Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
Next | Previous | Contact Ron | Introduction | Foreword | Index | Tellout
Locusts from the Abyss in the Earth : Day 36 
"The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them." (Revelation 9:1 to 6)
Falling Star
"A star", which could possibly refer to a senior angel, fell from Heaven to open the underworld, the Abyss with a key. The access to the shaft of the "Abyss" or bottomless pit was normally held by God, but was temporarily given to this angel from heaven. This angelic being was under God's control and authority.
The Bible pictures three levels to the Cosmos. The heavens above, the earth beneath and the underworld below make up this realm. The dead without Christ live in the underworld with the beast and demons. The Abyss is the prison for Satan during the millennium and is the home of demon locusts.
The Abyss
The abyss was conceived as a vast subterranean cavern full of fire. Its only link with the earth was a kind of passage or mine shaft, which was usually kept locked. The Abyss represents the place of the demons and of Satan, the king of demons. These evil powers were being released at God's command and in his control to wreak havoc upon the earth.
Locust Plague
A locust plague is described by the prophet Joel as a foreshadowing of the Day of the Lord. In the Old Testament, locusts were symbols of destruction because they ate the people's crops and food. "Locusts" figured prominently in the eighth and ninth plagues of Egypt Here the locusts torture people who do not believe in God.
Scorpion's Sting
"The scorpion's poisonous sting" was well known in Israel with its very painful effect. The limitations placed on locusts which could only torment people for five months indicate that they are still under God's authority.
Meditation
Do you have the seal of God on your forehead?
Prayer
"Yesterday, Today, Forever, Jesus is the same, All may change but Jesus never, Glory to his name" (1)
Notes
(1)
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."
