Revelation Chapter 9

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.  

Trumpet 5
 Another star fell from heaven to earth. This time the "star" is personified. It must be an angelic being since "he" is given the key to the bottomless pit (the Abyss).

2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. The angel opens the bottomless pit. Here we find the worst of demonic spirits who have been kept in chains since the time of the Flood (see 2 Peter 2:4 & 1 Peter 3:19-20). As the door is opened a great plume of acrid smoke bellows out. Its appearance is like that of an erupting volcano. This vast demonic eruption blocks out the sunlight.
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Ascending out of the smoke there is seen hellish creatures that looked like locusts. These creatures are given the power to devastate mankind with their scorpion-like tails.

4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. These locusts will not go after vegetation like the natural creatures they resemble, instead they will afflict mankind. Their mission is to sting everyone except the 144,000 (and maybe those that have repented through the ministry of these Jewish evangelists). Only these will be free from the power of this demonic host.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

The demon-locusts have the power to kill but are commanded not to do so. They will torment human beings for five months. It may take five months for the effects of the sting to fade away.  
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. The pain and agony will be so great that people will wish for death. They will try to commit suicide, but death will flee from the. For five months no one on earth will die, but will have to endure the severe torment inflicted by these locusts.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.  

The Appearance of the Creatures:
a) They have a horse-like appearance. They look like the old war horse equipped for battle with armoured plating.
b) They have, what appeared to be, a golden crown upon their heads.
c) They seemed to have human-like faces.  
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

d) Their hair was as long as that of a woman.
e) They had teeth as long and sharp as a lion.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.   f) They wore breastplates.
g) Their wings beat so loudly that it sounded like thousands of chariots racing into battle. A mechanical sound?
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

h) As mentioned earlier, their tails looked like scorpion's stings. For five whole months these creatures will afflict and torment mankind.
11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. These demonic creatures have a ruler over them who leads them into battle. The ruler is a fallen angel named Apollyon. His Hebrew name is Abaddon (and he is a bad-un). This demon is not Satan since he and the other demons are released from the bottomless pit. Some have suggested that these creatures are John's way of describing helicoptors, but not all the details fit that picture. It is better to see them as literal demonic spirits of the wickedest order. It is very likely that they will possess multitudes of people throughout the world.
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

Two more trumpets to follow - more woes coming upon humanity.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Trumpet 6
As the sixth angel sounds his trumpet, John heard a voice coming from the golden altar that stood before God - this is the altar of incense seen in an earlier chapter.
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. The voice commanded an angel to go and release the four angels who were bound by the Euphrates River. This is in the Babylonian region (in modern day Iraq). Iraq will be used in judgement on the earth in the last days.
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. The loosing of the angels and the ensuing judgement is for a very specific time in future history. It cannot come before God's set time. Satan is trying to thwart God's plan at this time by raising up Saddam. We need to keep our eyes on that region nevertheless.
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. The four angels of death bring with them 200 million demonic forces to slay a third of mankind. This will happen exactly five months after the sixth woe begins. The numbers are very precise.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. The apostle John does not describe a human army, but rather a demonic one. This is not to suppose that these demons will not possess the armies of the one world government, and inspire its leadership to war against God. The horses they rode were like earthly horses, except they had lion-like heads and smoke, fire and brimstone came from their mouths. The riders wore breastplates that appeared to be on fire, the colour of jacinth and brimstone.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. A third of the world population will be destroyed by the smoke, fire and brimstone. This may speak of nuclear or bio-chemical warfare.
19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. The horses had power to kill with their mouths, but they also had multi-headed, snake-like tails.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: With all these terrible things happening we would think that mankind would come to repentance, but they do not. Instead they further harden their hearts against God. They persist in worshipping idols. The devils they worship have indeed come down amongst them. This also speaks of the dramatic increase in demonology in the last days.
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. They will not repent. They will have lost all sense of right and wrong. They will continue in murder, witchcraft, sexual perversion, and theft. The very things that are prevalent in society today.

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