the coming wrath of God.  These angels are used to call on the four great disasters of God in the material cosmos (vs 8- 12), two satanic outbreaks on unrepentant man (9:1 & 13), and the proclamation that the world has submitted to God’s sovereignty.
 
Vs 3:  Another angel (not one of the seven) performs the priestly duties of offering up the prayers of the persecuted.  The incense is either mingled with the prayers of the saints or the incense are the prayers.  It is likely he is the angel who is the heavenly priest who offers the prayers of all the saints (not just those martyred, but all saints) to God.
 
Vs 4:  The incense is added to the hot coals creating a cloud of incense smoke that arises before God. This is a symbol of divine acceptance.  According to Robert Mounce, “The scene in heaven suggests that there is something sacrificial about genuine prayer.  Both the believer and his prayer enter the presence of God by way of the altar.”[2]
 
Vs 5: The fragrance of incense of the prayer of intercession now turns to judgment.  The prayers of the saints play a major part in bringing the judgment of God on earth.  It is in this instance that the prayers of Revelation 6:10 are answered in part. “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”  We know judgment is about to happen because it is preceded by thunder, lightning, and an earthquake.
 
The First Four Trumpets
Revelation 8:6 - 13
Vs 6:  The angels raise their trumpets in readiness to sound the trumpet. 
 
Vs 7:  Trumpet 1 – The first trumpet starts a second series of judgments.  We need to remember that the first four seals represent judgment because of human sinfulness. The trumpets reveal the active involvement of God bringing punishment upon the world.  
 
It is also important to note that the judgments are intended for or directed against a world that is hostile towards God.  As the intensity of the judgment increases, so does the hard-heartedness of man.  These are not final judgments, yet they will affect a significant portion of the earth.
 
The first trumpet blast brings forth hail and fire, mixed with blood that is thrown down to the earth, resulting in 1/3 of the trees and grass burned up.  This imagery is akin to the seventh plague in Egypt.   The fire which accompanies the thunder is most likely lightning and the blood refers to the awesome storm rather than the fire and destruction that the lightning would cause.  Great devastation follows the storm.  The 1/3 fraction is not intended to be literal; it refers to a portion of destruction but not the majority, this judgment is not final.  This judgment serves as a warning that the full wrath of God is still yet to come.
 
The trees that were burned up are probably fruit trees, because fruit trees were important to the maintenance of life in Israel.  Thus, this plague is aimed at nature, but it does affect humanity as well.
 
Vs 8- 9:  Trumpet 2 – The second trumpet brings a mountain of fire that destroys 1/3 of the sea which kills a 1/3 of the sea creatures and 1/3 of the ships.   Again, the 1/3 fraction is not to be taken literal; as it refers to a significant portion of the sea, sea creatures and ships being destroyed.  Some find the mountain being cast into the sea as a volcanic eruption.  Many believe this because 20 years before the writing of the apocalypse Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii.  According to some Jewish writers this was a judgment on Rome for having destroyed Jerusalem.   The mention of fire in the first three plagues corresponds with the Angel of verse 5.  With the second trumpet and the mountain being thrown into the sea results in the water turning to blood.  This is a reminder of the first plague of Egypt in Exodus where the rivers turned to blood, making the water undrinkable (Ex. 7:20 -21).  This plague is to be understood not as poisoning the water, but a judgment that goes beyond explanation in turns of natural phenomenon. 
 
Vs 10 -11:   Trumpet 3 – The third trumpet brings a great star or meteor falling from heaven that contaminates the rivers and spring waters thus making them bitter.  The star is named wormwood after the bitter plant of the same name.  In the OT wormwood was used as a symbol of bitterness and sorrow (Prov. 5:3 – 4, Lam. 3:19, Jer. 9:15) so it is agreed that the waters became bitter like wormwood.  Now, wormwood is not poisonous, but it does denote death.  Thus, we can assume that a portion of the waters became contaminated as a direct result of God and people died from the contaminated water.
 
Vs 12:  Trumpet 4 – The fourth trumpet brings a judgment where 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened.  Thus, a portion of the day will not have any light.  This trumpet recalls the ninth plague of Egypt when darkness spread over the land for three days.  According to Mounce, “Constant allusion to the Egyptian plagues is a way of saying that in the last days God will bring punishment upon those hostile powers which oppress his people.  They are a prelude to that great and final exodus in which the church is taken out of the world and enters the eternal presence of God.”[3]
 
Darkness is symbolic of judgment.  Jesus speaks in Mark 13:24- 25, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”  This fourth trumpet is a fulfillment this prophecy.
 
Vs 13:  Things are about to get interesting.  This verse is a transition in plagues of nature intended to lead humanity to repentance to demonic woes where humanity will be subject to the greatest forms of evil (forces from the abyss).  In translating Revelation, it is commonly believed that the bird who cries out is an eagle that represents strength and swiftness, but some translate it as a vulture which would imply imminent doom.  Either way it is the predatory nature of the bird that is in view.
 
The three woes the bird cries out are intended to correspond with the three remaining trumpet blows.  These trumpets are for the wicked world who rejects Christ.
 
