Revelation (Written)

Friday, 8 January 2021

In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. Revelation 9:6

The translation here is lacking several definite articles –

“In those days, the men will seek the death and will not find it. They will desire to die. And the death flees from them.”

In this, it graphically personifies death, and it shows the miserable state of existence of these particular men. They are looking for Death, anticipating him. And yet, this same Death will be escaping out of their reach, fleeing from them though they long to embrace him.

With those changes noted, the words can be more precisely analyzed. John begins with, “In those days.” This is referring to the time of the locusts tormenting the men they target like the torment of a scorpion. It is a period of five months. From there, John says, “[the] men will seek [the] death.”

The death brought on by the locusts is what is anticipated. So constant, so maddening, and so terrifying is their sting that with each new attack, these targeted men will hope that the barrage will find them and destroy them. For five months, there will be no time of expected safety or calm.

Like a person enduring Chinese water torture, the attacks will come at any time without warning. Morning, noon, or throughout the night. Sleep will be impossible, mealtime will be a time of fear, and so on. The state of death will be preferred over continued existence. And yet, John says of their seeking death, that they “will not find it.”

Like soldiers stuck in a foxhole enduring a constant barrage of artillery, and who finally come to the point where they desire the next shell to end their existence, so will these people hope that the next air assault will be their end. The strain on the human physique, and the torture to the mind, will come to such an exhausted state that death will be preferable to life. Of this, John next says that “they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.”

The repetition here is a poetic tool known as parallelism. It is found throughout the Bible. A thought is stated and then it is restated in a similar manner. It is a means of intensifying the text to accentuate the emotion. It emphasizes what is being said and it draws the reader’s attention to the situation –

* men will seek death and will not find it
* they will desire to die, and death will flee from them

The obvious question is, “If they are seeking death and yet not finding it, then why don’t they kill themselves.” This is the paradox of human existence. Though we may long for something, we will often not actively pursue it.

Even when a person is faced with the hope of death, there is still such a strong will to survive that the thought of suicide is entirely excluded. Were it not so, the battlefields of history would be riddled with self-inflicted wounds. And yet, they are an almost insignificant number in comparison to the overall total.

And of those deaths that are self-inflicted during war, the majority of those are for reasons beyond the simple desire to end one’s existence. Soldiers will sacrifice themselves for the sake of others. Or they may fall on their own sword to avoid worse treatment while still alive (see 1 Samuel 31:4).

In this, one can see the absolutely horrifying nature of the attack by the locusts. Men will be driven to a point of desiring death and yet inwardly yearning to not die. This is where the parallelism of the passages finds its highest accentuation. Death, the feared entity of humanity, will be sought after as if a lover. And yet, he will flee from these men as if he were their greatest mocker.

Life application: There are many literary tools found in the Bible such as parallelism. They are given to help the reader understand the context, empathize with those referred to, find horror, suspense, or delight in what is being conveyed, and so on. Parallelism can be found in positive thoughts and in negative thoughts. A set of positive ones from the Psalms says –

“You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
³ You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.” Psalm 139:2, 3

Taking the words of John, and comparing them to known history, can then help us to understand what is being conveyed. In the Gulf War, the Iraqi soldiers who had been captured from the front lines made statements similar to what we read in this verse.

They had been under precision-guided attacks by the American forces and sat in their tanks waiting and wondering when their time would be up. They had prayed for death and it didn’t come. The agony of the uncertain state they were in was so horrifying that all they wanted was for it to be over. They desired death, but it fled from them.

This is the same sentiment that will come again during this time of targeted attacks by the locusts of Revelation and the parallels are striking. One thing the people won’t do, just as they didn’t do in Iraq, was to commit suicide. The force and desire to live is strongest at one’s own hand, but the desire to die is stronger when another may take it. It is a terrible state to be in.

As we read the Bible, let us consider the various types of literary tools that are employed, and then let us compare what is being said to things we know from our own experience. In this, we will have a better grounding in both the context and how it is worked out in human existence.

This is a link to one site of biblical literary devices. Make yourself aware of them – https://www.kentlee7.com/biblia/docs/blitdevice.htm

In knowing what is conveyed, we will be more responsible in our theology because we will be rightly analyzing what is stated. In this, we will then be rightly pursuing what the intent of the passage is. These things are given to properly unfold Scripture, and Scripture is given to properly reveal to us the One who came to lead us back to God. It is given to properly reveal JESUS!

