“Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:3-4 NLT).
Revelation 9:3 presents us with a swarm of locusts that emerge from the Abyss mentioned earlier in verse one. Their emergence from this bottomless pit suggests these locusts are demonic in nature, or at least demonically influenced.
While an ordinary locust will consume most growing plants, these locusts don’t eat such vegetation. In fact, Revelation 9:4 specifically informs us they “…were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees.” So there is clearly something unnatural regarding the behavior of these creatures. But even though these locusts abstained from consuming the world’s plant life, they were far from benign: “They could harm only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (GW). So their damage will be inflicted upon those who neglect to establish a relationship with God.
“The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.
They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon” (Revelation 9:7-11).
It’s interesting to note that the lifespan of an average locust typically ranges from three to five months, depending on the species and environmental conditions. That neatly coincides with this reference to “five months” here in Revelation 9:10. But that’s where those similarities end, for the locusts of Revelation chapter nine also “…had tails with stingers like scorpions” (HCSB).
Scorpion venom contains neurotoxins that can lead to a range of symptoms, including severe pain and swelling, numbness, frothing at the mouth, respiratory paralysis, and convulsions. With this in mind, it’s easy to understand why we are told, “During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them” (Revelation 9:6 NIV).