The Fifth of Seven Angels
In our previous article, we briefly covered: The two witnesses; the Mark of Christ vs the Mark of the Beast; 144,000 Jews; Earth bows before Christ. What we didn’t make more relevant is Revelation 9. It introduces the Mark of Christ and many other End Time events. It reveals the pending torment of mankind during the Tribulation. It also points out that this torment is reserved for those who do NOT have the Mark of Christ.
Revelation 9:1 sets the tone for this End Time event DURING the final 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation. The world is striving to destroy the Jews (Israelis) including trampling underfoot all of Jerusalem (Luke 21:20-24). Consider one reason…*for three and one-half years the voices of the Two Witnesses have condemned the world for their sins from the streets of Jerusalem, possibly from the steps of the rebuilt Temple.
*This is a topic of study in and of itself, but not today.
Revelation 9:1 tells of John seeing an angel “fallen” from heaven; one that has the “key” to the bottomless pit. There are large differences of opinions about who might be this angel, what is the key, and where the bottomless pit is located. What we learn from this verse is that the angel has already fallen from heaven and is on earth. Guessing is the same as speculating. It could be a good angel with the power to open the gates of the bottomless pit. It may be an evil angel seeking to leverage the contents (chain evil angels) from the bottomless pit. There are other evil and destructive beings symbolically called locus in scripture within this pit. The FALLEN ANGEL may be Satan himself. If this bottomless pit is the same one to which he will be chained and cast into for 1,000 years (Millennial Reign), we may better understand why he is BOUND (Revelation 20:1-12) and sealed in the bottomless pit.
The words “fallen from heaven” indicate this fallen being is no longer a resident of or welcomed in heaven. The Apostle John sees this angel as already cast out of Heaven. John foresaw it while exiled on the Island of Patmos. This suggests the angel is Lucifer (Satan). He (unknown angel) was GIVEN a key to the existing abyss. The word “given” may also mean “permission” to open the bottomless pit. It is where many of the fallen angels are today (2 Peter 2:4). This needs some clarification for a better understanding.
AHA MOMENT: There are two times angels are cast out of heaven. The one most often preached on is those that were swept from heaven by the tail of the Red Dragon (Satan). However…Read Genesis 6:1-4. Here is a batch of angels that sexually desired the women of created mankind. This is after the sin in the Garden of Eden. The word for woman in Genesis 6:1-4 is plural (women). This happens between creation of man and the time of Noah. The passage in Genesis 6 does not mention God’s judgment upon these angels. We find that answer in the New Testament.
JIV NOTE: The hordes of “locus” that are released from this pit may be the angels which were cast into it as referenced in Genesis 6:1-4.
We find the answer to Genesis 6:1-4 in 2 Peter 2:4. The probable argument against this addressing the angels that coveted the daughters of man is in the context of verse 4 and verse 5 of 2 Peter 2…and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;” The context of this passage in 2 Peter is the “ancient world.” At this moment It may not be the angels swept from Heaven by the dragons tail. Perhaps the batch of angels released as “locus” may be the ones held in chains from Genesis 6.
Angels can take the form of other beings since they are creations of another nature, not flesh and blood. Evangelist Billy Graham during his Crusade at Flushing Meadows Park in New York, on June 25, 2005, made this one of his message points. Another supporting text is found in verse 7. They are not described as locus as one would imagine. The word “locus” stands for the abundance of them descending all at once.
We Teach but You Decide.
NOTE: We know that the generally canonized books of the Bible do not include the writings of the Book of Enoch, but the Apocrypha does. If one reads Jude 1:1-14 we see Jude, a canonized Bible book, references by name Enoch’s prophecies in verse 14. Give it thought. The Book of Jude addresses some of the sins and doom of the ungodly people of this world: past, present, and future. If the Book of Jude is accepted and it references the Book of Enoch, might some of what Enoch of the pre-flood time he references be acceptable?
One should keep in mind that hell (Hades) along with its occupants will end up in the Lake of Fire. Those souls and fallen angels in hell have yet to bask on the scorched beaches of the Lake of Fire – Revelation 20:14. Just as Paradise holds the souls of deceased believers, Hades holds the searching souls of deceased unbelievers.
Verse 4 of Revelation 9 mentions the mark or seal of God on one’s forehead. These people are immune to the torment of the locus. It takes no great understanding that those who are tormented will notice those not being anguished as are they 24/7. The anguished will seek death (v6) but will not find it. For five months these “beings” will torture them day and night.
Verse 7… This verse says their faces will look like humans. Their bodies are like horses. They will have hair like that of a woman. …None of these descriptions in Revelation 9 describe a locus as we define them. The intended meaning of Locus is their sudden descent in hordes upon mankind at the sound of the 5th trumpet; woe number one. Another counter to this not being the insect called locus is found in Proverbs 30:27. Add to this list the sounding of the 6th trumpet found in Revelation 9:13.
What happens to mankind according to Revelation 9:15? These angels have been in reserve for this very moment i.e., the 6th trumpet (2nd woe). One-third of mankind will be destroyed. According to today’s global population, this will exceed *2 1/2 billion people.
*NOTE: The Promised Land goes from the Nile River east to the Euphrates River. Yet, there is a greater human loss during the Great Tribulation. Go back to the 4th seal to read about this. There is another article on ahabiblemoments.com that covers this seal. As a reminder, Revelation 6:8 includes the 4th seal of judgment. The woes, bowls of wrath, plagues, and 7 trumpets are distinct End Time events.
Revelation 9:14 tells of four angels that have been assigned one task since their creation. They are located and bound (held) at the head of the Euphrates River. Once told to “GO” they release a huge force or flood of 200,000,000 enemy troops against Israel. There is too much theological speculation as to from where these forces come. What we do know is the army is so great, Israelis will finally realize they need their Messiah to survive. This sets the stage for the 7th trumpet. It brings us into the second half of the 7-year tribulation.
The critical verse to acknowledge is Revelation 9:20. It is the world’s response by individuals to this true destruction on a mass scale. As in a riot, people will turn on one another. The Bible calls this kingdom against kingdom, father against son, mother against daughter (Luke 12:53).
Let’s be clear. The idols mentioned are the works of those remaining humans including the works of their own hands, false worship, religiousness, and dedication to gathering riches. We will use the dictionary to define idol…click here.
Rev. Dr. Jstark
2022
AHA Bible Moments 