Lord God, help us to get the message of Jesus out to the people of the world. It is a message of love, hope, and reconciliation with You. May we never tire in telling others of the wonder and majesty of the simple gospel of our salvation – Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day. Belief in this simple plan is what brings us back to You. Praise You, O God, for the simplicity of the gospel. Amen.

Thursday, 7 January 2021

And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. Revelation 9:5

These locusts that came out of the smoke of the abyss were given power like scorpions and were commanded to not harm the grass or any green thing. They are only given permission to harm the people who don’t have the seal of God on their forehead. As John says, “And they were not given authority to kill them.”

What is being described here is not unlike a modern battle using aerial weapons. This will become more evident in the verses ahead. Locusts are flying creatures. Scorpions are creatures that have a hard exoskeleton. And more, scorpions have stingers to harm their enemies.

Unlike real locusts, these have an authority over them. That authority has determined to torment, but not to kill. This is exactingly what happened during the Vietnam war at times, also in the Gulf War, and in many battles since. It is also what happens in Israel constantly. The air forces of these nations are given authority to attack the enemy from the air, but they are actually not given permission to kill anyone. Hence, for example, they will give a warning that a building is going to be destroyed. Once the occupants clear out, down it goes.

An example of this is recorded on Wikipedia, saying –

“As early as 2006 the IDF had the practice of warning the inhabitants of a building that was about to be attacked. Roof knocking was used during the 2008–2009 Gaza War, Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, and Operation Protective Edge in 2014. In the six months prior to its use, Israel collected data on Hamas members, which they used to issue warnings. Typically, Israeli intelligence officers and Shin Bet security servicemen contacted residents of a building in which they suspected storage of military assets and told them that they had 10–15 minutes to flee the attack, although in some cases the delay has been as little as five minutes.’

This was common practice in the Gulf War as well. Coalition forces would give demonstrations of their capabilities to the enemy battle lines. This would be followed with a warning to surrender or be destroyed in the same manner. Again, from Wikipedia –

“Eleven BLU-82Bs were palletized and dropped in five night missions during the 1991 Gulf War, all from Special Operations MC-130 Combat Talons. … Later, bombs were dropped as much for their psychological effect as for their anti-personnel effects. Due to the size of the conventional blast, a British SAS unit that witnessed the explosion mistakenly assumed the U.S. had used a nuclear weapon and radioed back to their headquarters exclaiming, ‘Sir, the blokes have just nuked Kuwait!’”

In one such drop, intended for psychological effect, an entire battle line surrendered rather than face such a terrifying weapon. This type of warfare is then a perfect example of John’s next words. The locusts were given authority not to kill, “but to torment them for five months.”

The Gulf War lasted forty-two days. During much of that time, surgical strikes were made that were intended to harm but not to kill. Operations in the Gaza war lasted various time lengths, and the intent by Israel was to wage war with as little loss of enemy life as possible. What John is seeing in Revelation is certainly such a battle. This is then evidenced by the next words. He notes that “Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.”

John is describing what he calls locusts. These have power as the scorpions of the earth have (certainly offensive, but not excluding defensive – meaning its exoskeleton), and they are given authority to torment, but not to kill. The offensive torment of a scorpion is a sharp and painful sting.

A person two thousand years ago who is watching a modern battle would see jet fighters shooting their missiles at the enemy (who has already been given warning to evacuate a building) and think he was watching some sort of creature shooting its sting. John, not understanding what he was seeing in a modern sense, is accurately describing exactly such a modern scenario with imagery that was known to him. This will continue to be exactingly described by him in the verses ahead.

Life application: What is happening here is similar to the account in Ezekiel Chapter 9 where judgment came on the Israelites for rejecting God and turning after idolatry.

In that passage, those without the seal of God are killed. However, these unbelievers during the Tribulation are only tormented for five months but are not killed. There is a mixture of grace and punishment in this. The mercy is that their lives are spared, but the punishment is that they have to endure the torment as if being struck by a scorpion when it strikes a man. In other words, there is great affliction, pain, and suffering involved in a scorpion sting and these people will endure through that. Lamentations 4:9 tells us that sometimes death is preferable to life in such dire situations –

“Those slain by the sword are better off
Than those who die of hunger;
For these pine away,
Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.”

