The Destroyer and His Army

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils,” C. S. Lewis wrote. “One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

The judgments of the fifth trumpet confirm the existence of fallen angels. An angel figuratively described as a star falls to earth and releases a demonic host from the Abyss. Who gave him the key? Since the Abyss seems to be a prison, we can assume that his authority to release them comes from God. When Jesus cast the demon out of the man who lived among the tombs, they begged Him not to send them into the Abyss (see Luke 8:31).

The power of satanic forces is on display. Unlike ordinary locusts that feed on crops, these creatures will attack humans and torment them for five months. They are directed by Abaddon or Apollyon, whose name means “Destroyer.” In the Old Testament, Abaddon was the place of the dead. The devil uses the fear of death to enslave us (Heb. 2:14), but Jesus has broken this power by His own death.

At the sixth trumpet, a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar calls for the release of “the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (v. 14). The fact that they are “bound” suggests that they are fallen angels who bring with them a mounted army whose purpose is to kill a third of mankind (v. 18). Surprisingly those who survive are not fazed by any of this. They refuse to repent from their sin.

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BY Dr. John Koessler

John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.