Revelation 9:2
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This passage highlights a crucial distinction: unlike the previous vision where the sun and air were weakened by divine judgment, here they are hindered by smoke from below. This isn't about God's light failing, but about deceptive influences from the "bottomless pit" actively clouding people's understanding and obscuring truth.
He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This moment plunges us into a terrifying phase of the vision, following the opening of a "bottomless pit" by a fallen star. This act unleashes a suffocating smoke, a thick, dark vapor reminiscent of a raging furnace, which then blots out the sun and darkens the very air. This obscuring smoke directly precedes the emergence of monstrous locusts from the very same pit, setting the stage for a plague designed to torment humanity.
Imagine the world suddenly plunged into darkness, not from a natural eclipse, but from an unnatural, acrid smoke pouring from the very depths of the earth. This isn't just a visual spectacle; it's a potent symbol of spiritual deception.
Revelation 9:2 describes a terrifying scene: an angel opens the 'shaft of the bottomless pit,' and smoke billows out, darkening the sun and air. This isn't literal smoke from a geological event. It's a symbolic representation of the deceptive doctrines and evil influences that pour forth from hell itself.
A Darkening Influence
This smoke serves to obscure truth and confuse understanding. Just as thick smoke prevents us from seeing clearly, these spiritual forces cloud people's minds, making it difficult to discern God's truth. It represents the 'god of this world' blinding the minds of unbelievers, as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:4.
The effect is a spiritual darkness that affects both the 'sun' (Christ, the light of the world) and the 'air' (the atmosphere of understanding and truth around us). The divine light is not extinguished, but it is hindered and obscured.
The Bible uses 'smoke' in very different ways. In Revelation, the smoke from the abyss is terrifying, but in an earlier chapter, smoke from incense was something beautiful and meaningful. What's the difference?
Revelation 8:4 presents a stark contrast to the smoke of Revelation 9:2. In chapter 8, the smoke of the incense, along with the prayers of the saints, rises before God. This incense smoke symbolizes the prayers of God's people ascending to Him, purified and acceptable.
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From Acceptance to Obscurity
However, the smoke from the bottomless pit in Revelation 9:2 has the opposite effect. It doesn't ascend to God; it descends to darken the earth. It represents false doctrines, lies, and spiritual deception that cloud people's minds and obscure the truth of the Gospel.
This contrast highlights the crucial difference between genuine worship and spiritual deception. One draws us closer to God, while the other pushes us away, creating confusion and darkness.
The darkening of the sun and air might make it feel like all hope is lost. But this vision carries a powerful message about the nature of spiritual warfare and God's ultimate victory.
The imagery of the sun and air being darkened by smoke is meant to convey a sense of overwhelming spiritual oppression and confusion. It reflects times in history, and even personal experiences, where truth seems obscured and evil appears to be winning.
God's Sovereign Plan
Yet, it's crucial to remember the context of Revelation. These events, however terrifying, are part of God's sovereign plan. The smoke doesn't extinguish the sun; it merely hinders its light. The spiritual battle, while intense and at times appearing doubtful, is one God has already won.
Faith disregards the temporary setbacks and 'back-flowing waves' because it knows the ultimate tide is in God's favor. This vision reminds us that even in periods of great deception and spiritual darkness, God's truth ultimately prevails.
Understand the original words
skotizō · Greek Verb
A state of being deprived of light, frequently associated with divine judgment, separation from God’s presence, and spiritual blindness.
