00 Shabbat Shalom kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah and welcome back to our study of the Book of Revelation. It's been a month-and-a-half since we last looked at the Apocalypse owing to the autumn (fall) festivals and as promised last week we are getting stuck into it again so that we don't lose the thread of the narrative.

Again, to remind you, the more background research and reading you do before coming here, the more you're going to get out of this series, particularly as we live at a time when so many apparently apocalyptic-like events are taking place and we need to be able to clearly answer the question: is what's happening now recorded in the Book of Revelation...or not? Either way, we need to have an appropriate response, which is a reason the book was given to us. If you're joining us on-line and are new to this course, this is Part 33 so I would encourage you to spend time working your way through these either on the website or by watching the videos (you'll find a video number at the bottom of each article - this one is #V383).

To refresh your memories, in the last episode of this study we looked at the first four Trumpet - or more correctly - Shofar blasts which introduce the second of the three sets of seven apocalyptic events that mark the very end of the endtime events just before the Millennium. These four consisted of:

• 1. Scorched earth;
• 2. Polluted sea;
• 3. Contaminated water; and
• 4. Reduced sunlight.

To a lesser degree, admittedly, we are already acquainted with scorched earth, polluted sea, contaminated water and reduced sunlight. In parts of the world there are drouts and deserts are advancing into green areas; the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster in Japan has resulted in millions of gallons of highly dangerous, radioactive material being flushed into the Pacific Ocean to stop the reactors overheating and exploding causing another Chernobyl, as a result of which the seaboards of the Pacific rim countries are highly contaminated from Japan to the Philippines, northern Australia, Eastern Siberia, Alaska, British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, California, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile...not to mention all the plastic pollution in all the oceans, though this is 'nothing' compared to the results of the second Shofar blast which is yet to come; we're used to contaminated drinking water - I was shocked the other day when we got a water distiller to find that our well water was full of contaminants caused, no doubt, by the whole water table being polluted by air-born chemicals which, amongst other things, have been deliberately seeded into the atmosphere to control the weather and reduce 'Global Warming' which is no longer 'conspiracy' because governments have admitted doing it; and, linked to this seeding, is reduced sunlight. Again, all of these four contemporary phenomena pale into insignifance compared to what's coming.

Finally, last time, we made mention of a lone eagle (wrongly translated as 'angel' in some English translations) announcing the last three shofar blasts which are followed by the three woes. The eagle and its cry are important because it marks off the last three of the whole seven from the first four. This division of 7 into 4 and 3 we have come across many times in other settings, 4 being the number of the earth, of things earthly and of the created order generally, which is also the number of the Old Covenant Aaronic, Levitical or Mosaic Priesthood. In contrast, 3 is the number of the greater Melchizedek Priesthood after the Order of the Son of Elohim (God) - 3, remember, being the number of divine perfection. So 4 is material or temporal, and 3 is spiritual, and they are divided off there by the eagle. The scripture at the end of the eighth chapter reads, you will remember:

"Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three malakim (angels) who are about to sound!'" (Rev.8:13, NASU).

Eagles are often connected with judgment (Dt.28:49; 2 Sam.1:23; Is.40:31; Jer.4:13; Hos.8:1; Hab.1:8) so we ought not to be surprised that Yahweh has employed this symbol for the apostle John who would have understood it. Remember that one of the four seraphim or 'living creatures' had the face of an eagle and that traditionally the symbol is associated with the apostle John himself. And you will know that both anciently and in the modern world the eagle has been, and is, the symbol of powerful nations like Rome, Byzantium, Austria-Hungary, the United States, Germany and Russia. You'll notice that the eagle in this verse was flying in "mid-heaven" which is the meridian, or the highest point reached by the sun at noon. Recall also the parallel in Genesis 1:20 where on the fifth day we read of the creation of the "birds [which] fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven" (ASV).

