CHRIS' COMMENTARY NOTES FOR REVELATION CHAPTER 9
Revelation 9: Intro. Revelation 9:1-11. Halley (and, according to the editors, "many commentators") think this may be "the rise and spread of Mohammedanism" (pp. 716-718). In my OPINION this is a big leap. This ignores that timeline (tribulation), that they come out of the pit of Hades, that they cant hurt those that have the seal of God on their forehead (only the 144,000 have this), that while they try to kill people no one can die, These are demons and they will wreak havoc in a time that has yet to happen (during the Great Tribulation).
Notes on Revelation 9:1-21
9:1. A star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given. It is my OPINION that this “star” is Satan. We see that this star is given “the key” and makes decisions and takes action so it is more than a rock or burning gas. Also in Rev. 9:11 the same description is given to one who is noted as “the angel of the bottomless pit.” Interestingly in Luke 10:18 Jesus says that He saw Satan cast out of heaven.
I believe this is talking about what we see in more detail in Rev. 12:12 which says, “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
“Satan’s fall from heaven is symbolically described in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18. While these two passages are referring specifically to the kings of Babylon and Tyre, they also reference the spiritual power behind those kings, namely, Satan” (Source 1).
Regarding the word “star” here it’s aster (G#792) in Greek simply meaning “a star” (Source 2). It should be noted that this same word translated “star” is used in Revelation 6 and is sometimes thought of as meaning a demon, but that’s not the case there, see note on Rev. 6:13 titled, “And the stars of heaven fell to earth” for more.
the key to the bottomless pit. This is Abaddon (see Rev. 9:11 note titled, “Whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon” for more).
The word “key” in Greek is kleis (G2807) meaning “since the keeper of the keys has the power to open and to shut” metaphocially its used “to denote power and authority of various kinds” (Source 3). This is also the word used for “keys” from Rev. 1:18 which says that Jesus has “the keys of hell and death.” So it is Jesus who has these keys and allows Satan to use them. See notes on “A star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given” directly above for why this is probably Satan.
“Bottomless” in Greek is abyssos (G12) meaning “bottomless, the abyss, the immeasurable depth, of Orcus, a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons” (Source 4).
“Pit” is phrear (G5421) meaning “a well, the pit of the abyss (because the nether world is thought to increase in size the further it extends from the surface of the earth and so resemble a cistern, the orifice of which is narrow)” (Source 5). The pit here is “hades”, the holding place for souls until the Final Judgment (Rev. 20:13). For more on hades see notes on Rev. 6:8 “Hades followed with him”.
9:2. Smoke arose out of the pit. Smoke is rising out of Hades (i.e. “the pit”, see note on Rev. 9:1 titled, “the key to the bottomless pit”). This is a literal smoke pouring out of Hades (McGee agrees, Source 6, p. 100). In my imagination I think this will be a putrid, sulfur-like, choking smoke. We think smog has ruined our air!
The sun and the air were darkened. The smoke is so bad that it blacks out the sun and the air. Inevitably every summer in Southern California we have such bad wild fires that ash rains down. I remember in third grade we weren’t supposed to have recess because the air was so bad and I had to walk home with a cloth over my mouth and nose. The sun was darkened out and the white and gray powdery ash was all over every house, car and street. Obviously things like mount Saint Helen’s have shown how bad the air quality can get. But what we’ve seen in history is nothing compared to spiritual realm spoke pouring out of the pit that imprisons demons and un-repentant souls.
Revelation 9:3-20:3. The “Three Woes”. See http://www.gotquestions.org/three-woes.html for more.
Revelation 9:3-9:11. This is the “First Woe”. See notes on “Revelation 9:3-20:3” for more.
9:3. Out of the smoke. Therefore out of “the bottomless pit.” This makes me think of a Sci-Fi movie where a hole opens up in the earth and smoke is pouring out and through the smoke these giant grasshopper monsters come flying out. This may be closer to what it actually is. Yet we can’t imagine how horrible this will be.
