The First Two Woes of Revelation

Revelation 9:1-21

John has described a sequence of seven judgments that will occur from the start to the midpoint of the future, seven-year Tribulation (Rev 6-7). These judgments will occur when Christ breaks the seals of a scroll in heaven authorizing them to happen.

Then from the midpoint to near the end of the Tribulation, John tells us of a second sequence of seven judgments that will occur in conjunction with seven trumpets that angels will blow in heaven. These judgments will increase in scope and severity over the seal judgments.

The seven trumpets may be summarized as follows:

• Trumpet 1 – Vegetation Devastated (Rev 8:7)
• Trumpet 2 – Oceans Polluted (Rev 8:8-9)
• Trumpet 3 – Fresh Water Contaminated (Rev 8:10-11)
• Trumpet 4 – Celestial Lights Darkened (Rev 8:12)
• Trumpet 5 – Plague of Venomous Locusts from the Abyss (Rev 9:1-11)
• Trumpet 6 – Massacre by Demonic Armies (Rev 9:13-21)
• Trumpet 7 – Arrival of God’s Kingdom Announced (Rev 11:15-19)

The Final Three Trumpet Judgments (Rev 8:13)

After the first four trumpets have blown, the world will be in a terrible position. More than a third of our water supply will be undrinkable, our economy will be cut in half, our vegetation and oxygen supply will be severely reduced, and general health and nutrition will be pushed to the brink.

Though the world may wish for a reprieve, they won’t get one. In fact, the next three trumpets will only intensify God’s wrath. To make this clear, John tells us about an angel (or many manuscripts say an eagle) that flew through the sky announcing something descriptive of the next three trumpet blasts.

The final three blasts are grouped as a cluster called the “three woes” (Rev 8:13; cf. 9:12; 11:14). This identifies them as especially horrifying, ominous experiences that come after the first four:

• Trumpet 5 / Woe 1 – Plague of Venomous Locusts from the Abyss (Rev 9:1-11)
• Trumpet 6 / Woe 2 – Massacre by Demonic Armies (Rev 9:13-21)
• Trumpet 7 / Woe 3 – Arrival of God’s Kingdom Announced (Rev 11:15-19)

In this lesson, we’ll take a close look at Trumpets 5-6 (the first two Woes).

A Plague of Venomous Locusts from the Abyss (Rev 9:1-11)

John gives a lengthy description of this plague. First, he describes its effects on the Earth (Rev 9:1-6), then he describes the locust-like creatures at the center of it (Rev 9:7-12).

His description resembles the Old Testament (OT) prophet Joel’s description of a future locust-like army that would invade the world in the future Day of the Lord (Joel 2). This invasion would resemble an invasion of locust that had devasted Palestine during Joel’s lifetime but would be much worse (Joel 1).

An Unnamed, Fallen Star

When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, John saw “a star which had fallen from heaven to earth” (Rev 9:1).

• Unlike the previous star- or asteroid-like objects John saw fall to the Earth (Rev 6:13; 8:10), this one receives a personal treatment. John describes it as a personal being whom God authorized to open a particular passageway. This would not be the first time Scripture has described angelic beings as ‘stars’ (Job 38:27).
• Also unlike the previous asteroid-like objects, John describes this one not as “falling” but as “having fallen” (Rev 9:1). This difference portrays something which had occurred sometime in the past rather than in real-time as John looked on.

Though we may want to know more about this mysterious being, we cannot be sure what or who it may be. Some propose it’s Satan himself, suggesting that “had fallen from heaven to earth” refers to either Satan’s original fall from divine favor (Luke 10:18; cf. Isa 14, Ezek 28) or else his defeat by Michael’s armies in Tribulation battle (Rev 12:7-9).

As appealing as this proposal may be, to identify this being as Satan contradicts a plain reading of Rev 20:1-3 which tells us that the angel who will hold the key to the bottomless pit will bind Satan and banish him to this pit for a thousand years. It seems unlikely that this being would be Satan in Rev 9 but Satan’s nemesis in Rev 20.

With this in mind, the best way to identify this ‘star’ being seems to be that it is yet another diverse and powerful angelic being employed by God for the task at hand, unleashing the plague of announced by blowing of the fifth trumpet.

The Bottomless Pit

The “bottomless pit” here refers to something like “the shaft of the abyss,” “the passageway to the immeasurable pit,” or “the entrance to the nether- or under-world. This place appears to exist deep within the Earth, far beyond our capabilities to explore and seems to be where at least some demonic beings reside (Luke 8:31; Rev 17:8).

When this shaft opens, smoke from this underground chamber will billow upward so profusely that it resembles the smoke plumes of an industrial furnace (Rev 9:2). The smoke is so thick that it darkens the sunlight and air in Earth’s atmosphere.

A Swarm of Stinging Locusts

Out from this black smoke will fly swarms of locust-like creatures which John informs us have the unusual ability to sting like scorpions (Rev 9:3).

Also unusual will be the nature of their victims. Locusts traditionally target and devour vegetation and plant life, not animals or people. These locusts, however, will do the opposite. God will forbid them from damaging vegetation and assign them to “harm” (to injure and punish) anyone who has not been sealed by God (Rev 9:4; cf. Rev 7:4).

