The locusts from the abyss

Locusts came down out of the smoke upon the earth, and they were given the same kind of power that scorpions have. They were told not to harm the grass or the trees or any other plant; they could harm only the people who did not have the mark of God’s seal on their foreheads. (verses 3, 4)

Read Revelation 9:1-12

St John gives us this awful vision of the unlocking of the abyss as part of the terrible sufferings that will unfold before the final judgment. Among the instruments of punishment in the vision are locusts, which have the same stinging power as scorpions. The prophet Joel uses locusts as a symbol of utter destruction. In his prophecy they lay waste the vines and strip the bark from the trees. The fields are desolate and the grain is destroyed. All the trees wither, and the flocks and herds starve because there is no pasture.

But the locusts in John’s vision are not to harm the grass or trees or any vegetation. They are only to harm those people who do not have the mark of God’s seal on their foreheads. That is why they are given the painful sting of the scorpion.

The only comfort in this vision is that all those who have the mark of God’s seal on their foreheads are protected. No evil can come upon them. They are safe, because God has made them safe.

We don’t know what the future has in store for the world. The vision of the unlocking of the abyss is a warning of terrifying things to come, which include the destruction and annihilation of the wicked and the saving of those who belong to God. Let us cling to God’s promises given us in holy baptism and claim the divine and eternal protection offered by God to all those who believe and are baptised.

Lord, hold me safe according to your great promises, and grant that in the time of trial I will not fall away but will be protected by your almighty power. Amen.

by Contributing Author, in ‘Direction for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2006)

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