Revelation 9

King James Version

Full text for Revelation Chapter 9

1¶ 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.

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.

13¶ And 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Revelation 9 details the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets, initiating two terrible woes upon the earth. The fifth trumpet unleashes demonic locusts from the bottomless pit, commanded to torment for five months those without God's seal, causing men to seek death without finding it. The sixth trumpet releases four angels from the Euphrates, leading an immense army of horsemen who slay a third part of mankind with fire, smoke, and brimstone. Despite these devastating judgments, the surviving populace refuses to repent of their idolatry and wicked deeds.

Medium Summary

The chapter begins with the fifth angel sounding his trumpet, causing a star to fall and open the bottomless pit, from which smoke and a host of symbolic locusts emerge. These locusts are granted power like scorpions, but are specifically commanded not to harm vegetation or those bearing the seal of God; instead, they are to torment unsealed men for five months, a suffering so severe that men desire death but cannot attain it. These creatures are described with features resembling warhorses, human faces, women's hair, lion's teeth, and scorpion tails, ruled by Abaddon or Apollyon, the angel of the bottomless pit. Following this first woe, the sixth angel sounds, and a voice from the golden altar commands the release of four bound angels from the river Euphrates. These angels, prepared for a specific time, lead an army of two hundred million horsemen, whose mounts have lion-like heads and issue fire, smoke, and brimstone, killing a third part of humanity. Yet, despite these overwhelming plagues, the remaining inhabitants of the earth persist in their worship of idols and their sinful practices, refusing to repent of their murders, sorceries, fornication, and thefts.

Long Summary

Revelation chapter nine details the first two of three great woes that befall the earth, initiated by the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets. Upon the fifth angel's blast, a star falls from heaven, receiving the key to the bottomless pit, which it then opens. From this abyss, a vast smoke arises, darkening the sun and air, and out of the smoke come forth symbolic locusts upon the earth. These creatures are endowed with power akin to scorpions, but are strictly commanded not to harm the earth's vegetation or any green thing. Their torment is directed solely at men who do not possess the seal of God in their foreheads, and they are permitted to torment, but not to kill, for a period of five months. The suffering they inflict is so intense that men desperately seek death, yet death eludes them. The locusts are vividly described as resembling horses prepared for battle, adorned with golden crowns, possessing human faces, women's hair, and lion's teeth. They wear breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings is like that of many chariots rushing to war; their tails are like scorpions, equipped with stings to hurt men. Over them reigns a king, identified as the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name is Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek. After this first woe passes, the sixth angel sounds his trumpet, and a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God commands the release of four angels bound at the great river Euphrates. These four angels, prepared for a precise hour, day, month, and year, are loosed to slay a third part of mankind. An immense army of two hundred million horsemen is revealed, whose horses are described with breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone, and lion-like heads from which fire, smoke, and brimstone issue forth. By these three plagues—fire, smoke, and brimstone—a third part of men is killed, their destructive power residing in their mouths and serpent-like tails. Despite the horrific devastation of these judgments, the remaining men who were not killed stubbornly refuse to repent of their idolatry, continuing to worship devils and lifeless idols of various materials. Furthermore, they do not turn from their murders, sorceries, fornication, or thefts, demonstrating a profound spiritual hardening.

Core Concepts

  • The Fifth Trumpet and First WoeThe sounding of the fifth trumpet initiates the first woe, marked by a star opening the bottomless pit and releasing a plague of tormenting locusts upon the earth.
  • Demonic Locusts and TormentSymbolic locusts emerge from the pit, empowered to inflict severe torment for five months upon unsealed humanity, causing such agony that men desire death but cannot find it.
  • Abaddon/ApollyonThese tormenting locusts are led by a king, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name is Abaddon in Hebrew, meaning 'destruction,' and Apollyon in Greek, meaning 'destroyer.'
  • The Sixth Trumpet and Second WoeThe sixth trumpet unleashes the second woe, involving the release of four bound angels from the Euphrates, who lead a vast army to slay a third part of mankind.
  • Destructive HorsemenAn army of two hundred million horsemen, with lion-headed horses issuing fire, smoke, and brimstone from their mouths, are instrumental in killing a third of the earth's population.
  • Human UnrepentanceDespite the severe judgments and widespread death, the surviving people refuse to repent of their idolatry, murders, sorceries, fornication, and thefts, demonstrating hardened hearts.
  • Protection of the SealedA key aspect of the first woe is the divine command that the demonic locusts are not to harm any vegetation, but only those men who do not bear the seal of God on their foreheads.