Chapter 49 Fifth Trumpet
Rev 9 deals with the 5th and 6th Trumpets. We saw that the first four Trumpets could have quite literal fulfilment (chapter 19). However, there are indications that the next two trumpets are more symbolic. In the first three Trumpets the objects falling out of heaven are meteorites and asteroids. The star falling from heaven in the fifth Trumpet holds a key to the abyss, and he unlocks it. Clearly, this star is a being of some sort, possibly an angel:
Rev 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.
2 And 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.
We have also seen that the abyss is not a real chasm somewhere on Earth that is covered and locked, and then unlocked. It is a description of Satan being held in check, and then when unlocked, Satan is given many more liberties to carry out his plan (chapter 36). Yet he is still limited in certain ways as we shall see in this portion of Scripture. Another indication of greater symbolism in these two Trumpets is where the fifth Trumpet symbolises God’s elect, the 144 000, with grass, green things, and trees:
4 And 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.
Satan (Abaddon, Apollyon) is the king of the locusts. Satan is not a locust, so that also confirms that the fifth Trumpet is more symbolic:
11 And 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.
Let us focus on the 5th Trumpet:
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And 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.
5 And 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.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7 And 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.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And 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.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Four concepts stand out when we read through this passage:
1) There is quite a detailed description of these evil angels. They look like locusts, they have the stings of scorpions, they have human faces and long hair, teeth of lions, they have iron breastplates, and their beating wings sound like horses and chariots in a battle charge. What is the meaning of this detailed description? I can make some suggestions: There is certainly an atmosphere of fear created by this description. These creatures are out to make war and to torment mankind. War evokes fear when you are trapped in the midst of it. When Satan is given free reign, he is out to create fear, because in fear he can coerce more people. While mankind is dumped into chaos and fear, Satan will appear as Jesus on Earth, and people will believe it is the real Christ far easier (chapter 22) because this apparition of Christ will promise peace and prosperity again if his advice is followed. There are scholars that believe this Trumpet to be more literal, and that the fallen angels will appear on Earth as these weird-looking aliens. The idea is that the media has prepared us for this with all the movies there are about aliens and invasions from other planets. Something mentioned when studying the first four Trumpets (chapter 19) is that Trumpets may be correlated with creation week. Each consecutive Trumpet turns a feature of the parallel day of creation into a curse. On the fifth day God created fish, birds and insects. The plague of the fifth Trumpet is weird locusts that torment the unsaved.
2) This locust plague is directed at the unsaved. Satan is given more freedom but is limited in who he can torment. Those that are sealed are out of bounds for him. At this stage only the 144 000 have been sealed, the corporate Close of Probation is at the end of this 3.5-year period during which the Trumpets sound. Many of God’s children are not yet sealed. It would seem God offers those who have committed themselves to God, and are not corporately sealed, protection against this plague. There is a plurality in what the locusts may not damage: grass, green things and trees. Trees are well established and could represent the 144 000. Grass and green things are young and fresh and could represent those that have committed themselves to God but are not corporately sealed, or those who still have not made a choice. Satan will try to lure these away from God. The plague falls on those who are hardened in their choices against God. They still have a chance to change their minds, but time is running out. God is in the process of withdrawing His Spirit. God possibly preserves those that have not made a final commitment. They could be represented by the green things. The grass could be those that have committed themselves to God.
In the first plague all the green grass is burnt up, and a third of the trees. We have already seen that a falling star in the third Trumpet (Rev 8:10) and the stars in the fourth Trumpet (Rev 8:12) are literal but the star in the fifth Trumpet is symbolic. Likewise the trees and the green grass in the first Trumpet are literal (Rev 8:7), but the grass, the green things and the trees in the fifth Trumpet are symbolic.
3) The way in which the unsaved are tormented needs consideration. The locusts are described as having stings of scorpions and they sting the people that are not sealed by God. The sting is very painful, like the sting of a scorpion. These people suffer so much that they want to die, but they are not allowed to die. This description sounds quite literal, but it could also represent the withdrawal of God’s Spirit, and these people are dumped into mental anguish as they are tormented by evil angels. Like the Israelites that suffered from the bites of venomous serpents in the wilderness, when they looked at the brazen serpent on the pole, found healing and relief, some of these unsaved people may at this stage still look up to Christ and find relief from the scourges of this plague.
4) This plague occurs over a period of five months. Adventism understands this Trumpet to have been fulfilled by the reign of the Turkish Empire from 1299 to 1449. The 5 months represent 150 year-days. Having rejected the year-day principle except for Dan 9 (chapter 5), these 5 months must be quite literal. This plague then torments the unsaved for five months.
The fifth Trumpet is a horrific plague. Revelation calls the last 3 Trumpets woes. This one is certainly a time of woe for the impenitent on Earth.
The purpose of the first 6 Trumpets is to have the undecided to make a choice: Either true worship, or false worship. When Probation Closes with the seventh Trumpet, no one will be undecided. The World will be in two camps with no one on the fence. The seventh Trumpet seals everyone into their final decision.