This vision connects to a long history of spiritual deception and confusion, from the early church's struggles with heresy to major religious upheavals. The 'smoke' represents the obscuring of truth and the darkening of understanding, a recurring theme throughout history and a warning against false teachings that hinder our connection with God.
c. 1st century AD
Early Church Faces Heresy
The early Christian church grappled with various false teachings and philosophies that threatened to obscure the clear light of the Gospel. These intellectual and spiritual 'smokes' confused believers and hindered their spiritual growth.
c. 7th century AD
Rise of Islam
Muhammad's emergence and the spread of Islam introduced a new religious and political force that challenged existing Christian and Jewish beliefs, creating significant upheaval in the Middle East.
c. 7th century AD
A Celestial Event
An unusual darkening of the sun was observed for a period, which some at the time linked to the celestial disturbances and the rise of new religious movements, potentially even seeing it as a sign of spiritual darkness.
c. 7th-15th centuries AD
Theological Obscurity
During this long period, various religious authorities and movements introduced complex doctrines and practices that, for many, obscured the core truths of faith, leading to confusion and spiritual malpractice.
c. 15th-17th centuries AD
Reformation and Counter-Reformation
The Protestant Reformation challenged the doctrines and authority of the Roman Catholic Church, leading to intense conflict and a period of spiritual and political turmoil across Europe.
c. 17th century AD
Exodus from Egypt
The plagues of Egypt, particularly the darkness that covered the land, served as a powerful Old Testament precedent for divine judgment and the obscuring of light.
Late 1st Century AD— this verse
John's Vision of the Abyss
The Apostle John receives a vision where an angel opens the 'bottomless pit,' releasing a smoke that darkens the sun and air, symbolizing a spiritual plague of deception and falsehood unleashed upon the earth.
This passage describes the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with smoke rising like a great furnace, directly paralleling the imagery of the bottomless pit's smoke in Revelation.
Exodus 10:15The plague of locusts in Exodus darkened the land by their multitude, providing a potential Old Testament parallel for the atmospheric darkening caused by the smoke from the bottomless pit.
Joel 2:2Joel describes a day of darkness and gloom, with the sun and moon obscured, mirroring the sensory impact of the smoke that darkens the sun and air in Revelation.
2 Corinthians 4:4This verse speaks of the 'god of this world' blinding the minds of unbelievers, connecting with the concept of the smoke from the pit obscuring understanding and truth, much like a spiritual darkness.
Isaiah 30:33Isaiah prophesies a furnace prepared for the king, with its fire and fuel, suggesting a connection between intense, destructive judgment (likened to a great furnace) and divine wrath.
ellicottRevelation 9:2: "And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."
(2) And he opened . . . —Translate, And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened, and the air, by reason of the smoke of the pit. The first result of the opening of the pit is the diffusion of such a dense smoke…
clarkeRevelation 9:2: "And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."
He opened the bottomless pit - Το φρεαρ της αβυσσου· The pit of the bottomless deep. Some think the angel means Satan, and the bottomless pit hell. Some suppose Mohammed is meant; and Signior Pastorini professes to believe that Luther is intended! There arose a smoke - False doctrine, obscuring the t…
This passage highlights a crucial distinction: unlike the previous vision where the sun and air were weakened by divine judgment, here they are hindered by smoke from below. This isn't about God's light failing, but about deceptive influences from the "bottomless pit" actively clouding people's understanding and obscuring truth.
This moment plunges us into a terrifying phase of the vision, following the opening of a "bottomless pit" by a fallen star. This act unleashes a suffocating smoke, a thick, dark vapor reminiscent of a raging furnace, which then blots out the sun and darkens the very air. This obscuring smoke directly precedes the emergence of monstrous locusts from the very same pit, setting the stage for a plague designed to torment humanity.
This moment plunges us into a terrifying phase of the vision, following the opening of a "bottomless pit" by a fallen star. This act unleashes a suffocating smoke, a thick, dark vapor reminiscent of a raging furnace, which then blots out the sun and darkens the very air. This obscuring smoke directly precedes the emergence of monstrous locusts from the very same pit, setting the stage for a plague designed to torment humanity.
"He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft." — This passage highlights a crucial distinction: unlike the previous vision where the sun and air were weakened by divine judgment, here they are hindered by smoke from below. This isn't about God'…
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Last reviewed October 2026
