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Commentary on Revelation 9 verses 1–12
Upon the sounding of this trumpet, the things to be observed are, 1. A star falling from heaven to the earth. Some think this star represents some eminent bishop in the Christian church, some angel of the church; for, in the same way of speaking by which pastors are called stars, the church is called heaven; but who this is expositors do not agree. Some understand it of Boniface the third bishop of Rome, who assumed the title of universal bishop, by the favour of the emperor Phocas, who, being a usurper and tyrant in the state, allowed Boniface to be so in the church, as the reward of his flattery. 2. To this fallen star was given the key of the bottomless pit. Having now ceased to be a minister of Christ, he becomes the antichrist, the minister of the devil; and by the permission of Christ, who had taken from him the keys of the church, he becomes the devil's turnkey, to let loose the powers of hell against the churches of Christ. 3. Upon the opening of the bottomless pit there arose a great smoke, which darkened the sun and the air. The devils are the powers of darkness; hell is the place of darkness. The devil carries on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by extinguishing light and knowledge, and promoting ignorance and error. He first deceives men, and then destroys them; wretched souls follow him in the dark, or they durst not follow him. 4. Out of this dark smoke there came a swarm of locusts, one of the plagues of Egypt, the devil's emissaries headed by the antichrist, all the rout and rabble of antichristian orders, to promote superstition, idolatry, error, and cruelty; and these had, by the just permission of God, power to hurt those who had not the mark of God in their foreheads. 5. The hurt they were to do them was not a bodily, but a spiritual hurt. They should not in a military way destroy all by fire and sword; the trees and the grass should be untouched, and those they hurt should not be slain; it should not be a persecution, but a secret poison and infection in their souls, which should rob them of their purity, and afterwards of their peace. Heresy is a poison in the soul, working slowly and secretly, but will be bitterness in the end. 6. They had no power so much as to hurt those who had the seal of God in their foreheads. God's electing, effectual, distinguishing grace will preserve his people from total and final apostasy. 7. The power given to these factors for hell is limited in point of time: five months, a certain season, and but a short season, though how short we cannot tell. Gospel-seasons have their limits, and times of seduction are limited too. 8. Though it would be short, it would be very sharp, insomuch that those who were made to feel the malignity of this poison in their consciences would be weary of their lives, Rev 9:6. A wounded spirit who can bear? 9. These locusts were of a monstrous size and shape, Rev 9:7, Rev 9:8, etc. They were equipped for their work like horses prepared to battle. (1.) They pretended to great authority, and seemed to be assured of victory: They had crowns like gold on their heads; it was not a true, but a counterfeit authority. (2.) They had the show of wisdom and sagacity, the faces of men, though the spirit of devils. (3.) They had all the allurements of seeming beauty, to ensnare and defile the minds of men - hair like women; their way of worship was very gaudy and ornamental. (4.) Though they appeared with the tenderness of women, they had the teeth of lions, were really cruel creatures. (5.) They had the defence and protection of earthly powers - breastplates of iron. (6.) They made a mighty noise in the world; they flew about from one country to another, and the noise of their motion was like that of an army with chariots and horses. (7.) Though at first they soothed and flattered men with a fair appearance, there was a sting in their tails; the cup of their abominations contained that which, though luscious at first, would at length bite like a serpent and sting like an adder. (8.) The king and commander of this hellish squadron is here described, [1.] As an angel; so he was by nature, an angel, once one of the angels of heaven. [2.] The angel of the bottomless pit; an angel still, but a fallen angel, fallen into the bottomless pit, vastly large, and out of which there is no recovery. [3.] In these infernal regions he is a sort of prince and governor, and has the powers of darkness under his rule and command. [4.] His true name is Abaddon, Apollyon - a destroyer, for that is his business, his design, and employment, to which he diligently attends, in which he is very successful, and takes a horrid hellish pleasure; it is about this destroying work that he sends out his emissaries and armies to destroy the souls of men. And now here we have the end of one woe; and where one ends another begins.
By the “tails” he speaks of the leaders who have fallen away from the Head of the church, that is, from the Lord, and so those who were the first have become the last. This is as God thought it worthy to say through Isaiah, “The elders who are honored and admired are the head; and the prophet who teaches iniquity is the tail.” Therefore, the “power” of the locusts refers to the character of the false prophets who never desist from attacking the true church by their lying and venomous doctrines.