Coincidence? I don't think so. There are no 'coincidences' or 'accidents' in the works of Elohim (God). 5 is the number of grace or open favour so in a negative setting what is about to follow is the reward for spurning this freely given undeserved loving-kindness in judgment. And I mean, in saying that, the first of the three woes is specifically for consciously and deliberately rejecting Yahweh's unmerited favour and instead preferring open rebellion like the devil himself, whose children they are by will. This is the reward for deliberate, conscious rebellion. So the symbol of the eagle is both apt and poignant. We're about to see what happens to the willfully rebellious, those who know they are in open rebellion to the Creator and have spurned His ahavah (love). You might find that hard to believe today because the world is not fully ripened in sin yet but we're rapidly heading in that direction. When that happens only a small minority will stand openly for righteousness and goodness.

So let's go to today's and next week's text which, like so much of the Book of Revelation, has been - and still is - misinterpreted because of a failure to properly understand the symbols. We'll be using the New King James Version (NKJV), which is the version of choice for our congregation, and I'll be adding clarifications (and the occasional correction) from other versions as we normally do, so if what I read doesn't perfectly align with your NKJV, you'll know why. A word of advance warning - verse 11 reads differently in the Aramaic version which we'll address next week:

"1 Then the fifth malak (angel) sounded: And I saw a star fallen (not 'fall' or 'falling') from heaven ('sky' - NIV) to the earth. To him was given the key to the very deep ('bottomless') pit ('shaft of the abyss' - NIV). 2 And he opened the very deep pit (bottomless pit, abyss), and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great ('gigantic' - NIV) furnace (Gen.19:28; Ex.19:18). So the sun and the air were darkened (Joel 2:2,10) because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth (or 'land'). And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth (or 'land'), or any green thing (herb), or any tree (Rev.8:7), but only those men who do not have the seal of Elohim (God) on their foreheads ('between their eyes' - HRV) (Rev.7:2-3; Ezek.9; Ex.13:9,16; Dt.6:8; 11:18). 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from (elude) them (Jog 3:21; 7:15; Jer.8:3; Rev.6:16). 7 The shape of the locusts (Joel 2:4-6,25; Amos 7:1-3; Nahum 3:15-17) was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns (Nahum 3:15-17) of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men (Dan.7:8). 8 They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth (Joel 1:4-6). 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle (Joel 2:5). They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the malak (angel) of the very deep (bottomless) pit (abyss) (Lk.8:31), whose name in Hebrew (Rev.16:16) is 'Avadu (Abaddon) (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Ps.88:11), (but in Greek he has the name Apollyon) and in Aramaic his name is Sh'ra (='loosed'). 12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things" (Rev.9:1-12, NKJV)

The first verse is the key to a proper understanding of this passage and specifically the tense of the verb 'to fall' and the identity of the 'star'. The NKJV correctly renders the verb "fallen" and not 'falling' (KNT) or 'fall' (KJV) - John did not witness a star 'fall' or in free fall - it had already fallen. If you want confirmation as to the correct tense as well as the identity of the star, you have only to read that famous passage in Isaiah 14:

"How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!" (Isa.14:12, NIV).

The 'star' fell from heaven long ago. We all know that Isaiah is talking about Heylel, 'Lucifer' or 'Satan' (haSatan, 'the adversary'), the "morning star". Yah'shua (Jesus) Himself said:

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18, NIV).

Malakim (angels) and other supernatural beings are called stars by Yahweh Himself in Job 38, saying in poetic language congruent with the time in history:

"'Where [Job] were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-
while the morning stars sang together
and all the malakim (angels) shouted for joy?'" (Job 38:4-7, NIV).

Often in the Tanakh (Old Testament) malakim (angels) are often called the "host of heaven" (in the older Jacobean English of the KJV) (1 Ki.22:19; 2 Chr.18:18; Ps.148:2; Josh.5:14). Now, of course, 'stars' can sometimes mean literal stars too, as in Isaiah (34:4; 40:26; 45:12) and Jeremiah (33:22). How do we know that the 'star' in today's text isn't a literal star? Aside from the evidence I have already shown you because personal actions are ascribed to it. It does things that persons do which inanimate objects like literal stars don't. So you have to use some basic detective skills and common sense to know whether a scripture is speaking literally or figuratively. And this is most definitely figurative...like a modern movie 'star'.