In the end, such trials and troubles are brought upon us. We can’t point our finger at God and blame Him when He has revealed Himself to us in the Person of Jesus, as testified through His word. Even more so, we have to accept the fact that the world has been told, in advance, of what is coming and how to avoid it. Surely God is just.

But in His love for His people, He sent an offer of peace in the giving of His Son. Through Him is pardon from sin and reconciliation to God through adoption. All God asks man to do is to believe. Accept the gospel today. Call on JESUS.

Lord, our eyes look to You for all good things, and surely all the necessities of life are graciously given to us. But when we receive them, we look at them as the work of our own hands, forgetting that they came from You. Eventually, we push You out of our lives completely and reap the harvest of such unrighteousness. Surely You are justified when You judge us in our faithlessness. But Lord, soften our hearts and remind us that You are the Source of all goodness and blessing. May we always return gratitude to You for such things. Amen.

Wednesday, 6 January 2021

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. Revelation 9:4

This now refers to the locusts mentioned in the previous verse that were given the power “as the scorpions of the earth have power.” Of these “locusts,” John says, “They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth.” The “green grass” was mentioned in verse 8:7. There, it said that “all the green grass was burned up.”

Though the two thoughts seem contradictory, they do not have to be. As previously noted, the word “earth” can signify many things, from a certain land – such as Israel – to a portion of the earth, or the entire earth, and so on. Therefore, the destruction of the first trumpet could be localized to an area, and in that area, all the grass is burned up. As noted then, the grass being referred to could also be literal or figurative.

Another point is that the term “locusts” is certainly being used in a figurative sense. This is because of what was cited from the proverbs in the previous verse –

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

The locusts here in Revelation are “commanded,” implying having a leader. These “locusts” are given orders, and they are on a particular mission. Next, it says, “or any green thing, or any tree.” Again, the trees were mentioned in verse 8:7. Mentioning them again, along with the grass and any other green thing, appears to demand a symbolic interpretation of what these things are.

Green implies life, health, and vigor. Jesus used this idea as He was being led to His crucifixion in Luke 23 –

“For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ ³¹ For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” Luke 23:29-31

As noted in verse 8:7, the green trees would then speak of people in rule and authority. The green grass would be representative of the people in general, and the other green things may extend to animals of the people from the pet dog to livestock. Such is speculation, and it is hard to be dogmatic about the events. Whatever is alive and healthy appears to be what is referred to in these metaphors. The reason for this is what is then said in the contrasting words that complete the verse, saying “but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

Locusts are naturally creatures that eat the green things of the earth. For them not to do so would be contrary to their very nature. With this understanding, these “locusts” are commanded to do what is contrary to the normal function of an actual locust. This needs to be remembered in order to understand what is being presented.

The “seal of God” was referred to in Chapter 7 in relation to the sealing of the one hundred and forty-four thousand of Israel. The sealing was on their foreheads, and so these are those who are being referred to again. Thus, as noted in Chapter 8, it appears that the trumpet judgments are localized to the land of Israel. There are those of Israel who are redeemed by Christ, and then there are those who are not. It is those who are not sealed that are targeted by these locusts.

Life application: Probably, because the sealed are Jewish believers in Christ, these “locusts” are kept from coming against all of Israel – believer or unbeliever – because they would certainly be intermingled and living together in the land. If this is correct, in this time of trial, grace can be found on those who don’t yet believe, because they are protected along with those who do. This is a similar concept to 1 Corinthians 7:14, where children with one believing parent and one unbelieving parent are sanctified by the believing parent.

In the end of the tribulation, the nation of Israel as a whole will call on Jesus as Lord, and it is when they do that He will return. Until then, they will go through many trials and troubles as their hard hearts fail to see what is so obvious and clear – that Jesus Christ is their Lord, King, Savior, and Messiah.

Until then, they are as lost as they can be. Like the unsaved that we pray for around the world, remember to pray for the nation of Israel as well – the people and the nation. They are surrounded by many hating nations, and things will only get much worse before they get better. But that better day is coming. When Jesus returns, He will set up His glorious kingdom in their midst.

Heavenly Father, thank You for how You have faithfully kept every promise to Your people Israel and how You, even now, look over them and protect them. Your faithfulness to them is to be a sure reminder that You are also faithful to us, even when we fail You. The covenant in Christ’s blood has been made, and You have made sure promises to those who receive it by faith. Thank You for Your faithfulness! You have promised to keep and protect us, and Your word is true. Amen.