God will place even further limitations on their harmful abilities as well. They will be able to torture or torment their victims but not to kill them (Rev 9:5). This awful experience will go on for five months and will be as though the world is swarming with flying scorpions. People will want to die but won’t be able to do so (Rev 9:6). They will be unable to escape this torturous experience.

According to the Mayo Clinic, scorpion stings will usually cause mild pain, tingling and swelling, as well as numbness. More severe symptoms may also include involuntary head, neck, and eye movements, sweating, drooling, muscle twitches, high or low blood pressure, vomiting, increased heart rate, and excitability or restlessness.

As with insect stings, victims may develop more severe allergic reactions to subsequent occurrences. According to John’s description of this Fifth Trumpet judgment, subsequent occurrences will likely become a regular problem for many people.

A Visual Description of these Locusts

John provides us with a detailed description of these locusts’ visual appearance. Rather than read these descriptions in a fantastical way, it seems best to recognize that John was describing these insects as best as possible. After all, how would you describe what any number of insects look like to people who have never seen them? Studied up close, insects are often unusual and difficult to describe. In this case:

• Their body shape resembles a warhorse (Rev 9:7).
• Their head features something that looks like a gold crown (Rev 9:7).
• Their faces look something like a human face (Rev 9:7).
• They have antennae or hair-like follicles resembling a woman’s long hair (Rev 9:8).
• They have teeth (or jaws) like that resemble a lion’s jaw (Rev 9:8).
• Their chest area will look like an impenetrable iron breastplate (Rev 9:9).
• Their swarming sound will resemble chariots and horses running into battle (Rev 9:9).
• Their tails will resemble scorpion tails and that’s what they’ll use to sting people for a five-month span (Rev 9:10). That John mentions their scorpion-like sting twice in this description, near both the beginning and the end, indicates that this will be the most awful feature of this judgment.

John underscores the otherworldly nature of these locust-like creatures by identifying their king (Rev 9:11), though King Solomon observed that normal locusts as we know them today have no king or central leader (Prov 30:27). John identifies this locust king in a fourfold way:

• He is an angelic creature.
• He holds a position of rank in the underworld.
• His Hebrew name is Abaddon (which means “destruction”).
• His Greek name is Apollyon (which means “destroyer”).

As with the ‘star’ being who opened the abyss, people like to identify this angelic creature as Satan himself. Yet since John doesn’t say this and since Scripture indicates that Satan doesn’t occupy the abyss until later (cf. Rev 20:1-7), it seems best once again to interpret this angel as yet another demonic being in the spiritual realm but not Satan (cf. Eph 6:12).

A Global Massacre by Demonic Armies (Rev 9:13-21)

After a lengthy description of the fifth trumpet judgment, John transitions to the sixth trumpet by saying that one of the three woes is now complete but two more are coming. Then he immediately introduces the second woe (the sixth trumpet), which will be even more appalling and terrifying than the previous one.

Four Angelic Leaders (Rev 9:13-15)

When the sixth angel blew his trumpet, John heard a voice coming from the vicinity of the incense altar at the throne of God (Rev 9:13). This voice is probably the same as the angel speaking from the altar before the fourth seal judgment (Rev 6:17).

• This voice instructed the sixth angel to release (or unloose) four other angels who had been bound somewhere near the Euphrates river (Rev 9:14).
• John also reveals God’s planning for this moment by telling us that he had prepared these angels to be released at this precise time (“the hour and day and month and year,” Rev 9:15). As Alan Johnson rightly observes, “God’s actions are not accidental, but planned and precise in time, to the point of a fixed hour of a fixed day of a fixed month of a fixed year” [1]. Even in wrath, God remains in firm and precise control of whatever he is doing.
• Furthermore, John reveals the purpose of these angel’s mission – to kill a third of Earth’s current population (Rev 9:15). Though previous tribulation judgments have caused human death, they have done so on a smaller scale. (The fourth seal, for instance, killed 25% of Earth’s population; this new judgment will kill 33%). Furthermore, the previous trumpet judgment (and woe) didn’t kill but only inflicted torture. This judgment (and woe) will expand from torture to death.

As you may guess, Bible students debate the identity of these four angels. While some suggest that they are good angels, this seems unlikely since the Bible only portrays bad, rebellious angels as being bound (cf. 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6; Rev 20:1-3).

That these angels were bound in waiting near the Euphrates River is intriguing. This refers to a 1,800-mi. span that encompasses the entire region surrounding this ancient river. From a historical standpoint, this was the northeast location from which Israel’s major enemies, Assyria and Babylon, would attack them. This new invading army, however, would be far from human and would attack not only Israel but the entire world.

An Army of Two-Hundred Million Demonic Riders (Rev 9:16-19)

John numbered this army led by four rebellious angels as two-hundred million strong. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the entire U.S. military numbered 480,000 in 2020, which is only 2.5% the size of that that future demonic army (Rev 9:16).