I said there were two items in the opening verse that readily lend themselves to misinterpretation but there's a third too, and that concerns the term 'bottomless pit' and specifically to the word 'bottomless' which appears in English Bible versions of verses 1 & 2. You will find modern translations either using 'bottomless pit' or 'abyss' ('pit of the abyss' - HRV) which mean the same thing. Well, I have to tell you that this pit isn't 'bottomless' as the idea of a 'bottomless pit' is a pagan Greek notion. Incidentally, 7 of the 8 New Testament occurrences of 'bottomless pit' or 'abyss' are in the Book of Revelation - the other one is in Luke 8:31 where the demonic hoard called 'Legion', whom Christ had cast out, begged not to be sent to this Pit (Mk.5:9,15; Lk.8:30). In other words, not all demons are there! And those demons that interact with our world are dead scared of this place and do not want to be sent there!

This is the main point: the Greek word employed here can be translated in one of two ways, namely, 'bottomless pit' or 'very deep pit'. This pit has a bottom or a floor but it's so deep that it appears bottomless, in much the same way that being sent by Yahweh to hell is for a very long period of time that will seem like eternity for those incarcerated there. Added to this observation let me make another: this 'very deep pit' should not be confused with Hades/Sheol or Tartarus.

Two further things need to be said about this 'very deep pit':

• 1. It is the abode of demons of a particular kind (Rev.22:1-3; Lk.8:28,31); and
• 2. It is shown to be a place of 'fire' by the 'smoke' that arises from it (cp. Rev.18:9,18; 19:3; Gen.19:24:28)

Now we don't have time to get into all the distinctives between Sheol (where the disembodied dead, both the righteous and the wicked abide - in Paradise and Prison, respectively), Tartarus (where the fallen Watcher Malakim/angels) are incarcerated) and the Very Deep Pit (where apparently the worst kind of demons are imprisoned) but if you visit our Hell website you'll find all the studies you need to clarify this. The important thing today is to know that this is ordinarily a sealed pit or place of maximum confinement where the vilest kinds and most powerful of demons are imprisoned and prevented from appearing in our world except with special permission - the fact that they are released at this particular time at the very end is what makes the first Woe, released at the blowing of the fifth shofar blast, so very scary: what we are reading about today is way beyond any evil earth has experienced so far in its history, which is saying something because there is already so much evil here. The point is this: nothing as terrible as these 'locusts' has ever been experienced by mankind before. This deep pit is such a radically dark place that not only are the 'regular' demons we typically encounter terrified of it but when these entities are released...from that moment the 'smoke' (whether that's literal or symbolic or something else...probably the latter) makes contact with our physical dimension, the sun (as viewed from earth) and the air we breathe "[are] darkened" (v.2). There is only one other time in earth history, that we know if, where something similar is encountered, and specifically by the ancient Egyptians.

Now I think you know me well enough to know that I am not exaggerating or trying to deliberately scare you to death. I am not a hell-fire preacher. I'm a realist and the Bible speaks realism and truth. I'm just telling you what the unrepentant wicked may expect at some day in the not too distant future, and you're reading about the first of these punishments that they will receive. If it's scary, I'm sorry, but the last generation will see this, including the Remnant who will be protected from it, as it's as well to be prepared.

A word here for our Seventh-Day Adventist friends who have their own rather peculiar interpretation of the Book of Revelation and who believe that there won't be a living soul on the earth during the Millennium because of all the terrible things we're about to describe and discuss during these woes. Indeed, they believe they will be in heaven for a thousand years and that the whole planet will be a wasteland inhabited only by demons. Where do they get this idea from and how have they misinterpreted the Scriptures? Turn with me to Jeremiah, chapter 4, verses 23-28, and we'll see because the Adventists need to understand the truth about the Millennium:

"I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of Yahweh, By His fierce anger.

For thus says Yahweh:

"The whole land shall be desolate;
Yet I will not make a full end.
For this shall the earth mourn,
And the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have purposed and will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it"
(Jer.4:23-28, NKJV).