Choose today whom you will serve:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Rev 9 deals with the 5th and 6th Trumpets. We saw that the first four Trumpets could have quite literal fulfilment (chapter 19). However, there are indications that the next two trumpets are more symbolic. In the first three Trumpets the objects falling out of heaven are meteorites and asteroids. The star falling from heaven in the fifth Trumpet holds a key to the abyss, and he unlocks it. Clearly, this star is a being of some sort, possibly an angel:
Rev 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.
2 And 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.
We have also seen that the abyss is not a real chasm somewhere on Earth that is covered and locked, and then unlocked. It is a description of Satan being held in check, and then when unlocked, Satan is given many more liberties to carry out his plan (chapter 36). Yet he is still limited in certain ways as we shall see in this portion of Scripture. Another indication of greater symbolism in these two Trumpets is where the fifth Trumpet symbolises God’s elect, the 144 000, with grass, green things, and trees:
4 And 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.
Satan (Abaddon, Apollyon) is the king of the locusts. Satan is not a locust, so that also confirms that the fifth Trumpet is more symbolic:
11 And 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.
Let us focus on the 5th Trumpet:
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And 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.
5 And 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.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7 And 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.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And 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.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Four concepts stand out when we read through this passage:
1) There is quite a detailed description of these evil angels. They look like locusts, they have the stings of scorpions, they have human faces and long hair, teeth of lions, they have iron breastplates, and their beating wings sound like horses and chariots in a battle charge. What is the meaning of this detailed description? I can make some suggestions: There is certainly an atmosphere of fear created by this description. These creatures are out to make war and to torment mankind. War evokes fear when you are trapped in the midst of it. When Satan is given free reign, he is out to create fear, because in fear he can coerce more people. While mankind is dumped into chaos and fear, Satan will appear as Jesus on Earth, and people will believe it is the real Christ far easier (chapter 22) because this apparition of Christ will promise peace and prosperity again if his advice is followed. There are scholars that believe this Trumpet to be more literal, and that the fallen angels will appear on Earth as these weird-looking aliens. The idea is that the media has prepared us for this with all the movies there are about aliens and invasions from other planets. Something mentioned when studying the first four Trumpets (chapter 19) is that Trumpets may be correlated with creation week. Each consecutive Trumpet turns a feature of the parallel day of creation into a curse. On the fifth day God created fish, birds and insects. The plague of the fifth Trumpet is weird locusts that torment the unsaved.
2) This locust plague is directed at the unsaved. Satan is given more freedom but is limited in who he can torment. Those that are sealed are out of bounds for him. At this stage only the 144 000 have been sealed, the corporate Close of Probation is at the end of this 3.5-year period during which the Trumpets sound. Many of God’s children are not yet sealed. It would seem God offers those who have committed themselves to God, and are not corporately sealed, protection against this plague. There is a plurality in what the locusts may not damage: grass, green things and trees. Trees are well established and could represent the 144 000. Grass and green things are young and fresh and could represent those that have committed themselves to God but are not corporately sealed, or those who still have not made a choice. Satan will try to lure these away from God. The plague falls on those who are hardened in their choices against God. They still have a chance to change their minds, but time is running out. God is in the process of withdrawing His Spirit. God possibly preserves those that have not made a final commitment. They could be represented by the green things. The grass could be those that have committed themselves to God.
In the first plague all the green grass is burnt up, and a third of the trees. We have already seen that a falling star in the third Trumpet (Rev 8:10) and the stars in the fourth Trumpet (Rev 8:12) are literal but the star in the fifth Trumpet is symbolic. Likewise the trees and the green grass in the first Trumpet are literal (Rev 8:7), but the grass, the green things and the trees in the fifth Trumpet are symbolic.
3) The way in which the unsaved are tormented needs consideration. The locusts are described as having stings of scorpions and they sting the people that are not sealed by God. The sting is very painful, like the sting of a scorpion. These people suffer so much that they want to die, but they are not allowed to die. This description sounds quite literal, but it could also represent the withdrawal of God’s Spirit, and these people are dumped into mental anguish as they are tormented by evil angels. Like the Israelites that suffered from the bites of venomous serpents in the wilderness, when they looked at the brazen serpent on the pole, found healing and relief, some of these unsaved people may at this stage still look up to Christ and find relief from the scourges of this plague.
4) This plague occurs over a period of five months. Adventism understands this Trumpet to have been fulfilled by the reign of the Turkish Empire from 1299 to 1449. The 5 months represent 150 year-days. Having rejected the year-day principle except for Dan 9 (chapter 5), these 5 months must be quite literal. This plague then torments the unsaved for five months.
The fifth Trumpet is a horrific plague. Revelation calls the last 3 Trumpets woes. This one is certainly a time of woe for the impenitent on Earth.
The purpose of the first 6 Trumpets is to have the undecided to make a choice: Either true worship, or false worship. When Probation Closes with the seventh Trumpet, no one will be undecided. The World will be in two camps with no one on the fence. The seventh Trumpet seals everyone into their final decision.
