Translation
He opened
Go to footnote numberthe pit of the abyss
and smoke
Go to footnote numbercame out,
like
the smoke of a great furnace;
the sun and the sky were darkened
by the smoke
from the pit.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
He opened the prison of the place of the dead and the abode of demons and out came the evidence of destruction, like the signs of a great destructive force which destroys all it touches; indeed everyone, and every place was affected, the way people lived was changed and sources of great power were overwhelmed
by the proof of destruction that rose from the prison.
Footnotes
1: Who does “he” refer to?
Is it the 5th angel, or is it the one who was kicked out of heaven? It appears to be the one who was kicked out of heaven. For more, see Special Comment after Revelation 9:7 regarding the Appearance of Locusts.
2
Where there is smoke there’s fire. You know destruction has happened or is happening when you see smoke.
3: "from the pit"
This is a description of power. Think of a volcano. If its ash literally darkens the sky for hundreds of miles around for several days we know it was a powerful volcanic blast. The same is true here. This shows us that Satan does have considerable power, yet this passage will show how his power is limited by God. Because Satan is powerful we should not play games with him; yet we should not have an unhealthy fear of him, meaning we should not be paralyzed by him.