Revelation 9:1
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Let’s consider the symbolism of stars in the bible.
Genesis 1
16 And God made -- two great lights; -- the greater light to RULE the day, and -- the lesser light to RULE the night: he made -- the stars also.
Here we see that the sun moon and stars are associated with rulership.
Genesis 37
9 And he (Joseph) dreamed yet another dream, and told -- it his brethren, and said, Behold…the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
In Genesis 37 stars represented Jacob’s sons.
When we see stars being cast from heaven to earth or stars being darkened in Revelation, we’re seeing descendants of Jacob either loosing their positions of rulership or being corrupted.
In my last article I spoke about the first and second trumpet and connected them to the Roman-Jewish war. Specifically Vespasian’s military campaign in 67AD when he filled the land and waters of Galilee with “fire and blood”, as detailed in `the Wars of the Jews’ Book 3 by first century historian Josephus.
In this article I’m going to venture into `The Wars of the Jews’ Book 4 that describes events occurring in 68AD.
In Book 4 we see how Zealot leader John Gischala fled from Galilee to Jerusalem for safety, taking with him a considerable number of armed men. (WOJ 4.2.1-4).
High-Priest Ananus ben Ananus encouraged the people of the city to rise up against the Zealots after they’d seized upon the sanctuary.
The people attacked the Zealots which resulted in numerous deaths on both sides. The Zealots fled into the inner court of the temple and shut the gate. Ananus ben Ananus set guards upon the cloisters so they could not escape (WOJ 4.3.7-12).
John Gischala befriended Ananus then betrayed him by telling Zealot leaders Eleazar ben Simon and Zacharias ben Phalek, that Ananus had invited the Romans to attack Jerusalem.
Eleazar and Zacharias then resolved to call upon the Idumeans for assistance. The Idumeans immediately responded to this call and camped outside the city walls waiting to be let in (WOJ 4.4.1).
The Idumeans were from Idumea, just below Judaea. They were also called Edomites and were descended from Jacob’s twin brother Esau.
Upon realising what was happening, another High-priest Jesus ben Gamalas, standing upon a tower, gave a powerful speech to dissuade the Idumeans from getting involved, however they would not listen (WOJ 4.4.3).
During the night Zealots sawed open the city gate to allow the Idumeans in (WOJ 4.4.6&7).
WOJ 4.5.1&2
1…the Idumeans…ascended through the city to the temple…A great howling of the women was excited…The zealots also joined in the shouts raised by the Idumeans: and the storm it self rendred the cry more terrible. Nor did the Idumeans spare any body. For as they are naturally a most barbarous and bloody nation…And now the outer temple11 was all of it overflowed with blood. And that day, as it came on, they saw eight thousand five hundred dead bodies there.
2. But the rage of the Idumeans was not satiated by these slaughters: but they now betook themselves to the city, and plundered every house, and slew every one they met…
Let’s now compare this to Revelation 9
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit…
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth…
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
The Idumeans were the locusts that ascended out of the bottomless pit.
According to Josephus, Zealot leaders Eleazar ben Simon and Zacharias ben Phalek “derived their families from the priests” (WOJ 4.4.1).
As I said earlier, stars in the bible represent the descendants of Jacob, particularly those in rulership such as priests.
Could it be that Eleazar ben Simon was the star that fell from heaven, holding the key to the bottomless pit?
Could it be he opened the pit allowing the Idumean locusts to ascend out of it?
Please let me know in the comment section if this makes sense to you or you think the star represents something or someone else.
Revelation 9
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Have you ever wondered what these verses could be taking about? How were the locusts tormenting men? Why does it say that men sought death but could not find it?
Let’s continue reading in the ‘The Wars of the Jews’ Book 4
WOJ 4.5.3.
3…the zealots and the multitude of the Idumeans fell upon the people as upon a flock of profane animals, and cut their throats…the noble men and the youth, they first caught them, and bound them, and shut them up in prison, and put off their slaughter, in hopes that some of them would turn over to their party. But not one of them would comply with their desires; but all of them preferred death before being inrolled among such wicked wretches as acted against their own country. But this refusal of theirs brought upon them terrible torments. For they were so scourged, and tortured, that their bodies were not able to sustain their torments: till at length, and with difficulty, they had the favour to be slain…
The Idumeans imprisoned and tortured the noble men and youth of the city until “at length and with difficulty they had the favour to be slain” (WOJ 4.5.3). This seems to match the language in Revelation 9.
Let’s now look into the bottomless pit.
Bottomless 12. ἄβυσσος ábussos…Abyss, an extremely deep place.
The Hebrew word "Tehom" (תהום) is equivalent to the Greek word "Abussos" (ἄβυσσος).
The Book of Genesis uses the word Tehom to describe a watery state of pre-creation chaos.
Genesis 1
2 …the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Deep H8415. תְּהוֹם tehôm, תְּהֹם tehōm: A masculine noun referring to depth, a deep place.
It indicates the deep, primeval ocean on earth as created by God (Gen. 1:2).
The de-creation process we saw unfolding in Revelation 8 went all the way back to the pre-creation chaos of Genesis 1:2.
The bottom-less pit is the direct opposite to the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21&22.
The bottom-less pit is dark, chaotic and has no foundation.
Does this sound like your life before you were born-again?
Maybe it’s your life now?
If we are ruled by the desires of our flesh our life will be dark and dis-ordered.
However if we humbly submit to Jesus as king, our life with be full of light and Godly order.
The Word and Spirit provide a firm foundation we can build our life upon. The Word never changes, it endures forever. All else passes away.
There is something else the Idumeans did that I’ve not yet mentioned. It was a very important, defining moment in the Roman-Jewish war but also has huge implications for us today.
Stay tuned for that article but in the mean-time, God bless as you study to show yourself approved.
