Revelation 9

Revelation 9, part of the Book of Revelation, written around AD 70 by the apostle John while exiled on Patmos, to churches in Asia Minor facing persecution, details the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments (also called woes). These judgments release demonic forces and armies, bringing torment and death to unrepentant humanity, emphasizing God’s wrath against sin, the power of evil restrained by divine authority, and the call for repentance, which goes unheeded.
Key Sections
Fifth Trumpet: Locusts from the Abyss (9:1–12): The fifth trumpet sounds, and a star fallen from heaven (given the key to the abyss) opens the bottomless pit, releasing smoke that darkens the sun and air. Locusts emerge, unlike natural ones, with power like scorpions to torment those without God’s seal for five months, causing such agony that people seek death but can’t find it. The locusts resemble horses with human faces, women’s hair, lions’ teeth, iron breastplates, and scorpion tails, with wings sounding like chariots. Their king is the angel of the abyss, named Abaddon (Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek). The first woe has passed; two more come.
Sixth Trumpet: Demonic Army (9:13–21): The sixth trumpet sounds, and a voice from the altar’s horns commands the release of four angels bound at the Euphrates River. These angels, prepared for this hour, day, month, and year, lead an army of 200 million mounted troops to kill a third of humanity. The horses have lion-like heads, breathing fire, smoke, and sulfur, with deadly power in mouths and tails like serpents. The survivors refuse to repent of idolatry, demon worship, murder, sorcery, immorality, or theft.
Cross-References
Star Fallen, Abyss: 
Luke 10:18: Satan falls.

Revelation 20:1–3: Abyss sealed.

Isaiah 14:12: Morning star falls.
Locusts’ Torment: 
Joel 1:4–6: Locust invasion.

Exodus 10:12–15: Locust plague.

Proverbs 30:27: Locusts’ order.
Abaddon/Apollyon: 
Job 26:6: Abaddon uncovered.

Psalm 88:11: Destruction’s place.

Revelation 12:9: Satan’s names.
Four Angels, Euphrates: 
Genesis 15:18: Euphrates boundary.

Isaiah 8:7: Assyrian flood.

Revelation 16:12: Euphrates dried.
200 Million Army: 
Joel 2:4–5: Army like horses.

Daniel 7:10: Myriads serve.

Psalm 68:17: Chariots of God.
Fire, Smoke, Sulfur: 
Genesis 19:24: Sodom’s judgment.

Ezekiel 38:22: Fire, brimstone.

Revelation 14:10: Sulfur torment.
Unrepentant Sin: 
Jeremiah 5:3: Refuse correction.

Romans 2:4–5: Hardened hearts.

Revelation 16:9: Curse God.
Theological Meaning
God’s Judgment: The trumpets unleash divine wrath, restrained yet severe, on unrepentant sin (vv. 1, 13; Romans 1:18).

Demonic Forces: The locusts and army symbolize Satan’s limited power, under God’s control (vv. 3–4, 15; Job 1:12).

Protection of Faithful: God’s seal spares His people from demonic torment (v. 4; Ephesians 1:13).

Human Defiance: Despite suffering, humanity’s refusal to repent shows sin’s grip (vv. 20–21; Isaiah 9:13).

Satan’s Role: Abaddon/Apollyon as king reflects Satan’s destructive leadership (v. 11; John 10:10).

Eschatological Urgency: The woes warn of judgment’s inevitability, urging repentance (v. 12; 2 Peter 3:9).
Questions and Answers
What is the star fallen from heaven (v. 1)?
Likely a demonic being or Satan, given authority to open the abyss (v. 1; Revelation 12:9).

Who are the locusts (v. 3)?
Demonic entities, not natural insects, tormenting the unsealed (v. 3; Joel 2:25).

Why five months of torment (v. 5)?
A limited period, possibly symbolic, reflecting God’s restraint (v. 5; Genesis 7:24).

Who is Abaddon/Apollyon (v. 11)?
The angel of the abyss, likely Satan or a chief demon, meaning “destruction” (v. 11; John 8:44).

What are the four angels (v. 14)?
Demonic beings bound at the Euphrates, released for judgment (v. 14; Jude 1:6).

What is the 200 million army (v. 16)?
A symbolic or literal demonic force, killing a third of humanity (v. 16; Ezekiel 38:4).

How does this apply today?
Repent of sin, trust God’s protection, and heed judgment’s warning (v. 20; Acts 17:30–31).
Eschatological Interpretations
Dispensational Premillennial View:
Interpretation: The fifth and sixth trumpets (vv. 1–21) are literal future judgments during the tribulation, post-rapture, in the second half (forty-two months). The star (v. 1) is a fallen angel, possibly Satan, releasing demonic locusts (v. 3) to torment those without God’s seal (tribulation saints, not the raptured church) for a literal five months. Abaddon (v. 11) is a demonic leader. The sixth trumpet’s four angels (v. 14) unleash a literal or demonic 200 million army, possibly modern or supernatural, killing a third of humanity. The Euphrates (v. 14) points to a Middle Eastern conflict. Unrepentance (vv. 20–21) characterizes tribulation rebels before Christ’s return and the millennium.

