Fifth Trumpet. First Woe. (The Plague Of Locusts.)

p. 73

FIFTH TRUMPET.

FIRST WOE.

(The Plague Of Locusts.)

Rev. 9:1-12.

"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.' And he opened the 'BOTTOMLESS PIT,' and there arose a smoke out of the 'Pit,' as the smoke of a furnace; and the Sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the 'Pit.' 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. 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. 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. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it: and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shape of the LOCUSTS were like unto HORSES PREPARED UNTO BATTLE: and on their heads were as it were crowns of gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had 'Breastplates,' as it were Breast-plates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto SCORPIONS, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men FIVE MONTHS. 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. One 'WOE' is past; and, behold, there come 'TWO WOES' more hereafter."

At the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet John saw a "STAR" fall, or as the Revised Version has it, "fallen from Heaven." That it was not a literal star is clear, for in the next verse the "STAR" is spoken of as a PERSON (He), and in the Old Testament angels were called "Stars." Job 38:7. Because the "STAR" was "fallen from 

p. 74

[paragraph continues] Heaven" does not imply that the "ANGEL," for that is what it was, was a "FALLEN ANGEL," or SATAN himself, as some have supposed. John simply meant that he saw the descent of the "STAR," or Angel, and so rapidly did it descend that it appeared to be falling. This is the same "STAR ANGEL" that in Rev. 20:1-3 comes down from Heaven, having the "Key" of the "BOTTOMLESS PIT," and a great chain in his hand, and binds SATAN, and casts him into the "PIT." This makes it clear that the "STAR ANGEL" is not SATAN. The work of both Angels is the same, to unlock and lock the "Bottomless Pit." It does not look reasonable that God would entrust the "Key" of the "Prison House" of the "Demons" to a "Fallen Angel," or even Satan himself.