Locusts came upon the earth. There are many theories as to what these “locusts” are but we’re given a description in the following verses that these are things that no one has ever seen. I believe the most dominant characteristic of these demons is that they fly and have wings like locusts, so John refers to them as “locusts.” It’s how we know them when he refers to them. See note on how some think this "the rise and spread of Mohammedanism” titled, “Revelation 9:1-11”.
9:4. The seal of God on their foreheads. Everyone but the 144,000 are hurt (see Rev. 7:3 note “Till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads”).
9:5. Torment of a scorpion. See note on Rev. 9:10 titled, “They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails.”
LEFT OFF-----------------
9:6. Seek death and will not find it. This is the Walking Dead! McGee brings up a great point from Rev. 9:1 that people can’t die because Satan doesn’t want to fill Hades/”the pit” but instead would rather keep his army “alive” (Source 6, p. 100). I don’t fully agree that it is Satan’s warriors that aren’t dying (since it says “seek death”) but I do agree that because Satan has the keys to the pit, Satan could have the power to keep men “alive” on earth.
9:10. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. This gives more information to what was mentioned in Rev. 9:5. Again, the tails are like scorpions tails that have barbs and can poison a person. It is my OPINION that the poison is fatal but since Satan is keeping people from death it doesn’t actually kill them. These non-Christians are “tormented” (Rev. 9:5-6; 9:10), feeling their bodies shut down, but horribly kept alive. For more on Satan keeping people alive during this time see note on Rev. 9:6 titled, “Seek death and will not find it”).
9:11. King over them the angel of the bottomless pit. We established the “angel” here is Satan (see note on Rev. 9:1 titled, “A star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given”) and that the “bottomless pit” here is Hades (see note on Rev. 9:1 titled, “the key to the bottomless pit” for more).
Whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. The name of the angel is Abaddon (translated Apollyon in Greek). What does this tell us? As you’ll see below his name means “Destroyer.” So things that have been created by God have been and will be destroyed by the Devil.
Language: The Hebrew and Greek names here might be confusing at first. The actual word “Abaddon” is in fact Greek, it is the transliteration of a Hebrew word. So “Abaddon” (G#3) means “destruction, ruin, the place of destruction, the name of the angel-prince of the infernal regions, the minister of death and the author of havoc on the earth” (Source 7). “Apollyon” (G623) means “Destroyer, the angel of the bottomless pit, the Destroyer” (Source 8). An example of this is if I said “this angel’s name is ‘Satanas’ in Greek, which in English is ‘Satan’.” You see technically I gave “Satanas” which is the English equivalent of Σατανᾶς. So both Satanas and Satan are technically English. In the same way “Abaddon” is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word that the Greeks call “Apollyon.”
9:12. One woe is past. See note titled, “Revelation 8:13” where the “three woes” are introduced. And note titled, “Revelation 9:3-20:3” for more information. This first woe is comprised of Rev. 9:3-11.
Two more woes are coming. See note titled, “Revelation 9:13- 11:13” for more on the “Second Woe”. And note titled, “Revelation 11:14- 20:3” for more on the “Third Woe”.
Revelation 9:13- 11:13. The “Second Woe”. This is revealed after the sixth trumpet judgment. After the “second woe” but before the “third woe”, two things happen: 1. The Little Book and 2. The Two Witnesses. This is at the end of the first half of the week, beginning the Seventieth Week of Daniel. Rev. 10:1-11:13 are parenthetical. See notes on “Revelation 9:3-20:3” for more.
9:13. A voice. This must be Jesus speaking. (McGee agrees, p. 106). Jesus is the only One who has the authority to open the seals and direct these affairs. Any time that He commands an angel to oversee something John clearly tells us that.
