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Revelation 9:21 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

21 Neither G2532 G3756 repented they G3340 of G1537 their G846 murders, G5408 nor G3777 of G1537 their G846 sorceries, G5331 nor G3777 of G1537 their G846 fornication, G4202 nor G3777 of G1537 their G846 thefts. G2809

Cross Reference

Revelation 18:23-24 STRONG

And G2532 the light G5457 of a candle G3088 shall shine G5316 no more G3364 at all G2089 in G1722 thee; G4671 and G2532 the voice G5456 of the bridegroom G3566 and G2532 of the bride G3565 shall be heard G191 no more G3364 at all G2089 in G1722 thee: G4671 for G3754 thy G4675 merchants G1713 were G2258 the great men G3175 of the earth; G1093 for G3754 by G1722 thy G4675 sorceries G5331 were G4105 all G3956 nations G1484 deceived. G4105 And G2532 in G1722 her G846 was found G2147 the blood G129 of prophets, G4396 and G2532 of saints, G40 and G2532 of all G3956 that were slain G4969 upon G1909 the earth. G1093

Revelation 11:7-9 STRONG

And G2532 when G3752 they shall have finished G5055 their G846 testimony, G3141 the beast G2342 that ascendeth G305 out of G1537 the bottomless pit G12 shall make G4160 war G4171 against G3326 them, G846 and G2532 shall overcome G3528 them, G846 and G2532 kill G615 them. G846 And G2532 their G846 dead bodies G4430 shall lie in G1909 the street G4113 of the great G3173 city, G4172 which G3748 spiritually G4153 is called G2564 Sodom G4670 and G2532 Egypt, G125 where G3699 also G2532 our G2257 Lord G2962 was crucified. G4717 And G2532 they G991 of G1537 the people G2992 and G2532 kindreds G5443 and G2532 tongues G1100 and G2532 nations G1484 shall see G991 their G846 dead bodies G4430 three G5140 days G2250 and G2532 an half, G2255 and G2532 shall G863 not G3756 suffer G863 their G846 dead bodies G4430 to be put G5087 in G1519 graves. G3418

Daniel 7:21-25 STRONG

I beheld, H1934 H2370 and the same H1797 horn H7162 made H5648 war H7129 with H5974 the saints, H6922 and prevailed H3202 against them; Until H5705 the Ancient H6268 of days H3118 came, H858 H1768 and judgment H1780 was given H3052 to the saints H6922 of the most High; H5946 and the time H2166 came H4291 that the saints H6922 possessed H2631 the kingdom. H4437 Thus H3652 he said, H560 The fourth H7244 beast H2423 shall be H1934 the fourth H7244 kingdom H4437 upon earth, H772 which shall be diverse H8133 from H4481 all H3606 kingdoms, H4437 and shall devour H399 the whole H3606 earth, H772 and shall tread it down, H1759 and break it in pieces. H1855 And the ten H6236 horns H7162 out of H4481 this kingdom H4437 are ten H6236 kings H4430 that shall arise: H6966 and another H321 shall rise H6966 after H311 them; and he shall be diverse H8133 from H4481 the first, H6933 and he shall subdue H8214 three H8532 kings. H4430 And he shall speak H4449 great words H4406 against H6655 the most High, H5943 and shall wear out H1080 the saints H6922 of the most High, H5946 and think H5452 to change H8133 times H2166 and laws: H1882 and they shall be given H3052 into his hand H3028 until H5705 a time H5732 and times H5732 and the dividing H6387 of time. H5732

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Revelation 9

Commentary on Revelation 9 Matthew Henry Commentary


Chapter 9

In this chapter we have an account of the sounding of the fifth and sixth trumpets, the appearances that attended them, and the events that were to follow; the fifth trumpet (v. 1-12), the sixth (v. 13-21).

