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- The Locust Army of Revelation Chapter Nine
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The Locust Army of Revelation Chapter Nine
Thanks to all the well-meaning hell, fire and brimstone preachers of our youth, we have totally been confused about who comprises the locust army. The image is so vivid in our minds that unraveling this one is going to take great patience and Godly wisdom. This will require a complete 180 degree turn from what we’ve been taught.
In verse one of chapter nine, (also in Rev. 20:1) the star who fell (to alight on) earth and was given the key of the bottomless pit, Revelation 1:18, is Jesus Christ. He opened the bottomless pit and with his death and resurrection he set us free from the pit. In verse three the locusts (fast-spreading) came out of the smoke, Revelation 15:8, and were given power, Revelation 11: 3, to torment those who are not believers for five (grace of God’s goodness) months (to be new). This is the same torment spoken of concerning the two witnesses (all those in union with God's Truth) in Revelation 11:10.
Revelation 11:10
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
The words fire (God’s glory, truth) smoke (evidence of fire) and brimstone (flashing brightness of fire) have been used to imagine hell for so long that we are missing the beauty of the description of God’s army. These three words describe how we hurt (offend) with Truth those who do not have the Truth of God sealed in their minds.
The number of the army, Revelation 9:16 is beautifully symbolic also. “Two (union and witnessing), hundred (children of promise) and thousand thousand (Divine completeness and glory of God)” is describing our Father’s servants who have been sealed with His truth1. It is not an evil army, Revelation 19:19, it is God’s Army, Joel 2: 11.
The next misunderstood verse is Revelation 9:11 where it says the locust army had a king over them. It clearly states this king is the angel of the bottomless pit, whom we know is the one who has the keys to Hell and Death, Revelation 1:18, and that is Jesus Christ! He is called Abaddon and Apollyon, which means “destroyer or destruction”, because that is what the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to do – to destroy death (unrighteousness) and all works of the devil, I John 3: 8. El Shaddai is one of God's names and Shaddai also means "destroyer, destruction, purging and chastening"!
I John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
The description of this army as serpents has caused confusion because we think that all serpents are evil. How about when our Lord and Savior is compared to the brass serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness, John 3:14 and Numbers 21: 9? The word serpent means to stretch out after and to reach for, as God’s army reaching for the unsaved of the world with truth.
The word tails means, symbolically to curtail, or as a scorpion stings (offends) with his tail, we sting (offend) those who are not sealed with the truth when we try to give them the truth: fire, smoke and brimstone. This army is described in Joel 2:11 as “his army”. We are the army of God when we carry the fire, corn, wine and oil, which is the truth and glory of God!
Just as Jesus told different parables to explain the same message about the kingdom of heaven, the seven seals, seven trumps and seven vials are showing us what Christ accomplished by his coming, dying and resurrecting and how we must testify of these accomplishments. Once we see that the book of Revelation means “completion”, then we can understand the different examples used to show what Jesus Christ completed for us when he came down to earth to fulfill the plan of salvation.
1 Please note that how the Bible communicates the value of a number is a hidden symbol of its meaning. We just broke down the hidden meaning of 200,000,000.
In verse one of chapter nine, (also in Rev. 20:1) the star who fell (to alight on) earth and was given the key of the bottomless pit, Revelation 1:18, is Jesus Christ. He opened the bottomless pit and with his death and resurrection he set us free from the pit. In verse three the locusts (fast-spreading) came out of the smoke, Revelation 15:8, and were given power, Revelation 11: 3, to torment those who are not believers for five (grace of God’s goodness) months (to be new). This is the same torment spoken of concerning the two witnesses (all those in union with God's Truth) in Revelation 11:10.
Revelation 11:10
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
The words fire (God’s glory, truth) smoke (evidence of fire) and brimstone (flashing brightness of fire) have been used to imagine hell for so long that we are missing the beauty of the description of God’s army. These three words describe how we hurt (offend) with Truth those who do not have the Truth of God sealed in their minds.
The number of the army, Revelation 9:16 is beautifully symbolic also. “Two (union and witnessing), hundred (children of promise) and thousand thousand (Divine completeness and glory of God)” is describing our Father’s servants who have been sealed with His truth1. It is not an evil army, Revelation 19:19, it is God’s Army, Joel 2: 11.
The next misunderstood verse is Revelation 9:11 where it says the locust army had a king over them. It clearly states this king is the angel of the bottomless pit, whom we know is the one who has the keys to Hell and Death, Revelation 1:18, and that is Jesus Christ! He is called Abaddon and Apollyon, which means “destroyer or destruction”, because that is what the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to do – to destroy death (unrighteousness) and all works of the devil, I John 3: 8. El Shaddai is one of God's names and Shaddai also means "destroyer, destruction, purging and chastening"!
I John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
The description of this army as serpents has caused confusion because we think that all serpents are evil. How about when our Lord and Savior is compared to the brass serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness, John 3:14 and Numbers 21: 9? The word serpent means to stretch out after and to reach for, as God’s army reaching for the unsaved of the world with truth.
The word tails means, symbolically to curtail, or as a scorpion stings (offends) with his tail, we sting (offend) those who are not sealed with the truth when we try to give them the truth: fire, smoke and brimstone. This army is described in Joel 2:11 as “his army”. We are the army of God when we carry the fire, corn, wine and oil, which is the truth and glory of God!
Just as Jesus told different parables to explain the same message about the kingdom of heaven, the seven seals, seven trumps and seven vials are showing us what Christ accomplished by his coming, dying and resurrecting and how we must testify of these accomplishments. Once we see that the book of Revelation means “completion”, then we can understand the different examples used to show what Jesus Christ completed for us when he came down to earth to fulfill the plan of salvation.
1 Please note that how the Bible communicates the value of a number is a hidden symbol of its meaning. We just broke down the hidden meaning of 200,000,000.