The fifth trumpet, as revealed by St. John in Chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation, gives us an introduction to satan and hell on earth. Irish Scripture Scholar Frances Hogan explains the ruin that comes from the abyss through satan. Just as God uses people to be His trumpeters, priests, prophets, and family, so does satan; he is the imitation of God. Unfortunately, satan imitates God in an inverted way; he is the ultimate source of evil upon the earth.

The smoke of satan, released from the abyss, produces spiritual darkness; this produces apostasy. The people who are going to destroy the church are described as “a plague of locusts” by St. John; they cannot attack those with the seal of God. There is torture and pain coming for anyone who does not live according to the will of God. St. John explains the features of the locusts with the knowledge and images of his time; he uses images of the Parthian army also known as an army of locusts. But St. John was talking about a time that is yet to come…

Frances Hogan believes that the abyss was opened in the 1960s with the hurricanes; this was also the time when Pope Paul II said that the smoke of satan entered the church. It was a time of apostasy, the pursuit of money and pleasure took over and abortion was rampant; this was the “plague of locusts”. 

When the sixth trumpet sounded, four angels were to be released to wipe out one-third of the human race. The rest of the human race who survived chose to continue the ways of the world; there was no repentance. St. John reminds the people that they have to protect and keep the seal of God on their foreheads.

Bible References:

Rev. 9 - Introduction to satan and the abyss1 Pt. 5:8-10 - Demons seeking the ruin of soulsLuke 8:31 - The demons begged Jesus not to send them to the abyss before the timeJohn 14:30 - The Prince of this world was coming for satan2 Thess. 2:3-4 - The great apostasyRev. 9:3-5 & Rev. 9:5-7 - A plague of locusts and the description of the locustPs. 1:3 - People of God are like trees…Joel: 1:3-9 - Invading army is like a plague of locustsRev. 9:11 - The leader of the abyss is identifiedRev. 9:13-19 - The sixth trumpetRev. 9:20-21 - Those that remained chose to continue the ways of the world

Scripture Scholar Frances Hogan takes you to the world of the Apocalypse of John shown to us in the Book of Revelation written from the Greek island of Patmos. Through this podcast, we will try to understand the Book of Revelation through St. John’s warnings, the punishment that awaits, and the consolation the Lord offers to the faithful.

Frances Hogan: https://www.franceshogan.com/

Shalom World: https://www.shalomworld.org

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