The Fifth Horn—the Hole Without a Bottom

9 The fifth angel blew his horn. I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to earth. The key to the hole without a bottom was given to the angel. ² He opened the hole and smoke came out like the smoke from a place where there is much fire. The sun and the air became dark because of the smoke from the hole. ³ Locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke. They were given power to hurt like small animals that sting. ⁴ They were told not to hurt the grass or any green plant or any tree. They were to hurt only the men who did not have the mark of God on their foreheads. ⁵ The locusts were not allowed to kill these men. They were to give them much pain for five months like the pain that comes from a small animal that stings. ⁶ Men will look for ways to die during those days, but they will not find any way. They will want to die, but death will be kept from them. ⁷ The locusts looked like horses ready for war. They had on their heads what looked like crowns of gold. Their faces were like men’s faces. ⁸ Their hair was like the hair of women. Their teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ Their chests were covered with what looked like pieces of iron. The sound their wings made was like the sound of many wagons rushing to war. ¹⁰ They had tails like a small animal that stings. The sting came from their tails. They were given power to hurt men for five months. ¹¹ These locusts have a king over them. He is the head angel of the hole that has no bottom. His name in the Hebrew language is Abbadon. In the Greek language it is Apollyon. (It means the one who destroys.)

¹² The first time of trouble is past. But see, there are two more times of trouble coming after this.

The Sixth Horn—the Angels That Kill

¹³ The sixth angel blew his horn. I heard a voice coming from the four corners of the altar made of gold that is before God. ¹⁴ The voice said to the sixth angel who had the horn, “Let the four angels loose that have been chained at the big river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ They had been kept ready for that hour and day and month and year. They were let loose so they could kill one-third part of all men that were living. ¹⁶ The army had 200 million soldiers on horses. I heard them say how many there were.

¹⁷ I saw, as God wanted to show me, the horses and the men on them. The men had pieces of iron over their chests. These were red like fire and blue like the sky and yellow like sulphur. The heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions. Fire and smoke and sulphur came out of their mouths. ¹⁸ One-third part of all men was killed by the fire and smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. Their tails were like the heads of snakes and with them they could bite and kill. ²⁰ The men that were still living after these troubles were past would not turn away from worshiping demons. They would not turn away from false gods made from gold and silver and brass and stone and wood. None of these false gods can see or hear or walk. ²¹ These men were not sorry for their sins and would not turn away from all their killing and their witchcraft. They would not stop their sex sins and their stealing.