Revelation 9:3-6
Verse 3 introduces a swarm of what John describes as locusts. We will not use this forum to discuss all the different theories about who or what these locusts may be; I am just going to bring out the literal sense of what is said here.
In verse 2 we have already seen a bottomless pit is where these creatures ascend out of. This could represent a portal of Hades (Hell) in which these creatures were imprisoned for an undisclosed period of time. In the Bible, Hades has been described to have different levels and different regions, so these locusts most likely were not kept with the regular population of Hell.
You may recall in chapter 9, verse 1 satan had been subscribed to as being the star with the key to open the pit. We will find this same bottomless pit is described again in chapter 20, verse 1. This is the same pit satan will later occupy for a thousand years.
The description of the pit also gives us an indication that this is Hades, because where there is smoke, there is fire. Just as there are portals that open into Heaven where God is known to pour out blessing, there are also portals into Hades where the dead without Christ enter to descend into this hideous place.
Who are these locusts like creatures? They obviously cannot be an actual insect for the design of locusts is to eat every green thing in their path. In addition, they are harmless to mankind physically. These creatures have been commanded not to hurt any green thing.
In verse 4 these creatures are given power as the scorpions of the earth and are commanded to not hurt anything except the people that do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Remember that the 144,000 Jewish evangelists are sealed with this mark of God and it can be assumed that anyone saved during the Tribulation Period will also have this mark.
The image of a scorpion is really the key to what these creatures are, for Jesus said in Luke 10:19, ‘He gave His disciple’s power (authority) over serpents and “scorpions” and over all the power of the enemy (satan).’
We know by the context in the instructions Jesus gave to the twelve disciples He was not referring to literal snakes and scorpions. He told them to cast out devils not to stomp on these types of earthly creatures.
I believe John remembered this instruction given by Jesus when he chose to describe these creatures. Evil spirits make sense so we will not seek any other sense to the description.
Out of all the different applications as to whom these locusts are what other one could fit? They know who has the seal of God and who does not, yet there is nothing to indicate that this seal will be visible to mankind.
Only spirit beings would have the ability to see the seal on those who have it on their foreheads. In case you did not know it, if you are Born Again, you too carry a seal by the Holy Spirit according to Ephesians 1:13.
With the understanding of what these evil spirits have been given to do it should be clear as we move on.
In verse 5 these creatures are instructed not to kill anyone, but to torment them for a period of five months. There is nothing here that gives any indication as to why this specific time period. Possibly it is the mercy of God keeping the suffering from being experienced for the remainder of the Tribulation Period.
Another clue that these are evil spirits is found in the book of Job, chapter 2, verse 6. Satan was allowed to afflict Job’s body or we could say torment him, but he was not allowed to take his life.
Going back to the reference in Luke 10, the scorpions are interesting for a scorpion can inflict pain with a strike of the tail releasing varying measures of venom even to the place of paralysis yet not cause death; 1 John 4:18 states that “perfect love cast out fear, for fear has “torment.”
In our Western civilized culture, it is quite unfamiliar to experience a person tormented by an evil spirit, however it happens all the time.
Someone being tormented experiences major bouts with fear, oppression and obsessions that can cause them to be institutionalized. They can be tormented in their minds and do physical harm to themselves.
I think we all have witnessed what fear can do to an individual who is usually stable. They can do the strangest things and even be paralyzed by it. We can see some similarities to the result of the venom of these scorpions.
Do some research and see the power of what fear can do to a person, then when these evil spirits are released into the earth and are causing torment to mankind it will make perfect sense.
Verse 6 gives us another aspect of what fear is known for; it can cause someone to want to die. However, another form of torment is that even though they want to die, they are afraid to kill themselves.
This kind of fear or torment will probably have a phobia attached to it since the evil spirits are not allowed to kill them; a phobia to suicide will most likely be evident.
