Davy even though I don’t think you like me much. I still read your studies. you have a gift (Imo) although we don’t agree on a lot of things. I couldn’t agree more that the locust is not literal. Have you considered this …that what you have written describes “I come as a thief” …there is angst in His coming “as a thief” with the warning to watch and to be sober and that “you keep your garments” what do locust and Palmer worms do? They all eat up and destroy the garment (be careful you don’t bite and consume one another up). But He says that you be caught not unaware (to stay awake) where He comes as a thief in the night…and the garments they trusted in be taken away. You describe “a nation” “a people” “with teeth” as a thief in the night they come to destroy but He warns “so that day does not over take you as a thief” put on “the New man” where no thief approaches, put On the whole armor of God that you stand in the day of battle. I think your study teaches to be prepared and to identity the thief is not literal locusts…yet is “literal” in the sense of all you showed of men wanting to take your garments away. He even warns “let them”. And to “Rejoice when they (take your spoil) garments, knowing you have better Garments in Christ which no man takes away from you.” (Paraphrasing what it means to me)
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The last 3 Trumpets in Revelation each have a Woe attached to them. That 5th trumpet is about the 'symbolic' locust army of the Book of Joel, "a nation", meaning a certain people that work for Lucifer to takeover this world in prep for his coming to play God.
Christ shows us in Rev.9 that the locusts have the faces of men, which means they are men. Their hair is like the hair of women is used as a symbol for their coming in sweetness, caring, all in order to deceive. Yet they have the teeth of lions, just like the Book of Joel also teaches about them. The meaning is how they use sweetness to deceive the world into falling away to Lucifer who is to come first, playing God here on earth.
Thus the Revelation 9 chapter is not that difficult once one understands from the Book of JOEL that God is simply using the idea of locusts as a 'symbol' for Christ's enemies that work deception for Satan. We are shown in Rev.9 they are not allowed to hurt any green thing, nor tree, which automatically reveals they are not real locusts, because attacking those things is what real locusts do. Rev.9 also tells us their power is in their mouths, which is about words to cause deception. So it's not that hard to grasp God's Message in Rev.9 about the locusts workers being loosed on earth for the 5th trumpet, and even with the 6th trumpet Abaddon or Apollyon (titles for Satan) will also be loosed on earth at the 6th trumpet.
Very few Churches today teach God's Word line upon line, even though line upon line Bible study is the only way to become 'sealed' in God's Word in prep for the coming end time events. Many Christian brethren will fall away to worship the coming false-Messiah who comes first, tricked into thinking he will be our Lord Jesus Christ when he will not be. They simply don't know because most of them will not open up God's Word and study for themselves to become 'sealed' with God's seal. Instead, they depend upon their Church system organization preachers who are careful to follow their religious organization direction on what parts of The Bible to teach (mostly a milk teaching), otherwise they might lose their retirement pension. Just attending a Church today is not enough to be prepared for the coming "great tribulation" when Satan and his angels get here on earth. Each soul must get 'sealed' with God's seal to be prepared, and that means understanding the coming events for the very end, which The Father and The Son have provided His servants within His Word of Truth.