Revelation (Written)

Wednesday, 13 January 2021

And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. Revelation 9:11

The description of the locusts (the jet fighters) is complete. But now we are given another insight concerning them. John now says, “And they had as king over them.” These words definitively show that the “locusts” are not actual locusts. Locusts don’t have stings, but they also don’t have a king over them, as Solomon says in the Proverbs –

“The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;” Proverbs 30:27

These locusts do though. What is of great interest is that the New Testament writers almost always follow the Greek translation of the Old Testament when making citations. Understanding this, a clue as to who this king is may be provided in the Greek translation of Amos 7:1 –

“Thus has the Lord God shewed me; and, behold, a swarm of locusts coming from the east; and, behold, one caterpillar, king Gog.” Brenton Septuagint Translation

This verse from Amos not only refers to locusts probably in a figurative sense, but the Greek translation notes that they are led by a king, Gog. Scholars find this as a mistranslation or a corrupt reading, but it appears to be exactly what John is referring to. If so, the army of locusts (meaning jet fighters) would be a part of the coalition of forces under Russia as described in Ezekiel 38, and the battle would be definitely referring to forces allied against Israel.

To add into the speculation even more, the Hebrew reading of Amos 7:1 says –

“Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king’s mowings.”

This verse in the Hebrew text could possibly be referring to the rapture as it refers to the “king’s mowings.” In other words, the harvest of Christ at the rapture has passed, and now the “late crop” of the tribulation period is being referred to. If this is correct, and this can only be speculation, then two prominent truths can be discerned –

• The rapture is pretribulation (something completely supported elsewhere in Scripture), and
• The battle of Gog/Magog of Ezekiel 38 occurs after the rapture.

Of this king, John next says he is, “the angel of the bottomless pit.” This would then clearly define the king as a human being, even if under the power of the devil. Whether or not this king is the same as the angel referred to in verses 9:1 and 9:2 is debated, but it is certain he is a human here in verse 9:11. Of him, John continues by saying, “whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon.”

Both names to be given are to be taken as a personification of the person being described. The Hebrew word Abaddon here thus means Destruction. It is this king’s scriptural designation.

The word Abaddon is found five times in the Old Testament. The references are Job 26:6, 28:22 & 31:12; Psalm 88:11; and Proverbs 15:11. It must be noted that Abaddon is said to be under the full control and authority of the Lord in Job 26:6 and Proverbs 15:11. In other words, the Lord is in control of all of the events that take place, and nothing is “out of control” in regard to His plan and purposes.

John next finishes the verse with, “but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.” The word means “Destroyer.” It comes from a common word used over ninety times in the New Testament, apollumi. That means to destroy or perish. The word Apollyon is found only this once in the Bible.

Giving the name in both the Hebrew and the Greek is a common writing tool of John in his gospel. This clearly identifies the fact that Revelation, like all of the New Testament, was written in Greek, while translating the Hebrew for the reader. In this, it solidifies the meaning of otherwise doubtful words and phrases. It also draws the Bible into one unified whole, regardless of the language used in the original writing.

As another linguistic note, John uses the term Hebraisti to describe the language that the word Abaddon was translated from. Saying “Hebrew” here is correct. However, the term Hebraisti is only used by John, and it is found in his writings seven times. Several of those times, however, it is not referring to Hebrew, but rather to Aramaic – such as in the words Gabbatha and Golgotha. Thus, the term does not mean solely “Hebrew.” Rather, it speaks of the Semitic tongues inclusive of both Hebrew and Aramaic (Chaldee).

It is the Aramaic or Chaldee that became the predominant tongue of the people after the Babylonian exile, as is evidenced elsewhere in the New Testament. This is true of both the written alphabet and the spoken language.

Life application: As was noted in a previous commentary, the attacks of these “locusts” is direct and targeted in an attempt to avoid destroying the people. It is a common trait among the forces of the western world today.

