Revelation 9:1 Meaning and Explanation
“And 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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The fifth trumpet sounds, and a fallen star is given the key to the bottomless pit.
What Does Revelation 9:1 Mean?
The four trumpets of chapter 8 struck the natural world; now the fifth opens a deeper terror. John sees a star already fallen to earth, and to this figure a key is handed. Throughout Revelation a star can stand for a personal being, and here it is no mere light but something that acts and is entrusted with authority over the abyss.
Notice that the key is given. The pit does not open itself; even the powers of darkness operate only within bounds that heaven permits. For the reader this is a strange comfort: the worst that breaks loose in the world is still on a leash held from above. Nothing rises against God's people that He has not first measured, and Christ, who holds the keys of death and the unseen world, remains over it all.
Revelation 9:1 in the Original Language
abyssos (ἄβυσσος), 'bottomless' -- the unfathomable deep, the prison of imprisoned spirits.
Frequently Asked Questions About Revelation 9:1
What does Revelation 9:1 mean?
The fifth trumpet sounds, and a fallen star is given the key to the bottomless pit.