Locusts Equipped For Battle

What a remarkable appearance those locusts have! John describes it: "And the likenesses of the locusts resembled horses prepared for battle; and upon their heads were what seem to be crowns like gold, and their faces were as men's faces, but they had hair as women's hair. And their teeth werre as those of lions; and they had breastplates like iron breastplates. And the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running into battle." -Revelation 9:7-9.

This well illustrates the loyal group of revived Christians in 1919. Like horses, they were ready for battle, eager to fight for the truth in the way described by the apostle Paul. (Ephesians 6:11-13; 2 Corinthians 10:4) On their heads John sees what seem to be crowns of gold. It would not be proper for them to have actual crowns because they do not begin ruling while they are still on earth. (1 Corinthians 4:8; Revelation 20:4) But in 1919 they already had a royal appearance. They were brothers of the King, and their heavenly crowns were reserved for them provided they continued faithful to the end. -2Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4.

In the vision, the locusts have iron breastplates, symbolizing unbreakable righteousness. (Ephesians 6:14-18) They also have men's faces, this feature pointing to the quality of love, since man was made in the image of God, who is love. (Genesis 1:26; 1 John 4:16) Their hair is long like a woman's , which well pictures subjection to their King, the angel of the abyss. And their teeth resembled a lion's teeth. A lion uses its teeth to tear meat. From 1919 onward, the John class has again been able to take in solid spiritual food, particularly the truths about God's Kingdom ruled by "the lion that is of the tribe of Judah," Jesus Christ. Just as the lion symbolizes courage, so great courage has been needed to digest this hard-hitting message, to bring it forth in publications, and to distribute it around the globe. Those figurative locusts have made a lot of noise, like "the sound of chariots of many horses running into battle." After the example of first-century Christians, they do not intend to stay quiet. -1 Corinthians 11:7-15; Revelation 5:5.

This preaching involves more than the spoken word! "Also, they have tails and stings like scorpions; and in their tails is their authority to hurt the men five months." (Revelation 9:10) What could this mean? As they go about their kingdom work, Jehovah's Witnesses leave behind them publications -books, magazines, brochures and timely tracts. These contain authoritative statements, based on God's Word, for the people to read in their homes, and they have scorionlike sting because they warn of Jehovah's approaching day of vengeance. (Isaiah 6:12) Before the present generation of spiritual locusts lives out its life span, its divinely ordained work of declaring Jehovah's judgments will be completed-to the hurt of all stiff-necked blasphemers.

That locust band was overjoyed when a new magazine, the Golden Age, was announced at their 1919 convention. It was a biweekly magazine, designed to intensify the sting of their witnessing. Its issue No. 27, of September 29, 1920, exposed the clergy's duplicity in persecuting the Bible Students in the United States during the 1918-19 period. Through the 1920's and 1930's, the Golden Age tormented the clergy with further stinging articles and cartoons that exposed their crafty dabbling in politics, and especially the Catholic hierarchy's accords made with the Facist and Nazi dictators. In response, the clergy 'framed mischief by law' and organized mob violence against God's people. -Psalm 94:20, King James Version.

Next time: World Rulers Put On Notice