Locusts With Armour
I haven't written my Revelation commentary yet, but since this topic came up recently, I figured I'd comment on it. I've heard various interpretations of what the Locusts of revelation are. Some say they are military aircraft, while others think they are demon locusts. I believe that the scriptures make clear that they are in fact real locusts, with perhaps a genetic aberation of some sort. We'll go through Revelation 9:1-10 (KJV)
1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
We can theorize about this verse, but we can't really be sure, unless God has told us. It would seem that a real pit is opened, and that the fact that it is bottomless is a metaphor for a very large and deep hole in the earth. Further indications that it is an actual pit in the earth, is that a star (comet/meteor??) fell from heaven, and that the smoke from the pit darkens the sun. At this point, it's really looking like a natural event.
3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
It would seem that these locusts are being compared in power to the scorpions. Again, scorpions don't have missiles, or bullets, or any sort of fire power. The only thing they have is stings in their tails, and sharp teeth to bite with.
4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Locusts have a tendency to want to eat every green thing, because that's what their primary diet consists of. They normally eat grass, leaves of the trees, and many other plants. But, these ones are not supposed to touch those things.
5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Again, these locusts are being likened unto scorpions. They are similar, in that they have stings in their tails. They are not to kill men, but to torment them. It's unlikely that a helicopter could be so precise as to torment people without killing them. We could argue that God could cause them to not kill anyone, but I think that's a big stretch.
6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Again, we see comparisons to various natural things. I'll go over each point.
- crowns of gold - v7 says that the locusts have heads "as it were" crowns like gold. It doesn't say they have crowns of gold, but it looks as if they do.
- faces of men - v7 also says that they had faces "as" the faces of men. It doesn't say they were faces of men, it says they were similar.
- hair of women - v8 says that they had hair "as" the hair of women. It doesn't say that they had the hair of women, but similar to it. What kind of helicopter has hair? If you look closely, locusts and grasshoppers have hair. All it would require for it to be long is for a certain gene to be present in their DNA.
- teeth of lions - v8 says that they had teeth "as" the teeth of lions. In other words they were sharp, and probably dagger like. Most locusts and grasshoppers have very sharp teeth.
- breastplates of iron - v9 says that they had breastplates "as it were" breastplates of iron. It does not say that their breastplates were made of iron.
- sound of chariots - v9 says that their wings made sounds "as the sound of chariots". Any large swarm of insects can sound like that. And the larger they are, the more likely they will be louder.
- tails like scorpions - v10 says that they had tails "like unto" scorpions. In this case, it further clarifies in saying that they actually have stings in their tails. So this particular case seems to be a very direct correlation.
I think it's fairly apparent that these locusts are real world, physical, locusts. They are not military aircraft, and they are not spiritual demon locusts, but real locusts. They very well may be control by demons, but they are not demons themselves.
July 7th, 2007 - 03:12
Hi Trenton,
The late Edgar Parkyns put out a series on Revelation, from a historicist point of veiw. May I recommend that you check it out, considering the implications of what is presented, because he drew a remarkable comparison between these locusts and the Muslim maruaders, during the crusades.
The series can be found at http://wiki.biblebase.com/index.php/Church_History
(Sorry, I can’t remeber which session it was in)
Whether or not you agree with his findings, this series gives an excellent overview of church history, which may be of benefit.
In His hand,
Aaron Ireland
(a.k.a – CJaKfOrEsT from SermonIndex.net)
July 7th, 2007 - 03:13
By the way, as an adendum, I don’t subscribe 100% to what Parkyns has presneted, but have personally found it helpful. =)
July 7th, 2007 - 07:05
The locusts are demons. Demons have an appearance in the spirit. The star which opened the pit is an angel.
July 8th, 2007 - 13:06
Maizie,
Could you please provide some scriptures that would indicate why you think they are demons. I believe that we should try and take scripture literally, especially when there are literal references. For instance, they are specifically commanded NOT to touch green things. Why? Demons want to attack humans, not green things.
July 8th, 2007 - 13:08
CJaKfOrEsT,
Yes, I have heard that view before, of the locusts being the muslims. I really don’t think it adds up. But, I’ll try and review Edgar’s write-up, to see if he adds anything of value.
Thanks.
July 10th, 2007 - 16:56
Hey Trent,
Have you considered that these “Locusts” might just be, possibly some hybridized creature, sort of like the offspring of the Nephilim?
Might sound farfetched, but Jesus said that in the last days it would be like “as it was in the days of Noah”- In the days of Noah, fallen angels (Nephilim) were having intercourse with human women, and producing some pretty strange genetic offspring.
