The “Star” Fallen From Heaven (verses 1-2)

“Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.”

The fifth trumpet sounds the plague of demonic locusts from the bottomless pit, or, the underworld. In the sounding of the first four trumpets, God has used the forces and the power of nature to warn men. And now, beginning with this fifth trumpet, he uses (no other way to put it) demonic forces of evil.

In the vision here, John sees a star fall from heaven. This star is “given the key to the bottomless pit,” to the shaft of the bottomless pit. There is quite a bit that has been written and speculated about concerning who this “angel of the bottomless pit” [verse 11] might be. There are some who say that he is simply an angel that John sees in his vision, and this angel has this symbolic key to open this place. Others, however, see him not as an angel, but see this as Satan himself who, in this vision, has the key to this place—this place that is referred to as “Sheol,” as “Hades,” as “Tartarus,” a number of different ways that this is referred to and mentioned.

In 2 Peter, chapter 2 and verse 4, Peter speaks about this place as being an intermediate place of abode for fallen spirits [“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment….” Many believe that that is what this represents.

Others think that it’s the final place of punishment for fallen angels and demons, a burning furnace, the smoke of which ascends upward forever. Others think of it as the final place of punishment for Satan, the demons, and for wicked men. We see reference made of this in Luke, chapter 8, verse 31. You recall that Jesus cast some evil spirits, some demons, out of the Gadarene man named “Legion,” because “many demons had entered him.” And the demons “begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.” Revelation 20, verses 1 through 3, speaks about this bottomless pit where Satan will be bound and cast into for eternity [“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”]. Is it actual? It is real? Well, again, what John is viewing at this time is symbolic, it’s representative; but the place that he speaks about, I believe, is real place.

The pit, this abyss here, is seen as being closed and locked. But the “star” (whether that star is an angel of heaven, or whether it is Satan himself) with the key opens the pit. With the opening of the pit, smoke comes up, as it were, from a “great furnace” and rises up to darken the light of the sun and to fill the air.

The “Locusts” and Their Power (verses 3-10)

“Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.”

Out of this smoke come the locusts that torment. Referring back to the plagues that God brought upon Egypt, you remember that the plague of locusts was the eighth of the plagues, Exodus 10, verses 1-20 [“Now the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.’

3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. 6 They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians — which neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.”’ And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.