[The noise of their wings was like the sound of chariots] signifies that the few who were in the lead as the horses have now been multiplied in the chariots [that follow]. This suggests either an increase in the diversity of new opinions or the increase in the number of those who have been led astray. Moreover, they rush into battle because the preachers of error rebel against the truth and fight against unity. The apostle described such persons in a similar fashion, “As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith,” and following. … [That they had power in their tails] reminds us of what Isaiah wrote, “The elder and the honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail, and those who bless my people will lead them astray, and those who are blessed have fallen.” It is clear from this that these persons wish to rule that which every saint and teacher of the truth desires at all costs to avoid, namely, the glory of the world and the error of a destructive preaching. That they have power in their tails for five months indicates again the present life where falsehood can be strong and can either capture the useless or torment the spiritual for a short period of time.
Their iron breastplates show their hardness of heart.… We think that the sound of the wings of these spiritual locusts is said to resemble the sound of war chariots because of their speed in the air. For, as the blessed David says, “They make war upon us from on high.” And their tails which are like those of scorpions symbolize the result of sins, the producing of spiritual death. For “sin when it is perfected brings forth death.”
And they had tails like scorpions, etc. Just as a scorpion walks gently but strikes with its tail, so the fraudulent destruction of the wicked appears pleasant and harmless on the surface, but while it secretly kills, it covertly brings death.
Their power to harm men was for six months. This again suggests this life, where lies can prevail either to capture the useless or to torment the spiritually strong temporarily.
And they had tails like to scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. We have already spoken about scorpions' tails. Note also that the apostle calls sin a sting. [1 Cor. 15:56] We have already spoken about the five months in the above; but there he is talking about the good, and here about the wicked, because the locusts torment the people mentioned in the previous passage, but do not kill them, whereas they do not torment the people mentioned here, but kill them when they hurt them, either with wrong doctrine or with temporal power.
After this, the divine evangelist vividly and fearfully describes to us the nature of the worms. In each of the descriptions concerning them, one would marvel at the precision of the account; for he did not say that they had the "teeth of lions", the "tails of scorpions", or the "faces of men", but rather, in each case, he presented a figurative and parabolic representation of what was situated there, not the literal reality. Therefore, either their terrifying and astonishing nature is indicated through these images, or he truly sketched their form.
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SUMMARY
Revelation 9:10 vividly describes the instruments of torment possessed by the demonic locusts unleashed from the abyss, detailing their scorpion-like tails and stings, and explicitly stating the limited duration of their power to inflict suffering upon humanity. This verse emphasizes the agonizing, non-fatal nature of this divine judgment, highlighting God's precise control over the scope and timing of even the most terrifying manifestations of His wrath.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is an integral part of the fifth trumpet judgment, described in Revelation 9. Following the sounding of the fifth trumpet, a star (often interpreted as a fallen angel or Satan) is granted the key to the bottomless pit, from which a vast horde of supernatural locusts emerges. The preceding verses (Revelation 9:7-9) provide a grotesque description of these creatures, blending features of warhorses, human faces, women's hair, and lions' teeth. Unlike natural locusts that destroy vegetation, their specific commission, as stated in Revelation 9:4, is to torment those who do not bear the seal of God on their foreheads. Verse 10 builds upon this, specifying the exact means of their torment and reiterating the divinely imposed limitation on their destructive capacity.
Historical & Cultural Context: The imagery of scorpions and their painful stings would have been immediately recognizable and terrifying to John's original audience in the Roman province of Asia. Scorpions were a common and feared creature in the ancient Near East, known for their excruciatingly painful, though not always fatal, venomous stings. The "five months" period is often interpreted in light of the natural lifespan of locusts, which typically plague crops for about five months (from spring hatching to late autumn death), or as a symbolic, limited period of intense affliction. This specific duration underscores the concept of divine limitation, a recurring theme in apocalyptic literature where God maintains sovereign control even amidst chaos and judgment. The reference to "power to hurt men" rather than kill them aligns with ancient understandings of torture and prolonged suffering as a form of punishment.
