Charles Ellicott Commentary Revelation 9

And the fifth angel . . .—Translate, And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star out of the heaven fallen (not “fall,” as in the English version; the seer saw not a falling, but a fallen, star) upon the earth. The emblem of a fallen star is used elsewhere in the Bible. Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12) speaks of Lucifer fallen from heaven. Christ described Satan as lightning falling from heaven.

Some great power or ruler is represented, then, by this fallen star. He is, moreover, said to have fallen from heaven, and he is represented as having been given the key of the abyss. Does not this lead us to expect the working of some evil spirit and diabolical agency? The 11th verse confirms our expectation. We may compare Revelation 12:8-12, where Satan is described as defeated, cast down to the earth, and filled with wrath. To understand this fallen star as the representative of a good angel seems hardly possible.

And to him was given . . .—Literally, and there was given to him (that is, to the being represented as a fallen star) the key of (not “the bottomless pit”) the pit of the abyss. The abyss is the same word rendered “the deep” in Luke 8:31, where the demons implored our Lord not to send them into the abyss, or deep. It is the word which describes the dwelling of the evil spirits.

The verse before us suggests the picture of a vast depth approached by a pit or shaft, whose top, or mouth, is covered. Dante’s Inferno, with its narrowing circles winding down to the central shaft, is somewhat similar. The abyss is the lowest spring of evil, from where the worst dangers arise. (Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1–3.)

And he opened . . .—It translates as: And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened, and the air, by reason of the smoke of the pit.

The first result of the opening of the pit is the diffusion of such dense smoke that light and atmosphere are darkened. In the previous vision, there was an obscuring of light arising from the striking of the luminaries; in this vision, the obscuring arises from causes external to the luminaries. In that case, the light-giving power was weakened; in this case, the light is not weakened, but obstructed.

This must be remembered. The interpretation of these visions is most difficult, but we must keep in mind that they describe the great war the Church wages against the world—the war good wages against evil. We are assured, however, that its end is the victory of good.

The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15). Yet, during the war's progress, the outcome will often appear doubtful; indeed, triumph may even seem to be in the enemy's hand; but faith disregards the receding waves, for she knows the tide is coming in.

We have seen that the advance of Christianity is marked by the manifestation of evils as well as the establishment of good. Christianity does not create evils, but the very intense honesty of her principles reveals the hidden force of unsuspected corruption. Thus, the faith of Christ has come to give light to the world, but in her progress many lights fall—the false lights of world-power, world-wisdom, false religiosity, and heresies.

The enemy, too, is at work and seeks to obscure her light by the diffusion of dark and base thoughts. The smoke of the pit blackens the light and confuses the atmosphere. Now, this obscuring is surely the diffusion on earth of evil thoughts and ideas, the spirit of falsehood and hate, hostility to truth, and enmity against God and humanity. The bright, clear air, brightened by the sun, is darkened; “all forms that once appeared beautiful become hideous.”

And there came . . .—Better, And out of the smoke there came forth locusts upon the earth; and there was given to them power, as the scorpions of the earth (? land-scorpions) have power.

The outcome of the gloom is the power of devastation and pain. This also refers to the Egyptian plagues—this time to the locusts (Exodus 10:12–15): They covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened.

Similarly, Joel describes the darkening of the land through the plague of locusts (Joel 2:3–10): The sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

But the locusts of our vision are armed with the power of scorpions, to sting and to torture (Revelation 9:5): the scorpions are called scorpions of the earth. Some have thought that this expression is equivalent to land-scorpions, in contrast to so-called sea-scorpions. This hardly seems likely or necessary. Their power to torment men is the prominent idea.

The locusts are not literal locusts: this scorpion-like power given to them is enough to convince us of this, even if the next verse did not clearly show it. The scorpion-like power seems to depict a malicious energy, as the locusts depict a devastating multitude.

And it was commanded . . . — This should be translated: It was commanded them that they should not injure the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree; but only (or, except) the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

The locusts that are sent not to injure the vegetation are clearly not literal locusts. The security of those who have the seal of God on their foreheads (those who were described as sealed, and so assured of safety against the tempest blast—see Revelation 7:1-3 and following) may confirm us in this view. Whatever the plague may be, it is one that cannot injure God’s children. “Nothing,” Christ has said, “shall by any means hurt you. I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).

It is interesting and suggestive to notice that this promise of our Lord was given immediately after the saying, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,” as the safety of the sealed ones is mentioned here after the vision of the star fallen from heaven. The coincidence is hardly undesigned; at least, the sense in which we understand the danger from which Christ promised His disciples protection may afford us a guiding meaning here.

Now, no one has maintained that Christ promised His disciples entire freedom from danger, pain, and death. He said, “They shall persecute you and kill you; ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” No real injury can happen to them; pain and death might be encountered, but all things work together for their higher good. They have a joy that no pain or peril can take away; they have a joy in this (it is from the same chapter as above—Luke 10:20), that their “names are written in heaven.”

For such, death has no sting, the grave no victory. They meet famine and nakedness, and peril and sword; but in these they are more than conquerors. No plague can hurt those who have the seal of God on their foreheads. A plague from which those whose way is through tribulation are exempt can hardly be a physical one.

And to them . . .—Better, And it was given to them that they should not kill them (that is, those who had not the seal of God in their foreheads), but that they should be tortured five months.

The general period of a locust plague is about five months: “as the natural locusts commit their ravages only for five months, so the ravages of these symbolical ones will be only for a short period” (Stuart). Their power is to inflict torment, and not death. The next verse tells us that men would consider death preferable to this torment, but the relief of the grave is denied them.

And their torment . . .—Literally, and the torture of them (that is, the torture inflicted by them) is as the torture of a scorpion when it has stricken a man. The wound of a scorpion causes intense suffering: we have in it the symbol of the malicious cruelty of the merciless.

The emblem is used in Ezekiel: the rebellious and malicious opponents of the prophet being compared to scorpions (Ezekiel 2:6). We may compare the similar imagery of the bee for the Assyrian power (Isaiah 7:18), and the Psalmist’s complaint that his enemies gathered around him like bees—a swarm, irritating him with wing and sting. The tenth verse tells us the way in which the injury was inflicted: there were stings in their tails.