Four horns of the golden altar. McGee says this is the golden alter which "speaks of prayer" (Source 6, p. 106). We saw in Rev. 8:3 (see note titled, "Stood at the altar") that this is where the prayers of the saints were offered with incense.. Also see note on Rev. 6:9 titled, “Under the alter.”
9:14. Release. These speaks to both the control of Jesus (the demons can't be let go until He allows it) and implies that there is something that has been holding them back. It must be like a spiritual cage or collar.
The four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. This is very interesting, there are demons trapped on earth at a specific place. McGee says their crime must have so great that they would be separated from other fallen angels. He goes on to mention the importance of the location "Euphrates." It's where the Garden of Eden was located. "The sin of man began here. The first murder was committed here. The first war was fought here. Here was where the Flood began and spread over the earth. Here is where the Tower of Babel was erected. To this area were brought the Israelites of the Babylonian captivity. Babylon was the fountainhead of idolatry...the Euphrates actually marks the division between East and West...this is where Satan's last stand will take place" (Source 6, pp. 106-107). It's interesting that he mentions idolatry because we're going to see that idol worship is a problem for these people (Rev. 9:20).
9:15. Prepared for the hour and day and month and year. This is very specific. It shows us that God is always in control. Although he didn’t create these angels in order to fall, once they made the choice to oppose God, He determined to use them as judgment on the sinful earth.
Released to kill a third of mankind. We'll see in Rev. 9:18 (see note titled, "a third of mankind was killed" for more) that 1/3 of the population is killed by a combination of these angels, 200 million horsemen warriors, 200 million horses and three plagues (see Rev. 9:18 note titled, "three plagues" for more).
Revelation 9:17. It seems obvious to me that these are demons just as the four Euphrates demons are demons. McGee says that some think these are tanks but he reminds us that this takes place in the future, so they could be tanks but they could be something more. McGee also believs these to be demons and quotes William R. Newell, “believe, and you scarcely need any comment” (Source 6, p. 109). This is true, the people that seem to have the most trouble interpreting Revelation are the ones that can’t distinguish between metaphors and reality because they cant accept that God can do anything.
9:18. three plagues. These are defined twice for us, once in verse 17 and once in verse 18. They are : 1. Fire, 2. Smoke, 3. Brimstone.
a third of mankind was killed. 1/3 of the earth's population will be killed by a combination of the four demons, 200 million horsemen, 200 million horses and three plagues (see Rev. 9:18 note titled, "three plagues" for more).
the fire and the smoke and the brimstone. These are the three plagues, mentioned above. It is unclear exactly how these kill people. It is my OPINION that these plagues come out of the mouths of the horse-like demons. (Although it is possible that the smoke could be the same smoke from Rev. 9:2 (see note titled, “Smoke arose out of the pit” for more) and the fire and brimstone might be rained down from heaven as God did on Sodom and Gomorrah, it is more likely that these plagues come out of the mouths of the horse-like demons).
9:19. Their power is in their mouth and in their tails. This is talking about the horse-like demons (ref. v. 17). It appears that either just brimstone or all three plagues (smoke, fire and brimstone) come out of their mouths, as we picture dragons doing. We see in the next phrase that their tails actually have heads on them.
Their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. The horse-like demons have tails that actually have heads on them, apparently the mouths of those tail-heads are what do harm (as it is with snakes).
9:20. The rest of mankind. This is the other 2/3 of the population that has not been killed by these demons.
Did not repent of the work of their hands. “Repent” is the most important word here. See Matthew 4:17-23. John the Baptist’s message was “repent from sin because the Messiah was coming. We have to understand that we sin and that we don’t want to sin any more before we can accept Jesus salvation. Jesus was telling people not just to repent (turn around) from their sin but to believe in the “gospel” (or “good news”). Recently I realized that repentance isn’t just being sorry for sinning but a determination that you won’t sin any more. Of course this can only be done with Jesus’ help. So if we struggle with porn or anger then we haven’t repented if we contiunue in it habitually (making it a habit) and practice it daily or semi-daily. So if every time we get behind the wheel we have road rage then we haven’t repented from our sin. Once we have asked Jesus to be our master and repented from our sin then it won’t be a habit. We may have a little anger in the car once a month (and that’s just because we are still in our sinful bodies – see Romans chapter 7) but it’s not with the same frequency that it once was.
