Chapter 9: The Three Woes
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Chapter 9 pertains entirely to the first two of the THREE WOES—the fifth and sixth trumpets.
In Rev 9:1-11, the fifth trumpet, or FIRST WOE, is described as a great power that comes out of what the Bible calls the “bottomless pit.” This, of course, is a symbol and not an actual pit somewhere on the earth. Revelation 17:8-14 interprets it. The old Roman Empire (with its seven separate resurrections or heads) emerges from this “pit” one last time. The sixth head, Mussolini’s revival of this Roman system, was small and relatively insignificant. The soon-coming last revival will be much greater!
In Jn 9:11, John calls Satan “a destroyer,” referring to him as a “king over them”—a system of people led by a final, world-ruling, counterfeit figure soon to appear, just prior to the Return of Christ. The Hebrew word Abaddon means “Satan,” and the Greek word Apollyon, also used there, means “a destroyer.” Understanding Satan as a DESTROYER sets the stage for the next scripture.
Rev 9:13-21 describe the SECOND WOE. Open your Bible and read these verses. In them, an army of 200 million “horsemen” attacks and temporarily repels the European system led by the final super-dictator known as the “beast.” These eastern hordes (Ezek. 25:4, 10), probably led by Russia or China, and allied with India and Japan, compose the 200-million-man army.
The prophet Ezekiel describes the same events of Revelation 9:13-21, revealing more: “And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords...and you shall come from your place out of the NORTH parts, you, and many people with you, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army” (Eze 38:4, 15). (Also see Joel 2:4.)
The reference to horses and horsemen is obviously a representation of an immense army. Yes, 200 million is certainly “a mighty army.” In all likelihood, this is an attack by the Russian and Northern Asian hordes (armies) against what is called the Beast and Babylon (Rev. 17:1-18 and 18:1-24).Jeremiah 50:1-46 and 51:1-64 and Isaiah 13:1-22 and 14:1-32, Isa 47:1-15 and 48:1-22 describe this coming system and its destruction.
Forces on earth are forming even now, so they can come into play at the right moment within God’s Plan!