Locusts: Who Are They?

(Revelation 9 describes the locusts that come out of the pit at the endtimes.)


Revelation 9:8
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.


The Merovingians were referred to as the "long haired kings". Some sources imply that long hair was a distinction of the aristocracy. They were also said to be sorcerer kings. They were the Frankish kings of Gaul from c. 500-752 and are the root of all the Royal Houses of Europe.

Could it be that these locusts who have the "hair of women" are from this line of "long haired kings" from so long ago? Or is this Merovingian Dynasty simply a myth?

Or, could the 'locusts' symbolize the power structure we are seeing at this time as having been predicated upon a similar strategy of ecclesiastical favor?

The Merovingian kings and queens used an ecclesiastical power structure to their advantage.

In support of the dynasty, the elite donated extensive parcels of land to be used for religious purposes, i.e. monastaries, in order to exempt those lands from royal taxation. In return, the elite were given titles and positions of status within the religious hierarchy.

The family maintained its dominance over the monasteries by appointing their family members as abbots. The political use of monasteries ensured close ties between the elites and the properties.

Many Merovingian family members who served as bishops and abbots or who generously funded the abbeys and monasteries were rewarded with sainthood.


I propose that there is, today, a power structure within the religious heirarchy that continues to support untouchable hidden dynasties. The powerhouse organizations, councils, and committees at their highest level are still bottom feeders.

I suspect also that because so many people have seen the lies of religion that this power is now threatened.

Religion is losing money and losing control of the masses. I think we are seeing a power play that is getting out of hand because they are desperate. Through buying the lawmakers, national policies have been dictated by them.

Religious dominion has been the root cause of many wars. Is religious dominionism behind the political structure of the USA/UK?

I don't know about all that.

In Oklahoma what you call locusts we call grasshoppers and we call cicadas locusts.

The locust plagues could be a real thing. Locusts do swarm in huge groups that devastate everything they touch.

This might be something you could take literally.

i'm not sure the reference is really translated "locust", primarily because it has an alternate meaning as well:

akron

1) the farthest bounds, uttermost parts, end, highest, extreme

a) of the earth

b) of heaven

which apparently is the same exact word reference as

akris

1) a locust, particularly that species which especially infests oriental countries, stripping fields and trees. Numberless swarms of them almost every spring are carried by the wind from Arabia into Palestine, and having devastated that country, migrate to regions farther north, until they perish by falling into the sea. The Orientals accustomed to feed upon locusts, either raw or roasted and seasoned with salt (or prepared in other ways), and the Israelites also were permitted to eat them.

it says :

apparently from the same as G206

which is akron.

source is strongs
akris
tiny.cc...
akron
tiny.cc...


normally, i would think akris is the most logical and fitting but in this case, i don't. i think it's akron. i could be wrong, but i don't think so at this point.




[edit on 1-10-2009 by undo]

reptilians

oh yes...

the REPTILIANS

"In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon." (Revelation 9:1-11 RSV)

[edit on 1-10-2009 by jvm222]

I've not posted a youtube link before, so please excuse me if I did it wrong.

The first time I saw this video I immediately though of this prophesy. The BigDog could be deployed in virtually any terrain, and can be fitted with a tazer (sting in the tail but cannot kill?)

Imagine you're a 1st century AD human, and in a vision you see a bunch of these coming out of the smoke. How would you describe them? Especially when you consider the sound of the engine.

i think the astronomy layer helps a bit in understanding:

1. hair of a woman - hair of virgo or andromeda?
2. teeth of a lion - teeth of Leo the lion
3. tail of a scorpion - tail of scorpio
4. horse prepared unto battle - pegasus?

remember not to ignore any of the parts. all of the parts have to be addressed. so a robot that makes bug sounds while it walks around, needs to also have.......teeth and hair and a tail? strange i know

The similarities between the locusts and helicopters in battle are too close to be a coincidence.
The only thing that puts people off is the "hair like women" line. It's been suggested that it is referring to helicopters kept under camouflage nets - but I think that's stretching it a bit.

I believe revelations is about the future (to them), and about the present/very-close future (to us). A World War will break out involving nuclear weapons and it will take humanity with it. Stop worrying about Nibriu or some 'spiritual awakening', worry about what is realistic and very possible.

What many people don't understand, is that the text says "had .... LIKE a scorpion/lotus". It was not a scorpion or a locust per se, it just had FEATURES like them. Since a prophet in those days would not have experience with these machines they would not have words for what they say, only the likeness to things around at the time of the vision.

If you're going to read Revelations, much of which is now past history, then the sequence must match up with other historical events.

Already one third of the (Roman) world was destroyed, as evidenced in the previous scriptures.

Consider the Arabs after embracing Muhammed and engaging the war on mankind Muslims swore to.

They came from the land of the locusts.

They all fought on horseback. There was not a foot soldier among the Muslims which in AD 632 burst forth to swarm the Eastern (Roman) empire.