For those un-repentant during the Tribulation they have been given opportunities to turn from their sin and accept Jesus’ salvation but they directly oppose and decline it. We see that they have applied their un-repentant attitude to action in “the work of their hands.”They would rather worship demons who are killing their families and friends then worship righteousness and love from the One, True God. We also see in the next verse that along with idol worship they were guilty of murders, sorceries (or drug use), sexual immorality and stealing.
Should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. The rest of the population had seen the four Euphrates demons, the 200 million horse-like demons, and the 200 million demons riding them and worshiped their power. They have taken their unrepentant attitude (mentioned above) and put it into action. Both the attitude and the action are sin. I think of the movie “Pacific Rim” where people are impressed with the Kaiju aliens and get tattoos of them, have toys of them, sell parts of them and some worship them. MacArthur says that the "demons impersonate the stone and wood idols men make" (Source 9, p. 2004). But my OPINION is that it's the opposite of that. They build idols to commemorate the demons that they see all around them.
Which can neither see nor hear nor walk. I am reminded of one of my favorite passages in Isaiah. In Isaiah 44:8-22 God makes fun of the foolishness of cutting down a tree and using some of the wood for the fire to keep warm and cook food but then using some of it for an idol and then worshiping it as a god. Also notice that at the beginning of the passage God calls Himself the “Rock” not an idol of “rock” but the unmovable true God. And notice at the end of the passage God tells us exactly how He will remove sin. Both of these points relate to what is going on here in Revelation: God the Rock is being ignored and although He is sending this judgment to open the remaining 2/3 of the population to how He has forgiven and redeemed sin, they people are unrepentant and unwilling to accept Him. Also see Habakkuk 2:18-20.
9:21. And they did not repent. See note above in Rev. 9:20 titled, "Did not repent of the work of their hands" about repentance.
Their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. This is in addition to the idol worship mentioned in Rev. 9:20 (see note there titled, “Should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood” for more). It is pretty obvious that “murder” is wrong. But “sorceries” can also be translated “drug use.” This is no surprise as we see drug use grow more and more today. Recreational drugs, elderly people hooked on prescriptions, babies born with dependencies due to the mother’s habit, paraphernalia and contraband and legalization of drugs for “medical” reasons has become acceptable. This will be nothing compared to the drug use in the Tribulation. And there is a very good reason, McGee says, “I am sure that many a person will turn to drugs when he is stung or bitten by these unnatural creatures. Although they will not die, they will feel like they are going to die, and as a result, they will take drugs to overcome the pain and help them endure the Great Tribulation” (Source 6, p. 111).
It is not surprising to me that “sexual immorality” is on this list of un-repentant sins people commit during the Tribulation. Our culture is ripe for irresponsible sexual relations. Life-time committed marriage is so passé. Abortion is expected, and many who call themselves Christians are in sexually active relationships even now. How much worse it will be when the Holy Spirit is pulled from the earth, the pain of judgment is felt, Satan is ruling and men are free to do whatever horrible, self-gratifying yet ultimately destructive (for themselves and others) thing pops into their mind.
It is interesting that “theft” or stealing is on the list of sins done during the Great Tribulation. We see the wickedness in people’s hearts during dark times people chose to make it darker. I remember the LA riots and watching news footage of the riots where instead of helping people who were getting beaten up people would take the opportunity to break into a shop and steal a TV. The Tribulation will be much worse than any riot the earth has known up to that point.
References:
Source 1: S. Michael Houdmann, http://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-fall.html#ixzz35PEHeFoJ
Source 2: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G792&t=KJV
Source 3: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2807&t=KJV
Source 4: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G12&t=KJV
Source 5: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5421&t=KJV
Source 6: J. Vernon McGee, Revelation: Chapter 6-13.
