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UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
THE BOOK OF REVELATION - PART 14
By John S. Torell

March 3, 2002

CHAPTER NINE
Verse 1: The star is most likely the same as referred to in Revelation  8:10, which to my understanding is the Devil himself. Up to this time he has not been held in the bottomless pit, but demonic entities from his prior kingdom on  earth have been locked up here as a judgment for their sins. Later the Devil himself is going to be locked up in the bottomless pit. Revelation  20:1-3

Compare this with Isaiah 14:12-20; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6

Verse 2: These demonic beings have been tormented beyond what a human mind can understand, and the immense smoke coming out of it will be on a scale worse that the eruption of a huge volcano.

Verse 3-5: These demonic entities will come out of the pit like a swarm, but they are going to be controlled by God himself, they will not be allowed to attack any believer in Christ. Compare this with Job, Chapters 1 and 2.

When a human being is stung by a scorpion, these are the symptoms which occur: a sharp burning sensation, swelling, sweating, restlessness, salivation, confusion, vomiting, convolutions and in many cases followed by death.

Verse 6: The torment these people will have to suffer for five months is beyond what a person today can perceive and understand. Suicide will not be an option, God will stop them from dying, this will be a taste of what hell is, and later the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14:9-11

Verse 7-10: The apostle John tried to describe them to the best of his ability, having the education and understanding of that time. Regardless what they are, these are horrible creatures from the bottomless pit. Compare this with the women dancers found in Las Vegas and Reno, having an unnatural hair set up with plumes dancing to lure men to sin, and then stinging them with the deadly disease of sin and venereal diseases.

Verse 11: Apollyon means Destroyer in Greek.

Verse 12-13: These are transition verses

Verse 14-17: Again the apostle John is trying to describe events in his limited vocabulary. Again we have fallen angels of war, who will be loosed to bring out an army of 200 million men. The only nation on earth today that can field such a large army is China. Compare these numbers: the United States fielded 12 million men in World War II, which includes all the services. Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941 with 150 divisions totaling 3 million soldiers, plus 30 divisions of Finish and Romanian soldiers.

Verse 18-19: This is going to be a World War, and the number of dead is staggering. One third of the world population killed translates to two billion people. Compare that with the total death toll of World War II, with a total of 80 million killed (soldiers and civilians from all the nations involved).

Verses 20-21: People with a reprobate mind cannot repent; they have been damned by God!

This is the worst tragedy that can happen to a human being. Romans 1:18-32; I John 1:5.