Timing: Future, during tribulation, before Christ’s return and literal millennium.

Key Features: Literal plagues; pre-trib rapture; demonic armies; tribulation focus.

Support: Specific details (vv. 5, 16); Euphrates’ role (Revelation 16:12).
Historic Premillennial View:
Interpretation: The trumpets represent future, possibly literal or symbolic, judgments at the end of the tribulation, before Christ’s single return (post-tribulation, no rapture). The star and locusts (vv. 1–3) are demonic forces, tormenting the unsealed, with Abaddon (v. 11) as Satan or a demon. The five months (v. 5) may be symbolic. The four angels and 200 million army (vv. 14–16) are demonic or human forces (e.g., eastern armies), killing a third of humanity. The Euphrates (v. 14) may be literal or symbolic of invasion. Unrepentance (vv. 20–21) precedes Christ’s return and the millennium (Rev. 20). All believers endure tribulation together.

Timing: Future, end of tribulation, before literal millennium.

Key Features: Literal or symbolic judgments; unified redeemed; single return.

Support: Demonic imagery (v. 3; Joel 2:1–11); unrepentant sin (Jeremiah 8:6).
Amillennial View:
Interpretation: The trumpets symbolize God’s recurring or climactic judgments throughout the church age, not literal future events. The star and locusts (vv. 1–3) represent demonic spiritual attacks, tormenting the unrepentant, with Abaddon (v. 11) as Satan. The five months (v. 5) symbolize a limited period of trial. The sealed (v. 4) are believers, spiritually protected. The sixth trumpet’s army (vv. 14–16) symbolizes spiritual or historical judgments (e.g., invasions, moral decay), with the Euphrates (v. 14) as a boundary of evil. Unrepentance (vv. 20–21) reflects humanity’s hardness. The millennium (Rev. 20) is the current spiritual reign.

Timing: Church age or Christ’s single return; symbolic, not chronological.

Key Features: Symbolic plagues; spiritual conflict; present millennium.

Support: Symbolic locusts (v. 7; Proverbs 30:27); spiritual protection (Ephesians 6:16).
Postmillennial View (Including Preterist):
Interpretation: Postmillennial: The trumpets symbolize judgments on evil, paving the way for gospel triumph in a future golden age (millennium, Rev. 20). The locusts (vv. 1–3) are demonic or cultural forces, restrained by God, with Abaddon (v. 11) as Satan’s influence. The five months (v. 5) are temporary trials. The 200 million army (vv. 14–16) represents historical or spiritual opposition, defeated by Christianity’s spread. The Euphrates (v. 14) symbolizes evil’s source, overcome culturally. Preterist: The trumpets depict AD 70’s judgment on Jerusalem or Rome. The locusts (vv. 1–3) are Roman armies or demonic woes pre-70, with the army (v. 16) as Rome’s legions. The Euphrates (v. 14) points to eastern threats (e.g., Parthians). Unrepentance (vv. 20–21) is Israel’s or Rome’s defiance.

Timing: Postmillennial: Gospel millennium. Preterist: Mostly AD 70; ongoing spiritual conflict.

Key Features: Gospel victory; symbolic or AD 70 fulfillment; cultural impact.

Support: Judgment imagery (v. 20; Isaiah 26:10); AD 70 for Preterists (Matthew 23:36).
Additional Notes for Readers
Historical Context: Written to seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev. 1:4) under Domitian’s persecution (AD 95). John’s Patmos exile shapes the vision’s urgency, using Jewish apocalyptic imagery (Joel, Exodus) to warn of judgment and encourage endurance.

Cultural Questions: “Star fallen” (v. 1) evokes Jewish angelic imagery, vivid in synagogues (Job 38:7). “Abyss” (v. 1) reflects Jewish cosmology, bold for readers (Genesis 7:11). “Locusts” (v. 3) recall Jewish plagues, central in worship (Exodus 10:4). “Euphrates” (v. 14) signifies eastern threats, resonant in Asia Minor (Jeremiah 46:10). “200 million” (v. 16) uses Jewish hyperbole, striking in persecution (2 Chronicles 7:5). “Unrepentance” (v. 20) echoes Jewish prophetic warnings, urgent in churches (Hosea 7:10).

Application: Revelation 9 calls believers to repent, trust God’s protection, and resist sin’s allure. It challenges hardness of heart, idolatry, and fear, urging faithfulness in a judged world (Romans 12:1–2; 1 John 1:9).