June 5, 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)
Luke 11:14-54
‘. . . “11:14-54.
Demon expulsion and warnings
14-28. Jesus instructs in demonism. His expulsion of a demon, 14, brings the blasphemous accusation that ‘by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons,’ 15. Beelzebub is another name of Satan. See note on ‘Demonism’ in Mk 5:1-20, ‘Miracles’ in Mk 5:21-43, ‘Satan’ in Lk 4:1-13. Satan is a king, 17-18, ruling over a kingdom of evil fallen spirits, 17-19. The kingdom of God, i.e., the rule of God upon mankind, comes upon a person when Satan and demons are cast out by the stronger than he (Jesus the Christ), 20. This is in response to believing prayer, 11:1-13. The illustration of the demoniac, 24-26, is applied to the nation Israel by Matthew (see comments on Mt 12:43-45). Luke, however, applied the teaching to humanity in general, demonstrating the uselessness of self-reformation to save. External cleaning up without true regeneration invites Satan to return with seven viler spirits.’ . . .” (The New Unger’s Bible Handbook—Merrill F. Unger—Revised by Gary N. Larson—MOODY PRESS—CHICAGO)
‘. . . “5:21-43.
The Servant’s power over disease and death
The Servant is the sinless Son of God, Lord of the spirit world, 1-20, having displayed His authority over Satan and demons, now displayed it over that which sin has introduced into the human race – disease and death.’ . . . “ (The New Unger’s Bible Handbook—Merrill F. Unger—Revised by Gary N. Larson—MOODY PRESS—CHICAGO)
“Mark 5:1-20
New King James Version
A Demon-Possessed Man Healed
5 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the [a]Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind [b]him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore[c] You by God that You do not torment me.”
8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?”
And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.
11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And [d]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in [e]Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
Footnotes
- Mark 5:1 NU Gerasenes
- Mark 5:3 NU adds anymore
- Mark 5:7 adjure
- Mark 5:13 NU He gave
- Mark 5:20 Lit. Ten Cities
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 Sunday beloved of YESHUA CHRIST JESUS. Amen. Sincerely: Mr. and Mrs. Timothy M. and Linda Shephard. Amen.