"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. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." (Rev. 9:1, 2)

   To get the larger picture you might want to read through the whole chapter.
   Next we begin to examine the events of the fifth trumpet angel. As we begin to understand the the first woe which the fifth angel brings, we will point out principal meanings from the text. Then we will describe the events which may be seen to have foreshadowed them — another level of symbolism. Let's look at the text above to see what comes to mind as we think about the fallen star. (The translation of our passage should read "fallen" rather than "fall." The star is not seen falling here but as having fallen.)
   Jesus told the seventy disciples that he saw Satan fall. lu1018.
   And Isaiah wrote about him. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer [later called "Satan"], son of the morning [or "morning star"]! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars [angels] of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isa. 14:12-15).
   Satan was one of the stars or angels in heaven. He wanted to be above the others, so he was cast out and fell as we see in Revelation 12. Did you notice where He was brought down to? "the pit." By the way, "hell" here is from the Hebrew word sheol which generally means inside the earth. It is translated "grave" in the verse before our quotation (Isa. 14:11). See r14p. The idea of its being a place of burning torment in the center of the earth comes from Greek philosophers, not from the Bible, lu9b-purg.

9:1b
He was given the key

   ^   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. (Rev. 9:1).

   Because Satan was "given" the key, we may understand that he doesn't naturally have it. And in comparing with 20:1 re2001, we see that he will lose it. What would it mean for Satan to have the key?
   The story of Job shows that he had certain privileges in the court of heaven as a representative of this world. "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. . . ." (Job 2:1ff). re20.
   Of course the experience of Job is only an example of the access granted to Satan. The key here in Revelation 9 would be given at a different time in history, when he would have access to his whole arsenal of hatred and destruction.
   "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness . . . from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman. . . . And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Rev. 12:12-17).

   The picture of Satan receiving a key and opening the pit directs us to ask when this will happen. I believe it is the time of the passage just quoted — the time at the end of chapter 12, when Satan will be poised for his final attack on the remnant, 1217a. As we see in our present chapter and elsewhere, Satan goes to make war to destroy the saints, but without anyone knowing, probation closes and the saints are preserved. Trouble begins for the wicked. When the defiance is fully ripe, Michael stands and the time of trouble begins (6th trumpet). We see here (5th trumpet) the saints terrorized in anticipation of the wrath of the dragon. Under the 7th trumpet. God takes charge of the kingdom. These are the three woes.
   We will understand it all clearly until it happens, but studying ahead will give us a framework. Our job is to be ready and, now, to help others be ready. We will learn more looking at the events of the final three trumpet calls. I just wanted you to see the larger picture so you could examine the puzzle pieces for yourself as we set them in place.

If Satan unlocks the pit, the four angels must have released the winds
   In other words, we see Satan using his key. Isn't God in control of this event? Let's review the story of the four angels. In response to the question of being able to stand in the day of the Lamb's wrath re0617, we see the four angels holding the winds until God's servants are sealed in their foreheads re0701. The servants are then safe from the blowing winds. Although Satan is granted some action, God is ultimately in control and protects the sealed ones.

Bottomless pit
   The Greek in this case, reads phear tes abussou, literally, "pit of the abyss" or as in the NIV, "shaft of the Abyss." I like to think of it as "depths of the abyss." Where does this imagery come from?
   "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And 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. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (Gen. 1:1-3).
   "Deep" here is from the Hebrew, tehom. The Septuagint translators repeatedly used the Greek word, abussos, for the Hebrew tehom, confirming the relationship between the two terms. Deep and bottomless are essentially the same symbol drawn from the chaotic earth at the time God said "Let there be light" on the first day of creation ge0102.

9:2
Smoking furnace

   "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth. . . And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." (Rev. 9:1, 2)

Why like a furnace?
   The furnace smoke first directs our thoughts to a classic story of king Nebuchadnezzar's intention to burn up Daniel's faithful friends who refused to bow to the king's image re1315a. Read the story from da0316ff. The test of the righteous at the end of time is seen in the test of the three Hebrews. We will see that the time of the fifth trumpet angel is the time of test for God's faithful ones. Another source for the furnace and smoke imagery may also apply.

Darkness from the smoke
   "And he [the fallen star] opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit." (Rev. 9:2).

Sun darkened
    From other references to darkness 1jo0106, is6001 we may understand that the darkness from the smoke obscures the light of God's truth. The celestial light sources were partially darkened under the fifth trumpet call, re0812a. Here the darkness is complete for the wicked — those who have refused light permanently cease to want it.
   We recall first the awesome time when God revealed His law from Mount Sinai ex1916-8. There smoke and fire ascended from the mountain like smoke from a furnace. Could Satan's smoke from the pit be a counterfeit of the revelation of God's law, His great standard of righteousness? I believe it is. In our verse, Satan has just received the key to the pit, and, smoke rises in full fury as he demands worship that recognizes his own authority re1407e.

The air
   The air, too, is darkened by smoke from the pit. In a literal situation smoke in the air not only makes it difficult to see (like understanding truth). It also makes it hard to breath (to be guided by the Holy Spirit). By refusing the call of the Spirit, the final wicked will have closed their own probation jn0308, 2th0210, ge0603.

An expansion discussing the Sun of Righteousness (Christ)
   Why were these elements darkened by the smoke? In a physical sense we can understand, but what is the symbolic significance?
   The pure woman who is pursued by the dragon in chapter 12 was clothed with the sun re1201. It was the "sun of righteousness" mal0402 or "the Lord our righteousness." je3316. What special way has God given for us to receive that righteousness? "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them." (Ezek. 20:12). The yearly ceremonial sabbaths were rest days for God's people in recognition for His power to make them holy through the coming Messiah. The weekly sabbath does not point to the coming Messiah but is a more important time for growing in Christ, for receiving His righteousness. It points, not to the cross but to Christ's creative power ge0201ff. We rest because He worked. Our righteousness — our holiness — is not manufactured by our work. It is His work of re-creation in us ph0213. This is the truth of righteousness by faith in the Sun of Righteousness which is nurtured in our Sabbath-rest relationship. We may expect this principle to be obscured during the chaos of the opened pit preceding the time of trouble. We may expect Satan to obscure truth and make a counterfeit of resting in Christ.