While other armies wage war without any regard for who is killed, the battles and wars waged by various armies in the recent past have showed immense restraint in their conduct. The opposing forces are first “softened up” and allowed a chance to surrender. After this, the armies come at their foe with fully unleashed power and with the intent of subduing them. This appears to be the pattern of this future army of “locusts.” As is seen in the above analysis, this is quite possibly the forces of Gog, meaning Russia. This would then align with the words of Ezekiel 38 –

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: ¹¹ You will say, “I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates”— ¹² to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. ¹³ Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, “Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?”’” Ezekiel 38:10-13

The intent of the coming battle is not to destroy the people, but to take the spoil without completely destroying the land in the process. Both Ezekiel and John are confirming this is what is to be expected.

As a special note for the student of the Bible is that, since 2020, the possibility of the events described here in Ezekiel 38 are now much more plausible than they were previously. The nations mentioned: Sheba, Dedan and (the merchants of) Tarshish are coming into focus in a new way.

Sheba and Dedan are both located in the area in and around Saudi Arabia. Sheba is believed to be the Kingdom of Saba in southern Arabia. Dedan was a city-state and oasis area of north-western Arabia mentioned at times in the Bible.

The location of Tarshish is highly debated. Some analysis say it is Lebanon, some Spain, and some even England (and other locations). Regardless of that location, the text doesn’t say “Tarshish,” but rather “the merchants of Tarshish,” implying trading partners. Further, the term “all their young lions” speaks of the surrounding city states. This would be inclusive of all of the small countries that border Saudi Arabia – Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, and etc.

Only since the presidency of Donald Trump have these nations began to (and some have) make treaties with Israel. Hence, they are said in Ezekiel to not be a part of the attacking forces coming against Israel. Instead of being allied with the invaders, these states will instead stand back and keep distance from the invading armies who come for the spoil. The world’s alignment of nations is matching up with the biblical narrative, even before our eyes.

As for the layout of the battle in the verse being analyzed, the coming verses will show that after the air war has softened up the people of the land (meaning of Israel), a great force – inclusive of a coalition of armies – will then come by land in an attempt to complete the task.

The point of this is that Israel is still not right with the Lord. They have been returned to the land, but they are as far from Him as the rest of the world. The tribulation period is intended to bring Israel to the point where the only option left is to forsake their own self-reliance and pride, and to finally turn to the Lord. The book is written, and the events will come to pass. And those areas of Scripture that are not debatable as to their true meaning will finally be understood perfectly by those who see the events unfold before their very eyes.

The prophetic word has the ultimate goal of revealing Christ to the nations and Messiah to Israel. The point of it all is JESUS.

Lord, we know You have sovereign authority over everything that occurs in the world. Even great battles are directed by You to accomplish Your purposes. Nothing is out of Your control, and so we can rest in this knowledge, trusting that the displeasing events around us do serve a good ultimate purpose. Help us to remember this when we look at the immorality and wickedness that permeates the world today. You will bring it all to a satisfactory end, and You will be glorified as You do. Thank You for this assurance. Amen.

Tuesday, 12 January 2021

They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. Revelation 9:10

Over the past few verses, John has been describing the vision of the locusts. It is certain that the general idea is that these are modern jet fighters and that they are using targeted attacks against an enemy foe. These fighters have been sent out, not to kill the enemy, but to cripple them without taking life.

Understanding this symbolism, John begins this verse with, “They had tails like scorpions.” Like his other descriptions, he is making a comparison to their function, not their appearance. The Pulpit Commentary, written before the age of jet fighters (19^th century), understood this, saying, “Not that their tails possessed the appearance of scorpions … but that their tails were like the tails of scorpions in respect of having stings in them.”

With this correct understanding, John next says, “and there were stings in their tails.” The sting of the scorpion is right at the end of the tail, and it is sharp and extremely painful. As the tail of a scorpion proceeds forward over the body of the insect, it is from the midpoint of the body, not from behind it. Likewise, a jet fighter will have its weapons under the wings, or under the main body, not at the head.

When shooting a missile, John would have seen it flying out from the body, rather than the front of the aircraft. He would probably have the idea of a scorpion in his mind. He is using a metaphor that best describes what he sees, both in the means of attack and in the effect the attack makes. From there, he then finishes the thought with, “Their power was to hurt men five months.”

