Bottomless Abyss - Rumor notes 45

 

Trumpet 5 (Revelation 9:1-12)

9:1 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. 9:2 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.

9:3 Then out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 9:4 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. 9:5 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. 9:6 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.

9:7 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. 9:8 They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. 9:9 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. 9:10 They have tails like those of scorpions, and stings. In their tails they have power to harm men for five months. 9:11 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."

9:12 The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.

This fifth angel is the first of the woes warned about in the last verse. It is also moving more into the arena of all those who dwell on the earth, while the first three may apply more directly to exposing professed God-followers whose hearts have not been settled into a love of the truth. With the ominous warning of the angel about these woes, it is likely that what transpires in these last 3 trumpets is going to be far more intense than anything previously.

I saw a star from the sky which had fallen to the earth

This directly links us with a previous reference to this star not long before this.

The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of the waters. The name of the star is called "Wormwood." One third of the waters became wormwood. Many people died from the waters, because they were made bitter. (Revelation 8:10-11)

Whatever we learned when studying that trumpet would be well to refresh in our awareness so as to see how this builds on what was exposed then. Notice in particular the difference in tense between these two references likely involving the very same entity.

A great star fell from the sky

A star from the sky which had fallen to the earth

It is seemingly insignificant details such as this that can make a huge difference in the outcome of our conclusions in the long run. Little clues and details contribute to the trajectory of how we choose to interpret the symbols in prophecy, along with our presuppositions about the nature of God's methods, motives and ways of relating to others. All of these must be kept in mind when seeking to discover what the Spirit is seeking to bring to our attention.

This verse refers to both the sky and the earth, while in the previous trumpets what falls to the earth is the censer of an angel as well as hail, fire and blood in the first trumpet, and the star in the third trumpet fell on the rivers and springs and the burning mountain feel into the sea in the second trumpet.

What our minds were designed to do in seeking understanding and truth is to look for patterns. Patterns activate our imagination in ways beyond our capacity to explain and contribute to helping us see things beyond our reasoning capacity. However, as important as matching patterns and fractals can be, they alone cannot verify that something is true. The enemy can use the same thing to deceive us if we do not pay attention to testing the spirit, which is why it is so important to remain cognizant of the condition of our own spirit while seeking to understand things such as we are examining together here.

What is rather clear throughout this book is the presence and implication of the repeated phrase all who dwell on the earth. It refers to the people whose orientation is the way things are done on earth in contrast to the ways of the Lamb. This is one of the most important themes in this book and is too often ignored or unnoticed by many who claim to be experts of prophecy. This refers us back to the importance of always keeping the first key in hand that we picked up in the very beginning of this book, the principle that everything we conclude must be in perfect harmony with the Jesus' version of God and His methods, motives and message.

In this case this star is clearly identified as having fallen from the sky and down to the earth. This closely links this with a similar reference found in chapter 12.

The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:9)

Keep in mind the layout of this book and that the middle chapters in Revelation are not necessarily sequential to the rest of the book but rather are a summary around which the rest of the book revolves. So I believe that it is safe to assume that this star most likely is referring to Satan directly and whatever it happening here is directly connected to activities involving him.

The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. He opened the pit of the abyss

Now we come to where interpreters have been divided ever since this was written. Here we have to make decisions as to the meaning of this pit of the abyss as well as the nature of some key that appears to have power to open and close this pit. Clearly this key is not held exclusively by any one being as we see this same Satan himself thrown into this same abyss and locked into it likely by use of this same key only held by another angel in chapter 20. How and why this key seems to move from one angel to another is somewhat of a mystery, but clearly it has enormous power, maybe similar to the metaphor of the ring of power that is the central theme in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

First of all, let us look closer at this key as it can be a review from the first time we came across it in our study of Revelation.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, "Don't be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades." (Revelation 1:17-18)

Here we find referenced keys in the plural while the other two references are given as singular. What might be the significance of this? That Jesus must authorize any use of these keys?

Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

"To the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write: "He who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says these things:" (Revelation 3:7)

I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were finished. After this, he must be freed for a short time. (Revelation 20:1-3)

I will lay the key of the house of David on his shoulder. He will open, and no one will shut. He will shut, and no one will open. (Isaiah 22:22)

I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19)

Is this indicating a key that can synchronize between what goes on in heaven and earth in some way?

Woe to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn't enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered. (Luke 11:52)

Before we move into looking closer at the meaning of the abyss, I want to look at the contrast between what happens here and the opposite of what we see happening in chapter 20. Here in the fifth trumpet, the key is being used by Satan to open the pit of the abyss; in chapter 20 the exact opposite takes place as the pit is shut and sealed over with Satan inside of it rather than wielding the key for his own purposes. I mention this because it is a factor that affects how we come to view the meaning behind the symbol of the abyss itself.

He opened the pit of the abyss

bottomless <abussos> pit <phrear>

abussos: depthless, i.e. (specially) (infernal) "abyss":--deep, (bottomless) pit

phrear: a hole in the ground (dug for obtaining or holding water or other purposes), i.e. a cistern or well; figuratively, an abyss (as a prison):--well, pit

The reference to this in chapter 20:1 is missing the second word found here. What might that imply?

It shall be, when Yahweh your God shall bring you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities, which you didn't build, and houses full of all good things, which you didn't fill, and cisterns dug out, which you didn't dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you didn't plant, and you shall eat and be full; then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall fear Yahweh your God; and him shall you serve, and shall swear by his name. You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are round about you; for Yahweh your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; lest the anger of Yahweh your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you. You shall do that which is right and good in the sight of Yahweh; that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has spoken. (Deuteronomy 6:10-19)

So the children went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. They took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance: so they ate, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against you, and cast your law behind their back, and killed your prophets that testified against them to turn them again to you, and they committed awful blasphemies. (Nehemiah 9:24-26)

The Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he grew exceeding strong. Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. He built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much livestock; in the lowland also, and in the plain: and he had farmers and vineyard keepers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields; for he loved farming.

(2 Chronicles 26:8-10)

Has a nation changed its gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be astonished, you heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be you very desolate, says Yahweh. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

(Jeremiah 2:11-13)

The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought. Judah mourns, and the gates of it languish, they sit in black on the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. Their nobles send their little ones to the waters: they come to the cisterns, and find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are disappointed and confounded, and cover their heads. Because of the ground which is cracked, because no rain has been in the land, the plowmen are disappointed, they cover their heads. (Jeremiah 14:1-4)

Remember that we are dealing with symbols in Revelation and throughout Scripture much of the time, so the concepts highlighted in the passages referring to cisterns I find instructive for our search for meanings here. First of all, one of these words means depthless or pit, and the second very much refers to a pit or hole dug in the ground such as a cistern. These holes were used both for retaining water but also for prisons or jails. Recall how Joseph was thrown into a pit to prevent him from escaping until hiss brothers decided what to do with him in their fierce jealousy. Jeremiah too was thrown into a similar pit that had mud in the bottom by the king who didn't like God's messages sent through the prophet that made the king upset and rebellious.

In all of these references to cisterns excepting the one referring to Uzziah and the one involving famine, the theme of obedience and rebellion appears to be involved. And the one about famine has spiritual resonance that goes far beyond merely lack of physical water. This leads me to think that whatever follows in this trumpet may involve those themes since it seems so consistent in these connecting links.

Hear this, you who desire to swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail, Saying, 'When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may market wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel large, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit; that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, and sell the sweepings with the wheat?'" Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I will never forget any of their works. Won't the land tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells in it? Yes, it will rise up wholly like the River; and it will be stirred up and sink again, like the River of Egypt.

It will happen in that day," says the Lord Yahweh, "that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will make you wear sackcloth on all your bodies, and baldness on every head. I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.

Behold, the days come," says the Lord Yahweh, "that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Yahweh. They will wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they will run back and forth to seek the word of Yahweh, and will not find it. In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst. (Amos 8:4-13)

Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' (Matthew 25:1-9)

Interestingly, this Greek word abussos only shows up two times outside of Revelation in the New Testament. But after researching all the verses in the Septuagint I find a pattern emerging that may help to unpack this more clearly. Here are all the other verses that contain this word in the New Testament. The ones including those in the Old Testament are listed in a separate document.

Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered into him. They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss. Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. He allowed them. (Luke 8:30-32)

But the righteousness which is of faith says this, "Don't say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down); or, 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)" But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;" that is, the word of faith, which we preach: that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:6-9)

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." (Revelation 9:11)

When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present. (Revelation 17:8)

I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were finished. After this, he must be freed for a short time. (Revelation 20:1-3)

And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (Revelation 20:7-8)

This last verse does not use the word for abyss but rather relays an important aspect of the nature of this abyss into which Satan is to be bound. Notice there are two things used to affect Satan's condition: there is a chain, and there is a place of restraint or imprisonment. But most importantly, this centers on the issue of him deceiving the nations. This is a vital point that must not be missed if we are to discern the true meaning of what this word implies.

So what are some of the clues we have uncovered so far that might help us piece together a useful explanation of what this abyss is about?

It is depthless, or having no bottom. Maybe this is a link to the shifting foundation of sand mentioned by Jesus that we should not build our house of character upon?

It might be intended to be used for holding water, or it might be a prison to remove freedom.

Cisterns were part of the promised blessings to be received as a benefit of staying loyal to God. They were used as sources of needed water for farming as well as backups for wells, and indeed the word can also mean a well.

Broken cisterns are ones that lose the integrity of their bottoms so no longer can retain water. They are empty, leaving people in desperation in times of no rain, lacking a vital resource for life, not unlike the foolish virgins lacking essential oil.

The reference in Jeremiah 14 lists these significant words: drought, languish, sit in black on the ground, cry, they come to the cisterns, and find no water, their vessels empty; they are disappointed and confounded, cover their heads. Because of the ground which is cracked, because no rain has been in the land.

Demons possessing people appear to be very resistant to being sent to this place.

Paul's reference to this in Romans might appear to interpret it as death, but the context can imply other issues involved, such as where to find the word that brings salvation. What he is emphasizing in this passage is location of the answer we need so desperately, for it is not out there somewhere so far that we must travel impossible distances up to heaven or down into death to find the answer, but it is inside of us, the word of faith – trust in God's heart.

There is a key involved that has power to open or shut this abyss; to release entities contained inside to pour out over the whole earth, or to remove freedom from certain entities and keep them imprisoned within its confines.

This key seems to show up in different hands, and may well be related to the keys Jesus says He holds, meaning He is likely the one who allows who may utilize the key at various times.

The angel of the abyss is a king whose name is Abaddon and Apollyon.

The beast that wars against God's representatives comes up out of this abyss.

When Satan is bound and later released from this abyss, it is primarily about his incessant activity of deceiving all the nations of the earth.

This has not even touched on all the references using this word in the Greek Septuagint scriptures. There we find even more expansive references that indicate this abyss involves the spiritual condition of those professing to be God's people but following after gods who are foreign to the truth of how God relates and gods who degrade and enslave those who worship them. But I want to insert a passage that seems quite relevant at this point that has some connection to the thirst we see in what we are studying.

I remember the days of old. I meditate on all your doings. I contemplate the work of your hands. I spread forth my hands to you. My soul thirsts for you, like a parched land. Selah. Hurry to answer me, Yahweh. My spirit fails. Don't hide your face from me, so that I don't become like those who go down into the pit. Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning, for I trust in you. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you. Deliver me, Yahweh, from my enemies. I flee to you to hide me. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. (Psalms 143:5-10)

After reviewing this condensation of references to the abyss, I sense that the best definition that fits at this point is hopeless despair.

The pit is in the earth, the place associated with Satan's domain, i.e., all who dwell on the earth.

It was originally designed as a source of water for life, but is empty and is become a prison.

The king controlling this abyss is Abaddon, Apollyon which means destroyer. What he destroys most is hope, so much so that even demons resist going there.

This fits well with what Paul mentions about salvation, for salvation brings hope. The demonic forces released from the pit by Satan are all bent on darkening the Source of light and the atmosphere around our world with deceptions about salvation, truth and what God is like.