The key to the 7 angels and the 7 trumpets and the seven stars is that they are the "messengers of the seven churches" that Jesus holds in His hand from Chapter 1. Unless one transfers knowledge from the Old Testament to unlock Revelation, no one can possibly understand it.
The trumpets are messages for the Church, not the buildings, but the individual believers who are the Elect, the ones who have the "seal of God in their foreheads" - the word of truth, the gospel written in their hearts and minds by God and make up the completed Body of Christ (the Bride) in the last days.
The "stars that fall from heaven to earth" are metaphorical messages to His Church on earth during last 7 years.
Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars:...
Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
The Greek word for bottomless pit described in Rev 9:2 is ABUSSOS which comes from the word bathos - meaning a place of depth of understanding and knowledge. Putting an alpha or "a" in front of it, converts bathos to the opposite meaning. This is the bottomless pit from Revelation - a place of NO KNOWLEDGE OR UNDERSTANDING . This is where Satan comes from, and it is where the false teachers and hirelings of our current "church" come from. And, I'm talking about almost every one of them.
These scorpions are told not to hurt the grass, or any green thing, showing they are not literal locusts, they are metaphorical.
God does not allow the false doctrines and false teachings of these church leaders to harm the true elect, who have the knowledge of the Gospel written in their foreheads (hearts and minds), but other than the elect, the rest of the earth will be completely devoid of truth, and filled with only lies. This is torture for the true children of God.
Obviously, this only scratches the surface.
But true is this, many, if not most, of the Saints going into the Tribulation will be put to death by antiChrist, many turned in by the leaders and members of the apostate churches, as Jesus said in Matthew. Only those who endure to the end, will spend eternity in the Kingdom of God with Jesus Christ:
Rev_3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev_3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
