Revelation 9 Commentary

The fifth trumpet is sounded and a bottomless pit is opened, out of which come beings described as locusts like scorpions, who are given the authority to use their sting to torment those who do not have God’s seal. This will last for five months.

The locusts from the pit are described in more physical detail. They are otherworldly in appearance; war imagery like breastplates and chariots is used to describe them, increasing our understanding of their might and terror.

The sixth trumpet is sounded and four angels that will kill a third of mankind are released, along with multitudes of armies of horsemen.

The horses of the army display traits unlike earthly horses, like the ability to breathe fire, smoke, and brimstone and tails like serpents, which they use to kill a third of mankind.

The two-thirds of mankind that were not killed by the plagues of the sixth trumpet are stubborn. They do not repent of their evil ways, even in the face of destruction, much like how Pharaoh’s heart was hardened even after nine plagues in Exodus.