Bible Study: Revelation 9 – Army of 200 million

Revelation is the only book that says we are blessed to read, hear and keep the things that are written, for the time is near. Hence, let us not be like hypocrites without discerning times and seasons. Here we will look into Revelation 9 and understand what it says.

(Rev 1:3) Blessed [is] he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time [is] near.  

(Luke 12:56) “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how [is it] you do not discern this time?

Locusts of Apollyon

(Rev 9:1-11) Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given [authority] to kill them, but to torment them [for] five months. Their torment [was] like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces [were] like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ [teeth.] And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings [was] like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power [was] to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew [is] Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

A star fallen from heaven is referred here as the angel of the bottomless pit whose name is Abaddon or Apollyon. So who is this angel of bottomless pit?

(Isa 14:15) Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 

(Job 26:6) Sheol [is] naked before Him, And Destruction (Abaddon) has no covering.

The bottomless pit is Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek. It is also by Jesus as Abyss. Abaddon in Hebrew is Destruction.

(Isa 9:18) For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up [like] rising smoke.

The rising smoke symbolizes wickedness. Sun represents the righteous.

(Matt 13:43) “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

The righteous are reduced because of the wickedness on this earth, as the smoke darkens the air and the sun.

(Luke 8:29-31) For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

(Rom 10:7) or, ” ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

To understand what came out of the bottomless pit we need to understand who is inside. Based on several old testament passages and the above Romans 10:7, the dead go down to Hades but those who have Christ will be transformed from death to life.

(John 5:24) ” Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 

(Heb 9:27) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

Hence, until the resurrection of the dead for judgement, the dead will not be risen. Hence, the locusts who came out from the bottomless pit are unclean spirits or demons. These demons where given power not to kill but to harm only those who do not have the seal of the living God. They were also not given authority to harm anything green.

Locusts Elsewhere Locusts of Revelation
(Prov 30:27) The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks; (Rev 9:11) And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew [is] Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
(Exod 10:13b) When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. (Rev 9:3a) Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. 
(Deut 28:42) “Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land. (Rev 9:4) They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
(Job 39:20) Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror. (Rev 9:3b) And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
(Ps 109:23) I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust. (Rev 9:10) They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.
(Nah 3:16) You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven. The locust plunders and flies away. (Rev 9:5) And they were not given [authority] to kill them, but to torment them [for] five months. Their torment [was] like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

There are several differences in locusts mentioned in Revelation 9 and elsewhere. Locusts don’t have a king but locusts of Revelation 9 do have a king. Locusts are brought by wind as we see in the plague of Moses but locusts in Revelation are from smoke. Locusts consume all green things but locusts in Revelation do not but rather harm those who do not have the seal of God. Locusts are generally frighten and shaken off but locusts in Revelation were given power to hurt men for 5 months. Locusts plunders but the locusts in Revelation torments.

These unclean spirits or demons whose king is destruction will torment those who don’t have the seal of God for 5 months. How can unclean spirit torment?

(Matt 10:1) And when He had called His twelve disciples to [Him,] He gave them power [over] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

(Rev 9:10) They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power [was] to hurt men five months. 

Unclean spirit torment those who do not have the seal of God with diseases and these diseases will hurt like a sting of scorpion. This is the connected to the 6th plague mentioned in Revelation 16.

(Rev 16:10-11) Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

Just as the smoke darkened the air and sun, the kingdom of the beast was full of darkness with wickedness and suffered with a disease for 5 months. It is a disease where men will desire and seek death but cannot die.

(Rev 9:7-9) The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces [were] like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ [teeth.] And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings [was] like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle

(1Cor 11:14) Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?

(Joel 1:6) For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion.

(Dan 2:40) “And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, [that kingdom] will break in pieces and crush all the others. 

These unclean spirits prepared themselves as horses for battle to torment those who don’t have the seal of God. Golden crown represents authority as they have power over these men for 5 months. With a face like men and hair like women, it is a symbol of dishonor. These unclean spirits or demons will make the men who are without the seal of God to dishonor themselves. They will crush like teeth of a lion. and the men are powerless against these unclean spirits as they have the breastplate made of iron.

Army of 200 million

(Rev 9:12-16) One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things. Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen [was] two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

With Revelation 16 of the same plague, we get better clarity.

(Rev 16:12) Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

So, the great river Euphrates is made to dry by the four angels to pave way for the kings of the east to kill a third of mankind. This is significant because, we had seen the ISIS drying the water of Euphrates for easy access of forces.

(Rev 16:16) And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Who are the kings of the East? Based on our study on Revelation 13, they might be Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan which are part of the beast which is the final Caliphate. But does it include India and China? Yes.

(Rev 16:14) For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, [which] go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

We must understand that this number requirement is already accomplished.

Army Horses

(Rev 9:17-21) And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses [were] like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three [plagues] a third of mankind was killed — by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Lion shall not lie down until it devours the prey. So shall these horses be with lion heads.

(Num 23:24) Look, a people rises like a lioness, And lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.” 

(Job 39:19) “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?

Horses are referred here for strength and the head of the lion is referred here for it’s devouring nature. This represents some form of machinery where the rider can fire from front and tail and the tail resembles a snake. Because of the three plagues – fire, smoke and brimstone, a third of mankind was dead but the rest did not repent of their sins.

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