John described the soldiers in this army as mounted troops giving more attention to the horses rather than the riders. He describes the riders as “those who sat on them” (Rev 9:17). In contrast to how he refers to “mankind” elsewhere in this passage (Rev 9:15, 18, 20), this vague description favors identifying these riders as demonic beings, not human ones. They will wear body armor that’s red like fire, yellow like sulfur, and dark blue like hyacinth (Rev 9:17). From the way John structured his words here, it seems as though the horses will wear similar armor.

John goes on to describe the horses (or horse-like creatures) in more detail since it appears that they will be the greater problem:

• They will lionlike heads, which sounds more ferocious than a horse (Rev 9:17).
• Their mouths will blow out fire, smoke, and brimstone (or burning sulfur, Rev 9:17). There are three possible interpretations of how these three elements occur. Either all the horse-like creatures spew out all three of these elements at once, or they all spew out all three of these elements one at a time, or they each spew out one of these elements but not all the same one (so a third spew out fire, a third smoke, and a third sulfuric gas, etc.).
• These three deadly elements will kill one-third of the Earth’s population (Rev 9:18).
• These horse-like creatures will also have tails that had heads on them that resemble a serpent’s head, and they will torture people by this means as well (Rev 9:19).

The outcome of these two judgments (Rev 9:20-21)

These demonic armies will be the most awful and terrifying military force ever unleashed in the world and it will also be the deadliest. Even so, John goes on to tell us what will happen to the rest of the world’s population when this havoc is finished.

The remaining two-thirds of unbelieving people alive in the world will respond in a surprising way, surprising at least to those who don’t comprehend the depth of our natural depravity and sinfulness (Rev 9:20-21). Rather than turn to God for salvation, they will refuse to repent of their ungodly behavior, which includes:

• Demon worship (Rev 9:20)
• Idol worship (Rev 9:20)
• Murder, which includes abortion and euthanasia (Rev 9:21)
• Sorcery, which includes witchcraft, the occult, dark magic, illicit drug use, and charms, spells, and curses (Rev 9:21)
• Sexual immorality, which includes adultery, homosexuality, pornography, and all other forms of immoral behavior (Rev 9:21)
• Thefts, which includes both the stealing of poorer classes and the dishonest gain of wealthier classes (Rev 9:21)

This stubborn unwillingness to turn away from these wrong approaches to worship and morality is stunning since you might guess that people would take the hint that their sins were quite bad. Sadly, people will harden their hearts even more stubbornly instead, just as Pharaoh did when God sent plagues on Egypt for their sins.

Key Takeaways

What can we learn from these two trumpet judgments which will occur in the future and which we as current believers will not experience since we’ll be removed from the earth beforehand at the rapture?

The consequences of sin can lead to nightmarish consequences.

Consequences for sinful choices can increase in gravity and scope throughout your life. If you steal a toy from your sister as a child, your consequences will be less severe than if you steal a computer game from the store when you’re a teen. But if you steal the answers to a final exam from your professor in college, your consequences will likely be worse, and if you steal money from your supervisor or manager at work, your consequences will be even more severe, and so on.

As the world spins and evil increases throughout history, the consequences for mankind’s sin will increase in severity to a monstrous degree. So, even if you will not experience firsthand the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments in of the Tribulation, know this – that the consequences for your sin, though now subdued, may turn out to be a nightmare beyond your control. False worship and immoral behavior lead to serious consequences in the end, more serious than you may presently imagine.

Perhaps you’ve heard a friend exclaim, “My life is better than a movie!” That’s inspiring, right? But if you persist in making sinful choices, then you may need to say in the end, “My life is worse than a nightmare.”

Our rebellion against God is deeper than we comprehend.

According to famed philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and the prevailing notions of the Romantic Era (1800-1850), people are naturally good but may become corrupted by outside forces. This optimistic but naïve philosophy pervades the humanistic, man-centered worldview that permeates education and psychology today.

Yet the Bible portrays a much different perspective. It portrays mankind as we really are, born rebellious and bent towards sin by nature. We’re not sinners because we sin, we sin because we’re sinners. That’s why we require severe intervention by God through the hearing of the Word and the conviction of the Spirit, apart from which no one would ever be saved. Even then, we frequently resist and sometimes more (Acts 7:51).

As we love people and reach out to them with the gospel, we should do so without rose-colored glasses. People are not sitting around waiting to be saved and they need serious supernatural intervention from God, which includes your witness and so much more. Even then, people will not always respond favorably and may respond even worse. When we properly understand the truth about our natural condition, we’ll rely upon God even more in our outreach to people and not be surprised when they pushback.

These judgments are expressions of Christ’s just wrath against sin.

In keeping with our Christ-centered approach to Revelation, we need to recognize that both of these trumpet judgments will occur with Christ’s full authorization. Without his authorization, they were unable to occur and it will be his authorization alone that makes them possible. That’s why John described the seal judgments as the wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6:16), and he will do the same after the seventh trumpet judgment occurs (Rev 11:18). When our Savior judges the world, at last, he will do so with calculated but complete justice to the maximum degree.

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[1] Robert Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 44-45.