The exact duration of this particular aerial campaign is given, and the effects of it are succinctly stated. The intent is to hurt but not to kill. Obviously, this doesn’t mean people won’t die in such a battle. There is normally collateral damage associated with any aerial bombardment. But the intent of targeted attacks is to harm but not kill. This is what John is seeing and conveying to the one seeking to understand this future prophecy.

This air war will last five months. When the campaign ends, things will move into another judgment. All of this could be avoided, but man has other intentions than to willfully submit to the sovereign authority of God. And so, the troubles will only increase.

Life application: For millennia, readers of the Bible have come to these words concerning the locusts, and their minds have strained to understand what is being conveyed. The most fanciful of descriptions have been given, attempting to align real living creatures with what John is writing about.

In other words, they have taken John’s words as absolute truth, but there has been no ability to appreciate them from a known perspective. And so, their analyses have ranged from describing actual mutant locusts to various creatures that have never existed, but which must supposedly be coming in the future. We no longer need to wonder about whether they are real living creatures or not. We can know, with high reliability, that John is describing modern jet fighters.

With this understanding, we can also know that the events of Revelation are coming, and that we are right on the doorstep of that coming Day of the Lord. This future battle, now being described, will be done with precision-guided munitions that are used by an air force that has great restraint. Based on past history, this brings the number of modern countries down to just a few. Most countries go in to completely destroy the enemy without regard to human life.

Whether these prophecies are soon to pass or in the distant future, this will be the general idea. This will be a nation or group of nations that is restrained in their assault with highly destructive weapons.

For the believer in Christ, and apart from the words of naysayers concerning the rapture, the timeline of the Bible tells us that believers who have called on Jesus will be taken out before these events begin. The rapture, including its timing, is defined by the Apostle Paul. It is he who received his instruction directly from the Lord (Galatians 1:2), and it is he who then conveyed that to us. The mercy of God is coming upon his people, and it is because His Son has already taken our judgment upon Himself at the cross. Thank God for the sure promises that are found in JESUS!

Lord God, we can look at the pages of future prophecy given in Scripture, and the world cannot say that it has not been warned. Terrible times are ahead for those who fail to accept Jesus now. Your offer of peace through Him has been given. You are in complete control and have all things worked out in a way that will bring You great glory and that will also show that You are just when You judge. Truly, You are great – merciful and also righteous! Be exalted among Your people, O God. Amen.

Monday, 11 January 2021

And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. Revelation 9:9

John is attempting to describe the “locusts” he sees in his vision. So far, he has seen…

They can be commanded.
They can target their enemies without hitting objects around them.
They are not given the authority to kill them, but only to torment them.
Their torment is painful and so horrifying that those targeted will seek death and not find it.
They are like “horses prepared for battle.”
They have “crowns of something like gold.”
They have the faces of men.
They have hair like women’s hair.
They have teeth like lion’s teeth.

In this, they have minutely described modern jet fighters and their ability to attack specific targets, destroying infrastructure while protecting human life. This is exactly what occurred during the Gulf War and other recent wars, such as in Israel’s skirmishes against those in Gaza and elsewhere. The descriptions are exactly as you would expect from a man 2000 years ago. John now continues, saying, “And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron.”

John, not having an understanding of modern metallurgy, describes a modern fighter as best as he could, saying “iron” instead of “titanium,” or “aluminum.” But the description is marvelously accurate other than the exact type of metal. To someone who had never seen a modern jet fighter, it would appear as a locust with a metal breastplate. And more, John next says, “and the sound of their wings.”

First, John identifies the sound as coming from the wings. That precisely identifies this as a jet fighter, not a helicopter, a supposed human/angel hybrid, or a rocket. Rather, John is seeing modern jet fighters whose wings are “like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.”

The comparison is so precise that it is uncanny.

If one watches a movie like Ben Hur and listens closely to the sound as the horses come by, the comparison becomes obvious. This link will take you to a suitable time frame from the classic movie – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3QM0b3MqqQ

From there, you can go to any recorded flyby of a jet fighter, and the sound is practically identical. This link is set to the appropriate time – https://youtu.be/5GuSg8BHO4w?t=118

John used Roman-era sound that he was aware of to describe something that would not be known for two thousand years, and he did so exactingly. As you watch the jet fighter video, think on the other descriptions John has given concerning these “locusts.” They are uncanny in how beautifully John presented them as he wrote out the pages of Revelation on the exile island of Patmos.

