20161112 Saturday, November 12 2016
Revelation 09: The Business Of War - Swords Into Plowshares

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle ... 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. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails"

Humanity has had the means to destroy itself for a long time with its wars of politics and religion, but in the present day, a third factor has become very powerful - wars are manipulated into happening by string-pulling corporations whose business is the manufacture of armaments. U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, in his retirement address, prophetically warned of that very "military-industrial complex" that can turn a label of "defense" into an endless war for profit.

Notice that when the LORD's wrath comes upon those who will attempt to make war on Him ("17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb" Revelation 17:4 KJV), it won't just be heads of state and their high-ranking military commanders who will flee to their bunkers, but also the war profiteers and their personal servants i.e. "the rich men and the chief captains."

"6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:15-17 KJV)

But the LORD has not permitted humanity to destroy itself with its idols of destruction, not for the sake of the arrogant and evil who lust for war, but for the sake of the humble and righteous.

"24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:22 KJV)

The "seven seals" of the scroll that The Father wrote and gave to the Messiah when He returned to the Throne of God in heaven (see The Seals, Trumpets And Vials Of The Messiah's Return) is a detailed prophecy of the fall of Satan's deceived world - and the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Many of the things of the end-time were described to prophets of long ago in analogy or metaphor. For example, war helicopters are referred to as "locusts" with armor plating and "stings in their tails" (i.e. missiles). As we can plainly read in the verses below, the Holy Scriptures describe them in amazingly-accurate detail.

Note also that the war helicopters can be from any nation - the point of the prophecy isn't about the "good guys" versus "the bad guys," but that the LORD, at that time, will no longer restrain humanity from all-out war with itself. To use the popular term (that is actually more Biblically-accurate than many people realize), "all hell is going to break loose."

"9:1 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. 9:2 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. 9:3 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. 9:4 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. 9:5 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. 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

9:7 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. 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9:9 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. 9:10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 9:11 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.

9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter." (Revelation 9:1-12 KJV)

And so the prophetic seals will continue to be opened (see The Seals, Trumpets And Vials Of The Messiah's Return) - until, at their completion, the Messiah will return to restore His Kingdom of Peace and Truth.

"9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 9:14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 9:15 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. 9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

9:17 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. 9:18 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. 9:19 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.

9:20 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: 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:13-21 KJV)

Fact Finder: From the day of Christ's return, the industries of the world, along with humanity, will also be converted. What does "swords into plowshares" mean?
See Micah: Swords Into Plowshares