“The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss” (Revelation 9:1 NIV).
The entity described in Revelation 9:1 as the “star that had fallen to earth” is clearly a sentient being capable of thought and interaction. Jesus once identified someone who fell in a similar manner when He told a group of His followers, “…’I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'” in Luke 10:18. Thus, we should consider the possibility that these two entities may be one and the same.
This individual received the key to a realm known as “the Abyss,” or “bottomless pit.” The Abyss is associated with the abode of demons, and represents a chasm of immeasurable depth. (1) It also seems to function as a place of confinement for some particularly wicked demons until their release here in the book of Revelation. Thus, it remains securely locked until God elects to release the key.
So this fallen star received access to the Abyss and immediately put that access to use…
“And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.
Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months.
Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them” (Revelation 9:2-6).
These verses present us with the imagery of a key that opens the door to malevolent spiritual forces. This should prompt us to consider other doors that should remain closed as we travel the corridor of life. For instance, some of those doors may open the way to an inappropriate relationship, financial devastation, or involvement with various forms of the occult, among others.
You see, the road to alcoholism, marital infidelity, compulsive gambling, and other harmful behaviors rarely starts with a conscious decision to embrace those activities. Instead, they often begin with an ill-advised decision to open a door that should have remained sealed. If we never open the door to such things, we may avoid the negative consequences that await on the other side.
Image Attribution :silhouette of door knob, via PickPik
(1) G12 – abyssos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g12/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/