Source 7: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3&t=KJV
Source 8: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G623&t=KJV
Source 9: John MacArthur, MacArthur Study Bible, p. 2003.
9:1. A star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given. It is my OPINION that this “star” is Satan. We see that this star is given “the key” and makes decisions and takes action so it is more than a rock or burning gas. Also in Rev. 9:11 the same description is given to one who is noted as “the angel of the bottomless pit.” Interestingly in Luke 10:18 Jesus says that He saw Satan cast out of heaven.
I believe this is talking about what we see in more detail in Rev. 12:12 which says, “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
“Satan’s fall from heaven is symbolically described in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18. While these two passages are referring specifically to the kings of Babylon and Tyre, they also reference the spiritual power behind those kings, namely, Satan” (Source 1).
Regarding the word “star” here it’s aster (G#792) in Greek simply meaning “a star” (Source 2). It should be noted that this same word translated “star” is used in Revelation 6 and is sometimes thought of as meaning a demon, but that’s not the case there, see note on Rev. 6:13 titled, “And the stars of heaven fell to earth” for more.
the key to the bottomless pit. This is Abaddon (see Rev. 9:11 note titled, “Whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon” for more).
The word “key” in Greek is kleis (G2807) meaning “since the keeper of the keys has the power to open and to shut” metaphocially its used “to denote power and authority of various kinds” (Source 3). This is also the word used for “keys” from Rev. 1:18 which says that Jesus has “the keys of hell and death.” So it is Jesus who has these keys and allows Satan to use them. See notes on “A star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given” directly above for why this is probably Satan.
“Bottomless” in Greek is abyssos (G12) meaning “bottomless, the abyss, the immeasurable depth, of Orcus, a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons” (Source 4).
“Pit” is phrear (G5421) meaning “a well, the pit of the abyss (because the nether world is thought to increase in size the further it extends from the surface of the earth and so resemble a cistern, the orifice of which is narrow)” (Source 5). The pit here is “hades”, the holding place for souls until the Final Judgment (Rev. 20:13). For more on hades see notes on Rev. 6:8 “Hades followed with him”.
9:2. Smoke arose out of the pit. Smoke is rising out of Hades (i.e. “the pit”, see note on Rev. 9:1 titled, “the key to the bottomless pit”). This is a literal smoke pouring out of Hades (McGee agrees, Source 6, p. 100). In my imagination I think this will be a putrid, sulfur-like, choking smoke. We think smog has ruined our air!
The sun and the air were darkened. The smoke is so bad that it blacks out the sun and the air. Inevitably every summer in Southern California we have such bad wild fires that ash rains down. I remember in third grade we weren’t supposed to have recess because the air was so bad and I had to walk home with a cloth over my mouth and nose. The sun was darkened out and the white and gray powdery ash was all over every house, car and street. Obviously things like mount Saint Helen’s have shown how bad the air quality can get. But what we’ve seen in history is nothing compared to spiritual realm spoke pouring out of the pit that imprisons demons and un-repentant souls.
Revelation 9:3-20:3. The “Three Woes”. See http://www.gotquestions.org/three-woes.html for more.
Revelation 9:3-9:11. This is the “First Woe”. See notes on “Revelation 9:3-20:3” for more.
9:3. Out of the smoke. Therefore out of “the bottomless pit.” This makes me think of a Sci-Fi movie where a hole opens up in the earth and smoke is pouring out and through the smoke these giant grasshopper monsters come flying out. This may be closer to what it actually is. Yet we can’t imagine how horrible this will be.
Locusts came upon the earth. There are many theories as to what these “locusts” are but we’re given a description in the following verses that these are things that no one has ever seen. I believe the most dominant characteristic of these demons is that they fly and have wings like locusts, so John refers to them as “locusts.” It’s how we know them when he refers to them. See note on how some think this "the rise and spread of Mohammedanism” titled, “Revelation 9:1-11”.
