Chapter 9

1 At the sounding of the fifth angel, a star falleth from heaven, to whom is given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 He openeth the pit, and there come forth locusts like scorpions. 12 The first woe past. 13 The sixth trumpet soundeth. 14 Four angels are let loose, that were bound.

1. Fifth angel. The fifth trumpet is discussed in vs. 1–12. This trumpet is the first “woe” (see on ch. 8:13; cf. ch. 9:12, 13).

A star fall. Or, “a star fallen.” The star depicted here is not seen falling, as under the third trumpet (ch. 8:10), but is shown already fallen upon the earth.

It is interesting to note in passing that the figure of a fallen star occurs also in Jewish apocalyptic literature to describe Satan as a star fallen from heaven (Enoch 88:1; R. H. Charles, The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, vol. 2, p. 251).

To him was given. This implies that the power represented by the key was not intrinsically his, but was allowed to him by a higher power.

The key. Possession of the key implies the power to open and close (see Rev. 3:7; cf. Matt. 16:19).

A number of commentators have identified the fifth and sixth trumpets with the ravages of the Saracens and the Turks. They point to the wars between the Persians under Khosrau II (a.d. 590–628) and the Romans under Heraclius I (610–641) as weakening the two empires, thus preparing the way for the Moslem conquest. The key, they suggest, is the fall of Khosrau, whose overthrow and murder in a.d. 628 marked the end of the Persian Empire as an effective power and opened the way for the advance of the Arabian forces.

Bottomless pit. Gr. phrear teµs abussou, “pit of the bottomless [place],” or “well of the abyss.” The word abussos is used repeatedly in the LXX to translate the Hebrew tehom (see on Gen. 1:2, where abussos represents the primeval ocean). In Job 41:31 it represents the sea in general, and in Ps. 71:20, the depths of the earth. The abussos is also the abode of leviathan. Thus the LXX of Job 41:22, 23, 25 (vs. 31, 32, 34 of the Masoretic text) reads, “He [the dragon] makes the deep [abussos] boil like a brazen caldron; and he regards the sea as a pot of ointment, and the lowest part of the deep as a captive: he reckons the deep as his range. … He beholds every high thing: and he is king of all that are in the waters” (English trans. in Bagster’s ed. of the LXX). With respect to the Arabs, the bottomless pit may be thought of as representing the vast wastes of the Arabian deserts, whence these followers of Mohammed issued forth, to spread their conquests over vast areas.

2. Bottomless pit. See on v. 1.

Darkened. Compare on ch. 6:12. Darkness is also a characteristic of the fifth plague (ch. 16:10). With respect to the Moslems, the darkening of the sun may be thought of as the obscuration of the sun of Christianity. Such was the effect of the spread of the religion of Islam.

3. Locusts. This visitation is reminiscent of the plague of locusts that infested Egypt (Ex. 10:13–15). As early as the 8th century a.d., Beatus, a Spanish monk, is said to have identified the symbol of the locusts with the Moslem Arabs, who in his day had just overrun North Africa, the Near East, and Spain. Since his time many expositors are on record as having made a similar identification.

As the scorpions. Normally locusts do not attack human beings, but these locusts are portrayed as having the venom of scorpions. Scorpions are described as hostile toward man (see Eze. 2:6; Luke 10:19; 11:12).

4. They should not hurt. Locusts destroy vegetation, not men. But these locusts are commanded not to harm any growing plant. Their attacks are to be directed only against unrighteous men.

Those who identify the locust symbol with the Saracens have suggested that this prohibition reflects the policy of the Arab conquerors not to destroy property wantonly or to kill Christians and Jews so long as they submitted to the payment of tribute. Concerning a certain class, Abu-bakr, Mohammed’s successor, is recorded to have said to his soldiers: “‘You will find another sort of people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns; be sure you cleave their skulls, and give them no quarter, till they either turn Mahometans or pay tribute’” (quoted in Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, J. B. Bury, ed., vol. 5, p. 416). This class has not been definitely identified.

When applied to the Moslem Arabs this restriction may be thought of as representing their policy of permitting the conquered to live. This course was adopted so that the conquered might support the warriors out on conquest.

Have not the seal. Some have suggested that inasmuch as the keeping of the Sabbath is ultimately to be the outward sign of the inner work of sealing by the Holy Spirit (see on Eze. 9:4), the ones attacked by the “locusts” here are those who do not observe the true Sabbath.

In their foreheads. See Eze. 9:4; Rev. 7:3.

5. Should not kill. The punishment inflicted by the locusts is pain, not death.

Five months. For a discussion of this period see Additional Note at end of chapter.

Scorpion. See on v. 3. The sting of a scorpion may be exceedingly painful, but it is seldom fatal to man.