Choose today whom you will serve:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Chapter 49 Fifth Trumpet
Rev 9 deals with the 5th and 6th Trumpets. We saw that the first four Trumpets could have quite literal fulfilment (chapter 19). However, there are indications that the next two trumpets are more symbolic. In the first three Trumpets the objects falling out of heaven are meteorites and asteroids. The star falling from heaven in the fifth Trumpet holds a key to the abyss, and he unlocks it. Clearly, this star is a being of some sort, possibly an angel:
Rev 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.
2 And 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.
We have also seen that the abyss is not a real chasm somewhere on Earth that is covered and locked, and then unlocked. It is a description of Satan being held in check, and then when unlocked, Satan is given many more liberties to carry out his plan (chapter 36). Yet he is still limited in certain ways as we shall see in this portion of Scripture. Another indication of greater symbolism in these two Trumpets is where the fifth Trumpet symbolises God’s elect, the 144 000, with grass, green things, and trees:
4 And 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.
Satan (Abaddon, Apollyon) is the king of the locusts. Satan is not a locust, so that also confirms that the fifth Trumpet is more symbolic:
11 And 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.
Let us focus on the 5th Trumpet:
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And 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.
5 And 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.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7 And 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.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And 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.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Four concepts stand out when we read through this passage:
1) There is quite a detailed description of these evil angels. They look like locusts, they have the stings of scorpions, they have human faces and long hair, teeth of lions, they have iron breastplates, and their beating wings sound like horses and chariots in a battle charge. What is the meaning of this detailed description? I can make some suggestions: There is certainly an atmosphere of fear created by this description. These creatures are out to make war and to torment mankind. War evokes fear when you are trapped in the midst of it. When Satan is given free reign, he is out to create fear, because in fear he can coerce more people. While mankind is dumped into chaos and fear, Satan will appear as Jesus on Earth, and people will believe it is the real Christ far easier (chapter 22) because this apparition of Christ will promise peace and prosperity again if his advice is followed. There are scholars that believe this Trumpet to be more literal, and that the fallen angels will appear on Earth as these weird-looking aliens. The idea is that the media has prepared us for this with all the movies there are about aliens and invasions from other planets. Something mentioned when studying the first four Trumpets (chapter 19) is that Trumpets may be correlated with creation week. Each consecutive Trumpet turns a feature of the parallel day of creation into a curse. On the fifth day God created fish, birds and insects. The plague of the fifth Trumpet is weird locusts that torment the unsaved.
2) This locust plague is directed at the unsaved. Satan is given more freedom but is limited in who he can torment. Those that are sealed are out of bounds for him. At this stage only the 144 000 have been sealed, the corporate Close of Probation is at the end of this 3.5-year period during which the Trumpets sound. Many of God’s children are not yet sealed. It would seem God offers those who have committed themselves to God, and are not corporately sealed, protection against this plague. There is a plurality in what the locusts may not damage: grass, green things and trees. Trees are well established and could represent the 144 000. Grass and green things are young and fresh and could represent those that have committed themselves to God but are not corporately sealed, or those who still have not made a choice. Satan will try to lure these away from God. The plague falls on those who are hardened in their choices against God. They still have a chance to change their minds, but time is running out. God is in the process of withdrawing His Spirit. God possibly preserves those that have not made a final commitment. They could be represented by the green things. The grass could be those that have committed themselves to God.
In the first plague all the green grass is burnt up, and a third of the trees. We have already seen that a falling star in the third Trumpet (Rev 8:10) and the stars in the fourth Trumpet (Rev 8:12) are literal but the star in the fifth Trumpet is symbolic. Likewise the trees and the green grass in the first Trumpet are literal (Rev 8:7), but the grass, the green things and the trees in the fifth Trumpet are symbolic.
3) The way in which the unsaved are tormented needs consideration. The locusts are described as having stings of scorpions and they sting the people that are not sealed by God. The sting is very painful, like the sting of a scorpion. These people suffer so much that they want to die, but they are not allowed to die. This description sounds quite literal, but it could also represent the withdrawal of God’s Spirit, and these people are dumped into mental anguish as they are tormented by evil angels. Like the Israelites that suffered from the bites of venomous serpents in the wilderness, when they looked at the brazen serpent on the pole, found healing and relief, some of these unsaved people may at this stage still look up to Christ and find relief from the scourges of this plague.
4) This plague occurs over a period of five months. Adventism understands this Trumpet to have been fulfilled by the reign of the Turkish Empire from 1299 to 1449. The 5 months represent 150 year-days. Having rejected the year-day principle except for Dan 9 (chapter 5), these 5 months must be quite literal. This plague then torments the unsaved for five months.
The fifth Trumpet is a horrific plague. Revelation calls the last 3 Trumpets woes. This one is certainly a time of woe for the impenitent on Earth.
The purpose of the first 6 Trumpets is to have the undecided to make a choice: Either true worship, or false worship. When Probation Closes with the seventh Trumpet, no one will be undecided. The World will be in two camps with no one on the fence. The seventh Trumpet seals everyone into their final decision.
Choose today whom you will serve:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
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