T
Tristan
Guest
Now that I have your attention with the obnoxious title, let me get down to business:
In the context of symbolism, locusts appear in three books of the Bible. Joel, Nahum, and Revelation. All of them are interrelated and speak of the same thing.
Joel 1:4 (ESV)
What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.
That's the first reference to locusts symbolically. So, the first descriptive word is "cutting". In the King James version (KJV) of the Bible it's called a "palmerworm". The Hebrew word for it is "gazam". The root of that word means to devour. Devouring is what locusts do...okay. The second descriptive word is "swarming". In the KJV it's called a plain old "locust". The word used there in Hebrew is "arbeh" which has a root "rabah" which means to grow and multiply rapidly. Yes, locusts do that too. (but remember that because it's important). These swarming locusts will destroy and devour whatever the cutting ones don't. Now we have a "hopping" locust. In the KJV that's a "cankerworm", another variety of locust. This one is young, the root being "yeleq". It's going to "lick up" what's left. The last one is "destroying". This one isn't very nice. If there is anything left, it destroys it utterly. The word in the KJV is caterpillar. The Hebrew word is "chaciyl" or a "ravager"
The point of that is that they don't leave anything behind when they are done. These locusts are thorough and they are nasty. They devour, reproduce quickly, lick up, and ravage. There are also lots of them.
Joel 1:6 (ESV)
....a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number....
So, a huge army of something is coming (or has it already arrived?) Now we move on to a description of these fearsome locusts.
Joel 2:3 (ESV)
Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
So they cause fire in front of them, and behind them things are left burning. In front of them is paradise, and once they leave, only a desolate wilderness is left. Of course, nothing escapes.
Nahum 3:15 (ESV)
There will the fire devour you;
the sword will cut you off.
It will devour you like the locust.
Multiply yourselves like the locust;
multiply like the grasshopper!
We'll get back to Joel later. So here in Nahum there is a threat of impending judgment. Now we have things being devoured again by locusts, and multiplying like locusts. A little bit of reinforcement.
Nahum 3:17 (ESV)
...like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.
Interesting, now no one knows where they are when they fly away. This interesting....
Rev. 9:1-2 (ESV)
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star 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.
Now we are in revelation with the seven trumpets. This is the fifth one. So the "bottomless pit" is opened and out comes smoke like a furnace. Smoke...hm... So the sun and air are darkened by this smoke. Very interesting...
Rev. 9:3 (ESV)
Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth...
Now our locusts come out of this smoke. (that's important too)
Rev. 9:7 (ESV)
In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,
Rev. 9:8-10 (ESV)
their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; [9] they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. [10] They have tails and stings like scorpions...
Okay, hair of women, teeth like lions, breastplates of iron, sound of wings like chariots and stings in their tails.
Joel 2:4-9 (ESV)
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
[5] As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
[6] Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.
[7] Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
[8] They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
[9] They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
Now we go back to Joel. So they look like horses and run like them. They have noise like chariots. They leap over mountains. They make a noise like a flame that devours stubble. The word flame there is the Hebrew word "lahab". It actually means a sort of "gleaming." So the sound is fast like a gleam off metal. Before they arrive people are terrified. They move like mighty warriors. They can get over walls with ease. They march in unbreaking ranks. They don't get in each others' way. They are hard to destroy. They strafe cities. They can attack in houses and sneak in through windows. Creepy.
So, let's get all of the traits out.
⦁ Devouring
⦁ Rapidly reproducing
⦁ Licking up remains
⦁ Ravaging
⦁ Huge army
⦁ Make paradise into desolation
⦁ Fly away and no one knows where they went
⦁ Come out of "furnace" with lots of smoke that darkens the air
⦁ Crowns of gold
⦁ Human faces
⦁ Hair of women
⦁ Teeth like lions
⦁ Breastplates of iron
⦁ Sound of wings like chariots riding into battle
⦁ Do damage with "stings" in their tails
⦁ Like horsemen and horses
⦁ Leap over mountains
⦁ Noise quick as a gleam.
⦁ Terrified victims
⦁ Move with a purpose like hardened warriors
⦁ Fly easily over walls
⦁ Unbreaking ranks
⦁ Hard to destroy.
