The appearance of the locusts was like horses equipped for battle. Something like gold crowns was on their heads; their faces were like men’s faces; they had hair like women’s hair; their teeth were like lions’ teeth; they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses rushing into battle; and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months. Revelation 9:7-10 HCSB
One of my favorite movies is “Back to the Future” starring Michael J. Fox. It is a story about a young man who is transported back in time. He finds himself in the 1950’s when his parents were teenagers and dating. One of the struggles he has is in explaining what the future looks like to those in the 1950’s. At a drug store he asks for a diet Pepsi but diet Pepsi has not even been invented yet. It is hard to explain to people something they have never seen or experienced.
Some have suggested that in these verses John is describing a helicopter. He was using a scorpion as his point of reference because that is something the people to whom he was writing would understand. Imagine trying to explain what a helicopter looks like to someone who has never seen a helicopter. Just like a helicopter, John says the locusts were equipped for battle. The gold crowns could be the large blades. The faces could be the faces of the pilots. The hair and teeth could be some type of decoration or country symbols. The chests would appear to be like iron. The sound of the blades could sound like chariots. The tail of a helicopter could look like a scorpion’s tail rising up into the air. These verses could be describing the final battle of Armageddon with many helicopters. No one is sure, but we know that these evil machines or locusts were designed to bring torment to the people of the world.
Challenge: Someday the end of time is coming and there will be great evil and torment. Are you prepared for those days? Through faith in Jesus Christ you can be assured that you will escape the torment of the end times. Thank God for His loving mercy and patience.