The Fifth Trumpet: Darkness, Locusts, and Mercy

Jul 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Smoke from the Abyss: When Darkness Rises from Below

John’s vision reveals smoke pouring from the bottomless pit, a darkness so thick it blots out the sun. This isn’t mere physical smoke but a spiritual corruption unleashed—a chaos that chokes hope and distorts truth. The abyss, a prison for rebellious spirits, opens only by God’s permission, reminding us that even hell’s fury operates within divine boundaries. The darkness here isn’t random; it’s a calculated warning, a call to see beyond the visible and confront the spiritual rebellion fueling human suffering. In this judgment, God’s sovereignty and mercy collide, leaving room for repentance amid despair. [46:12]

“The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.” (Revelation 9:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you sensed spiritual “smoke” thickening in your world—distractions, lies, or chaos dimming your vision of God’s light? How might you actively turn toward His clarity today?

Day 2: Locusts with Scorpion Tails: Torment That Cannot Kill

The locusts from the abyss don’t devour crops—they target souls. Armed with scorpion-like stings, they inflict agony so severe death feels like relief. Yet their power is limited: they cannot touch God’s sealed ones, and their torture lasts only five months. These creatures embody hell’s cruelty, but also God’s restraint. Even in judgment, He refuses to abandon His role as Redeemer. Their temporary torment screams a sobering truth: sin’s wages are pain, but repentance remains possible until breath runs out. [52:18]

“They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. In those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.” (Revelation 9:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: When have you experienced a “sting” from choices that promised life but delivered pain? How does God’s boundary on suffering reassure you of His faithfulness?

Day 3: Crowns of Gold on Locust Heads: The Allure of Destruction’s Mask

These locusts wear crowns, their human-like faces and flowing hair masking violent intent. Evil rarely announces itself; it seduces with false beauty, mimicking nobility while hiding lion-like teeth. The enemy’s lies glitter—promising power, freedom, or fulfillment—but always devour. John’s vision strips sin’s disguises, showing how rebellion against God corrupts even what seems desirable. The crowns signal a parody of authority: hell’s rule is borrowed, temporary, and doomed. [01:02:47]

“In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth.” (Revelation 9:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: What “crowns” have you been tempted to chase—approval, success, control—that mask a spiritual danger? How can you test your desires against God’s definition of true authority?

Day 4: Five Months of Agony: The Limits of Hell’s Permission

The locusts’ torture lasts five months—a season matching their natural life cycle. God permits suffering, but never abandons His role as Judge. He sets expiration dates on hell’s worst assaults. For those enduring torment, each day is a mercy: time to repent, to cry out, to choose the Savior whose scars outlast hell’s deadlines. Suffering here isn’t random; it’s a severe grace, shouting that rebellion’s end is worse than its temporary thrill. [56:37]

“They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them.” (Revelation 9:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to trust God’s sovereignty over life’s “five months”—trials that feel endless but have a divine limit? How might His timing deepen your reliance on Him?

Day 5: Longing for Death, Finding Mercy: The Invitation Still Open

Even as people beg for death, God withholds it. His restraint is mercy: every gasping breath is a chance to turn home. The locusts’ king, Abaddon, means “destroyer,” but the One on the throne remains “Redeemer.” Judgment’s intensity escalates, yet grace outruns it. Today, before the final trumpet, God’s patience shouts: sin’s lies can be renounced. The same hands that hold hell’s keys are scarred from paying sin’s price. [01:11:31]

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, ESV)

Reflection: What rebellion or compromise have you rationalized as “harmless”? How will you respond to God’s patience while His invitation still stands?

Sermon Summary

John sets the scene by remembering how Jesus has already spoken to the churches along the Roman road, both correcting drift and strengthening faith while readying the bride. The vision then pulls him into the throne room where the trumpet judgments begin. The first four strike the created order that sustains life, yet again and again the text says only a third. Judgment is real, but restraint and mercy are standing in the doorway, holding space for repentance. An eagle cries, Woe, woe, woe, and the intensity rises as the focus shifts from creation to humanity’s spiritual rebellion.

The fifth trumpet sounds. John sees a star already fallen and given a key to the abyss. Authority is delegated; permission is granted; the pit cannot open itself. Even the powers of darkness only move as far as God’s sovereignty allows. The pit opens, smoke pours like a furnace, and darkness spreads, not down from the skies but up from below. The imagery names a suffocating, corrupting oppression, a glimpse behind the curtain into the spiritual battle that undergirds human revolt against God.

Locust-like beings come out of the smoke with power to sting like scorpions. They are commanded to avoid the grass, trees, and plants. Their target is those without the seal of God. They cannot kill, only torment, and their authority is measured to five months. The agony grows so deep that people long for death, yet death flees. John uses locust language his hearers know for devastation, but these are not ordinary insects. They are a demonic force, organized and unleashed within set boundaries.

