King Over the Locusts Revelation 9:11

As John the apostle continued to share about the “tribulation” that was to come upon the earth, he shared concerning the first six seals Jesus removed from the “scroll” in God's right hand. He began to write about what happened when Jesus, “had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets … And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first, second, third and fourth angels” blew their trumpets, and great judgment fell upon the earth. John continued, “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! And 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. And 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. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And 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. And 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 strikes a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And 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. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And 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. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.” In chapter nine and verse eleven John saw how the locusts “had a king over them” where we read:

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue has his name Apollyon.

The verse reads, “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, ...” John began with the words, “and they had a king” which means “the locusts had a leader, prince, commander and lord” “over them” or “in charge and overseeing the locusts”, “which is the angel” which means “who is the messenger, envoy and one sent” “of the bottomless pit” or “pertaining and belonging to the unbounded, abyss of immeasurable depth which is a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons”. John saw how the “locusts'” ruler and “lord” was a “messenger and envoy” of the “bottomless pit”.

The verse goes on to say, “... whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue has his name Apollyon.” John added the words, “whose name” or “that which is used for everything which the name covers including the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing and remembering” “in the Hebrew tongue” which refers to “in the Chaldee, Hebraistically or Jewish language” “is Abaddon” which means “destruction and ruin” and was “the name of the angel-prince of the infernal regions who is the minister of death and the author of havoc on the earth”, “but” or “also, even and indeed” “in the Greek tongue” which refers to “in the Hellenic or Grecian language” “has his name” or “that which is used for everything which the name covers including the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing and remembering” “Apollyon” which means “destroyer” and was “the angel of the bottomless pit”. The name of this “messenger of the bottomless pit” was “destruction” or “destroyer”.

When we think through John's words in this verse, we recognize there was a “leader” over the “locusts” which ascended from the smoke of the “bottomless pit”. His name and “nature” is “destroyer”. We can only imagine the wreckage this leader will cause upon the earth. Let us remember that God's judgment will come at this time, and He employs these “locusts” to carry out “torment” and “torture” upon the people who are living without His “signet seal” upon them. God wants to keep people from these horrific“locusts” and their leader, and He will do so through a relationship with His Son Jesus. Those who “receive” Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” shall be kept from this horrific time, but “woe” be to those who reject God's plan of “salvation”.

Next time John shares how “one woe is past” and there will be “two woes more hereafter”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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