9:4. The seal of God on their foreheads. Everyone but the 144,000 are hurt (see Rev. 7:3 note “Till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads”).
9:5. Torment of a scorpion. See note on Rev. 9:10 titled, “They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails.”
LEFT OFF-----------------
9:6. Seek death and will not find it. This is the Walking Dead! McGee brings up a great point from Rev. 9:1 that people can’t die because Satan doesn’t want to fill Hades/”the pit” but instead would rather keep his army “alive” (Source 6, p. 100). I don’t fully agree that it is Satan’s warriors that aren’t dying (since it says “seek death”) but I do agree that because Satan has the keys to the pit, Satan could have the power to keep men “alive” on earth.
9:10. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. This gives more information to what was mentioned in Rev. 9:5. Again, the tails are like scorpions tails that have barbs and can poison a person. It is my OPINION that the poison is fatal but since Satan is keeping people from death it doesn’t actually kill them. These non-Christians are “tormented” (Rev. 9:5-6; 9:10), feeling their bodies shut down, but horribly kept alive. For more on Satan keeping people alive during this time see note on Rev. 9:6 titled, “Seek death and will not find it”).
9:11. King over them the angel of the bottomless pit. We established the “angel” here is Satan (see note on Rev. 9:1 titled, “A star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given”) and that the “bottomless pit” here is Hades (see note on Rev. 9:1 titled, “the key to the bottomless pit” for more).
Whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. The name of the angel is Abaddon (translated Apollyon in Greek). What does this tell us? As you’ll see below his name means “Destroyer.” So things that have been created by God have been and will be destroyed by the Devil.
Language: The Hebrew and Greek names here might be confusing at first. The actual word “Abaddon” is in fact Greek, it is the transliteration of a Hebrew word. So “Abaddon” (G#3) means “destruction, ruin, the place of destruction, the name of the angel-prince of the infernal regions, the minister of death and the author of havoc on the earth” (Source 7). “Apollyon” (G623) means “Destroyer, the angel of the bottomless pit, the Destroyer” (Source 8). An example of this is if I said “this angel’s name is ‘Satanas’ in Greek, which in English is ‘Satan’.” You see technically I gave “Satanas” which is the English equivalent of Σατανᾶς. So both Satanas and Satan are technically English. In the same way “Abaddon” is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word that the Greeks call “Apollyon.”
9:12. One woe is past. See note titled, “Revelation 8:13” where the “three woes” are introduced. And note titled, “Revelation 9:3-20:3” for more information. This first woe is comprised of Rev. 9:3-11.
Two more woes are coming. See note titled, “Revelation 9:13- 11:13” for more on the “Second Woe”. And note titled, “Revelation 11:14- 20:3” for more on the “Third Woe”.
Revelation 9:13- 11:13. The “Second Woe”. This is revealed after the sixth trumpet judgment. After the “second woe” but before the “third woe”, two things happen: 1. The Little Book and 2. The Two Witnesses. This is at the end of the first half of the week, beginning the Seventieth Week of Daniel. Rev. 10:1-11:13 are parenthetical. See notes on “Revelation 9:3-20:3” for more.
9:13. A voice. This must be Jesus speaking. (McGee agrees, p. 106). Jesus is the only One who has the authority to open the seals and direct these affairs. Any time that He commands an angel to oversee something John clearly tells us that.
Four horns of the golden altar. McGee says this is the golden alter which "speaks of prayer" (Source 6, p. 106). We saw in Rev. 8:3 (see note titled, "Stood at the altar") that this is where the prayers of the saints were offered with incense.. Also see note on Rev. 6:9 titled, “Under the alter.”
9:14. Release. These speaks to both the control of Jesus (the demons can't be let go until He allows it) and implies that there is something that has been holding them back. It must be like a spiritual cage or collar.
