Understanding God's Sealing and The Locust Working

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veteran

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I've noticed many have a hard time with the symbology of Revealtion, especially in Revelation 9 about the locusts and the two hundred thousand, thousand army. Don't make a mistake and think that great army is about literal armies in war. It's not.

I'm going to show you why... it's important to do earnest study in the Old Testament prophets before trying to tackle our Lord's Book of Revelation. So let's go to the Book of Joel and find out about those locusts of Rev.9...


Joel 1:1-20
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.


God through His prophet Joel asks, "Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?" God is giving a group of prophecies here about the end of days, leading up to the "great tribulation" time. The following prophecies He's giving lead up to the "great tribulation" time and end of this world. He's saying for each generation of His people to mark it in the mind, and pass it on to each succeeding generation of children.


4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

That's 4 stages of the natural locust. What the first locust stage doesn't eat, the next stage devours, and so on. Our Heavenly Father is using this locust development as a metaphor for destruction, which He will show us more as we go along here. Just keep in mind 4 stages of development, just like a real locust does in nature.


5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

In the prophets God sometimes referred to His people as drunkards put in the spiritual deception sense. You know, like the mind being dulled down, not aware of things going on around us. The 'new wine' is sometimes put for true understanding, like our Lord Jesus used in the parable of putting new wine into new bottles, so both are preserved. With this then, the 'new wine' (understanding by The Holy Spirit) is cut off from them. Do you see how God applies this drunkedness like in the spiritual deception sense?


6 For a nation is come up upon My land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

Got the 4 stage locust thing already, and now our Heavenly Father shows us who He actually meant with using the locust idea. They represent "a nation". And that "nation" comes upon His land. What land is that? Well, Jerusalem is where He said He chose for to dwell forever, and He married Jerusalem per Ezek.16, so that should be a good enough clue. That "nation" are without number, and they gots teeth... like the teeth of lions, even like a great... lion! Wow!

Wait a minute? Didn't we read that same kind of idea about the locust army in Rev.9? Yep!


Rev 9:7-8
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
(KJV)


They had teeth like lions! Yet look at verse 7; they have "the faces of men"! So God is simply using the idea of how locusts work in devouring to describe this particular "nation" that comes upon His land (and people), to destroy in 4 stages. What one stage leaves, the next stage picks up, and so on. That's showing us how thorough and complete their working is. They don't miss... nothing.



Joel 1:7 He hath laid My vine waste, and barked My fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

A tree with all its outer bark removed looks pretty bare doesn't it? When preping a tree for lumber its bark is stripped and it's branches are sliced off. But did you note God said even the branches of these trees are stripped white also? They're still on the tree but stripped bare! How thorough would one have to be to do that not just to tree trunk, but to all its little branches too? That's how thorough this "nation" of locusts are to work in devouring.


8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
9 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD's ministers, mourn.
10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.


God warns to mourn, because the meat offering and drink offering is cut off even from God's house on earth (symbolic of the Church houses for us Gentile believers). The locusts have come to devour everything.


11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.


God uses the idea of vineyard dressers (husbandmen), with the vineyard perishing because of the locusts. Notice how He then connects the priests and ministers within this, so the locusts are going to attack the house of God too, not just one's vineyard.


14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,
15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.


Per Apostles Paul and Peter, the "day of the Lord" timing is when our Lord Jesus returns to gather us (1 Thess.5: 2 Pet.3:10). In this prophecy that time is very near, so when is our Heavenly Father showing us when this locust event is for? It's especially for the time leading up to Christ's second coming.


16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
19 O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field cry also unto Thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
(KJV)


The idea so far isn't difficult to grasp, this is not a joyous time when these locusts work against God's people for the last days. Next chapter is going to give more details about this "nation" that works like locusts do.


Joel 2:1-32
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.


Sound the alarm means a time to watch and be on guard. Blow the trumpet of warning in Jerusalem (Zion), for the day of The LORD comes. Once again, God marks the timing of these events for the end.

Now this "nation" of locusts is called "a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it...". Do you see how that's a tribulation timing reference? Our Lord said the "great tribulation" is to be a time unlike any other time of history on the earth, and never will be a time like it again. God is also applying that idea to this locust army, a certain nation, a people, a powerful people.


3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

A fire goes in front of them, leaving everything behind in flames. The land in front of them is like milk and honey, and then a desolate barren desert behind them, meaning they won't miss anything. One should recognize how God is showing us how thorough these people are, and that's where their power and strength is.


4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.


If you'll look at Rev.9 about the locusts given there, you'll find these are more symbolic metaphors for these same locusts. God is comparing them to a literal army in battle array. But they are not a literal army, but a certain people that devour like a locust does.


6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.