Their appearance tells the truth about evil. They are like war horses, ready for battle, wearing what look like crowns that signal a real, assigned authority. Faces like humans suggest intelligence and intent. Hair like women hints at allure and deception; teeth like lions reveal the violence underneath. Iron-like breastplates make them feel impenetrable. The roar of their wings sounds like chariots charging. Their tails carry scorpion-like torment. Humanity cannot stand against them in its own strength, yet even now they are still on a leash.

They have a king, the angel of the abyss, Abaddon in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek, the destroyer. The first woe passes; two remain. The tempo is not slowing; it is rising. Still the mercy of God lingers. Idols and false saviors overpromise and underdeliver, turning into the very instruments of torment. The call persists: turn, repent, return to the first love. Christ has borne judgment to give mercy. While there is breath, there is room to come home.

Key Takeaways

1. Judgment unmasks spiritual rebellion’s roots. The fifth trumpet does more than shake the world; it exposes the spiritual engine driving human revolt against God. Darkness rises from the abyss, signaling corruption that is not merely social or natural but personal and malevolent. The text insists that behind what is seen stands a war that sin cannot manage and human power cannot win. [45:13]
2. God’s sovereignty sets hard limits. A key is given, not seized, and the pit cannot open itself. Even hell’s host operates on a leash, within boundaries God sets on target, effect, and time. The thirds and the five months preach the same sermon of restraint, holding open the door of mercy in the very hour of judgment. [47:50]
3. Demonic allure turns into devouring torment. Hair like women draws the gaze, but lion’s teeth tear the life. Evil sells beauty first and only later shows its bite, and sin’s charm is always a prepaid mask for ruin. Wisdom learns to test the shine, to look behind the gloss for the teeth. [62:47]
4. Mercy remains in the midst of woes. The locusts cannot kill, only torment, and the clock is ticking on their license. Even as intensity climbs, the text keeps the word still on its lips, still time, still grace, still space to turn. Mercy is not softness but a summons, and it is meant to be answered now. [67:57]
5. Idols always overpromise and underdeliver. The savior substituted for Christ becomes the very source of pain. Powers once celebrated turn into agents of torment, exposing the lie at the heart of counterfeit hope. The only kingdom that loves is the one that bled, and its wounds remain the world’s true refuge. [70:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:59] - Setting the scene in Revelation
[40:40] - Trumpets sound, creation shaken
[41:29] - Judgment restrained to a third
[44:39] - The eagle announces three woes
[46:12] - Fifth trumpet: star and abyss
[47:50] - Delegated key, divine sovereignty
[50:37] - Smoke and thick darkness
[52:02] - Locusts with scorpion power
[55:47] - Targeting the unsealed, not plants
[56:37] - Five-month limit on torment
[57:52] - Death desired, but it flees
[60:10] - Terrifying description of the horde
[66:56] - Abaddon leads the destroyers
[68:52] - Mercy remains, call to repent

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Revelation 9:1-12 (ESV)
- Revelation 9:20-21 (ESV)

Observation questions

In Revelation 9:3-6, what specific limitations are placed on the locusts’ power (e.g., who they can harm, how long they can act)?
How does the sermon describe the connection between the locusts’ appearance (e.g., “hair like women,” “teeth like lions”) and the nature of evil? [01:02:47]
According to the sermon, what does the “key” given to the fallen star in Revelation 9:1 reveal about God’s sovereignty? [47:50]
What reason does Revelation 9:20-21 give for why people still refused to repent even after enduring torment?

Interpretation questions

Why might God allow torment but forbid the locusts from killing their victims (Revelation 9:5-6)? How does this reflect His character?
The sermon states, “Evil sells beauty first and only later shows its bite.” How does the description of the locusts’ appearance illustrate this truth? [01:02:47]
Revelation 9:20-21 mentions people clinging to idolatry and sin despite judgment. What does this suggest about the human heart’s resistance to repentance?
The locusts’ king is named “Destroyer” (Revelation 9:11). How does this contrast with Jesus’ role as Savior, and why is this significant?

Application questions

The sermon warns that “sin’s charm is always a prepaid mask for ruin.” What is one area where you’ve been tempted to believe a lie about sin’s consequences? How can you “look behind the gloss for the teeth” in that situation? [01:02:47]
God’s mercy is shown through His restraint (e.g., limiting judgment to “a third,” setting a 5-month timeframe). Where have you experienced God’s patience or boundaries in your life, even amid consequences for choices?
Revelation 9:20-21 shows people refusing to repent despite suffering. What habits or attitudes might harden someone’s heart to God’s call to turn back to Him? How can you guard against this in your own life?
The sermon emphasizes that “while there is breath, there is room to come home.” Is there a relationship, circumstance, or personal struggle where you need to actively choose trust in God’s mercy over despair?
Idols “overpromise and underdeliver” ([01:10:39]). What modern “idols” (e.g., success, comfort, control) do you see people (or yourself) trusting in? How can you intentionally redirect that trust to Christ?