This passage does not refer to the whole planet earth and this is one of the problems with translations where a word can sometimes mean two different things and it's up to the translator to pick one of them. The better translations at least include a footnote explaining what the alternative rendering is. The problem here is that the Hebrew 'erets can either mean a local piece of land (like Israel) or the whole planet, i.e. our 'Earth'. In this passage, both 'earth' and 'land' are here used for the same word 'erets. The translator(s) has/have interpreted based on his/their bias. This passage, incidentally, refers quite clearly to Judah and its land. It's describing the fate of rebellious Judah whereas what John sees is to the whole planet earth in general.

Now I mentioned a minute ago a similarity between the first yet-to-come woe with an incident from Egyptian history. I'm sure you have made the connection already. You see, this fifth shofar- or trumpet-blast judgment corresponds with the 8th and 9th plagues of Egypt (Ex.10:4-5), when Moses threatened Pharaoh, saying:

"If you refuse to let [the Hebrews] go, I (Yahweh) will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen" (Ex.10:4-5, NIV).

"Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt -- darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived" (Ex.10:21-23, NIV).

That is similar in physical effect to the metaphorical smoke (whatever that is) from the Deep Pit making contact with our atmosphere. Everything becomes darkened, more than the reduced sunlight described earlier after the fourth shofar-blast when "a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light would be darkened, with a third of the day losing its light and a third of the night as well" (Rev.8:12, KNT). This first woe will result in a lot more than a third of light being lost, probably something more like the Egyptian experience. So imagine being struck by these creatures whom we're about to examine who can barely be seen for five months! Think of the horror movie Alfred Hitchcock could have created with such a story line, far worse than the 1963 movie called The Birds when all birds everywhere start unexpectedly and unpredictably attacking humans, often in huge flocks!

This brings us to the armoured 'locusts', so-called, themselves. Verses 3-11 are all about them and they are jam-packed with information. The detail is deliberate so that the unrepentant wicked who are alive at this time may know exactly what to expect. Those who are executed by Yahweh during this Penultimate Judgment should be 'happy' they aren't going to experience in the flesh what, as disembodied spirits, they will encounter in the spirit one day, though that is not a 'treatment' I would recommend to anyone either. So my word to them today, as before, is this: at least be positively motivated by self-interest and repent now, receive Yah'shua (Jesus) as your Saviour, and even if you forfeit your life at the hands of your former masters, at least you will be spared the 'locust treatment' and the full impact of the cleansing of the Lake of Fire. Be sensible because you won't get another chance.

Now I have heard all sorts of fanciful as well as outright ridiculous interpretations of verses 3-11. And, yes, I am guilty of making such fanciful interpretations myself in the not-so-distant past too because I was once swept away by all the dramatic Hollywood-type nonsense interpreting these 'locusts' as being modern military assault helicopters and so on. I'm afraid that's the legacy of sensationalist commentators like the late Hal Lindsey, and there is a lot of pseudo-prophetic nonsense like that around these days and especially on YouTube that appeals to 'itching ears' (2 Tim.4:3). Sorry, that's not what these verses are all about at all. Let's just read these verses exactly as they are and let them inform us, not our science fiction-crammed and -expectant heads. We'll take up at verse 3 - I'm going to use the Kingdom New Testament (KNT) this time to give you something in contemporary English that's also accurate:

"Then, out of that smoke, there appeared locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions on the earth" (v.3, KNT).

These were not machines like helicopters but living entities "like...the scorpions on the earth". Remember too that those locusts that came in the plagues of Egypt were not common locusts either, because we're told that "previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them" (Ex.10:14, NKJV) which other versions go and twist to mean something quite different when, like the conservative New American Standard Version (NASB), they re-interpret Moses as saying, "there had never been so many locusts, nor would there be so many again" (NASB) or the more liberal New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), "...such a dense swarm of locusts had never been seen before, nor ever shall be again" (NRSV). Now whilst I don't doubt that may have been true, the text here isn't talking about numbers but about a type without saying any more. Again, brethren and sisters, this is why you must consult multiple versions!

