Revelation 9: The 5th Trumpet

Revelation Chapter 9 Verse 1

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.

🔹A fallen star

A fallen star represents the special activity of Satan, the fallen angel. The work of Satan in the church was described by the apostle Paul as a “falling away” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

• This departure from God's Word under the fourth trumpet led to the persecution of those who adhered to the gospel.

• This departure under the fifth trumpet paved the way for the emergence of a force that would wage war on the idolatry and apostasy that were now invading the church.

🔹The bottomless pit

Abyssos is the Greek word translated here as "bottomless pit," from which we get our English word abyss. The word's intent seems to be to describe desolation. John could not have chosen a better word to describe the Arabian deserts that gave rise to the power of Islam. One modern Muslim writer describes Arabia as “The Abyss of Darkness” (Abul A’La Maududi, Towards Understanding Islam, Nairobi: The Islamic Foundation, Quran House, 1973; page 41).

Further reading:

Towards understanding of Islamic Religion - Link

The Arabs’ long journey into the heart of darkness - Link

Revelation Chapter 9 Verse 2 to 9

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.

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.

🔹The sun and the air were darkened

Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5).

- He is also known as the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2).

- God's word is truth and light (John 17:17, Psalms 119:105, 130).

- Jesus Christ is the truth (John 14:6).

Darkness is the opposite of light; thus, if light is truth, then darkness must be an error or false teaching. The following texts show that darkness is associated with wickedness, error, and evil, not the light of truth (Proverbs 4:19, Luke 11:34, John 3:19–21, 1 Peter 2:9).

The smoke, (false teachings and errors) that came out of the pit darkened the truth and Jesus Christ.

• There are three main elements in the sky (the sun, moon, and stars).

• The moon and stars remain when the sun is darkened. The half crescent moon with a star is a symbol of Islam.

🔹Locusts emerged from the smoke

The prophet Joel used the locust to symbolize the approach of armies (Joel 2). We should not take the locust in Revelation literally. It was only a representation of their quantity and destructive ability. 

The locusts were "like unto horses prepared unto battle," according to the Bible. John saw trumpets, and we have established that these trumpets announce battle. He is speaking of the Islamic troops. 

As John mentioned, these were forces that mostly attacked on horseback. He tells us that the riders on the horses had gold crowns, men's faces, and women's hair, adding to the pen-picture's detail. This is a true account of the Muslim warriors. They had long, ladylike hair and wore turbans on their heads, resembling crowns.

The locust in the Bible represents the numerous Arab tribes. The logic for this can be seen in Judges 6:5–7:12, where the Arabs from Midianite and Amalakite families are mentioned. The eastern Arabian tribes, known as the Midianites and Amalekites, are referred to as grasshoppers or locusts due to their sheer numbers. Despite consisting of numerous small tribes, the Arabs, like locusts in large groups, outnumbered everyone else when they gathered together.

Also in Moses' time, when God was pouring out plagues upon Egypt, God caused an east wind to blow all day and night, and in the morning the east wind brought the locusts (Exodus 10:13). They came from the deserts of Arabia, which is east of Egypt.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - Arab raid against Rome - Link

Islam and Europe Timeline - Link

🔹Harm only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads

The history written by Ibn El Atheer entitled "El Kamal Fe El Tariq" (Islam in Africa and the Near East), tells of a command given by Abu-Bekr that fulfills the prophecy. In this historical account, it says that when their ranks were complete, he gave his particular instruction or command to Osama, son of Abu Sufiyan, whom he had appointed General of the Forces. 

It said: “To avoid injustice and oppression to soldiers; to deserve the love and confidence of the troops; to acquit themselves like men fighting the battles of the Lord; to spare fruit trees, cattle and cornfields; to stand to their engagements and never to stain their victory with the blood of women and children. As you go on, you will find some religious persons that live retired in monastaries who purposed to themselves to serve God in that way. Let them alone, and neither kill them nor destroy their buildings. And 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 Muslim or pay tribute.”

Thus, just as Protestantism in the West emerged from the apostasy of papal Rome, Muslim authority emerged in the East. Protestant leaders realized that there were benefits to Ottoman imperialism. The Turks sometimes shielded the faithful from papal persecution by diverting attention away from their attacks on them. Therefore, the Muslim Turks must bear some of the blame for the growth and establishment of Protestantism. 

🔹On their heads were as it were crowns like gold

The turbans that Arabs wear on their heads are well-known. Mohammad was given a turban to make up for the lack of a standard when he first arrived in Medina as its prince.

They adorned their turbans as a symbol of wealth, embellishing them with rich gold embroidery. It is their crown. This was a significant characteristic of Muslims, and wearing a turban would demonstrate one's Muslim identity.

🔹Faces were as the faces of men

What distinguishes the face of a man from a woman's face? It is his beard. The beard was a symbol of manhood for the Arabs.

🔹Had hair as the hair of women

The thing that distinguishes a woman's hair from a man's is its length. The Arabs had their hair like women's, that is, long in length.

🔹Teeth were as the teeth of lions

A lion's teeth are large and are used on its prey with fierceness and fearlessness. With incredible jaw strength, they can rip and devour their prey.

This is a fitting symbol of the Arabs ferocity, fearlessness, and strength in devouring their enemies. They had the hair of a woman but the character of a lion.

🔹Breastplates of iron

The breastplate was known as a cuirass, made from iron. The Arabs wore this breastplate as their only form of protection. In Mahammad's second battle, the battle of Ohud (624 A.D.), 700 were “armed with cuirasses.”

Revelation Chapter 9 Verse 9 to 12

10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

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.

12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

🔹Stings in their tails

Isaiah 9:15 - “The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.”

So their prophet, who taught lies, was the source of their power. The tail (the prophet that lies, Muhammad) was the founder of Islam. 

In Christianity, lying is a sin, and there is no excuse for it. However, Islam does allow lying in some cases.

Further reading:

Two Instances Where Lying Is Allowed In Islam - Link

Islam by topic: Lying - Link

Muhammad was born in Mecca in 569 A.D., and he passed away on June 8, 632 A.D. Because of his teachings, the Arabs became extremely zealous.

Muhammad's teachings inspired their bravery and fervor. Their false prophet, Muhammad, and his teachings were the source of authority.

Some of the false teachings that darkened the light of truth are as follows;

- They deny the Deity of Christ (They claim He was a prophet only).

- They obscured the Bible with the Quran.

- Obscured the Sabbath with Friday.

- Obscured obedience with legalism and fanaticism.

🔹Five months of torment

The five-month time period brought to light in the fifth trumpet demonstrates the accuracy of our application to the Muslim forces. 

• Five months are equal to 150 days, each month being thirty days in Bible times. 

• In Bible prophecy, a day is symbolic of a year (see Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). 

• Therefore, the five months are 150 literal years.

According to this prophecy, the Muslim armies, swarming like locusts, would war against the Eastern Roman Empire for a 150-year period without total conquest, for they would be given power to “torment”.

Just as predicted, Othman, the first king of the Muslims, made his initial attack against the Eastern Roman Empire in 1299 A.D., July 27 of that year (see Edward Gibbons, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 5, chapter 64). From that date the Ottoman Turks did “torment” the Eastern Roman Empire for 150 years without complete victory until 1449.

Further reading:

The fall of the Roman empire and the rise of Islam - Link

Ottoman Turks And the creation Of the Ottoman Empire - Link

Next: Revelation Chapter 9: The 6th Trumpet

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