Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship's Bible study in the Book of Revelation.  Tonight is study #8 of Revelation, chapter 9, and we are continuing to look at Revelation 9:3:

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.

In our last study we saw that there is a similar picture God is using in Revelation, chapter 15, because the context of Revelation 15 (and into chapter 16) is Judgment Day.  We find seven “angels,” or messengers, that come out of the temple carrying the seven last vials full of the wrath of God.  It is said the temple was full of smoke from the glory of God; therefore, the seven messengers came out of the smoke, which would indicate the anger of God toward the unsaved, and they went forth to carry out their task of bringing judgment, as instruments of God in judgment on the unsaved people of the world.

This is a similar thing we are seeing here in Revelation 9.  The locusts come out of the smoke of the pit, the smoke as of a great furnace, which is pointing to the anger and fury of God.  The locusts are sent forth from the smoke.  They are coming, due to the fact that God is punishing the unsaved people of the world.

Again, let us read Revelation 9:3:

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.

It would be good for us to look up both these words, locusts and scorpions, to get a better understanding of what God is saying here.  Let us begin with the word “locust.”  We find in the Book of Leviticus that God is describing clean and unclean animals, in Leviticus 11:21-22:

Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.

From this we learn that the locusts were a clean food; that is, they were a creature that could be eaten.  There were many creatures that could not be eaten and, yet, the locust was clean for consumption purposes.  We find, very prominently, in the New Testament accounts of John the Baptist, that he had locusts as part of his diet.  It says in Mark 1:5-6:

And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

John was permitted by God to eat locusts and that is what he ate, along with wild honey.  They were the staples of his diet.  Yet, what can we learn from that?  I am not too sure, except we do know the locusts were “clean” and not considered “unclean,” like many other creatures.   We saw the locusts were similar to the true believers, in that they came out of the smoke just like the seven messengers, in Revelation 15, that were clothed in fine white linen and could only be the true believers.  We saw there was a similarity there and now it is fitting (since locusts can represent true believers) that they are a “clean” creature, so that would also seem to fit with God’s elect.

Let us see how else God uses the word “locust.”  In Exodus 10 we read of the Lord bringing plagues upon Egypt and it says in Exodus 10:12-13:

And JEHOVAH said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and JEHVOAH brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

Now that is another interesting thing: the “east wind” brought the locusts.  We know in the Bible that the “east” is the direction that represents the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is often identified with “east.”

Then it says in Exodus 10:14-15:

And the locusts 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.

So we see that the locusts are used by God as a form of judgment on Egypt, as all the plagues were forms of judgment upon Egypt.  The locusts, in particular, went after the fruit of the land.  That is what God is emphasizing in these verses.  They ate every herb of the land and there were so many of them that they ate “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.”

Let us see how God uses the word “locust” in a couple of other places.  Let us look at Deuteronomy 28, that very terrible chapter where God lays out the curses or punishments on the rebellious people.  He says in Deuteronomy 28:38:

Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

So the locusts will consume the “seed,” and we know that, in the Bible, seed relates to sowing the Gospel.  In the parable of the sower, the sower sows the seed, then Jesus relates that to the Word of God falling on the hearts of men.  Here, the locusts will consume the seed.  Then it says in Deuteronomy 28:42:

All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

Again, the locusts consume the fruit.  In summarizing the plagues of Egypt, this is reiterated in Psalm 105:34-35:

He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number, And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.

So we see these things when we look at these verses which describe locusts in a “destroying mode,” as they go forth to destroy herbs and all the fruit of the land.  It also mentions that they come in great numbers.  Actually, if you would look up “locusts,” you would see that they do swarm in masses – there are tremendous numbers of locusts.  And both of these things “fit” the true believers to describe what God has done during the Great Tribulation period and into this Day of Judgment. 

How do those things fit true believers?  Well, number one: we know God saved a “great multitude” of people out of Great Tribulation, so those that are “alive and remain,” the elect of God that are living presently upon the earth, are said to be a “great multitude.”  That idea would match with the idea of great numbers of locusts.  Since locusts swarm in tremendous numbers, it is said that it darkened the earth.  So, too, there are tremendous numbers of God’s elect.  Of course, it is just a remnant of the total of mankind, but God speaks of it as a “great multitude, which no man could number.”  No doubt there are tens, upon tens of millions of individuals all over the earth whom God has saved.  The way that God relates this to Judgment Day is that He has saved that great multitude in the little season of the Great Tribulation and this meant God had completed His salvation program; He had saved everyone whose name was recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life, leaving no more to be saved.  This resulted in God shutting the door to heaven and bringing about the Day of Judgment.  The great multitude, the swarm of locusts, is instrumental, therefore, in the judgment of the rest of the people of the world. 

