Apocalipsis 9

1 Y EL quinto ángel tocó la trompeta, y vi una estrella que cayó del cielo en la tierra; y le fué dada la llave del pozo del abismo.

2 Y abrió el pozo del abismo, y subió humo del pozo como el humo de un gran horno; y oscurecióse el sol y el aire por el humo del pozo.

3 Y del humo salieron langostas sobre la tierra; y fueles dada potestad, como tienen potestad los escorpiones de la tierra.

4 Y les fué mandado que no hiciesen daño á la hierba de la tierra, ni á ninguna cosa verde, ni á ningún árbol, sino solamente á los hombres que no tienen la señal de Dios en sus frentes.

5 Y le fué dado que no los matasen, sino que los atormentasen cinco meses; y su tormento era como tormento de escorpión, cuando hiere al hombre.

6 Y en aquellos días buscarán los hombres la muerte, y no la hallarán; y desearán morir, y la muerte huirá de ellos.

7 Y el parecer de las langostas era semejante á caballos aparejados para la guerra: y sobre sus cabezas tenían como coronas semejantes al oro; y sus caras como caras de hombres.

8 Y tenían cabellos como cabellos de mujeres: y sus dientes eran como dientes de leones.

9 Y tenían corazas como corazas de hierro; y el estruendo de sus alas, como el ruido de carros que con muchos caballos corren á la batalla.

10 Y tenían colas semejantes á las de los escorpiones, y tenían en sus colas aguijones; y su poder era de hacer daño á los hombres cinco meses.

11 Y tienen sobre sí por rey al ángel del abismo, cuyo nombre en hebraico es Abaddon, y en griego, Apollyon.

12 El primer ¡Ay! es pasado: he aquí, vienen aún dos ayes después de estas cosas.

13 Y el sexto ángel tocó la trompeta; y oí una voz de los cuatro cuernos del altar de oro que estaba delante de Dios,

14 Diciendo al sexto ángel que tenía la trompeta: Desata los cuatro ángeles que están atados en el gran río Eufrates.

15 Y fueron desatados los cuatro ángeles que estaban aparejados para la hora y día y mes y año, para matar la tercera parte de los hombres.

16 Y el número del ejército de los de á caballo era doscientos millones. Y oí el número de ellos.

17 Y así vi los caballos en visión, y los que sobre ellos estaban sentados, los cuales tenían corazas de fuego, de jacinto, y de azufre. Y las cabezas de los caballos eran como cabezas de leones; y de la boca de ellos salía fuego y humo y azufre.

18 De estas tres plagas fué muerta la tercera parte de los hombres: del fuego, y del humo, y del azufre, que salían de la boca de ellos.

19 Porque su poder está en su boca y en sus colas: porque sus colas eran semejantes á serpientes, y tenían cabezas, y con ellas dañan.

20 Y los otros hombres que no fueron muertos con estas plagas, aun no se arrepintieron de las obras de sus manos, para que no adorasen á los demonios, y á las imágenes de oro, y de plata, y de metal, y de piedra, y de madera; las cuales no pueden ver, ni oir, ni andar:

21 Y no se arrepintieron de sus homicidios, ni de sus hechicerías, ni de su fornicación, ni de sus hurtos.

Apocalipsis 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

The fifth trumpet is followed by a representation of another star as falling from heaven and opening the bottomless pit, out of which come swarms of locusts. (1-12) The sixth trumpet is followed by the loosing of four angels bound in the great river Euphrates. (13-21)

Verses 1-12 Upon sounding the fifth trumpet, a star fell from heaven to the earth. Having ceased to be a minister of Christ, he who is represented by this star becomes the minister of the devil; and lets loose the powers of hell against the churches of Christ. On the opening of the bottomless pit, there arose a great smoke. The devil carries on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by putting out light and knowledge, and promoting ignorance and error. Out of this smoke there came a swarm of locusts, emblems of the devil's agents, who promote superstition, idolatry, error, and cruelty. The trees and the grass, the true believers, whether young or more advanced, should be untouched. But a secret poison and infection in the soul, should rob many others of purity, and afterwards of peace. The locusts had no power to hurt those who had the seal of God. God's all-powerful, distinguishing grace will keep his people from total and final apostacy. The power is limited to a short season; but it would be very sharp. In such events the faithful share the common calamity, but from the pestilence of error they might and would be safe. We collect from Scripture, that such ( 1 Corinthians. 11:19 ) early writers plainly refer this to the first great host of corrupters who overspread the Christian church.

Verses 13-21 The sixth angel sounded, and here the power of the Turks seems the subject. Their time is limited. They not only slew in war, but brought a poisonous and ruinous religion. The antichristian generation repented not under these dreadful judgments. From this sixth trumpet learn that God can make one enemy of the church a scourge and a plague to another. The idolatry in the remains of the eastern church and elsewhere, and the sins of professed Christians, render this prophecy and its fulfilment more wonderful. And the attentive reader of Scripture and history, may find his faith and hope strengthened by events, which in other respects fill his heart with anguish and his eyes with tears, while he sees that men who escape these plagues, repent not of their evil works, but go on with idolatries, wickedness, and cruelty, till wrath comes upon them to the utmost.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 9

This chapter gives an account of the blowing of the fifth and sixth trumpets, and of the effects following upon them. The fifth angel blows his trumpet, and a star falls; the key of the bottomless pit is given to him, which being opened by it, out of it comes smoke to the darkening of the sun and air, and out of the smoke locusts, who have power like scorpions, Re 9:1-3; whose power is restrained from using it to the hurt of the grass, or any green thing or tree, only of those who had not the seal of God in their foreheads; but are permitted, though not to kill men, yet to torment them five months, which is worse than death unto them, Re 9:4-6. The shapes of these locusts, which are said to be like horses, are described by their heads, faces, hair, teeth, breastplates, wings, and tails, and are said to have a king over them, whose name is mentioned, Re 9:7-11. The blowing of this trumpet brings on one of the woes mentioned in Re 8:13, and the two other follow, Re 9:12. The sixth angel blows his trumpet, and a voice is heard from the horns of the altar, directed to the said angel, ordering him to loose four angels bound in the great river Euphrates, where they were prepared, for a determinate time, to slay the third part of men, and they were loosed accordingly, Re 9:13-15. The number of the army, under these angels, is given, Re 9:16, and the horses and horsemen are described; the riders by their breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone; their horses' heads as heads of lions, fire, smoke, and brimstone, issuing out of their mouths, by which the third part of men are killed, Re 9:17,18. The reason of this slaughter is, because they had power both in their mouth and tails, which latter were like serpents, and had heads, with which they did mischief, Re 9:19; and yet such who were not killed by these plagues, but escaped, did not repent of their idolatry, murders, sorceries, fornication, and theft, Re 9:20,21.