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 12:43-45 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. 3:4). But in the latter days, those contemplated in 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. 10:20). 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 3:21-30). 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. 110:3) 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. 13:2).
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 2:10-12. 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. 6:23).
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.