Key Themes: Revelation 9:10 contributes significantly to several major themes within the book of Revelation and biblical prophecy. Foremost is the theme of Divine Judgment and Wrath, specifically highlighting its severity and the agonizing nature of the torment inflicted upon the unrepentant. This judgment is designed to cause intense suffering, yet it is explicitly not designed to bring death, reinforcing the theme of Painful Torment, Not Death, which is explicitly stated in Revelation 9:5-6. Another crucial theme is God's Absolute Sovereignty and Control, even over demonic forces and their destructive actions. The precise limitation of "five months" and the specific directive to "hurt men" but not kill them, underscore that these terrifying events are not random chaos but are meticulously orchestrated and strictly bounded by God's decree. Finally, the verse reinforces the theme of Symbolic and Apocalyptic Imagery, where grotesque and hybrid creatures serve to convey spiritual realities and the terrifying consequences of rejecting God's authority.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Revelation 9:10 is rich in Symbolism and Simile. The entire description of the locusts, including their scorpion-like tails and stings, is highly symbolic, representing demonic forces unleashed to inflict divine judgment. The Simile "tails like unto scorpions" is particularly potent, immediately conveying the nature of the torment as piercing, venomous, and intensely painful, drawing on a creature universally feared for its sting. The "five months" serves as a symbolic, divinely appointed duration, signifying a limited period of tribulation rather than endless suffering. The passage also employs Apocalyptic Imagery, characterized by its grotesque and hybrid descriptions, designed to evoke awe, terror, and a sense of the supernatural, emphasizing the otherworldly nature of these agents of judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Revelation 9:10 profoundly illustrates God's sovereign control over judgment, even when it involves the unleashing of terrifying demonic forces. The specific, limited duration of "five months" and the restriction to "hurt men" rather than kill them, underscore that divine wrath is not chaotic or arbitrary, but precisely orchestrated according to God's perfect will. This passage serves as a stark warning of the consequences of rejecting God's authority and grace, while simultaneously affirming His ultimate power to set boundaries for evil, ensuring that even the most severe judgments serve His overarching redemptive purposes. It highlights the distinction between temporary affliction and ultimate, eternal judgment, offering a glimmer of hope for repentance during this period of intense suffering.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Revelation 9:10, while depicting a terrifying future judgment, offers profound insights for contemporary reflection. It reminds us that even in the midst of overwhelming evil and suffering, God remains absolutely sovereign, setting limits and purposes for every event. This should instill both a healthy fear of God's righteous judgment and a deep comfort in His ultimate control. For those who are sealed by God, this passage offers assurance that they are protected from such specific judgments, emphasizing the immense value of being in Christ. For those who are not, it serves as a powerful call to repentance and to seek the divine seal of salvation, which offers deliverance from the wrath to come. The temporary nature of this torment, though severe, also points to the possibility of repentance and the ultimate, eternal consequences for those who remain hardened.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Are the "locusts" in Revelation 9 literal insects or symbolic beings?
Answer: The description of the locusts in Revelation 9:7-10 is highly symbolic and fantastical, blending features of horses, men, women, and lions, along with scorpion-like tails. This imagery strongly suggests they are not literal insects but rather supernatural, demonic entities unleashed by God to execute a specific judgment. Their purpose is not to destroy vegetation, as natural locusts do, but to torment unrepentant humanity, further indicating their symbolic and spiritual nature.
What is the significance of the "five months" period of torment?
Answer: The "five months" period signifies a divinely appointed and strictly limited duration for this specific judgment. While some interpret it literally as a period of 150 days, many scholars see it as symbolic, possibly alluding to the typical lifespan of a natural locust plague (which lasts about five months) or simply emphasizing that God's judgments are not endless but have a definite beginning and end. It underscores God's absolute control over the timing and extent of the torment, demonstrating that even in judgment, His sovereignty prevails.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Revelation 9:10 describes a terrifying future judgment, its Christ-centered fulfillment is found in the ultimate victory of Jesus over all forces of evil and the promise of deliverance for those who belong to Him. The torment inflicted by these demonic entities highlights the severity of sin and the consequences of rejecting God's reign, yet it also implicitly points to the One who has already triumphed over "scorpions" and all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross disarmed the spiritual powers and authorities (Colossians 2:15), ensuring that those who are "sealed" by God through faith in Him are protected from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The limited power and duration of these demonic locusts ultimately serve to magnify the limitless power and eternal reign of Christ, who will ultimately cast all evil, including Satan and his agents, into the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:10). Thus, this passage, while grim, ultimately underscores the security and hope found in Jesus, the victorious Lamb of God.