6. Seek death. Compare the attitude of men here with that portrayed in ch. 6:16. See Job 3:21; cf. Jer. 8:3.

7. Shapes. Gr. homoioµmata, “likeness.”

Like unto horses. See on Joel 2:4, of which this passage is reminiscent. Some see in the horses a reference to cavalry, a prominent feature of Arabian military forces.

Crowns. Gr. stephanoi, symbols of victory (see on ch. 2:10). Some see a reference here to the turban, which was long the national headdress of the Arabians.

Faces of men. Perhaps an implication that the agents of this visitation are human beings.

8. Hair of women. Some have applied this feature of the vision to the allegedly long hair worn by the Arabian troops.

Teeth of lions. This figure suggests strength and rapacity.

9. Breastplates of iron. The scales of the locusts may have suggested this description. The figure indicates the impregnability of the agents of this judgment.

Sound of chariots. Compare Joel 2:5.

10. Like unto scorpions. That is, like the tails of scorpions, which contain poisonous stings.

Hurt men. See on v. 5.

Five months. See Additional Note at end of chapter.

11. King over them. The wise man Agur declared that “the locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands” (Prov. 30:27). The locusts in the present passage, however, are more highly organized in their destructive work, for they have a ruler whose commands they follow. Some who apply the fifth and sixth trumpets to the Moslem Arabs and Turks see in this king a reference to Osman (Othman) I (1299–1326), the traditional founder of the Ottoman Empire. His first attack upon the Greek Empire, which, according to Gibbon, took place on July 27, 1299, they take as marking the beginning of the five-month period of torment (Rev. 9:7, 10). For a discussion of this period see Additional Note at end of chapter.

Angel. Or, “messenger,” the one in charge of the forces issuing from the bottomless pit.

Bottomless pit. See on v. 1.

Abaddon. Gr. Abaddoµn, a transliteration of the Heb. ХAbbadon, “destruction,” “ruin.” This word is used with a general meaning in Job 31:12, and is paralleled with “hell” (Heb. sheХol, the figurative realm of the dead; see on Prov. 15:11) in Job 26:6. The use of a Hebrew name here is significant with respect to the fact that much of John’s symbolism is of Hebrew and Jewish origin. In Jewish tradition ХAbbadon is personified (see Talmud Shabbath 89a).

Greek tongue. John supplies a Greek name that translates ХAbbadon for his Greek-speaking readers.

Apollyon. Gr. Apolluoµn, “one who destroys,” “a destroyer.”

12. Woe. See on ch. 8:13.

13. Sixth angel. That is, the second woe (see on chs. 8:13; 11:14; cf. ch. 9:12).

Four horns. Textual evidence is divided (cf. p. 10) between this and the reading “horns.” For the horns on the altar of incense in the ancient wilderness tabernacle see Ex. 37:26.

The golden altar. Doubtless the same altar as the one where the angel had ministered the prayers of the saints (ch. 8:3–5).

14. Four angels. Previously the prophet had seen four angels that had power to restrain the winds from blowing (ch. 7:1). They had worldwide power; the present four appear to be localized.

Most commentators who interpret the fifth trumpet as applying to the Saracens have seen the Turks in the sixth. Some of these identify the four angels as four sultanies of the Turkish (Ottoman) Empire, which they identify as Aleppo, Iconium, Damascus, and Baghdad. Others see in these angels the destructive forces that moved against the Western world.

Are bound. Literally, “have been bound.” These angels have been restrained from their work of judgment until the sixth angel sounds his trumpet.

Euphrates. Commentators who apply the sixth trumpet to the Turks generally give a literal interpretation to the Euphrates, in the sense that it was from the region of the Euphrates that the Turks entered the Byzantine Empire. But inasmuch as the names Sodom, Egypt (ch. 11:8), and Babylon (chs. 14:8; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21) are used symbolically in the Revelation, other commentators hold that the Euphrates should also be understood symbolically (see on ch. 16:12). Some of these note that, to the Israelites, the Euphrates constituted the northern boundary of the land which ideally they were to occupy (Deut. 1:7, 8) and which, at the height of their power, they dominated, at least to some extent (see on 1 Kings 4:21). Beyond the Euphrates were the heathen nations of the north who repeatedly swept down and engulfed Israel (cf. on Jer. 1:14). According to this point of view the Euphrates here indicates a boundary beyond which God holds the forces that accomplish His judgment under the sixth trumpet.

Still others connect the Euphrates with mystical Babylon. They point out that inasmuch as later in the Revelation the final apostasy is portrayed as mystic Babylon (ch. 17:5) and that particular attention is called to its sitting “upon many waters” (v. 1), and inasmuch as historical Babylon was literally situated upon the waters of the Euphrates (see Vol. IV, p. 796), the Euphrates is here symbolic of the domain of the power represented as mystic Babylon (cf. on ch. 16:12).