Life application: John’s vision is a terrifying and tremendous comparison to a modern war waged with fighter jets that are specifically targeting infrastructure to weaken an enemy without killing people. The air force is using extreme restraint in their attacks. This is something one would expect from a nation not intent on destroying its enemies but only crippling their ability to retaliate.

One can see the future from John’s perspective, united with the reality of our modern-day, in what John is describing. This tells us that Jesus Christ, who relayed these prophetic visions to John, is the Master of time. He transcends it because He created it. He is not bound to it, and therefore He can present the future to us as if it has already come to pass. In Him is the spirit of prophecy because He is JESUS!

Lord God, it is amazing to read the descriptions of future events in Scripture and to see that they accurately and minutely describe visions that we can now properly interpret, such as the engagement of a modern battle with fully equipped jet fighters. We know that You are the Creator of time, and therefore You can and have revealed the future to us. We know that You are in complete control, and so we can trust in You to care for us, just as You have promised. Praises to You, O God, for confirming Your word through prophecy to give us a sure and blessed hope. Amen.

Sunday, 10 January 2021

They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. Revelation 9:8

In the previous verse, John began a detailed description of the “locusts” that he saw. The symbolism was clearly that of modern-day jet fighters. To this point, one might include attack helicopters as well, though a later description seems to argue against that. What is presented is clearly that of jets, however. John is seeing them close up and from a distance, as if he is watching a movie about them. One minute he is looking right in the cockpit, and the next minute he is seeing them whir by overhead. Such is the case in this verse as he says, “They had hair like women’s hair.”

Women’s hair is long and flowing. The various locks will blow behind them in the wind, giving them a look of beauty and grace as they pass by. So it is with jets.  Imagine the last time you were at an air show with jet fighters and the planes flew in all kinds of crazy ways and directions as the smoke-making device pumped away. What did it look like? Or when you watched an old-time WWII movie and saw hundreds of bombers flying to their targets, what did the skies look like as the contrails followed behind the planes?

In both instances, something like the long hair of a woman following behind was seen. At least, if you were John on the island of Patmos two thousand years ago, this is how you would describe the scene. In a battle of fighter jets flying to and fro, he would have seen locusts that “had hair like woman’s hair.”

And then after viewing the scene from a distance, he is brought close again to what he was just seeing from afar… a fighter jet flies by him! On the fighter are the traditional painted teeth of war pilots of battles past and battles yet to come. Some are painted like tigers or sharks and yes, some have teeth like those of the king of beasts. As John states, “and their teeth were like lion’s teeth.”

The lion is an animal that John was obviously familiar, both from Scripture where the lion is often described, and from his own personal witness (or he could not have made the comparison). As the locusts whirred by, he would see the terrifying painting on the fighter and stand in awe and wonder at what he was seeing in his prophetic vision.

Life application: From our modern knowledge of air forces and air war, it is apparent that when one stands back and reads these verses, they are not describing something spiritual, but rather something real. Real battles like this are coming to the land of Israel and the surrounding areas. What is being described is something John is being given a glimpse of. Great wars are on the horizon. They will affect the people and the nation of Israel and the nations coming against her.

John must have been dumbfounded and amazed at the sight he was beholding! We too should be amazed, but for an entirely different reason. What John saw so perfectly matches what we now know. It is impossible to not be amazed that the Lord presented it so clearly and precisely to him. It is as if John was in a cave on Patmos watching a modern-day movie, but with his limited knowledge of the world of the future. As such, he was excitedly penning details that would not be understood for a full two thousand years.

In this, the prophetic vision confirms the reliability of the sacred word. The word of prophecy points to the truth of God in Christ. He has come, and His name is JESUS!

Certainly, Lord, You are in control of the future. If You can reveal such startling detail of future events to men who lived thousands of years ago, and which are even today being fulfilled before our very eyes, then You have all things in Your mighty grasp. Why should we fear when You know the end from the beginning? We can look to You and feel the comfort of knowing that all things are under Your control! Hallelujah and Amen.