Rev 9:1-12

Upon the sounding of this trumpet, the things to be observed are,

  • 1. A star falling from heaven to the earth. Some think this star represents some eminent bishop in the Christian church, some angel of the church; for, in the same way of speaking by which pastors are called stars, the church is called heaven; but who this is expositors do not agree. Some understand it of Boniface the third bishop of Rome, who assumed the title of universal bishop, by the favour of the emperor Phocas, who, being a usurper and tyrant in the state, allowed Boniface to be so in the church, as the reward of his flattery.
  • 2. To this fallen star was given the key of the bottomless pit. Having now ceased to be a minister of Christ, he becomes the antichrist, the minister of the devil; and by the permission of Christ, who had taken from him the keys of the church, he becomes the devil's turnkey, to let loose the powers of hell against the churches of Christ.
  • 3. Upon the opening of the bottomless pit there arose a great smoke, which darkened the sun and the air. The devils are the powers of darkness; hell is the place of darkness. The devil carries on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by extinguishing light and knowledge, and promoting ignorance and error. He first deceives men, and then destroys them; wretched souls follow him in the dark, or they durst not follow him.
  • 4. Out of this dark smoke there came a swarm of locusts, one of the plagues of Egypt, the devil's emissaries headed by the antichrist, all the rout and rabble of antichristian orders, to promote superstition, idolatry, error, and cruelty; and these had, by the just permission of God, power to hurt those who had not the mark of God in their foreheads.
  • 5. The hurt they were to do them was not a bodily, but a spiritual hurt. They should not in a military way destroy all by fire and sword; the trees and the grass should be untouched, and those they hurt should not be slain; it should not be a persecution, but a secret poison and infection in their souls, which should rob them of their purity, and afterwards of their peace. Heresy is a poison in the soul, working slowly and secretly, but will be bitterness in the end.
  • 6. They had no power so much as to hurt those who had the seal of God in their foreheads. God's electing, effectual, distinguishing grace will preserve his people from total and final apostasy.
  • 7. The power given to these factors for hell is limited in point of time: five months, a certain season, and but a short season, though how short we cannot tell. Gospel-seasons have their limits, and times of seduction are limited too.
  • 8. Though it would be short, it would be very sharp, insomuch that those who were made to feel the malignity of this poison in their consciences would be weary of their lives, v. 6. A wounded spirit who can bear?
  • 9. These locusts were of a monstrous size and shape, v. 7, 8, etc. They were equipped for their work like horses prepared to battle.
    • (1.) They pretended to great authority, and seemed to be assured of victory: They had crowns like gold on their heads; it was not a true, but a counterfeit authority.
    • (2.) They had the show of wisdom and sagacity, the faces of men, though the spirit of devils.
    • (3.) They had all the allurements of seeming beauty, to ensnare and defile the minds of men-hair like women; their way of worship was very gaudy and ornamental.
    • (4.) Though they appeared with the tenderness of women, they had the teeth of lions, were really cruel creatures.
    • (5.) They had the defence and protection of earthly powers-breastplates of iron.
    • (6.) They made a mighty noise in the world; they flew about from one country to another, and the noise of their motion was like that of an army with chariots and horses.
    • (7.) Though at first they soothed and flattered men with a fair appearance, there was a sting in their tails; the cup of their abominations contained that which, though luscious at first, would at length bite like a serpent and sting like an adder.
    • (8.) The king and commander of this hellish squadron is here described,
      • [1.] As an angel; so he was by nature, an angel, once one of the angels of heaven.
      • [2.] The angel of the bottomless pit; an angel still, but a fallen angel, fallen into the bottomless pit, vastly large, and out of which there is no recovery.
      • [3.] In these infernal regions he is a sort of prince and governor, and has the powers of darkness under his rule and command.
      • [4.] His true name is Abaddon, Apollyon-a destroyer, for that is his business, his design, and employment, to which he diligently attends, in which he is very successful, and takes a horrid hellish pleasure; it is about this destroying work that he sends out his emissaries and armies to destroy the souls of men. And now here we have the end of one woe; and where one ends another begins.