⦁ Strafing cities
⦁ Destroying inside buildings
That's a big list and a lot to cover...or is it? What does it sound like to me? AN AIRPLANE. Think about it. Some person from ancient times has a vision and sees an airplane. How do you describe that?
Fighters and bombers destroy. They are very very good at doing damage to everything. They don't leave much but rubble behind when they are done. They are mass produced so there are always tons of them. This is a BIG force of airplanes we are talking at the end of time. They can turn paradise into nothing. When they strike they can be gone before you know it. They come out of factories with smoke that pollutes the air. When they fly overhead, their engines sound like thousands and thousands of chariots rushing into battle. They drop bombs from their tails. Going over mountains...they can fly right over. When they are going fast, the sound is fast, like a gleam. People are terrified when the bombs fall. They look purposeful. Walls won't stop them. They don't break ranks when they fly in the sky. There is no jostling. They are hard to hit and small arms fire won't take them down. They strafe cities. They bust bunkers and they are sometimes so precise with their bombing that they can drop bombs through air ducts in buildings. Sneaking in like a thief. THAT is an airplane. "plane" and simple.
Their "crowns of gold"...when you see a fighter in the sun it gleams brightly like it has a crown of gold. They are driven by humans...and if they are wearing masks, they will look LIKE humans, not totally because the mask obscures them. They leave trails in the sky like "hair". When they shoot, it's like teeth, and the damage they do is ferocious like a lion. They look like they have breastplates of iron because they are made of METAL.
I think that's enough evidence to prove my point. Locusts are symbolic of modern fighter jets and bombers. Someone more than 2000 years ago predicted airplanes with this much accuracy. How scary is that? Oh wait, they actually mentioned TANKS too. I'll show you.
Rev. 9:16-18 (ESV)
The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. [17] And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. [18] By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.
That's 200 000 000. TWO HUNDRED MILLION soldiers in tanks. (the number is important). How about the description? They tend to be shrouded in smoke and they are often different colours depending on where they are being used. So, fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. Tanks shoot from their front and that to me sounds like shooting tank rounds. So not only did they see aircraft but they saw tanks (the sixth trumpet).
This feels jumbled because I put it together a while ago, but the information is here. Let the controversy begin.
In the context of symbolism, locusts appear in three books of the Bible. Joel, Nahum, and Revelation. All of them are interrelated and speak of the same thing.
Joel 1:4 (ESV)
What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.
That's the first reference to locusts symbolically. So, the first descriptive word is "cutting". In the King James version (KJV) of the Bible it's called a "palmerworm". The Hebrew word for it is "gazam". The root of that word means to devour. Devouring is what locusts do...okay. The second descriptive word is "swarming". In the KJV it's called a plain old "locust". The word used there in Hebrew is "arbeh" which has a root "rabah" which means to grow and multiply rapidly. Yes, locusts do that too. (but remember that because it's important). These swarming locusts will destroy and devour whatever the cutting ones don't. Now we have a "hopping" locust. In the KJV that's a "cankerworm", another variety of locust. This one is young, the root being "yeleq". It's going to "lick up" what's left. The last one is "destroying". This one isn't very nice. If there is anything left, it destroys it utterly. The word in the KJV is caterpillar. The Hebrew word is "chaciyl" or a "ravager"
The point of that is that they don't leave anything behind when they are done. These locusts are thorough and they are nasty. They devour, reproduce quickly, lick up, and ravage. There are also lots of them.
Joel 1:6 (ESV)
....a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number....
So, a huge army of something is coming (or has it already arrived?) Now we move on to a description of these fearsome locusts.
Joel 2:3 (ESV)
Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
So they cause fire in front of them, and behind them things are left burning. In front of them is paradise, and once they leave, only a desolate wilderness is left. Of course, nothing escapes.
Nahum 3:15 (ESV)
There will the fire devour you;
the sword will cut you off.
It will devour you like the locust.
Multiply yourselves like the locust;
multiply like the grasshopper!
We'll get back to Joel later. So here in Nahum there is a threat of impending judgment. Now we have things being devoured again by locusts, and multiplying like locusts. A little bit of reinforcement.
Nahum 3:17 (ESV)
...like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.
Interesting, now no one knows where they are when they fly away. This interesting....
Rev. 9:1-2 (ESV)
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star 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.