Saturday, 9 January 2021

The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. Revelation 9:7

In verses 7-10 John will describe the locusts from the abyss. The description of these locusts is John’s best attempt at describing something he had never seen or even imagined. Further, he was looking into the far future, to a time when Israel would again be established in her land and when the nations would wage war with technology. He never could have imagined what he was seeing. The time prophesied by John appears to be now. Today appears to be the day. What John was seeing then is a common sight of modern man. With this in mind, he says, “The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle.”

In John’s time, horses prepared for battle stood upright, they stood in formation, and they were covered with any armor outfitted for them. They would have borne the insignia of the units they were assigned to, and they would have borne the colors of the Roman army.

In modern air forces, the same is true. Jet fighters are arrayed in formation, they are formed from a frame of metal and covered in sheets of metal, they bear the insignia of the units they are assigned to, and they bear the colors of the nation they represent. For John to see jets that fly, he would have certainly termed them “locusts.”

To see the missiles and guns they employ, he would have certainly equated those things to the stings of scorpions. To see them lined up in preparation for take-off, he would certainly have equated them as horses prepared for battle. Understanding this, he then says, “On their heads were crowns of something like gold.”

Of this, Vincent’s Word Studies notes, “Not actual crowns, but as crowns. Milligan remarks that any yellow brilliancy about the head of the insect is a sufficient foundation for the figure.”

This yellow brilliancy is an exacting description of the windscreens of a modern jet fighter. They have a microns-thick layer of gold plating to reflect the IR signature of the pilot and cockpit components. When the sun shines on them from the right direction, they reflect this gold very clearly. This is described on Quora.com by Bob Keeter, Former Sr. Systems Engineer at Dept of Defense Civilian –

“The gold coloring is actually a very thin sheet of gold sandwiched between the laminated sheets of acrylic or polycarbonate plastic that forms the canopy. On the EA-6B, the golden canopies formed a Faraday cage protecting the aircrew and the cockpit instruments from the high power RF transmissions from the jamming pods.

On other aircraft, the gold foil has the same basic function for a very different reason. The cockpit has many edges, corners and radar reflective features. By providing a smooth and opaque surface, a gold foil canopy reduces the radar cross section considerably, even for non-stealthy aircraft.”

This is what John was seeing in the “crowns of something like gold.” From there, he finishes this verse with, “and their faces were like the faces of men.” Here, the word anthrōpōn is referring to the shape of humans, not specifically biological sex.

John is seeing modern jet fighters and also the shape of men in the cockpits. As their heads are covered in the helmets worn by fighter pilots, they are obscured to the point where John could only say that they are “like the faces of men.”

John is certainly seeing and writing about both close up and far distant views of these jets. This will become even more evident in the next few verses. It is as if he is watching a movie and documenting what he has seen, but he is doing so from the perspective of a man who had never seen such things, and also as a man who lived in the Middle East at the time of the Roman empire.

In the previous verses, it said that “they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” This is the exact capability of modern fighters – targeted warfare with precision-guided munitions.

Life application: For millennia, the Bible has remained an almost impossible to believe sci-fi account, or it has been over-spiritualized to indicate demonic forces that never existed and that would suddenly come upon the earth – like Godzilla monsters.

However, with modern technology, a harmonizing of what is literal and what is figurative becomes more and more evident. This doesn’t mean that we can be one hundred percent certain of every detail. But it does mean that the things described in the passage before us no longer need to be spiritualized. The events and advances of modern history and technology have finally caught up with what the Bible records.

In seeing the parallel between the two, our faith in God’s ability to provide reliable prophecy should be greatly strengthened. And as all prophecy is intended to show us what God is doing in redemptive history in relation to Jesus Christ, we should have all the more surety in our hope in Him and His promises. Let us trust Him. Let us not waiver in our faith in JESUS!

Lord God, it is especially interesting to live in this day and time when the events of the Bible are becoming much more understandable. We know that because Israel is back in her land that the Day is drawing near for these events to occur and then for the return of Jesus Christ. May that day be soon! Amen.