Joel's "Army" and the Locust-Scorpions in Revelation 9: 1-5

Posted : 8 Oct, 2012 06:00 AM

Someone asked:

"1. Do you know any Hebrew?

2. Have you ever been to Israel?

3. What is the worship like at your church?

4. Do you know what the doctrine of the 'Nicolaitans" is? Found in the Revelations 2 : 6 & 15."



The Nicolaitans seemed to hold to the doctrine that indulgence in carnal lusts was good, apparently coming from paganism of some sort. The Catholic Church, though it had a kind of legalistic view teaching people to avoid carnal lusts, did bring into its system several forms of ideas, practices and observances that came out of paganism, Important for our time, though, is the Catholic Church's exaltation of the idea of a capital C "Church," as THE Body of Christ, different from the Israel of God of Galatians 6: 16.



That God now had two different peoples with whom he deals in different ways, All Physical Israel and the Capital C Church, is a foundational part of the false doctrine of our time. Dispensationalism or Christian Zionism got its idea of the Capital C "Church" from the Catholics. And we have to admit, Luther and Calvin did not thoroughly purge out the leaven of the Catholic Church.



This false doctrine that is called dispensationalism and sometimes Christian Zionism is inconsistent with the transformation of physical Israel into that spiritual house of I Peter 2: 5-9. If physical Israel was transformed into a spiritual house, reborn in Jesus Christ (John 3: 1-7), then God does not have two different peoples, but only one saved Body of Christ, which is that spiritual house. Paul in Ephesians 2: 11-16 shows that those who were once Gentiles, who were not part of the commonwealth of Israel, not part of God's covenant people, are made close to Christ and become one with those covenant people, who, it is understood from other texts by Paul, are not Old Covenant Physical Israel, but Israel reborn in Christ. In other words, by the blood of Christ Gentiles who were cut off from the commonwealth or covenant of Israel are made part of Israel, but a part of Israel transformed.



That transformation was predicted in II Kings 21: 13, Isaiah 29: 16 and in Jeremiah 11-6.



But look at Acts 13: 40-41 "

Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;

41. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you."



Paul is quoting Habakkuk 1: 5 "Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you."



Paul in II Thessalonians 2: 10-12 picks up on this work of God which will be hard to believe: "

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness"



Now look at Joel 2: 2-4: "A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

3. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

4. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run."



This "army" of locusts is found also in Revelation 9: 2-5 "

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.

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."



Joel's "army" of locust-scorpions are the false prophets in the churches during the last days after the falling away of II Thessalonians 2: 3 who destroy or "eat up" the truth of the Gospel and especially make that truth as the revelation given to Paul unavailable and sealed up in false theology. That many, or most, in the churches believe them is the strong delusion. There is more but this is long already.



Isaiah 29: 24, however, promises "They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." A Remnant will come out of the false doctrines of Joel's "army."

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