Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe-Locusts -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 wee what seemed to be crowns like gold, and their faces were as men's faces, but they had no hair as women's hair. And their teeth we 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 Johns sees what seem be crowns of gold. It would not be proper for them to have actual crowns because they 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 could continue faithful to the end. - 2 TIMOTHY 4:8; 1 PETER 5:4.

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe-Locusts - Those Tormenting Locusts - Conclusion

 The torment lasts for five months. Is that a relatively short time? Not from the point of view of a literal locust. Five months describes the normal life span of one of these insects. Therefore, it is for as long as they live that the modern-day locusts keep stinging God's enemies. Moreover, the torment is so severe that men seek to die. True, we have no record that any of those who were stung by the locusts actually tried to kill themselves. But the expression helps us to picture the intensity of the torment-as though by a relentless assault of scorpions. It is like the suffering foreseen by Jeremiah for those unfaithful Israelites who would be scattered by the Babylonian conquers and for whom death would be preferable to life. - JEREMIAH 8:3; see also ECCLESIASTES 4:2, 3.

Why is it granted to torment these ones in a spiritual sense, and not to kill them? This is an initial woe in the exposing of the lies of Christendom and her failures, but only later, as the Lord's day progresses, will her deathlike spiritual state by fully publicized. It will be during the second woe that a third of the men are killed. - REVELATION 1:10; 9:12, 18; 11:14.

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe - Locusts - Those Tormenting Locusts

 What battle instructions did those locusts receive?  John reports: "And they were told to harm no vegetation of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And it was granted the locusts, not to kill them, but that these should be tormented five months, and the torment upon them was as torment as torment by a scorpion when it strikes a man. And in those days the men will seek death but will no means find it, and they will desire to die but death keep fleeing from them." - REVELATION 9:4, 6. 

Notice that this plague is not directed first against the people or prominent ones among them-the 'vegetation and the trees of the earth.' (Compare Revelation 8:7.) The locusts are to harm only those men who do not have the seal of God on the foreheads, those in Christendom who claim to be sealed but whose record belies that claim to be sealed but. (Ephesians 1:13, 14) Thus, the tormenting utterances of these modern-day locusts were directed first against the religious leaders of Christendom. How these self-assuming men must have been tormented at hearing it publicly announced that not only were they failing to lead their flocks   to heaven but they themselves would not get there! Truly, it has been a case of 'the blind leading the blind'! - MATTHEW 15:14.

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe-Locusts - The 20th Century Plague - Conclusion

 As John observes, the release of the locusts is accompanied by much smoke, like "the smoke of a great furnace." That is how it proved to be in 1919. The situation darkened for Christendom and for the world in general. (Compare Joel 2:30, 31) The release of those locusts, the John class, was actually a defeat for Christendom's clergy, who had schemed and plotted to kill the Kingdom work for good and who now rejects God's Kingdom. Evidence of a smokelike pall started to spread over apostate Christendom as that locusts band was given divine authority and began to exercise it in proclaiming powerful judgment messages. Christendom's "sun"-her appearance of enlightenment suffered an eclipse, and "the air "became thick with declaration of divine judgments as "the ruler of authority of the air" of this world was shown to be Christendom's god. -EPHESIANS 2:2; JOHN 12:31; 1 JOHN 5:19. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe-Locusts -The 20th Century Plague - Continue

 The account continues: "And he opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun was darkened, also the air, by the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke locusts came forth upon the earth; and authority was given them, the same authority as the scorpions of the earth have." (Revelation9:2, 3) Scripturally, "the abyss" is a place of inactivity, even of death. (Compare Romans 10:7; Revelation17:8; 20:1, 3) The small band of Jesus' brothers spent inactivity in such an "abyss" of relative inactivity at the end of the first world war (1918-1919) But when Jehovah poured out His spirit upon his repentant servants in 1919, they swarmed forth to meet the challenge of the work that lay ahead. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe-Locusts - The 20th Century Plague - Continue