Now regular locusts don't have a 'king' like they do in today's passage, as the Book of Proverbs confirms when it says that "locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks" (Prov.30:27, NIV) and that's because they're programmed to do so by their Maker - but these apocalyptic locusts do. From their description, E.W.Bullinger says that they seem "to be a kind of Infernal Cherubim" [1] or 'Dark Cherumbim'...'Fallen Cherubim'...'Demonic Cherubim' (or more like, fallen Seraphim). No wonder they're so powerful and scary. No wonder they are kept locked away in the Deep Pit otherwise let loose and unrestrained for any period of time they would exterminate humanity and all life on earth! From the description given of them in today's text, they have something of the nature of the horse, the man, the lion and the scorpion combined in them. What a horrible hybrid or chimera! Now even though they are called 'locusts' so that a first century reader would be able to relate them to something in the natural world they were familiar with, they are clearly supernatural and incapable of being killed. In other words, we are dealing with demons, and specifically, high-ranking ones who can't ordinarily be let loose. This means that not every malak (angel) that fell is allowed to freely roam the earth and then only when they are assigned authorities and limits by Yahweh to accomplish a specific task that He wants doing.

We'll understand more of this as we proceed. Inwards to verse 4, then:

"They were told not to harm the grass on the earth (the two-thirds that were left), nor any plant or tree, but [only harm] those people who did not have the seal of Elohim (God) on their foreheads" (v.4, KNT).

• 1. Afflict men and women generally who give them the right to - including believers who break the mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah - until they repent and forsake their evil ways (Zech.1:4; Ezek.33:11; 2 Ki.17:13); and
• 2. Afflict specific individuals (like Job) for a special mission for a fixed length of time, or groups of people (like the wicked in the very last days) for a limited period of time (5 months in this case).

Common locusts only eat up and destroy vegetation (Ex.10:5,12,15) and afflict human beings indirectly by creating terrible famine. For example, in 1866, 200,000 people died in a famine in Algiers following a locust plague. But these demonic monsters from the Deep Pit are appointed for a different purpose because human beings, not vegetation, are the object of their assaults. Yet, though released from the Pit, they cannot go beyond the power 'given' to them. They are supernaturally restrained by the Creator. A similar limitation is given to malakim (angels) in Ezekiel 9:4-6 when they are sent by Yahweh to mark those who are to be delivered from the calamity about to befall Jerusalem - only the unmarked may be subjected to punishment for the sins of the nation.

So Yahweh Himself has summonsed up from extreme darkness a particular kind of demon that is clearly able to manifest or materialise physically who are not otherwise allowed to roam the earth, a 'dark seraph' of sorts. Most Christians/Messianics are unaware that some, if not all, demons can materialise as physical entities though it's unclear for how long they can do this. I, and others I know, including my wife, have experience of this.

John goes on to say:

"They were given instructions not to kill them, but to torture (torment) them for five months, and their torture was like the torture inflicted when a scorpion stings someone" (v.5, KNT).

Now you will recall that after the opening of the second seal there was no such limit. Again we receive confirmation that these 'locusts' are, in fact, demons, because the word for 'torture' is applied uniquely to demons in numerous places in Scripture (Mt.8:29; Rev.14:10-11; 20:10).

Moreover, the duration of this plague is fixed. It is to last exactly '5 months' (though some scholars, for some reason, say this just means 'a short period of time'). Why 5? Fixed spans of time such as these are never arbitrary in Scripture and are mentioned elsewhere. 'A whole month' is fixed for judgment in Numbers 11:19-20; 'seven years, three months and three days' are similarly fixed for judgment in 2 Samuel l24:13. Clearly these are literal time-limits, not merely symbolic. Why 5 months? Because that is the time needed to achieve a particular goal as well, I suppose, to match the symbol of the biological locust swarm on earth which, once it gets started on its rampage through nature, is usually done after 5 literal months, usually between May and September in the climate of that part of the world. So that's another reason Yahweh has chosen to represent this group of demons from the Deep Pit as being like locusts.

