Fifth Trumpet of the Seventh Seal (Revelation 9:1-12)

The eagle that flew in the mid-heaven ends chapter eight, saying, “Woe, woe, woe for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are set to sound” (8:13). These three woes sounded by the eagle coincide with the final three trumpets: the siege of Jerusalem – the fifth trumpet (9:1-12), the destruction of Jerusalem – the sixth trumpet (9:13 – 11:14), and eternal judgment – the seventh trumpet (11:15-19). This first woe is the focus of this section. It covers the siege on Palestine by Vespasian, under orders of Vespasian. Nero commits suicide in 68 and Vespasian returns to Rome. 69 is remembered as the year of four emperors: Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. When Vespasian is coronated, the war effort at Jerusalem had to be led by someone else. This fell to Titus that resulted in the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D (the second woe). The third woe concerns itself with the judgement of Jesus Christ (Rev. 11:14-19).

In this section, John sees an army coming out of Italy and descending on Jerusalem like a great swarm of locusts. When the fifth angel blows the trumpet, John sees a star from heaven fall to the earth and there was given to him the key of the pit of abyss, which is beneath the earth. This is a major theme in John’s revelation as it is one of the three playing fields in the spiritual conflict between good and evil. The other two are heaven and earth. Regarding the war with Satan, he is first cast down from heaven to earth without further access to the throne (Rev. 12:7-12; cf. Job 1-3). Then, he is cast down from earth to the Abyss, or Tartarus (Rev. 20:1-3). Satan is allowed access to earth for a short time after the thousand years are complete (Rev. 20:3,7). Afterward, he will be forever consigned to Tartarus (Rev. 20:10) with no access to the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1). The Star of verse 1 refers to either Satan or his angels and he is given keys, which for a time represents his power over death (Heb. 2:14). He is the god of this world and has been given certain powers over the natural world. When Jesus is victorious over him, he loses the keys of death and Hades, but in this trumpet blast he has the key to open up the pit of the Abyss.

Smoke arises from the pit and the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke as that of a great furnace. The pit is the shaft that leads from its entrance at the earth down to the Abyss or bottomless pit. Another name for this bottomless pit is Tartarus in 2 Peter 2:4. It is here that Satan is confined during the millennium when the shaft is shut and sealed (Rev. 20:1-3). Gehenna was the Jewish concept of torment for the wicked, while Tartarus was the Greek volcanic image associated with a lake of fire beneath Mount Aetna. Mount Vesuvius was the chosen furnace of God’s wrath. Out of the smoke came forth locusts who were given the power to hurt men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were told not to hurt the grass, any green thing, or any tree. It is common to hear a description of volcanic clouds that look like locusts. The green things are those who have the seal of God on their foreheads; they have eternal life (Rev. 7:2-3). Those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads are later given the mark of the beast on their foreheads (Rev. 13:16; 14:9-11).

1. They were told to only hurt them, not kill them. They should be tormented for five months like the torment of a scorpion. Roman war machines were known as tormentum, while their catapults were called scorpions. Three hundred of these were used during the siege of Jerusalem for five months, according to Josephus. Their tails were like scorpions and stings (cf. v. 10). In their tails is the power to hurt men for five months.
2. Shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for war and upon their heads like crowns of gold, and their faces like men’s faces.
3. Hair like women, and teeth like lion’s teeth. If the hair is descriptive of the horses, then this refers to their mane, but if to the rider, Roman soldiers used long horsehair tied to their helmets. Joel 1-2 uses this graphic picture of locusts to describe an advancing army. that destroys everything in its path.
4. Breastplates of iron and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war.
5. The angel of the Abyss is over them as king. His name is Abaddon or Apollyon (Gr.). This is likely a reference to Nero. Vesuvius was one of his favorite cities. The first stage appearance was in Naples. He would surround himself with those who flattered him as the greatest singer or charioteer. In derision, the Greeks called him Apollyon (i.e., the destroyer).