Revelation 9 Bible Study: The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets
Understanding God's Warning, Judgment, and Mercy
Main message:
Revelation 9 shows two terrifying judgments that come upon the earth. The chapter reminds us that evil is real, spiritual forces are at work, God's judgment is serious, and yet people are still given an opportunity to repent.
📖 Introduction
Revelation 9 continues the events that began in chapter 8.
In Revelation 8, four angels sounded four trumpets. Each trumpet brought another judgment upon the earth.
Now Revelation 9 brings the fifth and sixth trumpets.
These judgments are much more frightening. John sees things that are difficult for us to imagine—locusts that look like horses prepared for battle, a terrifying king, and an enormous army.
It is important to remember something when reading Revelation:
John is describing what he saw.
Much of the chapter is written in symbolic and prophetic imagery, so we shouldn't assume every detail is meant to be understood as an ordinary earthly creature or army. My ETSY Shop with Inspirational Merch
Revelation 9:1–2
The fallen star and the bottomless pit
John says:
“And the fifth angel blew his trumpet…” — Revelation 9:1
John sees a star fallen from heaven to the earth, and this star is given the key to the bottomless pit.
The star is then described as a being who has authority to open the pit.
When the pit is opened, smoke rises from it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and sky become darkened.
What does this mean?
The bottomless pit represents a place associated with demonic or evil spiritual beings.
The darkness coming from the pit gives us a picture of evil being released upon the earth.
Notice something important:
The key is given to the one who opens the pit.
That tells us that this evil is not operating independently of God.
God remains sovereign.
Even when terrible things happen, God has not lost control. Revelation 8
Revelation 9:3–6
The locusts
Out of the smoke come locusts.
But these aren't ordinary locusts.
They are given power like the power of scorpions.
God gives them specific instructions:
They are not to hurt the grass, trees, or other green plants.
Instead, they are permitted to torment people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
And their torment lasts for five months.
John says their torment is so terrible that people will desire death, but death will not come.
What can we understand from this?
This is one of the strongest warnings in the chapter.
These beings have power—but their power is limited.
God tells them:
- what they can hurt,
- who they can hurt,
- and how long they can do it.
That is important.
Satan and evil do not have unlimited authority.
God is still in control.
Revelation 9:7–10
What did the locusts look like?
John describes them using several different images.
They looked:
- like horses prepared for battle
- like they had crowns
- with faces resembling human faces
- with hair like women's hair
- with teeth like lions
- with breastplates like iron
- and their wings sounded like many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
This sounds strange because John is trying to describe something beyond ordinary human experience.
Why does John describe them this way?
The descriptions communicate fear, strength, destruction, and terror.
They are not harmless insects.
They are portrayed as a terrifying army.
Their purpose isn't to destroy vegetation like normal locusts.
Their purpose is to torment people.
Revelation 9:11
The king of the locusts
Then John tells us:
“And they had a king over them…”
His name is given as:
Abaddon in Hebrew
and Apollyon in Greek.
Both names carry the idea of destruction or destroyer.
This identifies the spiritual nature of what John is seeing.
The picture is of organized evil under a destructive ruler. Revelation 20
Revelation 9:12
John says:
“One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”
This is basically John saying:
“That was only the first of three great warnings.”
Remember, the fifth trumpet brought the first “woe.”
There are still two more.
Revelation 9:13–15
The sixth trumpet
The sixth angel sounds his trumpet.
John hears a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God.
The four angels who have been bound at the Euphrates River are released.
And they have been prepared for a specific:
- hour
- day
- month
- and year.
This is another indication that the events are under God's timing and authority.
Nothing happens randomly.
Revelation 9:16
An enormous army
John hears the number of the army:
200 million.
John describes an enormous army unlike anything he had seen.
Again, there is disagreement among Christians about whether this represents:
- a literal future army,
- supernatural beings,
- human armies,
- or symbolic imagery representing massive destruction.
