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About the fifth Angel, mental locusts and their different types Rev.9:1. The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven to earth, and the key to the deep well was given to it. Rev.9:2. She opened the pit of the deep, and smoke came out of the pit like smoke from a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the vault. Rev.9:3. And out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given the power that the scorpions of the earth have. Rev.9:4. And she was told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any greenery, or any tree, but only to people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Rev.9:5. And she was given not to kill them, but only to torture them for five months; and her torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. According to some, by the star that fell from heaven to the earth and to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, destined for judgment, one must understand the Angel of God sent for punishment; “student of the abyss” means Gehenna; the smoke emanating from it indicates that those tormented will not see the sun and air; “Pruzi” are worms, about which the prophet speaks: “the worm... they will not end” (Is. 66:24). “Do not harm the grass of the earth, but only man,” because all creation will be freed from corruption, in whose slavery it is for our sake. “But let them suffer torment for five months” means that sinners will be tormented cruelly and severely only for a certain time, and then more easily, but forever. “Star”, I think, is the Angel of God. He, by God’s permission, will release from the abyss the condemned evil demons, whom Christ, having become incarnate, bound, so that they, having done their job before death, would then be subjected to endless torment. “Smoke” is the darkness that precedes the evil deeds carried out at their instigation, after which they receive the power to torment people. The darkening of the sun and air means the spiritual blindness of people enjoying their light, or love kindled by suffering, for for those in sorrow, even the light seems like darkness. That mental “pruses” hurt people like scorpions, this indicates the spiritual death hidden at the end of evil deeds, to which all those who are not marked on their faces with the Divine seal and are not enlightened through the Holy Spirit by the light of the Life-giving Cross are subject, so that their light, according to the word of the Master, shines before men (Matthew 5:16) to the glory of the Divine name. “Five months of torment,” as we think, indicates to them their short duration, since, according to the Lord, “unless these days had ceased, all flesh would not have been saved” (Matthew 24:22), or a certain five-fold time in accordance with the five external senses through which sin acts in a person, or in general a certain time known only to God. Rev.9:6. In those days people will seek death, but will not find it; they will wish to die, but death will flee from them. “And men will seek death.” This indicates the torment of suffering, for it is common for those in sorrow to call upon death. And the fact that it “does not come” despite all their desire, this indicates that it depends on the will of God, which considers it convenient, through the bitterness of the disasters sent to people, to make the very cause of these disasters hateful for them - sin. Rev.9:7. In appearance, the locusts were like horses prepared for war; and on her heads there were crowns like gold, and her faces were like human faces; Rev.9:8. and her hair was like the hair of women, and her teeth were like those of lions. Rev.9:9. She had armor on, like iron armor, Because of what has been said above and further, some understand by locusts the punishing Angels of God, in each saying allegorically depicted either for intimidation, or for the speed and punishment that those who deserve it are subjected to in Gehenna. But I think that it is more plausible to understand these “springs” as evil demons, ready to enter into battle with us and wearing golden crowns on their heads as signs of victory, with which we will also be crowned if we submit to them, as having achieved a bad victory through pleasure. Women's hair indicates demonic voluptuousness and excitement for fornication; lion's teeth - for their murderousness and poisonousness; “iron armor” - to their hardness of heart. and the sound of her wings is like the sound of chariots when many horses run to war; Rev.9:10. she had tails like scorpions, and in her tails were stings; Her power was to harm people for five months. Rev.9:11. She had the Angel of the Abyss as her king; His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon (Destroyer). Rev.9:12. One grief has passed; behold, two more sorrows are following him. The noise from the mental rods is compared to the sound of war chariots, as we think, because of their height and speed, for, according to the divine David, they fight us from on high. Their tails are “mistakes”, like those of Scorpio, meaning the consequences of sins leading to spiritual death, “for the sin of sin gives birth to death” (James 1:15). He also brings to people a five-month tribulation, limited to this time either by its brevity in comparison with eternal life, or in accordance with the five senses, as mentioned above. By “king” we