Tuesday, 5 January 2021

Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. Revelation 9:3

The events resulting from the sounding of the fifth trumpet continue with these words. The bottomless pit was opened, smoke arose out of it like a furnace, and now John says, “And out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth.”

It must be noted that, like the stars representing earthly leaders, locusts in the Bible also represent real people. Due to their number and the way they organize and move in ranks, they symbolize massive armies that work in essentially the same way. First from the proverbs –

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

Armies, then, are likened to locusts because of the advance in ranks. However, locusts also fly and devour. That will be seen in the coming verses. For now, not only do locusts represent ranks, but various aspects of warring ranks. From the book of Jeremiah –

“Set up a banner in the land,
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations against her,
Call the kingdoms together against her:
Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a general against her;
Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.” Jeremiah 51:27

Locusts are used in simile concerning the riders and the horses of these nations. And again, from the book of Joel –

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.” Joel 2:25

Here, the armies that brought destruction on Israel are equated to the destructive locusts of the land. And, yet again, from the book of Nahum –

“Draw your water for the siege!
Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
¹⁵ There the fire will devour you,
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a locust.
Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
¹⁶ You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
¹⁷ Your commanders are like swarming locusts,
And your generals like great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;
When the sun rises they flee away,
And the place where they are is not known.” Nahum 3:14-17

The imagery is clear. The warring armies of real humans are equated to locusts. There is no need to depart from the symbolism here in Revelation. These are not some supernatural beasts that suddenly appear in the world, nor are they angels coming to fight in battle.

Rather, what we have presented here are real people employing modern means of combat. What John will describe is from the eyes of a person who had never seen or known of such things, and so he is using apocalyptic terminology to describe it as best as he can. With that in mind, he next says, “And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”

Scorpions are arachnids that have an exoskeleton (an external covering of the body that provides support and protection) and they have terrible stings in their tails. What John will describe in the coming verses is exactly like this. There is no need to devolve into the fantastic and devise mutant creatures, Nephilim warriors, or space aliens. Rather, what is written about here will be clearly understood with simple examples of modern warfare.

Life application: The plague of locusts is a common theme in the Bible. The 8th plague on Egypt involved locusts, and the book of Joel deals with differing locust plagues in detail –

“What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;
And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.” Joel 1:4

Using Old Testament symbology, John will give the best possible description he can. It will be based on the times he lived in and from the view of the world as he saw it, but not until modern times could we clearly identify what these locusts are.

Even until recently, scholars have symbolically termed them demons or other spiritual beings because what is described are obviously not real locusts.

These locusts are said to have been “given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” Thus, John is speaking in simile. Scorpions are small and can go anywhere because of their size. They are found on every continent but Antarctica. They can go places that other things can’t go and they have the ability to hurt those that they attack. Their exoskeletons protect their insides. These attributes describe what we will see in the verses ahead.

Lord God, it is always so interesting to see what You have placed in Your word. It is often a challenge to our minds to try to understand what is being conveyed to us and how it points to future events. But in carefully studying Your word in its entirety, we can form a much better picture of how things fit into the overall story. And so, help us to be diligent in our studies, cherishing Your word always. Amen.

Monday, 4 January 2021

And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Revelation 9:2

This verse is in response to the actions of the previous verse where the “star fallen from heaven to earth” was given the key to the bottomless pit. It now says, “And he opened the bottomless pit.” As noted in the previous verse, stars in the sky don’t get keys and open pits. But this one does, indicating that the words are to be taken in a metaphorical way. The star is speaking of a being that had fallen from heaven and is now given authority to take a specific action – that of opening the pit of the abyss.

Here we see that the ninth chapter of Revelation corresponds to the ninth letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet. The ninth letter, teth, pictures a basket, and it signifies “surround,” “contain,” and “mud.” In this chapter is found the bottomless pit that contains the great army of locusts.

If the pit of the abyss is where demons are located, then demonic forces can be expected to be released. One must then decide if these are literally coming to do what is stated in the verses ahead. Or are these things to be seen reflective of other things – such as fallen people who are on the side of the devil. In other words, Nazi Germany had a leader who was certainly demonically influenced. His people, then, could be equated with those who are demonically led. Thus, they would be as if they had come out of the bottomless pit.

