Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 9
The speaker of these words was, perhaps, the bird that John saw in Revelation 8:13.
That bird was flying very high in the sky as it watched the events both on earth and in heaven. There, it waited and it looked for food.
Its food was the dead bodies of people whom no-one could bury. The bird knew that the final battle, in Revelation 19:17-21, would provide plenty of food for it. Then at last the bird would have enough food to satisfy itself completely. Until then, the bird had to wait, and it remained hungry.
The bird had seen that, in heaven, three angels (special servants of God) were waiting to sound their trumpets (loud musical instruments). It understood the meaning: three terrible events must first happen upon the earth. When the last angel sounded his trumpet, then at last there would be no more delay (10:6-7).
The first event had now happened, but it disappointed the bird. Although people suffered greatly, they had not died (verse 6). So the bird was still hungry, but it still had hope. It knew that God would certainly make his judgement against the wicked people on earth and their rulers. So it was sure that its great meal would happen in the end.
We may ask why God delays his judgements. The answer is that he does not want even wicked people to suffer the punishment for their evil deeds (Ezekiel 18:23). His delay gives more people the opportunity to turn to him (2 Peter 3:9). He wants to show kindness to them and to forgive them.
However, in the end, many people will refuse God’s kindness. They will continue, on purpose, to oppose him and to carry out wicked acts (verses 20-21). God’s judgement against them is certain; they will not escape the punishment for their evil deeds.
Next part: Four evil angels at the Euphrates river (Revelation 9:13-14)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.