Now I suppose it is possible that there may be another layer of meaning in the choice of '5 months' - there usually is in prophetic literature. Remember that a 'prophetic month' is always 30 days long, a reason why so many Bible commentators get their date-setting wrong because they either make their calculations based on the later luni-solar calendar with 29 or 30 days (and sometimes 13 months) or our Roman Gregorian calendar with its months of unequal length: 27, 28, 30 and 31 days. 5x30 then gives us 150 days but as far as I can tell there is no biblical significance to this number, unless you add the digits up - 1+5+0 - which gives 6, the number of man and of imperfection. And this is most definitely a prophecy on the judgment of man. We are more likely, however, to find a prophetic meaning in the number '5'.

The Bible speaks of five great mysteries - the Father, Son, Ruach (Spirit), Creation and Redemption - notice that 'redemption' is how it all ends. The Father sent the Son through the Ruach (Spirit) to redeem rebellious mankind, restoring him to the perfection that had obtained at the original creation when everything was declared 'good'. And though there are very real consequences for choosing to rebel, as we're seeing now in this 5th seal judgment, the Father's Plan is Universal Reconciliation in the end: Christ died for all that all might eventually be saved. Any punishment, such as the terrible tortures we are being confronted with in today's passage, is therefore ultimately redemptive. Yahweh never punishes for punishment's sake because however much Justice makes its legitimate demands, punishment is never 'everlasting' as traditional Roman-originated Christianity would have us believe, but of a fixed duration until its redemptive purpose is achieved [2]. Accordingly, Grace trumps Justice at the end of the day. For those wondering how long this final redemptive process will last, the best answer I can give is 'however long it takes' for each individual which according to Scripture is, in the worst case scenario, a very long time indeed. So just as the Deep Pit seems 'bottomless' for any unfortunate, though deserving, being who might be thrown down into it by Yahweh, so too will 'hell' even if the former has a bottom and the latter an actual ending. It's all a matter of perspective.

One other important observation I'd like to make for you to consider. If the five month-long torture by these creatures in which humans want to die but can't is a picture of æonian hell, then this also translates to the truth that human beings cannot be made to permanently cease to exist as those who espouse the annihilationist doctrine believe. So once again we find the Book of Revelation resolving yet another doctrinal controversity about the fate of man after death and of the nature of heaven, hell and eternity. This is Good News even if for some the journey will be long and hard because of their foolish choices on earth.

A final thought about 5 as the number for 'grace'. Why is this so? Because 4 is the number of the world and represents man's weakness, helplessness and vanity. It's also the number of the temporary, preparatory Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood and any misguided Mormon or ultra-Messianic who might wish to see its restoration, along with Mosaic temple worship, is wishing for a retrogressive step that blasphemously nullifies the atonement of our Messiah. You see, 4+1, making 5, depicts Divine Strength added to and made perfect in that human weakness. Without the Divine - Yahweh-Elohim...Father, Son and Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) - we are doomed to forever wander in that weakness, helplessness and vanity. When the Omnipotence of the Divine is added to the impotence of the earthly, you have the recipe for Heaven because whereas humans are, regrettably, influenced and vulnerable (witness what happened in Eden and what has happened ever since), Divine favour or grace is uninfluenced by the demonic and is therefore invincible. And for those of you into the numerical meanings of Hebrew words, the Hebrew word for 'the earth' - haErets - is 296, a multiple of 4; whereas the the Hebrew for 'the heavens' - haShammayim - is 395, a multiple of 5. Coincidence? For me the jury is out on that one but it's worth seriously considering.

So my take on the '5' of the '5 months' is that it is a prophetic pointer to ultimate redemption and reconciliation for the righteous in the present and for the wicked in the very distant future after a long awakening and cleansing in the Lake of Fire. Contrast this with the Blessed - those who have trusted Messiah and choose His grace in this life for whom Heaven awaits in the Millennium just 'days' away on the prophetic time scale or instantly if they are taken home. I believe this to be the correct balance of Justice and Mercy represented by the whole counsel of Scripture.

