After the fifth angel sounds the trumpet, an angel is sent from the heavens with the key to open the bottomless pit. From there the army of the demonic emerges. Their description is confusing. They appear as locusts that sting like scorpions, locusts that can’t harm vegetation, but will cause suffering to humans who do not bear the seal of the divine, that is, those who are not baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Why would non-Christians suffer? This does not make sense. It appears that only the sealed are protected, that is, the church is protected against suffering. The demonic holds sway over the unprotected, those who have not made a commitment to the divine. The locusts appear to be horses, which may refer to strong persons; they had crowns of gold, signifying that they were rulers; they had human faces, meaning that they were men and women; they had women’s hair, which may refer to their powers of seduction; they had teeth like those of lions, which may refer to their fierceness; the could sting like scorpions, meaning that their touch was deadly. The demonic presents itself always as other than it is, and in this way deceives men and women. The description of the army of the demonic suggests that it is made up of strong men and women who are members of the highest levels of society, who hold the power of life and death, that is, the power to inflict suffering on others. The fact is revealed that this army has a king, and that his name is “The Destroyer.” He inflicts such suffering that people will long for death, and death itself will flee from them. Suffering is unleashed upon those who have not made a commitment to the divine, who have not been sealed, who are outside the community of faith. This is the first woe, and through it all the divine continued to protect the faithful. He had asked them to be faithful unto death, and he would give them a crown of life. The message of this vision is a call to people to make a pledge of faith, to come and accept the seal of God, and so to come under the protection of the divine. The divine stands by its promise.