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1 THEN THE fifth angel blew [his] trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth; and to the angel was given the key of the shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit). 2 He opened the long shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit), and smoke like the smoke of a huge furnace puffed out of the long shaft, so that the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the long shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came forth on the earth, and such power was granted them as the power the earth's scorpions have. 4 They were told not to injure the herbage of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only [to attack] such human beings as do not have the seal (mark) of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment (distress, vex) them for five months; and the pain caused them was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will yearn to die, but death evades and flees from them. 7 The locusts resembled horses equipped for battle. On their heads was something like golden crowns. Their faces resembled the faces of people. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 Their breastplates (scales) resembled breastplates made of iron, and the [whirring] noise made by their wings was like the roar of a vast number of horse-drawn chariots going at full speed into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and they have stings, and in their tails lies their ability to hurt men for [the] five months. 11 Over them as king they have the angel of the Abyss (of the bottomless pit). In Hebrew his name is Abaddon [destruction], but in Greek he is called Apollyon [destroyer]. 12 The first woe (calamity) has passed; behold, two others are yet to follow. Revelation 9:1-12 Amplified Bible

In order to understand what is taking place at the sounding of the fifth trumpet (the first woe) we have to understand what is taking place at the sounding of the sixth trumpet (the second woe), at the sounding of the sixth trumpet (the second woe) we see that in the region of the Great River Euphrates a war is taking place that involves 200,000,000 troops, and a third of mankind is destroyed.

13 Then the sixth angel blew [his] trumpet, and from the four horns of the golden altar which stands before God I heard a solitary voice, 14 Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Liberate the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. 15 So the four angels who had been in readiness for that hour in the appointed day, month, and year were liberated to destroy a third of mankind. 16 The number of their troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand (200,000,000); I heard what their number was. 17 And in [my] vision the horses and their riders appeared to me like this: the riders wore breastplates the color of fiery red and sapphire blue and sulphur (brimstone) yellow. The heads of the horses looked like lions' heads, and from their mouths there poured fire and smoke and sulphur (brimstone). 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues--by the fire and the smoke and the sulphur (brimstone) that poured from the mouths of the horses.

In understanding that a great war is taking place in the region of the Great River Euphrates at the sixth trumpet, we need to keep in context with the prophecy, and in doing so we can see that the events surrounding the opening of the Abyss at the sounding of the fifth trumpet (the first woe) is a military air campaign that lasts for a period of five months and escalates into that war which will involve 200 million troops and is responsible for killing a third of mankind. The Scriptures tell us that when Abaddon is ignited it will lead to destruction, ruin, and the place of final torment, and it will rage until all is consumed.

For [uncontrolled passion] is a fire which consumes to Abaddon (to destruction, ruin, and the place of final torment); [that fire once lighted would rage until all is consumed] and would burn to the root all my [life's] increase.

The prophetic Scriptures also tell us that at the Second Coming (not the rapture, but the Second Coming of Christ) He will cleanse the land between the River Euphrates and the Mediterranean Sea of the war horse and war chariot and from there to the uttermost ends of the earth.

9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you; He is [uncompromisingly] just and having salvation [triumphant and victorious], patient, meek, lowly, and riding on a donkey, upon a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 And I will cut off and exterminate the war chariot from Ephraim and the [war] horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He shall speak the word and peace shall come to the nations, and His dominion shall be from the [Mediterranean] Sea to [any other] sea, and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth!

From the Mediterranean Sea to the Great River the Euphrates

So now in keeping with the context of the prophecies let's look at the sounding of the fifth trumpet (the first woe).