Do not suppose - ever - that the promise of universal reconciliation means that the wicked are going to get an easy pardon. By no means! If you know anything about scorpion stings, they are instantateous and extreme, like that of a tender conscience suddenly experiencing the impact of the shame that comes from understanding any sin or wickedness that may have been committed. I also believe that this picture of the 'Torment of Locusts' is both to be a literal happening during the very end of the end-times as well as a symbolic representation of what the unrepentant wicked must go through after mortality until, as Yah'shua's (Jesus) puts it in the parable of the debtor's prison, they have "paid the last penny (farthing)" (Mt.5:26)...which no man can, of course do, since no man can ever pay for his own sins. Practically, then, he must await the reprieve of the Cosmic Jubilee at the end of a very long æon of time indeed. So hell is no picnic, no 'easy way' out of unbelief and unrepentance. Like the demonic locust affliction, it's a nightmare. The final release comes only when the one who was unrepentant in mortality finally comes to understand the full reality of his wickedness and of the hopelessness of deliverance without the pardon of Christ, which a humble person can obtain in an instant when in mortality. That's a huge contrast, as deep as the Deep Pit appears to be bottomless.

Consider, then, the next verse in today's passage and how this relates to what we've been talking about:

"In those days people will look for death, and won't find it. They will long to die, and death will run away from them" (v.6, KNT).

Don't ever fall for the accusation made by those who promote an eternal hell that Universal Salvation is some sort of cheap let-off doctrine, or that it somehow negates the terrible seriousness of unrepented sin, or that it destroys the initiative to evangelise, and must therefore, on these grounds, be false. There are, to be sure, liberal views of this doctrine but they are unbiblical and in serious error. I would say they are positively harmful because they are lawless and without consequences for sinning. There is every reason to want to evangelise both so that souls can know the joy of salvation and so they won't have to go through this seemingly endless 'locust-like torment' either, whether in mortality, on earth at the end of the age, or as disembodied spirits in the spirit world once they're 'dead'. Let's be absolutely clear about that! Again, I'm not trying to frighten anyone into the Kingdom, I'm simply telling the truth and describing reality. There is no cheap grace!

Grace was made available at a terrible price to Elohim (God) on the cross and we cannot begin to grasp the extent of the love-offering that was made in our behalf at Calvary! In no way shall we - or can we - ever diminish the work rendered in behalf of humanity at Calvary, which we totally do not deserve. What we bear witness of is perfect, sacrificial love, not the sado-masochism of an imaginary god which in truth is the evilness of Satan and his hosts themselves. There's a lot of diabolical activity in fallen nature on earth to be sure but Elohim (God) is not the author of it. He takes responsibility for it as the One who created those beings who, given the agency to choose evil and introduce corruption into the Cosmos, did so - which is why the Cross had to be provided - but never blame the Elohim (God) of Ahavah/Agapé-Love for the evil and corruption that is the bane of this fallen world. If you take no other message away from today's study than this I shall be well satisfied because it means you have disposed of such a common stumbling block for many wanting desperately to come to faith but who are rightly revolted by the seeming barbarity of the Augustian/Calvinist god or åpredestined eternal tormentf for so many.

The witness of verse 6 is that those who find themselves in hell will not be having a picnic - they will want to die as they face the awful reality of their sin and desperation at the thought that they could have had it all removed - in an instant - had they simply accepted and received the free gift of salvation when they were offered it in mortality. What a gift! Has any kind of gift, so cosmic in its scope, ever been offered to someone anywhere at any time? No, not once! That is why what happened at Calvary is so huge, so amazing, so wonderful, and why so many hymns have been written praising it.

Observe that what is produced in those men and women who are tormented for five months on earth is not repentance (which by now is impossible, as it will be in the spirit world, because a final line has been crsosed on earth) but simply a desire to die - to cease to exist. And Jeremiah prophesied of this:

"At that time, declares Yahweh, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the cohenim (priests) and nevi'im (prophets), and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like refuse lying on the ground. Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation (of Judah]) will prefer death to life, declares Yahweh-Elohim'" (Jer.8:1-3, NIV).