Rev 9:13-21

Here let us consider the preface to this vision, and then the vision itself.

  • I. The preface to this vision: A voice was heard from the horns of the golden altar, v. 13, 14. Here observe,
    • 1. The power of the church's enemies is restrained till God gives the word to have them turned loose.
    • 2. When nations are ripe for punishment, those instruments of God's anger that were before restrained are let loose upon them, v. 14.
    • 3. The instruments that God makes use of to punish a people may sometimes lie at a great distance from them, so that no danger may be apprehended from them. These four messengers of divine judgment lay bound in the river Euphrates, a great way from the European nations. Here the Turkish power had its rise, which seems to be the story of this vision.
  • II. The vision itself: And the four angels that had been bound in the great river Euphrates were now loosed, v. 15, 16. And here observe,
    • 1. The time of their military operations and executions is limited to an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. Prophetic characters of time are hardly to be understood by us; but in general the time is fixed to an hour, when it shall begin and when it shall end; and how far the execution shall prevail, even to a third part of the inhabitants of the earth. God will make the wrath of man praise him, and the remainder of wrath he will restrain.
    • 2. The army that was to execute this great commission is mustered, and the number found to be of horsemen two hundred thousand thousand; but we are left to guess what the infantry must be. In general, it tells us, the armies of the Mahomedan empire should be vastly great; and so it is certain they were.
    • 3. Their formidable equipage and appearance, v. 17. As the horses were fierce, like lions, and eager to rush into the battle, so those who sat upon them were clad in bright and costly armour, with all the ensigns of martial courage, zeal, and resolution.
    • 4. The vast havoc and desolation that they made in the Roman empire, which had now become antichristian: A third part of them were killed; they went as far as their commission suffered them, and they could go no further.
    • 5. Their artillery, by which they made such slaughter, described by fire, smoke, and brimstone, issuing out of the mouths of their horses, and the stings that were in their tails. It is Mr. Mede's opinion that this is a prediction of great guns, those instruments of cruelty which make such destruction: he observes, These were first used by the Turks at the siege of Constantinople, and, being new and strange, were very terrible, and did great execution. However, here seems to be an allusion to what is mentioned in the former vision, that, as antichrist had his forces of a spiritual nature, like scorpions poisoning the minds of men with error and idolatry, so the Turks, who were raised up to punish the antichristian apostasy, had their scorpions and their stings too, to hurt and kill the bodies of those who had been the murderers of so many souls.
    • 6. Observe the impenitency of the antichristian generation under these dreadful judgments (v. 20); the rest of the men who were not killed repented not, they still persisted in those sins for which God was so severely punishing them, which were,
      • (1.) Their idolatry; they would not cast away their images, though they could do them no good, could not see, nor hear, nor walk.
      • (2.) Their murders (v. 21), which they had committed upon the saints and servants of Christ. Popery is a bloody religion, and seems resolved to continue such.
      • (3.) Their sorceries; they have their charms, and magic arts, and rites in exorcism and other things.
      • (4.) Their fornication; they allow both spiritual and carnal impurity, and promote it in themselves and others.
      • (5.) Their thefts; they have by unjust means heaped together a vast deal of wealth, to the injury and impoverishing of families, cities, princes, and nations. These are the flagrant crimes of antichrist and his agents; and, though God has revealed his wrath from heaven against them, they are obstinate, hardened, and impenitent, and judicially so, for they must be destroyed.
  • III. From this sixth trumpet we learn,
    • 1. God can make one enemy of the church to be a scourge and plague to another.
    • 2. He who is the Lord of hosts has vast armies at his command, to serve his own purposes.
    • 3. The most formidable powers have limits set them, which they cannot transgress.
    • 4. When God's judgments are in the earth, he expects the inhabitants thereof should repent of sin, and learn righteousness.
    • 5. Impenitency under divine judgments is an iniquity that will be the ruin of sinners; for where God judges he will overcome.