15. Four angels. See on v. 14.

For an hour. Concerning the expression “for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year” see Additional Note at end of chapter; cf. on ch. 17:12.

Third part. See on ch. 8:7.

16. Army of the horsemen. The four angels are portrayed as wreaking their judgments by means of a great army of cavalry. In ancient times the cavalry was the swiftest, most mobile branch of an army. Therefore, here, it may be thought of as symbolizing the rapidity and scope with which this visitation comes.

Two hundred thousand thousand. That is, two hundred million. The number is doubtless symbolic of a vast, innumerable host.

I heard. The syntax of this statement in Greek may imply that John heard this number and understood its significance. Oral information confirmed his impression of a numberless throng.

17. I saw. The description of the horses and their riders seems to follow the familiar Hebrew inverted parallelism: first the horses, then the riders are mentioned; then the riders are described, and finally the horses.

Breastplates. That is, of the riders.

Of fire. That is, fiery. Perhaps not only the armor of the cavalrymen appeared bright, but the troops themselves may have appeared to the prophet as clothed with fire. See below on “jacinth.”

Jacinth. Gr. huakinthinos, a violet or dark-blue color. Some suggest that this may represent the smoke accompanying the fire (see below on “fire and smoke and brimstone”). Others see the color as descriptive of the Turkish uniform, in which the colors red (or scarlet), blue, and yellow are said to have predominated. The fire, they believe, represents the red color, and the brimstone the yellow.

Brimstone. Gr. theioµdeis, “sulphurous,” “of brimstone.” Fire and brimstone are frequently mentioned together in the book of Revelation (chs. 9:18; 14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8). For a possible significance of the color see the foregoing on “jacinth.”

Heads of lions. This comparison of the “horsemen” to the king of beasts suggests ferocity and majesty.

Fire and smoke and brimstone. The same things that appeared to clothe the cavalrymen also come forth from the mouths of their horses. The mention of “smoke” here in place of the “jacinth” of the horsemen strengthens the suggestion that the two are the same (see the foregoing on “jacinth”). Compare the description of leviathan in Job 41:19–21. Expositors who identify the sixth trumpet with the ravages of the Ottoman Turks see in the “fire and smoke and brimstone” a reference to the use of gunpowder and firearms, introduced about this time. They point out that the discharge of a musket by a mounted cavalryman could make it appear from a distance as if fire were coming out of the horse’s mouth.

18. These three. Textual evidence attests (cf. p. 10) the reading “these three plagues.” The fact that these judgments are called plagues is taken by some as suggesting that a close parallel exists between the trumpets and the seven last plagues (see on ch. 8:6).

Third part. See on ch. 8:7.

Fire … smoke … brimstone. See on v. 17.

19. Mouth. John has already depicted these horses as killing men by the fire, smoke, and brimstone that issue from their mouths (see on v. 17).

Tails. These horses wreak havoc both with their heads and with their tails. Compare the locusts of the fifth trumpet, whose stings were in their tails (v. 10). With respect to the Turks, certain expositors see in these “tails” a reference to a horse’s tail as a Turkish standard.

20. Rest of the men. The majority of men were not destroyed by this horrible visitation, but in spite of what their fellow men had suffered they did not take the lesson to heart as they should have done, and repent.

Works of their hands. Particularly the idols they had made (see Deut. 4:28; Ps. 135:15; Jer. 1:16). In modern days men who give to the structures of their own inventive genius greater importance in their lives than they do to God and His kingdom, stand equally condemned. While good in themselves, modern creature comforts—the works of men’s hands—may often fill men’s lives so fully that they become idols as much as the ancient gods of wood, stone, and metal ever were. Compare on 1 John 5:21.

Devils. Gr. daimonia, “demons” (see on 1 Cor. 10:20). This refers to the worship of spirits, common in ancient times and still widely practiced among many heathen groups.

Idols. As contrasted with the worship of spirits, this condemns the worship of concrete, but inanimate, objects.

Gold. Gold, silver, brass, stone, wood, are listed in the descending order of their value as materials.

Neither can see. The folly of idolatry is dramatized by the fact that these objects, worshiped as gods, have not even the common powers of an animal, much less a man (see Ps. 115:4–7; Jer. 10:5; Dan. 5:23).

21. Murders. The sin of idolatry against God often leads to crimes such as those here listed (see Rev. 21:8; 22:15; cf. Gal. 5:20).

Sorceries. See on ch. 18:23.

Fornication. Gr. porneia, “prostitution,” “unchastity,” a general term denoting every imaginable kind of unlawful sexual intercourse.

