December 18 Rev 9:1-21
The fifth angel
sounded, and I saw a star from the sky which had fallen to the earth. The
key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. He opened the pit of the
abyss, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke from a burning
furnace. The sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke from the
pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and power was given to
them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told that they
should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any
tree, but only those people who don’t have God’s seal on their foreheads.
They were given power not to kill them, but to torment them for five months.
Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a person.
In those days people will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will
desire to die, and death will flee from them. The shapes of the locusts were
like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like golden
crowns, and their faces were like people’s faces. They had hair like women’s
hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. They had breastplates, like
breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of
chariots, or of many horses rushing to war. They have tails like those of
scorpions, and stings. In their tails they have power to harm men for five
months. They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in
Hebrew is “Abaddon”, but in Greek, he has the name “Apollyon”. The first woe
is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.
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