The protection of God’s seal
Revelation 9:1-12
9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, with stings, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.
12 The first woe has passed. There are still two woes to come.
Building on my earlier suggestion that the Book of Revelation is a circular staircase. With the fifth seal at the end of Rev. 6, the people of earth asked that mountains fall on them and kill them, sounds very similar to vs. 5, 6 here. Also, the winds in Rev. 7:3 were told to not damage the creation, see vs. 4 here. And in 7:3 the people of God are marked as God’s – here that mark protects the people of God. It feels like we have been here before. We are looking at it from a different vantage point.
The source of the locusts was the smoke that billowed out of the shaft that went down into the bottomless pit. The imagery is clear, the locusts are from hell, and they use destruction to gain power and to bring the world into deep despair. The picture of the power of the locusts and the evil they spread in the world is chilling.
Two things to be noted. This is the destruction that Satan and hell would bring if they were let free in the world. The forces of evil can only destroy. Satan’s power is destruction, Satan can not create and even when Satan seems to make something it is a poor imitation of what God has already made.
Second, even here with some of Satan’s worst being carried the forces of evil do not win a victory over God’s people, all will be kept safe because they have been marked by God’s seal, as God’s handiwork. The destruction is limited to those who are loyal to the forces of evil. For evil destroys its own followers.
There is hope here, again evil’s power is limited, God will not forget about his own. Even if the followers of God are killed in this life, there is the promise of life in the world to come. Yes, there is pain now, but the day is coming when every tear will be wiped from every eye.
PRAYER:
Lord God, evil is powerful, Satan’s forces are bent on destruction. Give us hope in your promise that those who have been marked by You are saved, safe in your hands. In Jesus’ name. Amen.