Whos’ to say that some very genetically altered creatures aren’t being produced somewhere in the world today from the offspring of these demon beings? I mean, they have faces, that are like men’s faces, but aren’t men exactly. I never saw a locust that had a face, that looked like a man.
And also, “I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth. And to “him” was given tthe key to the bottomless pit. I think the “star” was an angel, because it said to “him” was given…that’s saying it was a being, a male being. And angels can only be males.
Could this possible “star” be a reference to a fallen angel , that was cast out of heaven, which was also mentioned in Revelation 12:9
, when satan and his fallen angels, are cast down to the earth? This angel, could be one of the one’s to actually be allowed to have the key to open the bottomless pit, where all these demonic-human looking hybrid creatures are being held -till it is their time of release. This fallen angel opens the pit with the key, after it is cast down to earth.
God is in control of the fallen angels . They are only allowed to do what He commands them to do. They are only allowed to do things that the Lord allows them to do. They can’t do things on their own.
Just some thoughts……
July 10th, 2007 - 17:10
Hmmm…….
I’m thinking that that “star” just might be satan who had the key to the bottomless pit,- if you read on down in Revelation 9:11
It says, “and they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, who’s name is Abbadon.” I read somewhere that “Abbadon” is another name for satan.
July 10th, 2007 - 17:40
Hi Heidi,
I do not believe in the Nephilim hypothesis. If you read the original Hebrew words, ANY ruler during that day could have matched up to the word *god*. The word god could be a magistrate, or ruler, of any kind. I believe that the Hebrew text shows that these sons of *god* were the sons of the giants in the land. Who is more likely to be the rulers during that day? The regular men, or the GIANTS? I would say the giants would be, because they are larger and stronger.
Yes, it seems clear that the star from heaven is referring to a demon of some sort. But, I believe that it’s possible that the scripture is two fold, in that it is also referencing an actual meteor/comet that will strike the earth. I also believe that you are correct that it is Satan that opens the pit
July 10th, 2007 - 19:50
Hi Trent,
you wrote:
“I do not believe in the Nephilim hypothesis. If you read the original Hebrew words, ANY ruler during that day could have matched up to the word *god*. The word god could be a magistrate, or ruler, of any kind. I believe that the Hebrew text shows that these sons of *god* were the sons of the giants in the land. Who is more likely to be the rulers during that day? The regular men, or the GIANTS? I would say the giants would be, because they are larger and stronger.”
Not sure I understand you fully, but did you ever read about Og of Bashan mentioned in Deuteronomy 3:11
, where it says that his bed was more than 13 feet long and 6 feet wide? That isn’t a normal sized person, by any standards- There are numerous other mentions of very large sized
Also, Goliath, who fougth against David, well he was an abnormally sized dude also.
To me, it would certainly appear that their genetics had been tampered with.
Even if you don’t believe the “sons of God” were fallen angels, the Lord must have thought of them as mighty wicked…….so wicked that he had to destroy them. All flesh was corrupted. Hmmm, but whom? It must have been exceedingly bad. The caliber of sin was such that it grieved the Lord that He had made them. Their DNA was completely contaminated, except for one little family, Noah and his family. Something to think about anytway.
July 10th, 2007 - 21:52
It’s natural for man to continually get larger, and taller, as the centuries go by. Look at us today. Many people on earth are extremely tall, compared with a couple hundred years ago. There was one guy in the last century, who was well over 9 feet tall. Children are generally taller than their parents. It just keeps compounding, unless the tall people happen to join with the short ones.
So, it’s not really a big surprise that there were giants in the land back then. The bible tells us that the angels of heaven are spirit beings, not flesh and blood. If that be the case, then so are the demons.
July 11th, 2007 - 20:56
Hi Trent,
I just thought I’d throw this scripture out to you. If you are so led, you might want to do a bit of research on “sons of God”.
Here’s a scripture from Job 38:4-7
:
“Where were you
when I laid the foundations of the earth?
… or who cast it’s corner stone,
when the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
“Sons of God” here, are clearly a reference to angels. Angels were in existence before the Lord spoke the worlds into being.
“Sons of God” aren’t always refering simply to mortal men. But check it out for yourself and see what you come up with. You might be surprised at what you find.
Blessings to you!
August 1st, 2007 - 23:22
Just an FYI, I have now written a blog on the Nephilim.
http://blog.trentonadams.ca/2007/08/01/nephilim/