The four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. This is very interesting, there are demons trapped on earth at a specific place. McGee says their crime must have so great that they would be separated from other fallen angels. He goes on to mention the importance of the location "Euphrates." It's where the Garden of Eden was located. "The sin of man began here. The first murder was committed here. The first war was fought here. Here was where the Flood began and spread over the earth. Here is where the Tower of Babel was erected. To this area were brought the Israelites of the Babylonian captivity. Babylon was the fountainhead of idolatry...the Euphrates actually marks the division between East and West...this is where Satan's last stand will take place" (Source 6, pp. 106-107). It's interesting that he mentions idolatry because we're going to see that idol worship is a problem for these people (Rev. 9:20).
9:15. Prepared for the hour and day and month and year. This is very specific. It shows us that God is always in control. Although he didn’t create these angels in order to fall, once they made the choice to oppose God, He determined to use them as judgment on the sinful earth.
Released to kill a third of mankind. We'll see in Rev. 9:18 (see note titled, "a third of mankind was killed" for more) that 1/3 of the population is killed by a combination of these angels, 200 million horsemen warriors, 200 million horses and three plagues (see Rev. 9:18 note titled, "three plagues" for more).
Revelation 9:17. It seems obvious to me that these are demons just as the four Euphrates demons are demons. McGee says that some think these are tanks but he reminds us that this takes place in the future, so they could be tanks but they could be something more. McGee also believs these to be demons and quotes William R. Newell, “believe, and you scarcely need any comment” (Source 6, p. 109). This is true, the people that seem to have the most trouble interpreting Revelation are the ones that can’t distinguish between metaphors and reality because they cant accept that God can do anything.
9:18. three plagues. These are defined twice for us, once in verse 17 and once in verse 18. They are : 1. Fire, 2. Smoke, 3. Brimstone.
a third of mankind was killed. 1/3 of the earth's population will be killed by a combination of the four demons, 200 million horsemen, 200 million horses and three plagues (see Rev. 9:18 note titled, "three plagues" for more).
the fire and the smoke and the brimstone. These are the three plagues, mentioned above. It is unclear exactly how these kill people. It is my OPINION that these plagues come out of the mouths of the horse-like demons. (Although it is possible that the smoke could be the same smoke from Rev. 9:2 (see note titled, “Smoke arose out of the pit” for more) and the fire and brimstone might be rained down from heaven as God did on Sodom and Gomorrah, it is more likely that these plagues come out of the mouths of the horse-like demons).
9:19. Their power is in their mouth and in their tails. This is talking about the horse-like demons (ref. v. 17). It appears that either just brimstone or all three plagues (smoke, fire and brimstone) come out of their mouths, as we picture dragons doing. We see in the next phrase that their tails actually have heads on them.
Their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. The horse-like demons have tails that actually have heads on them, apparently the mouths of those tail-heads are what do harm (as it is with snakes).
9:20. The rest of mankind. This is the other 2/3 of the population that has not been killed by these demons.
Did not repent of the work of their hands. “Repent” is the most important word here. See Matthew 4:17-23. John the Baptist’s message was “repent from sin because the Messiah was coming. We have to understand that we sin and that we don’t want to sin any more before we can accept Jesus salvation. Jesus was telling people not just to repent (turn around) from their sin but to believe in the “gospel” (or “good news”). Recently I realized that repentance isn’t just being sorry for sinning but a determination that you won’t sin any more. Of course this can only be done with Jesus’ help. So if we struggle with porn or anger then we haven’t repented if we contiunue in it habitually (making it a habit) and practice it daily or semi-daily. So if every time we get behind the wheel we have road rage then we haven’t repented from our sin. Once we have asked Jesus to be our master and repented from our sin then it won’t be a habit. We may have a little anger in the car once a month (and that’s just because we are still in our sinful bodies – see Romans chapter 7) but it’s not with the same frequency that it once was.
