The Fallen Star
Revelation 9:1-12
Revelation 9:1–12 (HCSB): 9 The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the earth, and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads. 5 They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses equipped for battle. Something like gold crowns was on their heads; their faces were like men’s faces; 8 they had hair like women’s hair; their teeth were like lions’ teeth; 9 they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses rushing into battle; 10 and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months. 11 They had as their king the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come after this.
1. The Fallen Star and the Key (vv. 1–2)
“I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.”
- The Star’s Identity: In apocalyptic literature, stars often symbolize angels. Because this star has already “fallen” (peptokota, a perfect participle describing a completed action with continuing effects), many commentators identify it as a fallen angel—often Satan or a leading demon. This interpretation parallels Luke 10:18 (“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”) and Isaiah 14:12.
- The Key to the Abyss: The Abyss, or bottomless pit, is the subterranean prison of evil spirits. The star does not possess the key; it is given (edothe) to him. This divine passive underscores God’s sovereignty: Satan and his demons can act only within the limits and timing God permits.
2. The Smoke and the Darkened Sun (v. 2)
“Smoke poured from it like smoke from a vast furnace, darkening the sun and sky.”
- Spiritual Blindness and Deception: The smoke represents the blinding, suffocating force of demonic deception. The darkened sun signals cosmic upheaval and the loss of spiritual light, clarity, and truth, leaving the unrepentant world in moral and spiritual chaos.
3. The Demonic Locusts (vv. 3–10)
“From the smoke, locusts descended upon the earth.”
- Old Testament Allusion: The imagery strongly echoes the locust plague of Exodus 10 and the day-of-the-Lord army in Joel 1–2. Unlike natural locusts that consume vegetation, however, these supernatural beings attack people.
- Their Paradoxical Appearance: John combines unsettling images: battle-ready horses, human faces, women’s hair, lions’ teeth, and iron breastplates.
- Theologically, this hybrid form reflects evil’s unnatural, distorted, and monstrous character.
- Historically, some scholars see John describing a terrifying first-century vision with the language available to him—perhaps evoking cavalry or psychological horror. Others read the imagery as wholly symbolic of inner torment and spiritual conflict.
- The Five Months: A natural locust’s life cycle lasts about five months, from May to September. Theologically, this span represents a fixed, limited period of judgment. The torment is severe but restrained—a harsh mercy intended to prompt repentance, although later verses show that humanity remains hardened.
4. The Sovereignty of the Seal (v. 4)
“They were commanded not to harm the grass … but only those without God’s seal on their foreheads.”
- Inviolable Security: This verse recalls Revelation 7, where God seals his servants. Its central point is that believers may face earthly suffering or martyrdom, yet they remain fully protected from divine wrath and demonic destruction. The locusts cannot harm those who belong to Christ.
5. Abaddon and Apollyon (v. 11)
“Their king was the angel of the Abyss, called Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek—that is, Destroyer.”
- An Organized Kingdom of Evil: Unlike natural locusts, which Proverbs 30:27 says “have no king,” these demonic locusts operate under a clear hierarchy.
- The Names: In the Old Testament, Abaddon means “Destruction” or “Place of Destruction” (for example, Job 26:6); Apollyon means “Destroyer.” By giving both the Hebrew and Greek names, John presents the demonic threat as universal, extending to Jew and Gentile alike.
- The Historical Polemic: First-century readers may also have heard a subtle critique of the Roman emperors Nero or Domitian, both associated with the Greek god Apollo, whose symbols included the locust or grasshopper. John thus exposes Roman imperial power as demonic and destructive at its core.