Number two: locusts also relate to true believers regarding the idea of eating up the “fruit.”  That is what locusts do.  God sends them forth and they consume the crops; they destroy the harvest and they eat all the fruit of the land, even the seed.  We can see this very vividly in the things that God has done in this time of judgment.  For instance, God has revealed truth to His people and His people, in turn, share these things with others.  What truth has God revealed from His Word in this period of Judgment Day?  He has revealed that there is no more salvation to be had.  God’s Word has revealed that we are no longer to “sow seed,” because there is no one left to become saved and, therefore, in essence this has destroyed the “seed.”  God’s people, more and more, are no longer praying that the Word of God might be blessed and an individual might become saved.  For all intents and purposes, the teaching of God from May 21, 2011 (and ever since that time), has destroyed the seed. 

God’s people carried this message and, therefore, are acting as locusts that destroy the seed that has fallen upon the hearts of men.  Also, God has opened up and revealed information that there is no more salvation; He has finished His work in that regard and He has saved everyone that was to be saved.  Therefore, there will be no more fruit ever be developed.  God is sending forth His people to reap and gather those individuals that were already saved (prior to May 21, 2011), but there is no more fruit, no more sowing of seed; that is, no more salvation.  All “fruitfulness” is over and done with and never again will someone become saved and begin to show forth fruit.  God’s people are sharing this information with others and, in doing so, they are performing the role of locusts that are destroying the crops.

The crops in the churches, of course, have been destroyed by the Word of God and by what God has done in ending the church age and calling His people out.  We know that all those within the churches have been bundled as tares and all the inhabitants within have been cast into a spiritual fire and that destroys their crops, their harvest and their seed.  Not only that, but for all individuals outside the churches that are thinking, “We are going to continue ministering the Word.  We are going to continue sowing the seed.  We are going to continue bringing the Word of God with expectation of salvation and looking for fruit,” all of that is ruined; all of that is destroyed; all of that is utterly wasted by what God has done and by the Word of God, as He opens up these things and reveals them to us through the Bible.

Let us go back to our verse, in speaking of locusts, where it says in Revelation 9:3:

… and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

The locusts were “given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”  The Bible has nothing good to say about scorpions.  They typify that which is evil and that which is wicked.  For instance, it says in Deuteronomy 8:14-15:

When thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget JEHOVAH thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

It was not a positive thing at all that there were scorpions in the wilderness.  It was what made the wilderness so terrible.

We also read in the Book of Luke, when Jesus is sending forth the seventy, in Luke 10:17-20:

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

The serpents and scorpions are likened to devils and to the power of the enemy – to evil spirits.  There is no mistaking the connotation that is given here regarding scorpions as very evil.  Scorpions are an evil thing.  Well, does that mean that the locusts are evil in Revelation 9:3?

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

It is not saying that locusts are scorpions, but they have power as “the scorpions of the earth have power.”  Let us think about in what way the scorpions of the earth have power.  First of all, scorpions are identified with the enemy of God – with Satan.  Satan has his kingdom of darkness; he has his emissaries; he presents himself as an angel of light and his emissaries as ministers of righteousness.  Scorpions would be involved in false teachings and false gospels, and so forth.

Let us think about false gospels.  What is the one thing that every false gospel has in common?  If we think about it, we will come to a conclusion.  We will have an answer, even though false gospels differ greatly in the way they are false – some emphasize one part of the Bible; others emphasize certain Scriptures; some add to the Bible and some subtract from it; some believe in speaking in tongues and in dreams and visions.  There is a wide spectrum of falsehood which makes them false gospels and places them under the power of the enemy, but what do they have in common?  This would apply to any church today or any professed Christian religion and they all have this in common: they have no power to save.  There is no ability within any false gospel to save, whether it is Mormonism or Catholicism or JEHOVAH’S Witnesses, or churches that speak in tongues.  No matter what their error and no matter what particular bent they place on their teachings, they all have this in common – there is no power to save their followers, all those that adhere to them, believe them and trust in them.  There is no salvation for those that follow any false gospel.

Now when we get to the time of Judgment Day and the true believers are here, living in the world on the Day of Judgment.  The true believers have always been identified with the true Gospel, which has always had the power to save; that is one of the big things that had set it apart from every other gospel.  True salvation came through true teaching of the Bible, as the Bible was declared during the day of salvation.  But now it is Judgment Day and now God has shut the door to heaven.  Now He has ended His salvation program and He has taken away the command to His people to go forth in an evangelistic way that others might hear and become saved: “You have done the will of God as far as that was concerned and now you have need of patience.  I have another task for you, while you are exercising patience, and that is to feed my sheep.  They are all found, but now they need to be fed.”  Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep,” and that command was for all of us, as the Lord used Peter as an example of all true believers that are living in these days after the tribulation.  This is our task. 

So, as we learn truth from the Bible and declare those truths, it will feed sheep and it will also perform the function of a “locust” in destroying the fruit of the land and destroying the “seed” that anyone might think they are sowing.  Everything will be destroyed by the teaching of the Word of God.  Also, we will “have power, as the scorpions of the earth have power,” in the sense that there is now a similarity between the false gospels and the true Gospel; and that similarity is that there is now no salvation in the teachings of the true declaration of the Word of God.  There is no more power to save in the sharing of that Word and that is why God is likening the locusts and the power or authority granted to them in the period of Judgment Day “as the scorpions of the earth have power.”  It is only because there is no more possibility of salvation.