Now we are in revelation with the seven trumpets. This is the fifth one. So the "bottomless pit" is opened and out comes smoke like a furnace. Smoke...hm... So the sun and air are darkened by this smoke. Very interesting...
Rev. 9:3 (ESV)
Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth...
Now our locusts come out of this smoke. (that's important too)
Rev. 9:7 (ESV)
In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,
Rev. 9:8-10 (ESV)
their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; [9] they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. [10] They have tails and stings like scorpions...
Okay, hair of women, teeth like lions, breastplates of iron, sound of wings like chariots and stings in their tails.
Joel 2:4-9 (ESV)
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
[5] As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
[6] Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.
[7] Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
[8] They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
[9] They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
Now we go back to Joel. So they look like horses and run like them. They have noise like chariots. They leap over mountains. They make a noise like a flame that devours stubble. The word flame there is the Hebrew word "lahab". It actually means a sort of "gleaming." So the sound is fast like a gleam off metal. Before they arrive people are terrified. They move like mighty warriors. They can get over walls with ease. They march in unbreaking ranks. They don't get in each others' way. They are hard to destroy. They strafe cities. They can attack in houses and sneak in through windows. Creepy.
So, let's get all of the traits out.
⦁ Devouring
⦁ Rapidly reproducing
⦁ Licking up remains
⦁ Ravaging
⦁ Huge army
⦁ Make paradise into desolation
⦁ Fly away and no one knows where they went
⦁ Come out of "furnace" with lots of smoke that darkens the air
⦁ Crowns of gold
⦁ Human faces
⦁ Hair of women
⦁ Teeth like lions
⦁ Breastplates of iron
⦁ Sound of wings like chariots riding into battle
⦁ Do damage with "stings" in their tails
⦁ Like horsemen and horses
⦁ Leap over mountains
⦁ Noise quick as a gleam.
⦁ Terrified victims
⦁ Move with a purpose like hardened warriors
⦁ Fly easily over walls
⦁ Unbreaking ranks
⦁ Hard to destroy.
⦁ Strafing cities
⦁ Destroying inside buildings
That's a big list and a lot to cover...or is it? What does it sound like to me? AN AIRPLANE. Think about it. Some person from ancient times has a vision and sees an airplane. How do you describe that?
Fighters and bombers destroy. They are very very good at doing damage to everything. They don't leave much but rubble behind when they are done. They are mass produced so there are always tons of them. This is a BIG force of airplanes we are talking at the end of time. They can turn paradise into nothing. When they strike they can be gone before you know it. They come out of factories with smoke that pollutes the air. When they fly overhead, their engines sound like thousands and thousands of chariots rushing into battle. They drop bombs from their tails. Going over mountains...they can fly right over. When they are going fast, the sound is fast, like a gleam. People are terrified when the bombs fall. They look purposeful. Walls won't stop them. They don't break ranks when they fly in the sky. There is no jostling. They are hard to hit and small arms fire won't take them down. They strafe cities. They bust bunkers and they are sometimes so precise with their bombing that they can drop bombs through air ducts in buildings. Sneaking in like a thief. THAT is an airplane. "plane" and simple.
Their "crowns of gold"...when you see a fighter in the sun it gleams brightly like it has a crown of gold. They are driven by humans...and if they are wearing masks, they will look LIKE humans, not totally because the mask obscures them. They leave trails in the sky like "hair". When they shoot, it's like teeth, and the damage they do is ferocious like a lion. They look like they have breastplates of iron because they are made of METAL.
I think that's enough evidence to prove my point. Locusts are symbolic of modern fighter jets and bombers. Someone more than 2000 years ago predicted airplanes with this much accuracy. How scary is that? Oh wait, they actually mentioned TANKS too. I'll show you.
Rev. 9:16-18 (ESV)
The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. [17] And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. [18] By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.
That's 200 000 000. TWO HUNDRED MILLION soldiers in tanks. (the number is important). How about the description? They tend to be shrouded in smoke and they are often different colours depending on where they are being used. So, fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. Tanks shoot from their front and that to me sounds like shooting tank rounds. So not only did they see aircraft but they saw tanks (the sixth trumpet).
This feels jumbled because I put it together a while ago, but the information is here. Let the controversy begin.
