Lucifer fallen from heaven.
"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." Revelation 9v1.
The vision of a star falling from heaven unto the earth; there is a difference here from the falling star of chapter 8v10. There it was a literal star, but here it is referring to a personage because it says "to him was given the key of the bottomless pit." We know that in the book of Revelation angels are represented as stars (chapter 1v20). The suggestion here is that this is referring to a fallen angel, and indeed the highest order of fallen angel, namely Satan himself. There is a reference to this in (Isaiah 14v12) "How art thou fallen from heaven, oh Lucifer, son of the morning!" The name Lucifer means "the morning star." Jesus refers to this same thing in (Luke 10v18) when he said "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." The context of Luke chapter 10 is that the seventy missionaries he had sent, returned with joy saying "Lord even the demons are subject unto us through thy name." It was in that context that Jesus proclaimed the ultimate fall of Satan. This probably refers to the battle in heaven reported in (Revelation chapter 12v7) " And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him."
It is important here to note the continuous downward pathway of Satan who rebelled in the very presence of God.
- Ezekiel 28v16 - From the heaven of heavens, to the starry heavens. "By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God".
- Revelation 9v1/Revelation 12v7-9 - From the starry heavens to the earth. He is cast down to the earth, which is the point we have reached here.
- Revelation 20v1 - He is cast from the earth into the abyss where he is imprisoned for one thousand years.
- Revelation 20v10 - After a short reprieve he is cast finally into the lake of fire, his eternal dwelling place.
Thus scripture records from heaven to space, from space to the earth, from the earth to the abyss, from the abyss to the lake of fire. Where we are here in Revelation chapter 9 is the point where he is cast out of the starry heavens to earth. Revelation chapter 12 gives us some idea of the mood of things here because it says "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea; for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath a short time.
The devil has presented himself in many guises in the course of time, notably as an angel of light, the deceiver, but now comes out into his true colours, the hater of humanity, because he knows they will replace him and his angels in the future economy of God. It is noteworthy that God will use this fiendish hatred by Satan to effect his own wrath upon the world because it says "To him was given the key of the bottomless pit." Even Satan in all his wrath can only do what God allows him to do. This is the overwhelming beauty of the book of Revelation. God is in total control. No one can act, even Satan, independently of the sovereign of the universe. The ancient enemy of God and man is now on earth to ply his evil trade in the short time of freedom he has left. God will allow humanity who have been deceived by him to experience the true nature of their idol.
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