April 14, 2025

April 14   Revelation 9

Locusts were part of the plagues of Egypt. They typically come and eat all the plants and grass in area as they come in swarms. This affects people by causing potential for famine when they have eaten up the food.  Locusts are still a problem in parts of the world today.

The locusts in Revelation are 9 are different.  They are demon-locusts who only affect people directly.  They were told not to harm the plants and green grass.  Instead, they would only go after people.  They would be limited to only going after and bothering people who were not sealed by God.  These instructions show that even these demons are subject to and must answer to God who is the ultimate authority.  They would not kill people, but through torment would make them absolutely miserable.  They are given a timeframe of 5 months.  This actually coincides with the lifespan of a typical, normal locust.

The 6th trumpet brought death of 1/3 of the earth's population.  Don't miss the end of the chapter though. Despite everything that is going on they still did not repent and turn to God.  This sounds a lot like Pharaoh who faced plague after plague but never relented to God.  As Christians who are called to share the Gospel we must be aware that some hearts are so hardened against God that they simply will not repent. Our job is obedience to tell about Jesus- the response is between them and God.