The safest approach is to distinguish between what the text clearly says and what we are only interpreting.
The text clearly presents an enormous force connected with judgment.
Revelation 9:17–19
Fire, smoke, and sulfur
John sees horses and riders with:
- breastplates that looked like fire and sapphire
- jacinth/smoky-colored material
- sulfur
Fire, smoke, and sulfur come from their mouths.
John says these three—fire, smoke, and sulfur—kill a third of mankind.
This is an extraordinarily severe judgment.
Notice the progression.
Earlier judgments affected portions of creation.
Now the sixth trumpet results in the death of one-third of humanity.
Revelation 9:20–21
The saddest part of the chapter
After everything that has happened, you might expect people to turn toward God.
But that's not what happens.
John says:
“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not…”
This is one of the most important verses in the entire chapter.
They did not repent.
Despite everything they had witnessed, people continued in:
- worship of demons
- idols
- murder
- sorceries
- sexual immorality
- thefts
What is God showing us?
God's judgments aren't merely about punishment.
They also reveal the hardness of the human heart.
God is warning humanity. Revelation 21
But people can become so hardened that even severe consequences don't cause them to turn to Him.
❤️ The Main Lesson of Revelation 9
Revelation 9 is frightening, but there is a deeper message underneath the frightening imagery.
1. Evil is real.
The Bible doesn't treat evil as merely a metaphor for human bad behavior.
There is a spiritual dimension to evil.
2. Evil has limits.
The demons and destructive forces in Revelation 9 are given boundaries.
They don't simply do whatever they want.
God remains sovereign.
3. God's judgment is serious.
Revelation doesn't portray sin as something harmless.
Sin has consequences.
4. People can become hardened.
Perhaps the most sobering lesson is that experiencing judgment doesn't automatically produce repentance.
A person must turn their heart toward God.
5. God gives warnings before final judgment.
The trumpets themselves function as warnings.
God is showing humanity what rebellion ultimately leads toward.
6. Don't miss God's mercy.
Even in a chapter filled with judgment, there is an implied opportunity:
Repent.
The tragedy of Revelation 9 is not that God refuses to forgive.
The tragedy is that many people refuse to repent.
🕊️ What Does Revelation 9 Mean for Us Today?
We shouldn't read this chapter simply as:
“Something terrible is coming.”
We should also hear its spiritual warning:
Don't harden your heart toward God.
If God is convicting you about something, don't ignore Him.
If you need to forgive someone, forgive.
If you need to turn away from something sinful, turn away.
If you've walked away from God, come back.
The purpose of biblical warning is not simply to frighten us.
It is to turn us back toward God.
✝️ A Simple Way to Remember Revelation 9
The Fifth Trumpet:
➡️ Demonic forces are released to torment humanity.
The Sixth Trumpet:
➡️ A massive judgment results in the death of a third of humanity.
The Response:
➡️ Many people still refuse to repent.
The Warning:
➡️ Don't let your heart become hardened toward God.
The Hope:
➡️ While God gives warning, we should respond by turning to Him. My ETSY Shop with Inspiration Merch
🙏 Closing Thought
Revelation 9 can be difficult to understand, but one thing is unmistakable:
God wants people to repent before judgment comes.
The chapter isn't given to us merely so we can identify every creature or calculate exactly what every symbol means.
It calls us to examine our own hearts.
Are we listening to God while He is calling us?
And that's a message that anyone can understand.
🙏 A Prayer of Repentance
Heavenly Father,
I come before You with a humble heart. I recognize that I have sinned and fallen short of Your ways. Please forgive me for the things I have done, said, and thought that were not pleasing to You.
Lord, I don't want my heart to become hardened toward You. Help me to recognize my sin, turn away from it, and turn back to You.
Cleanse my heart and renew my spirit. Help me to forgive others, walk in obedience, and seek Your will for my life.
Thank You for Your mercy, Your patience, and Your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again. I place my faith in Him and ask You to guide my life from this day forward.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
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