Revelation

Chapter 9

21 verses — switch translations with the toolbar below.

Scripture

KJV

1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

7And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

8And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

11And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

12One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

13And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

16And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

17And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

18By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

19For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

20And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

21Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Key VerseRevelation 9:20

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

Overview

The fifth and sixth trumpets unleash terrifying judgments. The fifth trumpet opens the bottomless pit, releasing locust-like creatures that torment those who do not have the seal of God for five months. The sixth trumpet releases four bound angels and an army of two hundred million horsemen that kill a third of mankind. Despite these catastrophic events, the rest of humanity refuses to repent of their idolatry and wickedness.

Key Themes

1

The Bottomless Pit

The opening of the abyss reveals that demonic forces, though terrifying, operate only within the boundaries God permits, as the locusts are given specific limits on whom and how long they may torment.

2

Judgment as a Call to Repentance

The severity of these plagues is designed to awaken humanity to the reality of sin and the need for God, yet the tragic refrain is that the survivors still refuse to repent.

3

The Hardness of the Human Heart

Even when faced with undeniable displays of divine power and judgment, the human heart clings to idols and sin, revealing that repentance requires more than evidence — it requires a change of heart.

Study Questions

1.

What does it mean that the locusts from the pit are given power but also strict limitations, and what does this teach about God's sovereignty over evil?

2.

Why do the locust creatures torment only those without the seal of God, and what does this reveal about divine protection?

3.

How is it possible that people who witness such devastating judgments still refuse to repent, and what does this say about human nature?

4.

What modern parallels exist to the idolatry described at the end of this chapter — worshiping works of human hands?

5.

How should the reality of divine judgment shape the urgency of sharing the gospel with others?

Connection to Christ

The seal of God that protects believers from the locusts points to the saving work of Christ, who marks and preserves His own. The refusal of humanity to repent despite overwhelming evidence underscores why salvation cannot come through human effort — it must come through the grace of Christ alone. These judgments magnify the necessity of the gospel.

Personal Reflection

Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Revelation 9. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?

Revelation

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