Satan’s Assistant Series

2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

The shaft of the abyss is opened. Since this pit is the imprisoning chamber of evil vicious spirits can you imagine the hurt they will do once released. The smoke going upwards like the smoke of a furnace parallels Genesis 19.28 where the same description is given of the smoke going up from Sodom and Gomorrah after God’s judgment has come upon them, and we are justified in seeing in it an impending warning.

The rising of a great cloud of locusts was often seen and described in such fashion. Vast amounts of smoke are seen to rise and are then discerned to be a huge cloud of locust like creatures. Often in the Middle East people have thought there was a great fire as a result of seeing thick smoke in the distance, only for it to turn out to be a vast cloud of locusts. Such a sight struck terror in men’s hearts as they considered the effects.

Satan is permitted by God (‘was given the key’) to release evil spirits on the world, although the people of God will have special protection from them (9.4). So God tells John that soon (from his point of view) there is to be a release of powers of evil on the world.

‘The sun and the air were darkened as a result of the smoke of the pit’. The darkness is clearly ominous, warning of the dreadful things about to happen. The rulers of the darkness of this world are emerging. Huge clouds of locusts which blotted out the sun regularly brought fear into the hearts of men. In vision John recognizes here a greater threat.

There are many people who love to watch sci-fi movies. They love the possibilities of having aliens attack our planet. Well happy birthday Sci-fi fans. The locusts are not of this earth. The idea is simply that as part of the judgment of the great tribulation, God will allow demonic hordes, previously imprisoned, to descend upon the earth like a swarm of destructive locusts.

So a question we all should be asking is how come God would call them locusts if they are not literal locusts, but demonic spirits who swarm and destroy like locusts? It is because locusts are agents of God's judgment. So are these demons under God’s direction.

Please notice that ‘power’ was given to them. What this means is that ‘authority’ has been granted to them to do the things further described.

Please note the phrase, ‘as the scorpions of the earth have power.’ As God has given the ability of a scorpion to hurt in extreme pain, so will the locust like creatures be given the same authority.

The description of then as ‘locusts’ connects with the plagues of Egypt as we read in the book of Exodus chapter 10 verse 12 but there the likeness ends. These are not here to devour fields and grain, but to attack men directly like flying scorpions. But the attack is only to be upon such men as are not sealed by God. Thus will men as a whole undergo great spiritual tribulation. They are spiritual foes and will not therefore be visible. Men may well be unaware that these evil spirits are involved in what happens to them.