THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS
As the world ventures deeper and deeper into the eye of the Storm, the plagues will become more calamitous and intense. There will not be a time during the Great Storm when natural man will find respite from the storm’s intrusive afflictions. As soon as one woe is passed, another woe appears. Mankind has lived with adversity throughout history, and seems to have always found a time of peace for a season after the storms of life subside. Only the godly will know “true peace” during this Great Storm.
The hearts of the ungodly will be continually tormented and vexed with problems and difficulties that are too perplexing for mankind to solve. Jesus said there would be distress of nations and perplexities on every hand during the Great Storm. (Luke 21:25). As they are rising from bed in the morning many will wonder what new tragedy or peril the new day will bring. As believers we know what is coming in the last days because Jesus told us what to expect. Hopefully all believers will be mentally and spiritually prepared for the “times of trouble” when they arrive.
During the plagues in Egypt, Pharaoh and his servants continued to sin and harden their hearts against the Word of the Lord. The ungodly do not seek God in times of trouble. However, the redeemed do not necessarily seek a natural way of escape from their troubles. They seek Christ in the midst of them because He is the only answer to all their problems. The trials in life are designed to mold us into the divine image and nature of Christ.
The Egyptians could not see that the problems they were facing were the result of their sinful ways and their rejection of God’s Commandment to “Let My people go.” Pharaoh was not interested in the Hebrew God’s commandment or His wishes. He worshipped many false gods, however he had never had an encounter with the God of Israel.
The lesson Pharaoh was learning due to his refusal to release the Hebrews was turning out to be a costly one. He was witnessing the demise of the greatest political, economic, and religious institution in Egypt at that time. Egypt was the wealthiest nation in the world. Pharaoh thought the gods of Egypt were responsible for the prosperity of his nation. Pharaoh himself was considered to be a god, and the Egyptians believed He was also the reason Egypt propsered.
Pharaoh must have been concerned about the devastating toll the plagues were taking on the economy. He probably thought he would need the band of Hebrew slaves to help rebuild the country once the plagues were over. If so, he was not about to let the Hebrews go no matter what Moses said or did. To say that Pharaoh was deeply shaken by the plagues which he had experienced thus far would be an understatement; and unfortunately, he was not yet convinced that the Hebrew God was in control of the situation. Pharaoh would soon find out that God did exist, and that He was “deadly” serious about the welfare of the Hebrew slaves.
Exodus, 10:14-15, says: And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
The plague of locusts continued to wreak havoc on the economy of Egypt and also devastated their food supplies. According to the Bible there were so many locusts during the plague they “darkened all of Egypt.” The locusts brought with them famine, and with famine came the threat of death, and the destruction of Egypt’s economy.
What the hailstones and fire didn’t destroy in the fields, forests and orchards of Egypt, the locusts destroyed. Worldwide food supplies will also be disastrously impacted when the plagues of Revelation are loosed. Famine will have a devastating impact on the lives of people in different areas in every nation on earth. Many people will die as a result of famine and famine related diseases.
Eventually the plagues in Revelation will cause widespread death, disease, poverty, famine, and emotional and mental instability. Fear and dread will grip the hearts of many on a daily basis. Lawlessness will abound on every hand. Chaos, calamity, death, and destruction will be common everyday words used in newscasts, newspapers and conversations around the world.
Catastrophic events will start slowly and things will gradually become worse. I do not believe people will wake up one morning and pick up a newspaper that reads “Today is the first day of the Great Tribulation.” Many will pick up a newspaper and wonder “Could this be the beginning of the end?” Still others will say “The Great Tribulation is worse than I ever imagined.” Many will say I am still here and I thought the Lord would have come back for me by now. How can I be living in a time such as this; where is the promise of His coming?”
Whatever we believe about the second coming of the Lord, we must be prepared. There are many storms and conflicts that are devastating many people’s lives today, and many more are coming. Many Christians will be “engulfed” by those storms and will suffer in many ways along with everyone else. However, believers have someone who is an ever present help in the time of their need.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back for a Church without spot or blemish. If we believe He is coming soon to take us to Heaven before “great tribulation,” we must be pure in heart so we can be found guiltless in His sight. I’m afraid many will be surprised because they will not be ready for the devastating events that will happen, whether He comes before, in the middle of, or after the Great Storm. When Christ comes, He is coming for a Church without spot or wrinkle, a Church that is prepared for His Coming. Jesus is coming back for people who are looking for His return.