For those un-repentant during the Tribulation they have been given opportunities to turn from their sin and accept Jesus’ salvation but they directly oppose and decline it. We see that they have applied their un-repentant attitude to action in “the work of their hands.”They would rather worship demons who are killing their families and friends then worship righteousness and love from the One, True God. We also see in the next verse that along with idol worship they were guilty of murders, sorceries (or drug use), sexual immorality and stealing.
Should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. The rest of the population had seen the four Euphrates demons, the 200 million horse-like demons, and the 200 million demons riding them and worshiped their power. They have taken their unrepentant attitude (mentioned above) and put it into action. Both the attitude and the action are sin. I think of the movie “Pacific Rim” where people are impressed with the Kaiju aliens and get tattoos of them, have toys of them, sell parts of them and some worship them. MacArthur says that the "demons impersonate the stone and wood idols men make" (Source 9, p. 2004). But my OPINION is that it's the opposite of that. They build idols to commemorate the demons that they see all around them.
Which can neither see nor hear nor walk. I am reminded of one of my favorite passages in Isaiah. In Isaiah 44:8-22 God makes fun of the foolishness of cutting down a tree and using some of the wood for the fire to keep warm and cook food but then using some of it for an idol and then worshiping it as a god. Also notice that at the beginning of the passage God calls Himself the “Rock” not an idol of “rock” but the unmovable true God. And notice at the end of the passage God tells us exactly how He will remove sin. Both of these points relate to what is going on here in Revelation: God the Rock is being ignored and although He is sending this judgment to open the remaining 2/3 of the population to how He has forgiven and redeemed sin, they people are unrepentant and unwilling to accept Him. Also see Habakkuk 2:18-20.
9:21. And they did not repent. See note above in Rev. 9:20 titled, "Did not repent of the work of their hands" about repentance.
Their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. This is in addition to the idol worship mentioned in Rev. 9:20 (see note there titled, “Should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood” for more). It is pretty obvious that “murder” is wrong. But “sorceries” can also be translated “drug use.” This is no surprise as we see drug use grow more and more today. Recreational drugs, elderly people hooked on prescriptions, babies born with dependencies due to the mother’s habit, paraphernalia and contraband and legalization of drugs for “medical” reasons has become acceptable. This will be nothing compared to the drug use in the Tribulation. And there is a very good reason, McGee says, “I am sure that many a person will turn to drugs when he is stung or bitten by these unnatural creatures. Although they will not die, they will feel like they are going to die, and as a result, they will take drugs to overcome the pain and help them endure the Great Tribulation” (Source 6, p. 111).
It is not surprising to me that “sexual immorality” is on this list of un-repentant sins people commit during the Tribulation. Our culture is ripe for irresponsible sexual relations. Life-time committed marriage is so passé. Abortion is expected, and many who call themselves Christians are in sexually active relationships even now. How much worse it will be when the Holy Spirit is pulled from the earth, the pain of judgment is felt, Satan is ruling and men are free to do whatever horrible, self-gratifying yet ultimately destructive (for themselves and others) thing pops into their mind.
It is interesting that “theft” or stealing is on the list of sins done during the Great Tribulation. We see the wickedness in people’s hearts during dark times people chose to make it darker. I remember the LA riots and watching news footage of the riots where instead of helping people who were getting beaten up people would take the opportunity to break into a shop and steal a TV. The Tribulation will be much worse than any riot the earth has known up to that point.
References:
Source 1: S. Michael Houdmann, http://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-fall.html#ixzz35PEHeFoJ
Source 2: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G792&t=KJV
Source 3: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2807&t=KJV
Source 4: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G12&t=KJV
Source 5: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5421&t=KJV
Source 6: J. Vernon McGee, Revelation: Chapter 6-13.
Source 7: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3&t=KJV
Source 8: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G623&t=KJV
Source 9: John MacArthur, MacArthur Study Bible, p. 2003.