May 31, 2022
“Revelation 9
New King James Version
Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit
9 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the [a]bottomless pit. 2 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. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 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. 5 And [b]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. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7 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. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 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. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is [c]Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name [d]Apollyon.
12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 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. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 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. 18 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. 19 For [e]their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20 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. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their [f]sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Footnotes
- Revelation 9:1 Lit. shaft of the abyss
- Revelation 9:5 The locusts
- Revelation 9:11 Lit. Destruction
- Revelation 9:11 Lit. Destroyer
- Revelation 9:19 NU, M the power of the horses
- Revelation 9:21 NU, M drugs
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” (BibleGateway.com)
“9:1-12.
The fifth trumpet – the first woe
1. The abyss opened. The seer sees ‘a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.’ This ‘star’ is the angel custodian of the pit of the Abyss, the prison house of the demons (Lk 8:30-31). That he cannot be Satan, or even an evil angel, is shown by the fact that he is the same angelic personage who once again opens the pit of ‘the Abyss’ to bind and imprison Satan prior to the millennium (20:1-3). He is an angel fallen from heaven, not a fallen angel, the past participle ‘fallen’ describing the swiftness of the angel’s descent and the suddenness with which this first woe bursts upon wicked earth dwellers.
2-12. The loosing of myriads of demons. The symbolism, 2-11, is descriptive of the invisible spirit world in terms visible and comprehensible to men. The locusts represent demons and the way they will possess, drive and torment men in the end time. (See note on ‘Demonism,’ Mk 5:1-20.) While multitudes of demons have been free to torment the human race during previous ages (Mk 1:23-27; 5:1-17; 1 Tim 4:1-6; 1 Jn 4:1-4), many of them are so viciously depraved and harmful that God has imprisoned them in the abyss. These are the terrible demons let loose under the first woe. The name of the king of the demons is Abaddon, meaning ‘destruction,’ 11 (Job 26:6; Prov 15:11), or in Gr. Apollyon, meaning ‘destroyer’ (cf. 2 Thess 2:7-12).’ . . .” (The New Unger’s Bible Handbook—Merrill F. Unger—Revised by Gary N. Larson—MOODY PRESS—CHICAGO)
‘. . . “Demonism
Demons are evil or unclean spirits (cf. Mk 1:23 with Mk 1:32-34; Rev 16:13-16), and are fallen angels, servants of Satan (Mk 12:26-27; 25:41). There is only one devil, but myriads of demons who serve the devil and make his power practically universal. A demoniac (Mk 5:1-20) is a person whose personality has been invaded by one or more demons, who at will can speak and act through their human victim, deranging both his mind and body. A number of such victims of Satan were delivered by the Servant (see ‘Expulsion of demons’ below). The unhindered power of God working through the sinless humanity of the Servant challenged the supernatural world of evil and explains the outburst of demonism during His earthly ministry.
The reality and personality of demons are attested in all eras of history since the Fall, as in the case of Saul and the spiritistic medium of Endor (1 Sam 28:7-20), in the case of ancient idolatry of which demonism was the dynamic (Ps 106:36-37; 1 Cor 10:20), in ancient divination and magic, and in ancient necromancy and modern spiritism.
Demons can derange mind and body (Mt 12:22; 17:15-18; Lk 13:16). They know the deity and lordship of Christ in the spirit world (Mt 8:31-32; Mk 1:24; Acts 19:15; Jas 2:19), and realize their predestined fate (Mt 8:31-32; Lk 8:31). They have a conspicuous role in the government of the Satanic world system (Dan 10:13; Eph 6:12), in promoting cultism and false doctrine (1 Tim 4:1-3), and in opposing God’s program and God’s people (Eph 6:12; 1 Jn 4:1-6. Prayer is the believer’s resource against Satan and demons (Eph 6:10-20). See also comments on ‘Demonism’ in Lk 11:14-28.’
‘Expulsion of demons Specific instances
Mk 1:21-28; Lk 4:31-37. Demoniac in the synagogue at Capernaum.
Mt 9:32-34. Dumb demoniac.
Mt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30. Daughter of the Syrophoenician woman.
Mt 8:28-34; Mk 5:1-20; Lk 8:26-39. Gadarene demoniacs.
Mt 12:22; Lk 11:14. Blind and mute demoniac.
Mt 17:14-21; Mk 9:14-29; Lk 9:37-43. Epileptic child. . .” (The New Unger’s Bible Handbook—Merrill F. Unger—Revised by Gary N. Larson—MOODY PRESS—CHICAGO)
‘. . . “1 Timothy 4:1-3
New King James Version
The Great Apostasy
4 Now the Spirit [a]expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 4:1 explicitly”
“Ephesians 6:12
New King James Version
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [a]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 6:12 NU this darkness,
Ephesians 6:12 in all English translations”
“1 John 4:1-6
New King James Version
Love for God and One Another
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess [a]that Jesus [b]Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Footnotes
- 1 John 4:3 NU omits that
- 1 John 4:3 NU omits Christ has come in the flesh
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” (BibleGateway.com)
Have a blessed Tuesday beloved of YESHUA CHRIST JESUS. Amen. Sincerely: Mr. and Mrs. Timothy M. and Linda Shephard. Amen.