All of these observations tell us clearly that the plague described in Revelation 9 must be literal and future so a number of false teachings you'll find in the churches are here being exposed, and the churches espousing them served notice to change their theology. There have always been isolated cases where men have sought death rather than life (1 Ki.19:4) but this time it is global and universal: Unsaved mankind as a whole from every nation is being judged. And we are about to go through a matinée at this Penultimate Judgment in our day. It is time, I think, to be a little more sober and to start warning people (in love of course) to "repent or perish" (Lk.13:3,5), don't you think? So no watering-down of that message is allowed!

Well, this is such an important passage with so much relevant information both to this (my) generation and the next and last one that I have decided to split it up into two parts and we'll take a close look at what the locusts are and do next time because we're not only being told what we are about to experience in this Penultimate Judgment now - here- TODAY - but what the last (you young ones') generation are going to experience in some years down the road but ALSO, as we have seen, what happens in the spirit world in the prison part of Sheol (1 Pet.3:19). As I mentioned at the start of this course, the Book of Revelation is the death sentence of so many contemporary false doctrines and the vindication of those who are teaching the unadulterated and unapologetic TRUTH that belongs to the Remnant and the Second Exodus. I think next week you will be greatly surprised!

So until then, review the first 6 verses which we've covered today. Then read verses 7-12 and as your homework read through Joel chapters 1 & 2 which will help you decipher who these deomic 'locusts' are and what precisely they do because your knowledge about these things will surely equip you well for what's coming. I also hope that today's verses will strengthen your faith in Universal Reconciliation and contribute in some small way to rehabilitating the Love of Elohim (God) in the minds of many seekers who want to know who the true Elohim (God) is and are rightly repulsed by the caricature that Rome made Him out to be. Yahweh is both fair and graceful, His love is great enough that He will not rest until all of Creation is finally at peace. Until next week then, may blessings abundantly fall on you and may you find assurance of His love and tender care in Yah'shua (Jesus) our Master. Amen.

Endnotes

[1] E.W.Bullinger, Commentary on Revelation (Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, Michihan: 1984), p.318
[2] See the studies on Hell and Æonian Time

Further Reading

[1] Apocatastasis: Universal Reconciliation

Acknowledgements

[1] Tom Wright, Revelation for Everyone - The New Testament for Everyone Commentary Series, Vol.19 (SPCK, London: 2011)
[2] E.W.Bullinger*, Commentary on Revelation (Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, Michihan: 1984)
[3] E.W.Bullinger*, Number in Scripture (Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1967)
[4] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary (JNT Publications, Clarksville, Maryland: 1992)

*E.W.Bullinger was a brilliant Anglican clergyman and scholar whose works merit careful study by serious students of the Bible. He was, however, seriously in error in at least three main areas, namely, (1) he believed the 'Church' has been raptured before the Book of Revelation opens, (2) he believed that the 7 churches in Revelation 2-3 are 7, literal Jewish churches or assemblies yet to come, and (3) he believed in a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture.

• 1. White horse - military aggression
• 2. Red horse - bloodshed
• 3. Black horse - famine
• 4. Pale Green/Blanched/Pallid/Sickly-looking horse - disease, epidemics

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• 5. Persecution & prayer
• 6. Tremour & terror

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  INTERLUDE I (Ch.7)
  (The 144,000 Redeemed)

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• 7. Silence in heaven, listening to prayers which are then answered in a final catastrophe: a severe earthquake I

• 1. Scorched earth
• 2. Polluted sea
• 3. Contaminated water
• 4. Reduced sunlight

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• 5. Insects and plague (for five months) (1st Woe)
• 6. Oriental invasion (200 million army)

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  INTERLUDE II (Ch.10-11)
  (The Malak with the Little Scroll)
  (The Two Witnesses)

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• 7. The Kingdom comes, the world is taken over by Yahweh & Yah'shua (Jesus) after a severe earthquake II

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  INTERLUDE III (Ch.13-14)
  (The First & Second Beasts)
  (The Lamb & the 144,000)
  (The Messages of the Three Malakim)

  ---

• 1. Boils on the skin
• 2. Blood in the sea
• 3. Blood from the springs
• 4. Burning by the sun

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• 5. Darkness
• 6. Armageddon

  ---

• 7. Hailstorm (OB 368:11-12) and severe earthquake III, leading to international collapse