The chapter gives us two of the three “woe” trumpets referred to in the last verse of the preceding chapter.
The Fifth Angel Sounds His Trumpet (the first “woe” trumpet) Verse 1 — We are at no loss to understand on whom this judgment falls. Verse 4 tells us specifically that those who will be hurt will be “only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.” They are therefore the unbelieving, ungodly Jews, since the servants of God from the twelve tribes of Israel were sealed in their foreheads in Chapter 7. A Satanic power opens the abyss (bottomless pit) from whence arises a smoke so great that light and air are all but extinguished. In the vision, locusts emerge from the smoke. Swarms of these often darken the sky in Eastern countries. Here they have power as of scorpions, and who would not dread the bite of a scorpion? With trees, or grass, or green things of the earth, already touched by the judgments of God in the Western part of Europe, they have nothing to do. Their business is with men only. They are not to kill, but torment them five months. Even the time allowed them for the infliction of their torture is limited, by Almighty power. There is a restraining power greater than the power of evil. So terrible will this judgment be that death will be preferable to life, but they will be prevented from dying so as to bear this judgment from the hand of God. Verses 7 to 11 inclusive tell us all too plainly of a visitation of demons, the name of whose king, whether in Hebrew or Greek, means “Destroyer.
Matthew 12:43-4543When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (Matthew 12:43‑45) should be connected with this judgment. For as to what is there recorded, the Lord said “even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” The unclean spirit of idolatry had gone out of Judah in the days of our Lord Jesus on earth, and the children of Israel still are without an image or teraphim (see Hos. 3:44For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: (Hosea 3:4)). But in the latter days, those contemplated in Revelation 9:1-11,1And 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. 2And 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. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4And 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. 5And 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. 6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7And 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. 8And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9And 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. 10And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11And 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. (Revelation 9:1‑11) the house vacated by the former unclean spirit will be taken complete possession of by seven spirits more wicked than the former. The Jews of the latter days are thus seen as given over to idolatry and “worse” in that respect than in the days when they were carried captive to Babylon for this sin against Jehovah.
Paul writes “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God” (1 Cor. 10:2020But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. (1 Corinthians 10:20)). The Jews, also offering sacrifice to demons in the latter days, will be subject to a special divine retribution, of which we have a picture in our chapter.
One other word in this connection. The Jews attributed the Lord’s work of casting out devils to “the prince of the devils” (Mark 3:21-3021And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. 22And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. (Mark 3:21‑30)). Christ’s service on earth was rendered in the power of the Holy Ghost, and to speak thus against it the Jews committed “the unpardonable sin” which “hath never forgiveness.” Surely we find a fulfillment of this in the judgment of the latter days which we have considered. And also, it might be added that in return for sacrifice offered to demons, they turned again and rent them. But it is also written “Thy people shall be willing [or shall offer themselves willingly] in the day of Thy power” (Psa. 110:33Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. (Psalm 110:3)) and again “in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, . . . I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land . . . : and also I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zech. 13:22And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. (Zechariah 13:2)).
The Sixth Angel Sounds His Trumpet (the second “woe” trumpet) Verse 13 — There is a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God as yet a warning voice—soon there will be none. Briefly, I look upon this judgment as launched, not against Jews, but the Gentiles within the sphere of the Roman earth—the results affect men in “the third part.” Neither in the first or second “woe” trumpets, falling on Jews and Gentiles respectively, do I consider that actual death results. To understand the vision I think we must refer to 2 Thessalonians 2:10-1210And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10‑12). We see “the man of sin,” the Antichrist, deceiving “them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” I believe the second “woe” trumpet releases an engulfing flood of Asiatic demoniacal superstition on that part of the West hitherto immune from its baneful influence, but now having refused the gospel, visited by “strong delusion.” The Western Gentile today scoffs at the ignorance of the unenlightened inhabitants of South East Asia and contiguous countries, where every garden has a spirit house, but he will eventually be overtaken in the net of the enslaving fear and darkness of the world of evil spirits. “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matt. 6:2323But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:23)).
Finally, while men are seen as suffering from these judgments, they seek to pursue their sinful way of life, without God. The judgments are progressive in character, increasing in severity, until God will have the last word with His rebellious creatures.
The sounding of the trumpet of the seventh angel, that is the third “woe” trumpet, is deferred until the fourteenth verse of Chapter 11. Chapter 10 and also Chapter 11 from verse one to thirteen, are in parenthesis.