Understanding the Abyssal Forces in the Fifth Trumpet Judgment (Rev. 9.1–12) in Light of the Demonology of Jubilees

Abstract

The Fifth Trumpet pericope (i.e., Rev. 9.1–12) contains various enigmatic themes: the ascent of the demons from the subterranean prison, the bottomless pit as the domain of the demons, the hybridity of the demons, the hierarchy among the demons, the Angel of the Abyss, the divine restriction on the demons, and the demonic activity as part of the economy of God. In attempting to understand these motifs, most scholars engage Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literature, highlighting several important parallels. Although this approach has undoubtably yielded advances in the study of the Revelation episode, there is still an important but often ignored Second Temple work that allows us to further scrutinize the text: the book of Jubilees. This article demonstrates that Jubilees provides valuable background information for analyzing Rev. 9.1–12, inviting New Testament scholars to give greater attention to Jubilees in order to obtain a clearer picture of the pericope.