Revelation, written some 26 years after Jerusalem's destruction, also describes that plague. What does it add to Joel's description? Let us take up the record, as reported by John: "And the fifth angel blew his trumpet. And I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and the key of the pit of the abyss was given him." (Revelation 9:1) This "star" is different from that at Revelation 8:10 that John saw in the act of falling. He sees "a star that has fallen from heaven" and that now has an assignment with respect to this earth. Is this a spirit or a fleshly person? The holder of this "key of the pit of the abyss" is later described as hurling Satan into "the abyss." (Revelation 20:1-3) So he must be a might spirit person. At Revelation 9:11, John tells us that the locusts have "a king, the angel of the abyss." Both verses must refer to the same individual, since the angel holding the key of the abyss would logically be the angel of the abyss. And the star must symbolize Jehovah's anointed King, since anointed Christians acknowledge only the one angelic King Jesus Christ. - COLOSSIANS 1:13; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:25. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe -Locusts - The 20th-Century Plague

 Reasonably, we could expect Joel's prophecy to have a final fulfillment in the time of the end. How true this has proved to be! At the Bible Students convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A. September 1-8m 1919, a notable outpouring of Jehovah's spirit activated his people to organize a global campaign of preaching. Of all professed Christians, they alone, recognizing that Jesus had been enthroned as heavenly King, spared no effort in publishing abroad that good news. Their relentless witnessing, in fulfillment of prophecy became as a tormenting plague to apostate Christendom. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe - Locusts - A First Century Plague - Conclusion

 Was there a figurative plague during those days? Yes, indeed! It came as a result of the relentless preaching of the newly anointed Christians. Through, them, Jehovah invited those Jews who would listen to repent and enjoy blessings from him. (Acts 2:38-40; 3:19) The individuals who responded received his favor to a remarkable degree. But to the ones who refused the invitation, the first-century Christians became like a devastating swarm of locusts. Starting in Jerusalem, they spread through all Judea and Samaria. Soon they were everywhere, tormenting the unbelieving Jews by publicly proclaiming Jesus' resurrection with al that this implied. (Acts1:8; 4:18-20; 5:17-21, 28, 29, 40-42; 17:5, 6, 21:27-30) That plaguing continued until the "fear-inspiring day," in 70 C.E., when Jehovah brought the Roman armies against Jerusalem to destroy it. Only those Christians who in faith called on the name Jehovah were saved. - JOEL2:32; ACTS 2:20, 21; PROVERBS 18:10. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe -Locusts -A First Century Plague

 There was a fulfillment of Joel chapter 2 in the first century. It was then, at Pentecost 33 C.E., that holy spirit was poured out, anointing the first Christians and empowering them to speak the "magnificent things of God" in many tongues. As a result, a large crowd assembled. The apostle Peter addressed those astonished onlookers, quoting Joel 2:28, 29 and explaining that they were witnessing its fulfillment. (Acts 2:1-21) But there is no record of a literal insect plague at that time, causing discomfort to some and leading others to repentance. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe - Locusts

 The fifth angel prepares to blow his trumpet. Four heavenly trumpets have already sounded, and four plagues have directed to the third of the earth that Jehovah regards as most reprehensible-Christendom.  Her deathly sick condition has been uncovered. While angels sound the trumpet blasts, human heralds follow through on earth. Now the fifth angelic trumpet is about to announce the first woe, more fearsome even than what has gone before. It is related to a terrifying locust plague. First, though, let us examine other scriptures that will help us to understand the plague better.

The Bible book of Joel, written during the ninth century B.C. E., describes a plague of insects, including locusts, that is similar to the one that John sees. (Joel 2:1-11, 25) It was to cause much discomfort for apostate Israel but would also result in individual Jews' repenting and returning to Jehovah's favor. (Joel 2:6, 12-14) When that time arrived, Jehovah would pour out his spirit on "every sort of flesh," while fearful signs and alarming portents would precede "the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah." - JOEL 2:11, 28-32. 

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