The question is, “How literal are the verses to be taken, or how allegorical are they to be taken?” As the events are future, only best guesses can be made. Regardless of that for now, with the opening of the pit, John next says, “and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace.” The words are reminiscent of Genesis 19:27, 28 –

“And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. ²⁸ Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.”

This signified judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah had taken place. Another note with a similar tone is found in Exodus 19:18 –

“Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”

The symbolism there, at the giving of the Law of Moses, is that of the Lord’s holiness, terror of not meeting it, and both wrath and judgment when failure to meet it occurs. The law was given to show the people of the world their desperate need for God’s grace, as is found in Jesus Christ. The world has rejected that, and thus, the analogy here is that of impending doom.

The very word used to describe the furnace in the Old Testament verses gives a clue to what is being pictured. In Hebrew, the word is kibshan, a kiln. However, that is derived from the verb kabash, meaning to subdue, or to bring into bondage. One can see that the giving of the law actually brought people into bondage – not freedom (something spoken of by Jesus, Peter, and Paul). The people have rejected Christ’s freedom, they have remained apart from Him, and the terror and wrath of God will be poured out on them because of this.

Although this is getting ahead of things, something needs to be stated now because the “furnace” terminology is presented at this time. A concept that has been addressed, and that should be addressed again now, concerns what the scope of what is being presented here is. Are the verses speaking of judgment against Israel only, or against the Mideast, or against the whole world?

Daniel 9 clearly indicates that Israel is given seven more years under the Law of Moses. Because only Israel was given the law, it is quite possible that these judgments are coming solely against Israel. Thus, the vast multitudes mentioned in the coming verses are coming against them as God’s instruments of judgment (such as was the case with the Assyrians and Babylonians as is specifically mentioned in the Old Testament).

For now, the words of John continue with, “So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.” This can either be symbolic, literal, or both. If symbolic, it is reflective of the judgment on Israel for their wickedness literally permeating the heavens. Or it could be literal as war ensues in the land and the air is filled with the smoke of battle. Or the spiritual could be worked out in the physical – meaning both are the case.

There is already a precedent for the events now recorded, and that will be recorded in the verses ahead. In fact, it is an astonishingly similar pattern – that of the Gulf War. During that war, the oil fields of Kuwait were set on fire, and the entire area was literally shrouded in darkness as the battles ensued. A spiritual darkness also covered the area as the forces engaged in battle. More parallels to this war, which perhaps was given as a precursor to what will happen again in Israel, will be seen in the verses to come.

Life application:  As noted, during the first Gulf War, these verses well-resembled what occurred when Saddam Hussein set fire to the oil fields of Kuwait. His actions, although physical in nature and caused by humans, were certainly influenced by evil spiritual forces. Possibly in the future there will be a similar occurrence when armed conflict causes massive and widespread burning that brings about a darkening of the sun and the air.

The tribulation period is given to cleanse the earth of its unrighteousness, but it is more specifically given to accomplish this in Israel. Six points of correction were noted to Daniel concerning Israel’s remaining time under the law, culminating in a final seven-year period –

“Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.” Daniel 9:24

None of these were accomplished in the first four-hundred and eighty-three years. This means those six things are to be accomplished during their final seven-year period. The point of explaining this in the life application section is that Israel, though returned to their land by the Lord, is still not right with the Lord.

They promote self-righteousness, they promote homosexuality, they promote every type of perverse conduct that the rest of the world promotes. And they do it while living under the dispensation of Law. They bear God’s name, Israel, and yet they are far from Him. The purpose of God’s judgments upon them are corrective in nature. And they will be corrected. Someday they will call out to God through Jesus Christ, and they will be saved as a nation. But two-thirds of them will die in the process.

There are two aspects of dealing with Israel that must be considered then. The first is that we are not to jump on the “support Israel at all costs” bandwagon. As a nation, they are immoral and perverse, and their conduct should be called out. And yet, they are God’s chosen people to complete His redemptive purposes for the world through them. Therefore, we are to also support them and pray for them. They need their Messiah. Let us pray for Israel to find their true Messiah. Let us pray for them to find JESUS!

Heavenly Father, You would have Your creatures love You and to love one another, but instead, we revile Your glorious name and we also resolve our conflicts with anger, war, and destruction. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, look forward to the Day when He returns. Someday, these things will no longer occur. We look forward to the Day when righteousness reigns on the earth. Amen.