They won't break ranks from their battle array. Even when they fall on the sword they are not wounded. Now that's a big clue God gives us with this. If this were about a real literal military army, they certainly would be wounded if they fell upon a sword. So this is a clue to let us know He is only using an army as a symbol for how together and disciplined this nation of locusts work.


9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

Now they're attacking the home, coming in the windows as a thief? Where else did our Lord give that metaphor idea of the thief coming and to be on watch? That was one of the time warning our Lord gave through His Apostles, to stay sober and watching, lest His coming take "as a thief in the night." So once again, God is marking the timing of this locust prophecy, showing us it's for the end.



10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

That's 6th Seal timing isn't it? It's a marker for Christ's second coming getting ready to occur.


11 And the LORD shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong That executeth His word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O LORD, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?


This is how we are to be during these times, prayer and fasting, staying in Christ Jesus. He is our Strength and Hope through these times. His army is great and will defeat this locust army, "a nation", a people strong to devour.



18 Then will the LORD be jealous for His land, and pity His people.
19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto His people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.


Now God combines the locust working with the army of Ezekiel that comes out of the northern quarters, the Gog/Magog army which Christ's army will battle on the last day of this world. The idea is that the devouring the 4 stage locust army works to weaken God's people at the end of this world is only a prep stage for the literal northern army of Gog-Magog to come and destroy completely.



22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you,


When it's time, and we should realize what time their defeat will come is about Christ's second coming, all one need do is look at the powers in the world today that are in control. There you'll see that "nation" of locusts, a people. Notice God says He is Who sends that great locust army.



26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, That hath dealt wondrously with you: and My people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and My people shall never be ashamed.
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
(KJV)


God is going to restore what the locusts have eaten up. When per this? When our Lord Jesus returns. Some of these verses were quoted by Apostle Peter on Pentecost. Notice per this those are tribulation timing events given, showing that Peter on Pentecost was showing us the 'cloven' tongue was an example of this Joel 2 event, which is actually for tribulation timing.

So when one gets to Revelation 9 about this locust idea, we know it's actually about a certain people, "a nation", and not actual locust insects. Per Rev.9, these locusts are loosed on the 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe period, and they slay a 3rd of men. We're also shown their power is in their mouths, and out of their mouths issues fire and brimstone. That is put for working deception, devouring the soul, not literal battle like a literal army. Words are what comes out of one's mouths, not bullets.

Locust Metaphor Continued: God's Sealing:


Rev 9:3-6
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.
4 And it was commanded them 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 in their foreheads.


Remember, this is not about literal locust insects. It's about men that work in the way real locusts do. When a storm of locusts come upon a land, they eat up everything, leaving little or nothing in its wake. But our Lord also attached the idea of a scorpion with how these locusts work also.

A very, very important revelation above to notice is how these locusts are commanded to NOT hurt the grass of the earth, neither any... green thing, neither any tree, but only what? Only men. Which men? Only men that have NOT the seal of God in their foreheads. Have to think about what that's saying.

Do literal military armies hurt grasses on the earth, trees, and such? Yes, beyond a doubt. And these are only... allowed to hurt men, so what's our Lord Jesus showing us with that? This locust army is NOT a military army coming upon the land, but "a nation" remember? (Joel 1:6). They represent a certain people, the world controllers. Well who's that? Specifically in our days it's those who are on the plan to establish a one-world government, the beast kingdom system of Revelation 13 that Jesus reveals later in Revelation.

Think about what level of controls would be required to bring that world beast system about. If one could categorize such levels of controls over the world what main categories would you come up with? The levels I suggest are the same that others have suggested in the past, even those who probably don't know anything about this Bible prophecy from Joel and Revelation. They are: 1) the political controls, 2) the financial controls, 3) the educational controls, and 4) the religious controls. There's the 4 stages of the locust working upon the earth.

That's why these particular locusts are not about some military army of destruction, but instead an army of world controllers taking power over all things upon this earth in preparation for the coming Antichrist. One can look up the strategy of Goals 2000 and discover much about that plan. The political, educational, and financial areas have already been conquered by the locusts today, and in the past few decades they've been steadily working on the religious area of controls, proposing a world-one religious system with all the world's religions attached to its authority.

Consider the last phrase of Rev.9:4 again. The locusts are allowed to hurt only the men which do NOT have God's seal in their foreheads. What does that mean? What is God's sealing for involving this event? Let's go a couple more verses...


Rev.9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
(KJV)


Even those men the locusts are allowed to hurt, they're not allowed to kill them, but only torment them for a period of five months. And the torment is "as" the torment of a scorpion. So it's about the stinging of a scorpion, but remember, those stung are not to be killed. It's important to understand just how a real scorpion works. It stings its prey numbing it. Then the scorpion regurgitates an acidic type fluid into the victim's mouth which turns the victim's insides to mush. Then the scorpion sucks out the victim's insides as food. It literally uses the victim's body as a digestive system, since the scorpion doesn't have one. The victim is then left as an empty shell.

