Read or listen The Book of Revelation, chapter 9 online (ESV, YouVersion)

Fifth Trumpet 9:1-12

The fifth angel blows his trumpet and John sees a star fall from heaven to the earth. This is probably the Devil himself. The book of Isaiah speaks of the Morning Star falling from heaven (Isaiah 14:12). This has long been thought to refer not only to the king of Babylon but also to the Devil, who was cast out of heaven with his angels.

Then John sees that God’s enemy is given “the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.” The passive voice “was given” indicates God’s action, that is, that God gave the key to the Devil.

Luther was right when he spoke of “God’s Devil.” Ultimately, the Devil has no power of his own. He operates within the limits that God has set. God is omnipotent, and therefore the Devil’s actions depend on what God allows to happen and what he prevents.

The Bible symbolically divides the world into three layers:
- Above is heaven and God's dwelling place.
- On earth are people living.
- In the depths, under the earth, is the seat of evil and the kingdom of God's enemy.
The star that fell from heaven thus unleashes the forces of evil when he opens the abyss.

The smoke that covers the light of the sun and the locusts (grasshoppers) represent how evil is fiercely fighting on earth. Verse 4 shows again that the Devil's activities have limits set by God: God spares his own people from this attack of the Devil. The devil is now not allowed to touch those who are marked with the seal.

John is told that the locusts will be allowed to attack and torment people for five months. “Five months” hardly refers to a period of five months. Rather, the number indicates that the time given to the locusts is limited. God has decided when to let the locusts go on a rampage and when to stop them from fighting. Evil has a time set by God. God is omnipotent and world events unfold according to his decisions.

People are suffering from locust attacks. However, turning to God does not come to people's minds, instead they wish for death. But it is not given to them. The evil that befalls humanity aims for a good goal after all. God shakes up people's lives so that as many as possible may find the living God and salvation. Perhaps this is precisely why God does not let people die now. Death marks the end of the time of grace, and God does not want people to die without faith in the Savior.

In verses 7-10, John describes what the locusts he saw were like. Modern assault tanks or fighter planes have been seen in the footage. It is possible that John was looking at a war that will be fought with the weapons of this century. Of course, the devil can use anything that sows destruction as his means of operation.

A more likely interpretation is that the locusts represent the demonic forces that are fiercely fighting in the world before Jesus returns. They are strong and therefore terrifying servants of the Devil. They destroy the world, afflict the inhabitants of the earth, and do everything they can to get people as far away from God as possible. They may be ideas, rulers, and other forces that the Devil uses in his war against God and his people. These may run wild in the world as long as God allows it.

The Sixth Trumpet 9:13-19

The sixth angel blows his trumpet and John sees what will happen at the end of this world. Four angels are released and a third of humanity dies. We do not know if this is a symbolic number. In any case, it is clear that a huge number of people will die in the storms that precede Jesus’ return.

The four angels are apparently servants of the Devil. The Euphrates River, from behind which the angels are said to come, was once a fearsome frontier. Beyond it lived peoples who threatened the known Western world. The mention of the Euphrates River can therefore be understood metaphorically: it describes the evil from which the destroyers come.

John sees cavalry and horses, the number of which is enormous: according to our way of counting, 200,000,000. Today, there are also armies this large. For example, the Chinese People's Army has approximately this number of soldiers. Still, the number should probably be understood metaphorically, as if John were using it to describe the enormous power of evil that rages on earth and sows destruction.

In the cavalry that John describes, it is again possible to see references to modern military equipment. However, John is not necessarily talking about tanks or airplanes, but rather describing how frightening and powerful the destroyers were. They have powers that, in the service of the Devil, destroy the earth on a large scale, and that is why John is astonished by them with fear. The cavalry is probably the servants of the Devil, like the locusts described above. Ideas, masses of people, rulers or states, when serving the Devil, can implement what John tells about the cavalry.

Verse 15 is another reminder that God has a specific plan for this world. Nothing happens by chance. Only when God’s appointed time is reached will the cavalry be allowed to move.

They did not turn to God 9:20-21

The message of the verses is shocking. God allows tribulations to befall humanity and thus seeks what is best for people. God is strongly awakening people so that many would turn away from the wrong path, turn away from trusting in dead gods and turn to the living God and be saved from God's wrath on the last day. But what happens? People ignore God's powerful preaching and continue to live ungodly lives.

Can people be so hardened? In our own time we see evidence of this. God is awakening humanity with a strong hand: nature is being polluted, anxiety on earth is increasing, and wars are getting worse. However, people live indifferent to God. Instead of repenting before God, they live in ever deeper wickedness.