Chapter 9
Revelation 9:1 - 12
John spends a full chapter describing the first two woes that results from trumpets five and six.  The attention to detail depicts the seriousness of that which follows.  The judgments go from being angelic judgments on the earth to demonic torments that arise from the underworld. 
 
Vs 1:  Trumpet 5 –The fifth trumpet reveals a star falling from heaven, but we soon see that it is not really a star, rather it is a person or creature who was given a key to open the shaft to the abyss.  In Jewish thought and writings living beings such as angels or celestial beings are symbolized as stars.  Some believe it is a fallen angel or more probable one of many divine agents who are pictured throughout Revelation as carrying out the will of God.  If the star is represented as an angel, it would refer more to one who descends and not falls to earth.
 
Vs 2:  The key unlocks the shaft to the bottomless pit and when opened smoke arises.  Out of the smoke emerge evil spirits or demons who have been imprisoned in this abyss.  The rising smoke would probably come from the fires below.  According to I Enoch 21:7 the final prison of the fallen angels is the abyss.
 
Vs 3 - 4:  Those emerging from pit are demonic creatures who are described as locusts.  Throughout the O.T. locusts are a symbol of destruction.  These locust creatures were given a scorpion like power or sting.  They were told not to injure the vegetation or earth, but they could only harm those who do not have the symbol of God on their foreheads. This judgment is not direct divine retribution but a picture of what it would look like for God to hand over the world to other powers.[4]
 
Vs 5 - 6: The demonic creatures had a sting that would not kill their victims, but it would cause them to be in painful torment for five months.  This judgment is not an act of cruelty by God but an indication that wickedness cannot continue without some sort of divine retribution.  The sting of the demonic creatures will be so intense and painful that those affected will seek death, but death will not come.
 
Vs 7 - 8:  Description of the Locust Creatures: The locusts were like horses prepared for battle, with long hair, scorpion tails, golden crowns, human faces, and lion’s teeth.  John would have us know that the locusts are large creatures.  Their faces were as men’s faces which tells us that they were not animals, but intelligent creatures.  They were covered with long flowing hair and as a point of reference the hair was probably on the legs or bodies of the creatures.  The teeth represent the fierceness of the creatures, but they were unable to tear apart their victims like a lion, instead their power was in their tails.
 
Vs 9 – 10:  They had breastplates indicating they were prepared for battle and their vulnerability was protected.  The scorpion tails are where the power, and terror lies.  These creatures were given the power to punish and torment all who are not sealed by God. The result of their evil work is that people seek death to escape the pain of life. 
 
Vs 11 – 12:  They have a king who is the angel of the abyss.  Now, this angel is not the one who has the keys, and we are told both his Hebrew and Greek name.  Hebrew name is Abaddon, and the Greek is Apollyon which means destroyer.  What is interesting about this name is to name the king of the underworld Apollyon would be a cryptic way of saying that an emperor like Domitian (and other emperors) who liked to be regarded as the god Apollo (derived from Apollyon) incarnate was in reality a manifestation of the powers of the underworld.  In other words, this was a way of calling emperors evil and demonic.  It is also interesting to note that the locust was one of the symbols of the god Apollo.
 
Conclusion/Summary
As we conclude the first woe or fifth trumpet, the question arise, what is the symbolism in this plague of locusts?  There is no definitive answer, but we can conclude that in the period before the end the wicked will be subjected to a time of demonic torment.  Exactly how this takes place will remain unknown until history reveals the answer.
 
In this we get a glimpse of what a world void of God and present evil and godlessness looks like.  Revelation shows two forms of rule.  The first is depicted in the throne room vision where we see the LORD seated on his throne and worshiped by the heavenly creatures in an orderly realm.  The second is depicted by the king of the underworld named Abaddon and Apollyon.  Their rule is evil, chaotic, and laced with pain.  According to Craig Koester, when comparing the two rules we see that “the elders in the heavenly throne room cast their crowns before God as they raised a harmonious song of praise, the demonic locusts continue to wear crowns on their heads as they raise a pounding and clanking roar, like chariots going into battle.”[5]
 
When reading about these two rules it should cause us to contemplate the reality of what godliness and godlessness in the world and in our lives looks like. In the Christian world our identity and hope lie in our great Lord who sits on the heavenly throne and on the lamb who was slain for our iniquities and raised from the dead for our justification.  This ruling leads to humble worship of a God King who is worthy, loves his creation, and redeems al for His glory. 
 
On the contrary those who reject God find themselves under the authority and rule of a king and his servants who bring only pain, suffering, and eventually eternal separation from God.  They offer no life, instead they bring torment that causes people to desire to take their lives. This rule is not grounded in humility or sacrifice but in self-promotion, chaos, and ultimately (as we will soon see) death.
 
Today, you can celebrate your God and King who sits on the throne or fall back in terror as you see the chaos and destruction of evil.  Today you can choose whom you will commit to devote your lives to serving. My hope and prayer is that the answer you choose is for life and eternal worship.
 
[1] Craig R. Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 96–97.
[2] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 175.
[3] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 188.
[4] Craig R. Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 102.
[5] Craig R. Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 102.

---