Scriptures/The Bible/The New Testament/Revelation/9

Revelation 9 at churchofjesuschrist.org

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Assuming the trumpets started in 2019, this may correspond to events surrounding the Cicadageddon event of 2024 when the 17 and 13 year periodic cicadas will both emerge at the same time. This only happens every 13*17 = 221 years. (Last happened in 1803.) Their appearance is to begin in April and they are to continue emerging through June, after which they will remain a nuisance for up to 6 more weeks, corresponding nicely with the prescribed 5 months. They are comparable to locusts, but they eat the sap of trees only, which they generally don't kill (unless they are young unprotected trees). They have long tails which ejects waste matter which is an irritant. They are also really loud. Some have described that in their greatest concentrations, the sound can actually be damaging to our hearing.

It is notable that at the same time, Iran started drone striking Israel. Will this last 5 months too? (These ones seem more deadly, though it will be interesting to watch what happens. Notably, they could be said to have a king over them, which is one aspect of the cicadas which doesn't seem to match John's description.)

4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

the great river Euphrates: JST has this as "the bottomless pit".

15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

The Jerusalem Bible] reads "These four angels had been put there ready for this hour of this day of this month of this year."

16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

heard: JST gives this as "saw"

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.