Thefts. See 1 Cor. 6:10.

additional note on chapter 9

One of the first Biblical expositors on record to identify the Turks as the power portrayed under the sixth trumpet was the Swiss reformer, Heinrich Bullinger (d. a.d. 1575), although Martin Luther had already set forth this trumpet as symbolic of Moslems. However, on the dating of this trumpet, as of the fifth, commentators have shown wide divergence, although the decided majority of expositors have assigned dates for the fifth trumpet during the period in which the Saracens were in the ascendancy, and for the sixth trumpet during the heyday of either the Seljuk or the Ottoman Turks.

In 1832 William Miller made a new approach to the dating of these trumpets by connecting them chronologically (in the fifth of a series of articles in the Vermont Telegraph). On the basis of the year-day principle (see on Dan. 7:25), Miller calculated the five months of the fifth trumpet (Rev. 9:5) to be 150 literal years, and the hour, day, month, and year of the sixth to be 391 years and 15 days. Many expositors before Miller had adopted these same calculations, but they had not connected the two periods chronologically. Miller set forth the view that the time period of the sixth trumpet followed immediately upon that of the fifth, so as to make the entire period one of 541 years and 15 days. This period he dated from a.d. 1298, when he considered the first attack by the Ottoman Turks on the Byzantine Empire occurred, to 1839. Thus, according to his view, both trumpets represented the Ottoman Turks, the fifth, their rise and the sixth, their period of domination.

In 1838 Josiah Litch, one of Miller’s associates in the second advent movement in America, revised Miller’s dates to a.d. 1299 to 1449 for the fifth trumpet, and 1449 to 1840 for the sixth. Litch accepted the date July 27, 1299, for the battle of Bapheum, near Nicomedia, which he took as the first attack by the Ottoman Turks on the Byzantine Empire. He saw the date 1449 as significant of the collapse of Byzantine power, for toward the end of 1448 a new Byzantine emperor, Constantine Palaeologus, had requested permission of the Turkish sultan Murad II before daring to ascend his throne, and he did not, in fact, receive the crown until January 6, 1449, after such permission had been granted. Litch believed that this 150-year period constituted the time during which the Ottoman Turks “tormented” (see v. 5) the Byzantine Empire.

As already stated, Litch set 1299 as the beginning of the fifth trumpet, to be more exact, July 27, 1299, his date for the battle of Bapheum. He gave to this fifth trumpet a period of 150 years. This brought him to July 27, 1449, for the beginning of the sixth trumpet. Adding on 391 years brought him to July 27, 1840. The 15 days carried him over into the month of August of that year. He predicted that in that month the power of the Turkish Empire would be overthrown. However, at the outset he did not fix on a precise day in August. A short time before the expiration of this period he declared that the Turkish Empire would be broken August 11, which is exactly 15 days beyond July 27, 1840.

At that time world attention was directed to events taking place in the Turkish Empire. In June, 1839, Mohammed Ali, pasha of Egypt and nominally a vassal of the sultan, had rebelled against his overlord. He defeated the Turks and captured their navy. At this juncture Mahmud II, the sultan, died, and the ministers of his successor, Abdul Mejid, proposed a settlement to Mohammed Ali by which he would receive the hereditary pashalik of Egypt, and his son Ibrahim, the rulership of Syria. However, Britain, France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia, who all had interests in the Near East, intervened at this point and insisted that no agreement between the Turks and Mohammed Ali be made without their consultation. Negotiations were protracted until the summer of 1840, when, on July 15, Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia signed the Treaty of London, proposing to back with force the terms suggested the previous year by the Turks. It was about this time that Litch announced that he anticipated Turkish power to come to an end on August 11. On that day the Turkish emissary, Rifat Bey, arrived at Alexandria with the terms of the London Convention. On that day also the ambassadors of the four powers received a communication from the sultan inquiring as to what measures were to be taken in reference to a circumstance vitally affecting his empire. He was told that “provision had been made,” but he could not know what it was. Litch interpreted these events as a recognition by the Turkish government that its independent power was gone.

These events, coming at the specified time of Litch’s prediction, exercised a wide influence upon the thinking of those in America who were interested in the Millerite movement. Indeed, this prediction by Litch went far to give credence to other, as yet unfulfilled, time prophecies—particularly that of the 2300 days—which were being preached by the Millerites. Thus this occurrence in 1840 was a significant factor in building up the expectation of the second advent three years later (see GC 334, 335).

It should be made clear, however, that commentators and theologians in general have been greatly divided over the meaning of the 5th and 6th trumpets. This has been due principally to problems in three areas: (1) the meaning of the symbolism itself; (2) the meaning of the Greek; (3) the historical events and dates involved. But to canvass adequately these problems would carry us beyond the space limits permissible in this commentary.

Generally speaking, the Seventh-day Adventist interpretation of the fifth and sixth trumpets, particularly as touching the time period involved, is essentially that of Josiah Litch.

Ellen G. White comments

5, 14, 15        GC 334