Locusts Out of the Smokey Bottomless Pit Revelation 9:3

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 angel sounded” and John wrote, “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!” John continued, “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 in chapter nine and verse three John saw how “there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth” where we read:

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.

The verse reads, “And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth:” John began with the words, “and there came out of” which means “there ascended, arose and away from” “the smoke” or “the smoke as from a burning furnace” “locusts” which refers to “that species of short horned grasshoppers which especially infest oriental countries while stripping fields and trees. Numberless swarms of them almost every spring are carried by the wind from Arabia into Palestine and having devastated that country migrate to regions farther north until they perish by falling into the sea” “upon the earth” which means “on the arable land, territory, country and region”. John watched as a swarm of “locusts” or “short horned grasshoppers” ascended from the “smoke” within the “bottomless pit”.

The verse goes on to say, “and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” John added the words, “and unto them” which means “and toward the locusts” “was given” or “was granted, permitted, bestowed and delivered” “power” which means “authority, strength, might and ability”, “as the scorpions” or “the name of a little animal that somewhat resembles a lobster which in warm regions lurks especially in stone walls; it has a poisonous sting in its tail” “of the earth” which means “pertaining to the arable land, territory, country and region” “have power” or “holds, owns, possesses strength, ability and authority”. John likened the “authority” of these “locusts” to be like the “scorpions” within the earth.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we discover more about this “bottomless pit” to which the “fifth angel” opened. Out of the “smokey scene” arose a swarm of “locusts” that were given power and “authority” like “scorpions” upon the earth. These vicious creatures are set free to cause destruction upon people who are living on earth at this time, and woe be to those who encounter these things. God offers “salvation” from these events through a relationship with His Son Jesus, and those who receive Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” shall not face these “torturous” beings. May all who read these words take heed and submit themselves to the Savior Jesus before it is much too late.

Next time John sees how the “locusts” were commanded to “hurt”, “only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads ”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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