What is the context?
The fifth trumpet begins the first of the three woes announced at the end of chapter 8. John sees a star that has fallen from heaven and is given the key to the Abyss. The star acts as a person, opening the shaft. Smoke rises and darkens the sun and air, and locusts emerge from it.
The Greek word abyssos refers to a deep, unfathomable place; in this setting it is connected with imprisoned evil powers. Thayer’s entry connects its use here with Luke 8:30–33, where demons beg Jesus not to send them into the Abyss. The word helps explain the scene’s spiritual setting without giving us a map of the unseen world.
These locusts behave differently from the insects that destroy crops. They are forbidden to harm vegetation and may torment only people who lack God’s seal. Their power lasts five months, and they may not kill. The repeated restrictions matter: the terrifying beings do not decide for themselves whom they may attack or how far they may go.
John describes them through a series of comparisons: battle-ready horses, human faces, women’s hair, lions’ teeth, iron breastplates and scorpion-like tails. Their king is the angel of the Abyss. The Hebrew name Abaddon is associated with destruction, and the Greek name Apollyon means destroyer; see Brown–Driver–Briggs and Thayer. The first woe ends with a warning that two remain.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Readers differ over the identity of the star. Wesley understands a holy angel carrying out God’s command. Walvoord favors Satan as a fallen angel who receives permission to open the Abyss. Both recognize that the key is given; the figure does not possess unlimited authority of his own. John does not name him.
The locusts also receive different explanations. Wesley connects the first woe with Persian persecution of Jewish people. Gill relates the imagery especially to medieval Arab conquests, alongside a reading concerning corrupt religious power. Walvoord understands a future outbreak of demonic torment. These are the readings of particular teachers, rather than positions that every member of their traditions shares.
These differences affect the five months as well. A future reading may take them as ordinary months, while historical readings connect them with longer periods. Each explanation should be distinguished from the passage’s direct description: the attack is severe, it is limited, and those bearing God’s seal are protected from it.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
The locusts recall Exodus 10:12–20, where God confronts Pharaoh through a plague that destroys Egypt’s vegetation. Joel 1:4–7 and 2:1–11 also combine locust devastation with the language of an invading army. Revelation uses familiar pictures of judgment, while changing their target from plants to people. These are scriptural parallels, not a claim that every detail describes the same event.
The limits placed on the attackers also fit the distinction God makes between judgment and rescue. Second Peter 2:4–9 brings together imprisoned rebellious angels, judgment on evil and God’s care for the godly. Revelation’s sealing scene in chapter 7 prepares for that distinction here. Evil is frightening, but it cannot erase God’s knowledge of His people or take control of His purposes.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.