1 THEN THE fifth angel blew [his] trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth; and to the angel was given the key of the shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit). 2 He opened the long shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit), and smoke like the smoke of a huge furnace puffed out of the long shaft, so that the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the long shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came forth on the earth, and such power was granted them as the power the earth's scorpions have. 4 They were told not to injure the herbage of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only [to attack] such human beings as do not have the seal (mark) of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment (distress, vex) them for five months; and the pain caused them was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will yearn to die, but death evades and flees from them. 7 The locusts resembled horses equipped for battle. On their heads was something like golden crowns. Their faces resembled the faces of people. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 Their breastplates (scales) resembled breastplates made of iron, and the [whirring] noise made by their wings was like the roar of a vast number of horse-drawn chariots going at full speed into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and they have stings, and in their tails lies their ability to hurt men for [the] five months. 11 Over them as king they have the angel of the Abyss (of the bottomless pit). In Hebrew his name is Abaddon [destruction], but in Greek he is called Apollyon [destroyer]. 12 The first woe (calamity) has passed; behold, two others are yet to follow.

In his vision, the Apostle John sees a "star" that had fallen from the sky to the earth and the angel that sounded the trumpet was given the key to the Abyss.

1 THEN THE fifth angel blew [his] trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth; and to the angel was given the key of the shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit).
When we understand that the context of this particular portion of prophecy is war, then we can understand that what John is seeing is some type of missile or rocket falling from the sky, and with the assistance of the angel, its impact and expolsive force is enough to break through the crust of the earth.

2 He opened the long shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit), and smoke like the smoke of a huge furnace puffed out of the long shaft, so that the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the long shaft.
And smoke like the smoke of a huge furnace puffed out of the long shaft of the opened Abyss, so much so, that the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke coming forth from the Abyss, that bottomless shaft opened by the impact of the explosion.

2 He opened the long shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit), and smoke like the smoke of a huge furnace puffed out of the long shaft, so that the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the long shaft.
Then out of the smoke locusts came forth on the earth, and such power was granted them as the power the earth's scorpions have.

3 Then out of the smoke locusts came forth on the earth, and such power was granted them as the power the earth's scorpions have.

During this military campaign, the "locusts" are not allowed to injure the vegetation of the earth, but only to attack those that do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (in other words, the 144000 are Divinely protected from all that is taking place on the earth), they are not permitted to kill man but only to torture and distress and vex them and the pain that is inflicted upon their skin is like the pain of a scorpion when it stings a man.

4 They were told not to injure the herbage of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only [to attack] such human beings as do not have the seal (mark) of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment (distress, vex) them for five months; and the pain caused them was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will yearn to die, but death evades and flees from them.

Then John goes on to explain what the "locusts" look like and he uses the description of things that are familiar to him in his day. So he goes on trying to describe what he is seeing, "The locusts resembled horses equipped for battle, on their heads was something like golden crowns (in other words; propellers), and their faces resembled the faces of people.

7 The locusts resembled horses equipped for battle. On their heads was something like golden crowns. Their faces resembled the faces of people.

They had hair like the hair of women, their breastplates resembled the breastplates that are made of iron (the breastplate of a soldier), and the whirring noise made by their "wings" was like the roar of a vast number of horse drawn chariots going full speed into battle.

8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 Their breastplates (scales) resembled breastplates made of iron, and the [whirring] noise made by their wings was like the roar of a vast number of horse-drawn chariots going at full speed into battle.

They have tails like scorpions, and they have stings, and in their tails lies their ability to hurt men for five months.

10 They have tails like scorpions, and they have stings, and in their tails lies their ability to hurt men for [the] five months.

And over them as king (or authority) they have the angel of the Abyss and in Hebrew his name is Abaddon which means destruction, and in Greek he is called Apollyon (the Destroyer).

11 Over them as king they have the angel of the Abyss (of the bottomless pit). In Hebrew his name is Abaddon [destruction], but in Greek he is called Apollyon [destroyer].

The first woe, a five month period, is now over, and two other woes are to follow.

12 The first woe (calamity) has passed; behold, two others are yet to follow.

So to summarize, the fifth trumpet (the first woe) lasts for a period of five months and involves a military campaign that is responsible for the opening of the Abyss (the crater that breaks through the earth's crust) and escalates into a war called Abaddon or Apollyon, which will involve 200 million troops in the region of the Euphrates River (the Middle East) at the sounding of the sixth trumpet (the second woe).

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