God is using this scorpion working by the locusts in the spiritual death sense. The locusts attack one's heart and mind like a scorpion, imparting lies into the victim's heart and mind which turns the victim's insides to spiritual mush, killing the soul with spiritual death, and the victim is then left as an empty shell. It's not applied literally like some monster movie; this idea is being applied spiritually. This is what the sting of those locusts represent. And we can see the preparation period today for that stinging, for it's about being deceived to accept the world controller's plans for the world beast system, and ultimately to bow to the coming false messiah/antichrist in place of Christ Jesus.

So if you are Sealed with God's Seal, then their stinging won't affect you, because being sealed by God for this event means you cannot be deceived about any of that false working of the locust army world controllers. And nor will you be deceived by the coming false messiah/antichrist which those locusts are getting today's world ready to worship. Those without God's seal are subjected to the locust's stinging, and they cannot be killed. It means those will dwell in deception, agreeing to the world controller's plans. But for you, if you have God's Sealing, you can be killed. Christ's elect cannot be deceived as Jesus showed in Matt.24:23-26. This is why we're shown at the end of Rev.13 that the dragon will require those who refuse the mark to be killed. Everyone of us alive for the end prior to Christ's coming will be in one of those two groups, either deceived by the locusts or sealed by God against the locust's deceptions.


Rev 9:7-19
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.


Sounds almost like the Book of Joel again about the locusts, doesn't it? Got a bit more detail here on how they work though. What does the "hair as the hair of women" represent? It's represents softness, and thus one of their methods of imparting lies is by smoothness and meekness. One is much more able to accept a lie coming from someone who talks softly and meek than one who is like a disciplinarian-authoritarian type. The rest of that verse showing how they have teeth like lions shows how when they latch onto their prey, they will never let go. The analogy is to one that appears outwardly softspoken and meek, but in reality attacks like a lion.

These locusts have crowns of gold on their heads, and the faces of men. It's because they are 'men', not literal locusts. And the crowns represent the crowns of the saints. So these are going to be trying to pass themselves off as the "ministers of righteousness" like Apostle Paul warned in the 2 Corinthians 11 chapter about Satan's servants on earth. These locusts with crowns of gold are going to be preaching Christ has come when the false messiah arrives. They will tell you to bow in worship to the wrong one, when our Lord Jesus said not to (Matt.24:23-26).

Rev.9:10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

Once again the idea of their stinging as scorpions for five months is emphasized.


Rev.9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

These locusts which are men have the angel of the bottomless pit as their king. Who's that? It's Satan, the dragon. His titles of Abaddon and Apollyon mean 'Destroyer'. Our King is Jesus Christ, but their 'king' (lower case) is Satan, the Devil. Satan wants to the King and worshipped as Christ. His coveting of God's throne in the beginning is when that idea began.


Rev.9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

That description of the locust working was on the 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe period. With the 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe period, that locust army will be loosed in full upon the earth, representing the height time of the "great tribulation" Jesus mentioned. That's when the world beast system is going to come to the full, along with the appearance of the "another beast" of Rev.13.


Rev.9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15 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.


When the 6th Trumpet is blown, the Euphrates border is opened up, and Satan's host come across it, symbolizing the time of the one-world beast kingdom and image of the beast, and his mark system. That event is specifically prepared to occur at a certain time, represented by "an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year". The locust army will spiritually slay the third part of men by their sting as a scorpion, and how long will that occur? For a five month period. Remember Jesus said He shortened the time of the great tribulation for the sake of His elect servants.


Rev.9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
17 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 horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.


Is this a literal army? No. It's the same locusts mentioned at the beginning of Rev.9. The difference with this event is the height of the attack time, i.e., the tribulation time. Notice what comes out of their 'mouths'. We know these locusts represent men and not real monsters, so what comes out of the mouths of men? That's right, words. That's the arena of the locust army's working, lies that cause deception.

Rev.9:18 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.
19 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.
(KJV)


A third part of men are killed by what comes of these locust's mouths. What KIND of death does that represent, since we read at the start in Rev.9 that the locusts are not allowed to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any tree or green thing, but only men, and that they cannot kill anyone not having God's seal? The kind of death this is about is SPIRITUAL DEATH TO ONE'S SOUL.

Fall away from Christ Jesus to bow instead to the coming false messiah, and that will cause spiritual death to one's soul, especially for a Christian believer. All those who bow will be subject to the "second death" of Rev.20.

Thus it's important to understand the locust army kills with what comes out of their mouths (i.e., by words), and they do NOT represent a literal military army in all out literal WWIII. They represent the world controllers taking over piece by piece, in four development stages. And then their final attack upon the minds and hearts of the peoples of the world when false messiah arrives.