mean the devil, who destroys those who submit to him. In order for us to wage an irreconcilable struggle with the devil, the messenger threatens us, announcing that after this “two more sorrows” will come upon us. About the sixth Angel and about the Angels allowed under the Euphrates Rev.9:13. The sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar that stands before God, Rev.9:14. He said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet: release the four angels bound by the great river Euphrates. Rev.9:15. And four Angels were released, prepared for an hour and a day, and a month and a year, in order to kill the third part of people. Rev.9:16. The number of cavalry troops was two thousand; and I heard his number. According to some, the “four Angels” are Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, bound by the joy of contemplating the Divine and resolved with other Angels on the day of judgment for the condemnation of the wicked, a third of whom will be destroyed. But I think that these are crafty demons, bound at the coming of Christ, who, by the command of God, emanating from the most heavenly altar, which had its image in the tabernacle of Moses, are now resolved by the divine Angel to revolt the nations not only against the faithful, but also against each other, so that through this some would be found faithful, tested and worthy of the highest reward, like ripe wheat - the heavenly abodes and granaries, and others - the wicked, unrepentant sinners, justly punished here, would receive even more cruel condemnation at the Last Judgment, like worthless tares. They were “bound” at the “Euphrates” - and there is nothing strange in this, for by the will of God some were condemned for the time being to the abyss, others to pigs, and others to other places, so that after the complete end of the battle against people they would be subjected to eternal torment. It may also be that the mention of the Euphrates serves as an indication of the origin of the Antichrist from those countries. There is also no doubt about the multitude of demons, about which even the saints say that the air is filled with them. We talked earlier about what the third part of those beaten means. Rev.9:17. So I saw in a vision horses and their riders, who had armor of fire, hyacinth and sulfur on them; The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke and brimstone. Rev.9:18. From these three plagues, from the fire, smoke and brimstone coming out of their mouths, the third part of the people died; Rev.9:19. for the strength of the horses was in their mouth and in their tails; and their tails were like snakes, and had heads, and with them they did harm. I think that "horses" refers to misogynistic and bestial people, or to those who have been conquered and at the mercy of demons; “horsemen” - on those who manage them, because they usually not only use mutual services, but also evil people as instruments in slandering relatives. "Armors of fire, hyacinth and brimstone," I believe, indicate an aerial being and the ravaging activity of crafty spirits, whose murderous brutality is indicated by the lion's heads. The fire emanating from the mouth with smoke and brimstone, which will destroy a third of the people, means either sins devouring the fruits of the heart with the poison of suggestions and temptations, or the devastation of cities and bloodshed carried out by barbarians by God's permission, from which, as we know, a third of the people perished. It is rightly said that their “bruises” (tails - Ed.) are like snakes with heads, for the end of demonic instigations is poisonous sin and the death of the soul. Rev.9:20. Other people who did not die from these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons and gold, silver, copper, stone and wooden idols, which cannot see, hear, or walk. Rev.9:21. And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their theft. “And others from people who were not harmed.” This is fully consistent with what was said earlier, since, having said that a third of the people will be destroyed by these three plagues, he further adds that all those who, having received mercy, did not suffer this, but remained unrepentant, without renouncing idolatry, murder, fornication, theft and sorcery, will undergo the same thing. So, from here it is clear that sin will spread throughout the whole world, since among peoples who have not known the truth, a wide variety of errors reign and rage: some of them worship idols, others worship creatures instead of the Creator, and others, confessing God in words, in their deeds move away from Him and, having examples of piety, do not follow them, but serve mammon with their love of money, which the Apostle condemns, saying: “covetousness... is idolatry” (Col. 3:5). Let us not hear, testifying to the purity and sincerity of faith in God by our actions, that terrible voice that says: “Amen I say to you, we know you not” (Matthew 25:12), and further: “depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness” (Lk. 13:27), but let us hear the blessed and longed-for voice: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34) by the grace, generosity and love of Christ, our God, who voluntarily endured the Cross for our sake; To Him, together with the Father and the Life-giving Spirit, be glory now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: