The American Wisdom Series 
 http://www.americanwisdomseries.com

Presents 

Revelation 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Now we'll start our study of:

Jesus has shortened the great tribulation to!

Five months! 

The actual length of the locust season

We will read of the 5th Trump and learn of a great locust army to come against our people. 

Those without the gospel armour on (Eph. 6) are going to get devoured, those with it on and in place will squish locusts like little pesky bugs.

Rev. 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

So in contrast to the book of Daniel, John was given specific instructions by one of the seven angels, we are now reading about, NOT TO SEAL the sayings and prophecy of this book. That means that the Book of Revelation is UNSEALED, free and open for the partaking and understanding by God's "servants".
Here is John relaying his instructions: Rev. 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

So with the "lid off" all we have to do is look inside
and "see" what is happening.

And the best part is that most of it is like seeing an exciting movie because the Holy Spirit uses pictures and graphic symbols to "show", to explain and simplify, what it is He wants us to know. In other words, not only is the Book of Revelation UNSEALED, it has also been SIMPLIFIED for our understanding by turning that which is difficult to explain with words into pictures that we can "see" clearly.

And guess what? It is a documented fact that people remember infinitely more of what they "see" than what they "hear" or "read".

Now, back to Revelation 9:

Now, let's see what happens when the bottomless pit is opened.

[2] And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

[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.

No, now you're off track again! Back to paragraph one of this lesson. 

"This entire description is the "Picture" that our Father would have us see in our "minds eye" representing the terrible devastation wrought upon the minds and souls of men and women by the "children of disobedience".

Understand, you can't "see" a lie.
And you can't see it devour someone's chance to see the truth.

So we are talking about the enemies of God and "Seeing" an analogous "Picture" of them. They are like a bunch of insects, i.e. locusts, scorpions, etc.

Are they to be feared?

NAW! Jesus Christ has given His own His Two-edged Sword, remember? And along with it, the POWER of it, i.e. the power to wield it!

Here's what He has to say about creepy, crawly snakes and insects, i.e. low life creatures, Satan's own.

Luke 10:19
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Actually, you can see, you can just tread on these venomous insects with the gospel armour boots and save the Sword for the fire breathing dragon, to cut off his head! 

"I just can't wait for the opportunity",

I say, as I polish my gospel armour. "Let that old dragon out the pit!"

Now, here's another key to remember to help understand "Pictures" more fully, shall we say to a deeper level. The Holy Spirit in giving us these Pictures doesn't just arbitrarily pick the symbols He uses. There is a purpose and a meaning contained in the selection. So if we learn the characteristics of the symbols we can better understand what is being described.

Let's start with the scorpion. Here's a link, one of many, where you can go to learn how the scorpion takes its prey.

http://www.desertusa.com/oct96/du_scorpion.html

"The venom of scorpions is used for both prey capture and defense. Scorpion venoms are complex mixtures of neurotoxins (toxins which affect the victim's nervous system) and other substances; each species has a unique mixture."

Note: Those locusts were sent by God just as we will read in Joel that these locusts in Revelation are also sent by, controlled by, God. Why? For the same reason the plagues were brought upon Egypt... "So that they may know that the Lord God Almighty doth reign supreme in both heaven and earth".

Live Link to: Joel

These insects when they swarmed through the land of Egypt consumed everything in their path. 

Here's the narrative:

Exodus 10:14-15
And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. [15] For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

But wait, those were actual locusts that ate every green thing and all the grass and fruit and leaves off the trees, etc. These locusts in Revelation don't eat anything green, no trees, no grass. Of course not! They eat men's brains! Uneducated, unlearned in the Word of God, unsealed brains (which are what is supposed to be in their foreheads)! 

[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.

Here's a "Picture", a physical enactment, the type set forth, so that we can "see" the spiritual. The Lord God visited Ezekiel. Did you know that? It's right in chapter one of his book. And before He departed He gave these instructions to Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 9:3
And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon He was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;

[4] And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

[5] And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:

[6] Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

Next we will learn the length of time these locusts will have to swarm the earth. Christ said He would shortened the time of the reign of Satan, pretending to be Christ, else no flesh would be saved alive. Given enough time, the dragon and his locusts would consume everyone.

We've all seen graphic Hollywood productions both on TV and in the movies depicting the atrocities and bloodshed of war. Worse yet, we've all seen, and even are seeing today, graphic media coverage of the wars of the 20th Century. Those who die in these flesh and blood conflicts lose their physical lives and terminate their tabernacle, their temporary dwelling in the flesh body. It is called the "first death" which happens to ALL human beings, whether violently or peaceably or quickly or slowly or painfully or painlessly. For flesh and blood cannot enter into the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50).

We have been instructed in the 6th chapter of Ephesians to put on the gospel armour to prepare to stand in battle against the fiery darts of the wicked one and his army. It is spiritual warfare and it is your worst nightmare!

Ephes. 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

In this 9th chapter of the Book of Revelation we are seeing the Holy Spirit's advanced coverage of the major battles of this end time war. Think about how incredible that is! In other words we are reading and seeing future news coverage of future events! And of course since we can't see with flesh eyes a "soul" or "spirit" being cut in half with a "tradition of men" or blown up with a deadly "lie bomb" or slowly suffocated with "dragon gas", He has chosen to illustrate what is actually occurring by using common analogies familiar to man.

So in this 9th chapter we have been reading of Satan's army likened to a swarm of locusts which darken the sky and devour every living thing in their path. And their infliction of lies into the minds of men and women are like the sting of a scorpion, quick and venomous, drugging the nervous system (the mind) of its victims.

Do you remember on Pentecost Day in Acts chapter two when Peter stood up and explained what the Galileans were speaking of in the tongue, meaning language, that was understood by every dialect of every nationality present? He quoted from the Book of Joel concerning the last days, these days and those just ahead, when God would pour out His spirit on His sons and daughters and they would prophesy, meaning teach from the prophets, like Joel, Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, etc.

Let's pick it up with verse 5 in chapter 9 of Revelation concerning the locusts:

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.

Now LOOK! Did you notice there is something in tomorrow's newsreel that is very revealing (what a great title for this book)? Did you notice how long the locust army has to do its thing? Five Months!

Remember in Mark 13:20 and Matthew 24:22 concerning this tribulation period that Jesus said He was going to shortened the length of time, otherwise no flesh would be saved?

Mark 13:20
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

Even more remarkable is that the season of actual locusts is always from May to September. Five months! Let's see, that would be from Passover to the Feast of Tabernacles. Hmmmm!

Did you know that Jesus Christ was born on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles? (If not, read appendix 179 in the Companion Bible if you are blessed to have one.) Do you think His second advent might just be in like manner?

Note: You can down load your own copy of the Companion Bible free @ Companion Bible download free 

Download free appendix to Companion Bible

Verse 6:

Rev. 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Rev. 6:15-17
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; [16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Rev. 9:7 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.

Nice folk, these gentle looking liars of Satan's own, wouldn't you say?

This description tends to make the expression "A wolf in sheep's clothing" seem like a desirable alternative.

[9] And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

2 Cor. 11:13
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

[14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

[15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

And by the way, the breastplates that the Levitical Priests wore were made of precious materials with gold rings and chains and inlaid with the 12 precious gems of the 12 Tribes of Israel. The breastplates worn by Satan's priests are made of iron, figuratively of course. You get the contrasting Pictures?

One more thing in Rev. 9:9. If you are familiar with the Book of Ezekiel, especially chapters 1, 9 & 10, you'll will know that these "locusts" also have very high-tech transportation. The "world" calls them UFO's because they haven't studied God's Word to learn their identity. Those who have studied Ezekiel call them IFO's, Identified Flying Objects.

Live Link to- Ezekiel chapter 1,  chapter 9,  and chapter 10

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.

[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.

Proverbs 30:27
The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

Abaddon, Greek #3; of Hebrew origin [#11 abaddown]; a destroying angel - Abaddon.

Apollyon, Greek #623; active participle of Greek #622 (appolumi); a destroyer (i.e. Satan) - Appollyon.

Here's another interesting fact for those who really want to study in depth. There is an advantage in understanding scripture if you are familiar with the original languages, Hebrew, Greek and Chaldean. That doesn't mean that you need to speak them, but to become familiar with them and how to "break back" the English with a Strong's Concordance. Here's an example why as we look at two more words from two of the most commonly quoted verses in scripture:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2 Thes. 2:3-4
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

The word "perdition" is Greek #684; also a derivative of #622 appolumi, and means destruction, die, perdition. Don't ever let someone tell you the son of perdition is Judas or anyone else other than Satan himself! Satan is the son who will perish! It is his name!

[12] One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

Now, as our study moves forward - The 5th Trumpet has sounded and one Woe is past! There are still two woes to go. And remember, these three Woe Trumps are "Woes" to the inhabiters of the earth. Why? The answer is real simple: Because the final generation will confront the "supernatural" face to face. Satan, in person, who was in the garden of Eden and seduced mother Eve, along with his angels who came to earth in Genesis chapter six and seduced the daughters of Adam, are all coming to this generation to "seduce" the entire world. And what a spiritual orgy it will be! The whole world, with few exceptions, will marry the wrong Jesus! Woe to the inhabiters of the earth!

Woe also to "women with child" when the true Bridegroom (Christ) returns for His bride at the 7th trump, who should be a virgin, but instead is found spiritually nursing her own baby. "Women with child" referring to both men and women who didn't wait, but instead worshiped Satan, believing he was the real Christ Jesus! She/they went to the wrong wedding, the first one! She/theywas taken in the field. Oh how ashamed she will be! Woe, woe, woe!

That is also why Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:10 that women should have the veil of Christ on their heads, His power, i.e. be subject to Him. It is because of these same angels. They are coming, for sure!

1 Cor. 11:10
For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

Matthew 24:37-39
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, [39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

So in the 5th Trump we were given advanced news coverage of the approaching "locust" army headed by their king, I-wanna-be-god. We were shown by graphic analogy the gruesome devouring of the souls of men, their inner man, brought on by the fierce onslaught of Satan's wicked followers, who appear as angels of light but devour like locusts and shred their prey as do lions.

And now the 6th Trump. (Don't forget, John is still in heaven, in the spirit, witnessing all this for us.)

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,

Now here's the command to the sixth angel from the One who has All Power:

[14] Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

So who are these angels? The answer lies in the phrase "bound in the great river Euphrates", which symbolically means "bound in judgment". The river Euphrates has always been the boundary between Babylon and God's children. Did you know that the word "Hebrew" comes from "eber" which means people "from across the river", i.e. across the great river Euphrates where lies the great city of Babylon?  And we find that the Euphrates is connected with the judgments of the great day in Jeremiah 46:4-10.

So these angels are those "bound" angels "reserved unto the day of judgment" which we just discussed in the opening paragraphs of this study and which Jude speaks of.

Jude 1:6
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

[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.

The hour, day, month and year given here is not a duration of time but rather a fixed period of time, i.e. the time and date they are appointed, prepared, to be let loose, which only God knows.

And they "slay" a third part of men. Now we already know that they cannot shed blood, i.e. kill anybody, so always remember to think 2nd death, spiritual death.

[16] And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

The word "thousand" is  murias, Greek #3461; a ten-thousand; by extension a "myriad" or indefinite number.

[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.

[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.

Also, these guys can't harm and are but a mere nuisance to those with the seal of God in their foreheads. We practice on them while we await the "Fire Breathing Dragon" who gets his head cut off with the Sword of the Lord! Didn't you always wonder why dragons breathed fire? Now you know what it means!

[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.

[20] And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

[21] Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Rev. 12:15
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Genesis 7:24
And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

Woe, Woe! We're in the second woe! The 6th Trumpet has sounded and all hell is breaking loose! The locust army is swarming and Satan's angels as priests of God are leading the charge before old dragon breath himself rides into town, that'd be Jerusalem, i.e. Religion on his pale white horse dressed like the King of kings.

But there are those who have the seal of God in their foreheads whom Satan and his troops may not touch. Let's read some more detail in chapter 10 of the Book of Revelation.

Rev. 10:1
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

It is still hard to imagine all of things that John saw when he was taken to heaven in the spirit,  but you have to admit he keeps his cool and does a great job of describing them to us. What a blessed servant of our Father he was and is!

Note: Just so you know, you'll never read of a female angel in the Bible. They are all male, for they are all sons of God, even as we all are, though in the flesh we have gender. (Personally, I think God sent all the female angels here in the flesh to try to add some semblance of sanity to men's ways. Just kidding.)

[2] And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

Also, there are only two things which cover the surface if this earth, water and land (ice is water too!). The expression "and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth" gives us a picture of the angel standing on the whole world, to which this applies.

[3] And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

Thunder is the loud crackling sound you hear that tells you that lightning has struck.

Note: If you are struck by the lightning itself, chances are you won't hear the thunder because your ears are probably burnt off.

Now here's the point to all of this. Jesus Christ has forewarned us about the "lightning". It is not of nature, it is of super-nature, i.e. supernatural.

Luke 10:18
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

In fact, when he gets here he's going to perform great wonders and illusions in the sight of men and even make fire (meaning lightning) come down from heaven to convince the unlearned that he is Jesus. The people will love him! They already love laser and light shows, so just wait 'till they witness this display!

Rev. 13:13
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Matthew 24:27
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

[4] And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

[5] And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

[6] And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

Rev. 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

(What? Is Deuteronomy really someone's name? Well, you know how we shorten everyone's full name from like Frederick to Fred and Matthew to Mat, etc. So I think that's were we got "Hey Dude" from "Hey Deut". Hmmmmm. Maybe not.)

But people often ask, "Are there any prophets of God alive today?" The answer is "Yep, they're all alive. They are all with Him, the Living Word, and their voices can still be heard this very day in the Written Word, just as His is".

[8] And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

Want to be sealed of God? Then go get the unsealed scroll and here is what you do with it!

[9] And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

Jeremiah ate His words.

Jeremiah 15:16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Ezekiel 2:9
And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

Ezekiel 3:3
And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

Learning and knowing the truth of God's Word is exciting and beautiful and the taste of truth is as sweet as honey! But when you have digested that knowledge and meditated upon it, and can see the stark reality of what is happening in this world and why, it can be pretty "gut wrenching", and thus is one form of bitterness.

But there is another bitterness when you have eaten "truth". And that is, be prepared to suffer the bitterness of persecution as Christ would tell us:

John 17:14
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them...

Rev. 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

There are some really exciting times just ahead of us! And those who have the seal of God in their foreheads, who have eaten the "little book", are going to be delivered up (Mk. 13) and give testimony, i.e. prophesy, during this 6th Trump. It will be bitter sweet, though we know we have the victory!

While we are still in the 6th Trump. In chapter 10 we read about how one must take the opened, unsealed little book and eat it and digest it the belly and be filled to the brim with His Word (the brim is what your hat goes on). For as we read in Acts 2:17 concerning the last days, when God pours out His Spirit, there shall be much prophesying, and His elect who have the seal of God in their foreheads will be delivered up and give testimony "before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings", just as John was told in the last verse of chapter 10 (Rev. 10:11).

Jesus Christ told us the very same thing:

Mark 13:9
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

In chapter eleven we are now going learn about two of God's testimony givers, witnesses, who are going to be real trouble makers for Satan and his New and Improved New World Order, now with Lightning Miracle Glow. You've heard the expression "fighting fire with fire" (and you should well know what the "fire" in Revelation is). Well, these two witnesses will be given authority and power from on High to be unto Satan what Moses and Aaron were unto Pharaoh, with one exception. Pharaoh finally gave in and let the people go. Satan never gives in and eventually kills these two witnesses and throws a big party to celebrate.

That'll certainly cause another Woe!

Live Link to- All of our Revelation studies.

                              study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.  We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net