Sunday School Notes: Revelation 9:1-2

¹ And the fifth angel trumpeted, and I saw a star having fallen from heaven to the earth, and the key of the pit of the abyss was given to him. ² And he opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke went up from the pit like smoke from a large oven, and the sun was darkened, also the air from the smoke of the pit.

This past Sunday we began looking at the fifth of the seven trumpets, which starts at 5:1 and goes through 5:12. There are two parts to this vision: the first, 1-6, tells what happens when the trumpet is blown; the second, 7-12, describes the strange locust creatures that emerge from the pit.

We began with a couple of text notes. First, we should note that the star is one that has fallen. The verb is a perfect tense in the Greek–it fell in the past. John is not seeing the star fall, but after it has been on the earth. We’ll look at the significance of that in a moment. Next, the word translated “pit” (phrear) could also be translated “well” or “shaft.” It is used to refer to the opening to the netherword, or the abode of the dead. Finally, “abyss” (Greek: abussos) is referred to elsewhere in the New Testament as the abode of the dead (Romans 10:7), and the place where unclean spirits go (Luke 8:31). This is also a significant point to bear in mind. The word for “depths” in Greek is buthos. With an alpha tacked on to the front (a-buthos => abussos), the word’s meaning is negated giving us “no depth” or “without depth”–i.e., bottomless. So the translation “bottomless pit” for phrear abussos is quite legitimate.

What do we make of this fallen star? First, we observe that the star is given a key. Before we discuss the significance of the key, we need to note that you don’t give keys to inanimate objects. This means, as we might expect from Revelation by now, the star is not literal. We’ve already seen in 3:7 how the giving of a key represents the granting of authority (Jesus holds David’s key). You don’t usually grant authority to someone or something that isn’t able to exercise that authority. For example, you don’t grant authority to a rock, or a cat. So this star must be some kind of being, one that has personality. What kind of person? The biblical evidence points to an angelic being, and I would give particular weight to Revelation 1:20, since the symbolism used in Revelation is most relevant to our understanding here. In 1:20, we are told that the seven stars in Jesus’s hand are the seven angels of the seven churches. So we see a direct link between stars and angels. Does that mean every reference to a star in Revelation is an angel? Not necessarily, but we shouldn’t rule out the possibility. In this instance, where the star is given authority, then it fits. In 8:10, where a star falls on the waters and turns them bitter, this doesn’t have to be an angel (I’m no geologist, but I suppose it’s possible mineral deposits from the star could do this–especially if there is supernatural intervention), but it could be.

An important passage to consider at this point is Isaiah 14:12ff. This passage is commonly understood to be talking about the fall of Satan. In its original context, Isaiah is describing the king of Babylon. That in itself is meaningful to Revelation, given what “Babylon” signifies (i.e., the epitome of the godless, rebellious city). And I don’t think it’s inappropriate to consider all layers of meaning. First, it is a prophecy against the king of Babylon. Second, it speaks of the demise of any proud ruler who sets himself up in opposition to the Lord and His people. And ultimately, it’s a description of the fall of Satan, and a prophecy of his ultimate demise. In Luke 10:19-20, after the joyful return of the seventy, Jesus says that he saw Satan falling from heaven “like lightening.” The Greek word for “lightening,” astrapê, comes from the same root as the word for star (astêr).

When we consider the nature of the abyss (which we will in a moment), it will become apparent that this is not a good place, and the locusts that come out from there are not of godly purpose. These are demonic beings from a place of evil. Indeed, earlier we noted Luke 8:31 where the abyss is the place where unclean spirits go. This further underscores the satanic nature of this angel who is given the key to the abyss and who is its ruler. Either this angel is Satan himself, or he is an demonic agent of Satan, ruling in his behalf.

Before we leave verse 1, a final observation: the key was given to the angel–it did not belong to the angel, and the angel neither earned the right to use it, nor demanded it from the Lord. Jesus is the one who holds the key to death and Hades (1:18). Even Satan’s authority is granted to him, and, as we saw in Job, is constrained by the good plan and intentions of the Lord. God is sovereign. He doesn’t just sit back and let Satan do whatever he wants. The Lord will use Satan to fulfill His purposes in judgment, as we will see.

This angel opens up the pit and out pours smoke, like smoke from an oven, but dense enough to blot out the sun and fill the air, bringing darkness. In the Old Testament, there are a number of occasions where darkness and smoke appear in connection with judgment, most significantly in Exodus 10, where the Lord sends a plague of darkness over the land of Egypt. Joel 2:10-11 also speaks of the sun and moon being darkened, and the stars not shining, on the day of the Lord. In Genesis 19:27-28, the land of the valley is filled with smoke, going up like the smoke from a furnace, after the Lord sent fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah. We will also see smoke again in Revelation, in 14:9-12, and, perhaps more significantly in 18:9-10 with the burning of Babylon.

We’ve already mentioned the fact that this abyss is clearly not a good place. The fact that smoke of judgment is rising up from the abyss shouldn’t be overlooked. We’ve noted that the abyss is spoken of as the place where evil spirits go. In passages to come, we’ll meet a beast that rises from the abyss and kills two godly witnesses (11:7), at which the ungodly marvel (17:8). So why is smoke rising up from the pit at this point? If smoke signifies God’s judgment, and this smoke filling the air is God’s judgment on the earth, could it be that this smoke has first judged the abyss? So far, the judgments we have seen have been against godless people, not the supernatural forces of evil behind the scenes. Could it be that the Lord has judged Satan first, or is judging him at the same time? I think this is worthy of consideration as we continue our study. No doubt we will come back to this point later.

Program Note: The Revelation class won’t be taking place this coming Sunday, so there won’t be notes next week. But we will resume chapter 9 the following week, Lord willing.