Sermon Clips

62s

#FalsePromises

“I mean what would it be like like these folks to just discover the very thing that you have been trusting to save you had become the source of your torment? To follow these promises of peace and security and power prosperity, only to find yourself serving something that never loved you and never cared for you. That what it did was desired your self destruction. Church, sin always overpromises and underdelivers. The enemy comes through and he promises this life but he comes in and he produces death in our lives. Promises this freedom but that freedom then puts us into bondage.”

55s

#GraceToday

“And yet, God still in his judgment continues to say, turn back to me. Repent. There's still time, there is still grace, there is still mercy and if that's true in the midst of this tribulation that we're seeing, how much more true is it right now in the present? Today, there's breath on our lungs. There's mercy available for each and every one of us. Today, today his grace is sufficient. It's enough. Today, there is still this invitation from a loving father to each and every one of us. Calling his people home. Back to him. Back to the first love.”

47s

#DeceptionRevealed

“This appeal that they would have seen. Can you imagine being in awe and in terror in the same moment of what some coming towards you? Because evil often presents itself as desirable before it reveals its true intentions. We all know the nature of our sin, we know what it is to walk in the desires outside of God and what sin looks beautiful at first, what we're gonna do is something that's gonna bring us something great but then we have to pay the wages of those sins, do we not? And then we see it for what it truly is, it's exposed as something against God and it has that reveal, that's what we're seeing here.”

67s

#IdolsCannotSave

“The very thing that these folks worship became the thing that wounded them, this false Christ, this anti Christ that comes, this false Christ cannot save. The beast cannot come along and heal. The idols that these folks had, they cannot answer, they were empty. And these powers that these folks once embraced are now the agency of their torment that they're going through. And yet, even here, we still see that God's mercy remains. Because they're still alive and while there is breath, there is still this opportunity for them to walk in repentance of these things that they've been following.”

46s

#GodIsSovereign

“Okay, and in this key, that means that there is authority that was delegated, that was handed over. There was a permission that was granted and the abyss itself cannot open itself. It has to have somebody to open it. And the powers of darkness, when they, they can only move as far as the sovereignty of God. You understand? Like, he has full control still of everything going on and they can't open themselves, it has to be because he's ruling over all this history. Amen. We get this, like he is the one that is commanding everything to happen, allowing anything to happen. It can't go outside of his authority.”

70s

#MercyAndRestraint

“For while God is still judging sin, his desire, his desire is and always will be that his people would turn, repent and find him again. And as we close, I don't wanna don't wanna just leave Romans nine simply in this amazed imagery or captivated by the mysteries of what these things are and what they mean or overwhelmed by the intensity of the judgment that's to come. I want us all to leave here seeing God's heart. Because throughout this entire chapter, we see this restraint and we see the boundaries and we see the limits and we see opportunities. Again and again, judgment comes, yet God says only what? A third. He's leaving space.”

72s

#CounterfeitKingdom

“I mean, this is a very sobering message to read in Revelation that humanity spends so much time of its existence trying to avoid death but here, humanity now is desiring death and they cannot reach it. Judgment has come Has become so intense that death becomes unintainable. I mean, imagine the despair that would be falling on you or that hopelessness that you would be carrying on to. Imagine realizing that everything you devoted yourself to spiritually was a counterfeit. Those voices that you trusted, the power that you sought out, this system that you pledged yourself to, the leader that you celebrated, kingdom that you believed would rescue humanity has become the instrument of your own suffering.”

44s

#TormentNotDeath

“And their tails were like scorpions and this assignment was not to immediate death, it was an assignment of torment and an affliction to wound and to cause this intense suffering to the people that they would long for death. Yet again, with all these terrifying beings, they remain under a restraint. They were given an authority and they were given a time frame and they were given boundaries because even in the midst of judgment, God remains sovereign over what is released. Who is touched and how long it is permitted to continue.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Faith Community Church This sermon · AI assistant

What does the abyss represent in Revelation?

Why are locusts commanded not to harm vegetation?

How does divine restraint shape the trumpet judgments?

The Fifth Trumpet: Darkness, Locusts, and Mercy

Devotional

Day 1: Smoke from the Abyss: When Darkness Rises from Below

Day 2: Locusts with Scorpion Tails: Torment That Cannot Kill

Day 3: Crowns of Gold on Locust Heads: The Allure of Destruction’s Mask

Day 4: Five Months of Agony: The Limits of Hell’s Permission

Day 5: Longing for Death, Finding Mercy: The Invitation Still Open

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

The Fifth Trumpet: Darkness, Locusts, and Mercy

Share