The plague of locusts did not do harm to men directly, but did pose a great threat to the economic stability of Egypt. The plague also, as we saw earlier, threatened the health and welfare of the Egyptians. The Hebrews were not experiencing the same setbacks financially and physically as the Egyptians were. There always has been, and always will be, war, famine, death and disease on the earth as long as evil men rule and reign on earth. The plagues of Revelation will intensify all woes and sorrows seven fold in number. Not all plagues will result in death as we will see in the following scriptures.
In Revelation, 9:2-6, John wrote: And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a 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 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 on their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and there 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.
The plague of “spiritual locusts” will last five months and will cause such pain and suffering that people will wish they were dead. According to John the pain the locusts inflict feels like one has been stung by a scorpion. The people of God will be spared this plague as the Hebrews were spared during the plagues which came upon Egypt. The plague of “spiritual locusts” will be administered by the demon spirits which will ascend out of the bottomless pit.
It has been suggested by some Bible Scholars that these locusts are helicopters. Men without complete spiritual understanding will apply natural interpretations to spiritual incidents and events. Although there is much symbolism and literal events being revealed in the Book of Revelation, we must have the mind of God in order to separate the “symbolic” from actual events that will be taking place. According to the Bible these demon spirits will come out of the bottomless pit. Revelation, 20:2-3 states that Satan was cast into the bottomless pit. The Bottomless Pit is a place of internment for evil spirits, not helicopters.
Revelation, Chapter 9, Verse 11, says these demons that will come out of the Bottomless Pit have a king over them. He was a fallen angel, or messenger, whose name was Abaddon or Apollyon, which are both names for Satan. I do not believe there are any helicopters being stored in the Bottomless Pit or that Satan is king of a squadron of helicopters. I do believe, however, when God releases these demons from the pit, He will be sending a message to the ungodly by way of “fallen angels” that judgment for their sins has arrived.
I have heard many well known ministers say that “God does not use demon spirits to execute judgment on people,” however they are wrong. God does allow demon spirits to execute judgment upon men. Whatever one may believe concerning this, there is scripture to back up what I am saying. In First Samuel, 16:14-23, God dispatched an evil spirit to vex Saul because of his rebellion. David, who was a type of Christ, through his ability to sing under the anointing, was able to drive the evil spirit away.
God can use any form of judgment or punishment on the ungodly He chooses. If He chooses to allow evil spirits to disrupt or cause problems in the lives of people, that is up to Him. Who is man that he should tell God what He can or cannot do? God does not do things the way we want Him to do, but the way He chooses to do them. God will release demons out of the Bottomless Pit in order to harass and/or punish men for their ungodly ways.
John described the demon spirits from the Bottomless Pit as “like unto horses prepared unto battle, having crowns of gold.” A crown speaks of authority. The demon spirits are given authority to mete out judgment upon the ungodly.
The demon spirits had long hair like a woman and teeth like a lion. They also had breastplates like iron and wings that sounded like many horses running into battle. On their tails were stingers they used to “sting men,” however they were not allowed to kill them. The crown meant they were given authority over those they were to torture. That authority was limited to stinging them for five months. The demons only had the power to cause physical and mental anguish and pain, not death.
The demons from the Bottomless Pit had teeth as the teeth of a lion and breastplates of iron which speaks of their fierceness and impenetrable devotion to the task that they were sent to perform. With faces of men and hair like women these demon spirits are sent to torment mankind for their acceptance and promotion of perverse sexuality and spiritual adultery.
God does not reject man or destroy him just because he is perverse and idolatrous. God rejects those whose conscience has been seared because they prefer darkness rather than Light. God gives people time to repent, but in the last days as time is running out so does their time to repent.
God’s mercy extends throughout eternity to those who accept it. Unfortunately, there are those who will never acknowledge the truth or that His mercy exists. To those who believe and inherit the truth and righteousness, His mercy will endure forever. Perverse men will continue in their perverseness, even in the midst of great troubles. If and when people seek the truth, the truth will set them free even in the dark days which are ahead.
Like the locusts in Egypt which ate the crops, the demon spirits from the Bottomless Pit will feed on the flesh and psyche of men. The “meat” of these demon spirits is to fulfill their obligation to cause pain, suffering, and mental anguish. They are not just sent to cause physical harm, but to bring emotional and psychological distress upon individuals. We see that in the statement that says: “They (the people) shall seek death but they will not find it.”
TWO MORE WOES
One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horsemen were as heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire, smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Revelation 9:15-21).
Demonic forces are again seen at work, but this time they have been given the power to kill. These demon spirits are led by four angels that have been bound in the river Euphrates. Unlike the demons from the Bottomless Pit, these demons have the power to cause men to die. These are not human soldiers that come to attack the land of Israel as some proclaim. The “Kings of the East” in alliance with Russia will lead those armies which will surround Israel in the valley of Megiddo in the last days. This army, John says, is lead by the four angels which were bound in the Euphrates River. Their attacks take place during a time span of one year, one month, one day and one hour. The Battle of Armageddon does not last that long. Armageddon ends with the Lord raining fire and brimstone down upon the armies of the world who will surround Israel.
These demons do, however, help to prepare the way for the Kings of the East, when an angel (see Revelation, 16:12-14) pours out his vial on the Euphrates and it dries up. The power of these demons is in their mouths and their tails. They will be able to kill men with fire, smoke and brimstone that will issue from their mouths. In scripture, locusts, palmer worms, canker worms, snakes, serpents and scorpions, just to name a few, usually represent evil spirits and demonic activity. Although these demons were not compared to locusts like the ones that come out of the Bottomless Pit, they are similar in many ways.
We saw in the last chapter that hailstones mixed with fire fell from the sky upon Egypt. This plague is much similar in that brimstone is used instead of hailstones. Although similar, there is a difference between the two. Brimstone is a sulfurous rock that burns with fire. The fire I saw coming from the sky in the dream can be compared to the fire and brimstone in the above scripture. Fire and brimstone was used to destroy the ungodly in Sodom and the other Cities of the Plain, and will be used again during the Great Storm. After Christ sits in judgment over the nations, all those whose names are not written in the Lambs Book of Life are thrown into the Lake of Fire that burns with “fire and brimstone.” (Revelation 19:19).
Fire and brimstone is used not only as a punishment for the ungodly in the last days, but it is also used as a means of eternal punishment in the “Lake of Fire.” Some people think this plague of fire and brimstone is a picture of nuclear war, but it is not. Nuclear war will kill millions during the Great Storm, but fire and brimstone, according to scripture will kill one-third of mankind. The difference between fire and brimstone and nuclear proliferation is not hard to understand. God used fire and brimstone to destroy Sodom, and He did not have to build a nuclear bomb to drop upon them.
In looking at the pale horse and the plagues that precede the coming of Christ, we see that less than one quarter of the Earth’s population will be killed by wars. John wrote: And power was given unto them over a forth part of the Earth to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the field. This is in contrast with a third being killed with “fire and brimstone.” If one third is more than one-forth, then war will not be the greater of the earth’s woes during the Great Storm.
As I wrote earlier, we will be seeing many wars and there will be rumors of wars. Nuclear weapons will be used in some of those wars. There will be many people who will die from the effects of warfare, but many deaths will also be caused by famine, disease and other things which are a result of war.
The plague of fire and brimstone is a judgment upon mankind because they failed to repent of their sins of murder, thefts, fornication, sorceries, and their worship of idols and false gods. Many people worship gods they make with their own hands or conjure up in their evil minds. They worship gods made out of gold, silver, brass, stone, wood, and flesh. They are possessed by the gods they themselves created and by demons that manipulate and control them.
Men and women sacrifice their souls on the altars of their own hearts to idols that cannot speak. They worship the created rather than the Creator. They create their own gods in the images they prefer to worship and bow before them in obeisance. Evil men form those gods to sit upon the throne in the sanctuary of their own unholy temples. The human sanctuary and temple which was built by the true God was created to be inhabited by the Spirit of the God. That God-made sanctuary was built to be a place of rest for His Spirit that revels in truth, righteousness and love.