So far, Sandi and I have been enjoying a joyously restful Sukkot in Sunriver, Oregon with the snow-covered Cascade points to the west and the pine, juniper and sagebrush high desert to the east.

Our days have been filled with resting, relaxing with three of our four children and the spouses of two of them. On the first high holy day Shabbat, we had a Bible study and our daughter and her husband in another state joined us via FaceTime through a laptop computer. We prayed, waved our lulavim and sounded the shofar. We will do the same thing on the last high day Shabbat along with singing songs accompanied by our son who plays guitar. At our home, we’re having a little Sukkot-oriented Bible study each day to help us to keep our upward focus on YHVH. For myself, I start out each with prayer—often a walk or bike ride by the river along with a Bible study. Of our course, I’m privilege to interact with some of you through this blog as well and to hear how your are doing at this season of our joy. I’ve also had the privilege of speaking with some scattered Feast-keeping friends in different states via phone. The rest of the time, we are filling our days with feasting on good food, and fun indoor and outdoor activities with our family.

Along the way, we’ve had the chance to visit with several of my less Hebraic-minded cousins who are also celebrating the Feast here. At one time many decades ago, four generations of our family (more than 30 of us) would celebrate Sukkot together when we were all in the same church. Over the years, after church splits, and churches coming and going, many of my family members have either died, abandoned their faith, or are now in different churches or none at all (like Sandi and me). After all of this, a few of us who are left have kind of gotten together when we can to socialize a bit. Tonight we’ll host a couple of our cousins over for a barbecue dinner, and on Friday I’ll be going to lunch with two of my older guy cousins who I grew up with and who now are grandfathers.

Wow, it’s hard to imagine how much water has flowed under the bridge over past 60 years of my life. We all have our own stories to tell of the good, the bad and ugly, so to speak. My head spins in amazement of all that I have seen in this time. But through it all, I give praise and thanksgiving to YHVH Elohim who, for some reason, has kept me on his straight and narrow path, and kept me seeking him. To be sure, I am an and inexorable “God-chaser!!! I just can’t help myself, for it has been my destiny since I was a child. To YHVH be all the glory.

 

Revelation 8

Revelation 8:11, Wormwood. There is much speculation as to what this wormwood star is. One consideration is that Satan is the star who fell from heaven (Luke 10:18 cp. 12:9 and Isa 14:12). He is the archenemy of YHVH who has led men into rebellion against his Torah by perverting the Word of Elohim as he did at the tree of knowledge with Adam and Eve. In the Tanakh, the term wormwood is used as a poetic metaphor for the curses that come upon the people of YHVH when they forsake his Torah (Jer 9:13–15; Deut 29:18). The star in this verse falls upon one-third of the fresh waters. Waters can be taken as a metaphor for the peoples of the earth (Rev 17:15). Interestingly, one-third of the earth’s population professes to be Christian, which holds as a fundamental tenet the rejection of the Torah.

Revelation 9

Revelation 9:1, A star fall from heaven. Likely this is referring to Satan when he is finally, once and for all, cast out of heaven. Yeshua spoke of this in Luke 10:18 when he likens Satan’s fall from heaven to a streak of lightening or a shooting star coming out of heaven.

Key to the bottomless pit. In the end times just prior to the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah, Elohim will give Satan the freedom to release evil spirits imprisoned in the abyss who will go forth to torment men as part of YHVH’s wrath against rebellious men. Perhaps this relates to the perennially enigmatic and troubling passage found in Jude 6 (cp. 1 Pet 3:18–20; 2 Pet 2:4). It seems that the evil, locust-like spirits may be the fallen angels that either rebelled with Lucifer and or were the ones who interacted with humans in the antediluvian world (Gen 6:4–6; Jude 6; 1 Pet 3:18–20; 2 Pet 2:4).

Revelation 9:1, Bottomless pit. (See notes at Deut 32:22; 2 Pet 2:4.) This Greek term (abussos phrear) indicates a large, cavernous hole, pit or abyss with a small opening or orifice like a well and is found several other places in the book of Revelation (Rev 9:2, 11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1, 3). The bottomless pit is analogous to the deepest sheol in the Tanakh (Deut 32:22; Ps 86:13; Isa 14:15) or tartaroo (2 Pet 2:4), and is the place where the angels who rebelled in the time of Satan’s rebellion are being held in chains of restraint awaiting their judgment day (see 2 Pet 2:4). This is also where Satan will be cast at the beginning of the Millennium (Rev 20:1–3), and is to be distinguished from the lake of fire where Satan (and presumably his demons) will be cast at the end of the Millennium to be tormented forever (Rev 20:10).

This passage indicates that YHVH will open the bottomless pit and allow the evil spirits imprisoned therein to torment men for a period of time as part of his judgments against wicked men.

Revelation 9:2, Smoke. Wherever this pit is, it appears to be a place of fire, heat and smoke. The opening of the pit by Satan first releases so much smoke that it darkens the sun and air, if the terminology here is to be taken literally rather than figuratively. If the latter, then the smoke reference cold refer to the global spiritual obfuscation that will occur. This phenomenon is the first sign that the demons of the pit are about to be released. After this follows their release and their tormenting of unredeemed humans. This is the wrath of Satan against humanity that precedes the wrath of Elohim. Since Elohim is permitting these demons to torment humans, it is, in reality, an extension of his judgment or wrath against the wicked. Since unsaved humans have rejected Elohim, and more and more are becoming enamored with and turning to outright Satan worship, Elohim his turning them over to the powerful forces of darkness they are seeking over him. These humans will discover what it’s like to live in a hellish world where those they wish to serve have full reign to torment them—a world devoid of the protective grace of a merciful Creator. 

Revelation 9:3, Locusts. These locusts don’t fit the description of the Joel 1 locusts, which destroy all vegetation. These locusts do not (v. 4). Perhaps the vegetation of Joel 1 is a symbolic metaphor. If so, then is the vegetation of Rev 9:3 also symbolic? If so, how do we still reconcile these two passages, since the symbolic analogy of the one would be opposite the other?

These locusts are likely hybridized theriomorphic or animal-shaped descriptions of demonic spirits that have been released from the abyss where they have been kept imprisoned since their rebellion (see 1 Pet 3:19; 2 Pet 2:4), but who will be released to torment rebellious men as part of Elohim’s end time judgments.

Revelation 9:3, Power. (Gr. exousia) These scorpion, humanoid demons have the divine permission, physical and mental power, the authority and right, the ability and strength to torment unredeemed men.