They wore turbans of yellow.

The locusts had "faces of men." The northern peoples, Greeks and Romans shaved the face. The Arabs and Jews wore long patriarchal beards. John notes that these locusts have the distinguishing mark of manhood in the Middle East - the unshorn beard.

But to the faces of men is added "hair of women." The female distinction is long hair, and as John beholds as the riders rush by, long hair flowing from their shoulders and streaming in the air. Did the Arabs of that time wear long hair? Pliny, a contemporary of John, speaks (Nat. His. 7:28) of the "turbaned Arabs with their uncut hair." Ammaniaus Marcelliunu in the fourth, and Jerome in the fifth century, each speak of the hair of its heroes flowing down upon their shoulders. "He adjusted himself, twisted his beard, and folded his hair under his turban, drawing it up from his shoulders."

These locusts had "breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron. The Romans had the segmented lorica, and the solid breastplate, but it wasn't one of these. Historians of the Arabian wars constantly speak of the iron coats of mail. Muhammed in the Qur'an says, "Allah has given you coats of mail to defend you in your wars."

Muhammed was a fallen star, an heir of the rule and wealth of Mecca, but with his father dead, he was pushed aside to become an embittered common servant.

"The locusts came out of the smoke." The Arabs were unknown as a conquering force before Muhammed. The smoke of HIS origin, and the smoke of his imposture enabled an ignorant people with the fierce, stern fanaticism of the Qur'an. It was a license to rape, kill, pillage, and burn.

They had literal orders not to destroy the vegetation, althought normally, locusts eat everything in sight. Muhammed ordered, "Cut down no palm trees, nor burn fields of corn. Destroy no fruit trees." Gibbon, Vol. V., P 189.

Their destructive work was to continue for a prophetic five months, or 150 days with one day equaling a year, or 150 years.

Though Muhammed began his work earlier, it was in AD 632 that the Arab cavalry hosts burst outward in conquest to assail the world, and begin their war upon mankind. Within a hundred years, Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, northern Africa, and Spain had fallen under the spread of Islam.

In 732 AD Charles Martel stopped the advance of Islam in Europe in the battle of Tours.

In 762, the capital of the Saracen Empire was moved to Baghdad.

In 781, the Caliph Haroun Al Rashid was their ruler.

In AD 632 the Arab hosts burst forth, to which you add 150 years, bringing us to AD 782. In 782, Haround Al Rashid was engaged in friendly correspondence with the Christian rulers of Europe, and this ended the efforts of the Saracen Empire to forcibly convert the world to Islam.

This was the second third of the (Roman) world to fall.

Just for placement, the next trumpet speaks of the Turks, held at the river Eurphrates for 50 years, the four angels, or four powers were the Turkish kindom ruled under the four grandsons of Togrul, again, armies of horsemen, numbered by myriads instead of thousands.

Until recently, they wore warlike apparel of scarlet, blue, and yellow. They used gunpowder for the first time in war, specifically against Constantinople - the last third of the (Roman) world.

The power in the tails reflects that among the Turks, the horse's tail is an emblem of rank. A Pascha of three tails is a great officer.

No conspiracy in religion.

History.

reply to post by dooper


starred that post for the historical references

who then is the 8th empire?
at this very moment, new city jerusalem should be floating in the sky. exact dimensions - something like 1200 miles high and wide. the millenium is about up if you consider the fall of the fifth empire to be the initiator for 1k countdown. lots of questions

Using jvm222's quote:

"In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon." (Revelation 9:1-11 RSV)

And like Nventual said, I believe this is referring to helicopters, too. Or at least, that's what my dad convinced me of about ten years ago. His rationale was, no one back then would be able to describe a modern-day machine well. If you had no knowledge of things from this century, how would you describe them using a vocabulary and references from nearly 2000 years ago?

Referred to as "locusts" because of flight? Horses arrayed for battle could be some kind of flight formation. Crowns of gold, I'm not sure. Human faces could be the faces of human pilots in the cockpits. I always envisioned the "women's hair" portion as helicopter blades, but I think that's a stretch. Teeth like lions' could refer to some kind of paint scheme - kind of like how they used to paint shark teeth on airplanes. Scales like the iron of breastplates - armored hulls. The noise they emit would reference the sound of helicopter blades spinning overhead. Tails like a scorpion - the tail of a helicopter.

Sure, some of it's a stretch, and some of it doesn't quite add up properly, but it sounds plausible, and if nothing else, it's fun to speculate.

What are they? Creatures currently living in the Abyss - soldiers of ABBADON AND THEY ARE HUGE IN COMPARISON TO REGULAR 1z. How in the HELL do I know this you ask, LOL.

Also they were called locust for that is what they are, LOCUST CAN DWELL DEEP IN EARTH FOR LONG TIMES LARGE 1Z CAN DWELL EVEN LONGER IN THE EARTH FOR MILLINEA till something wakes them and frees them (earthquakes signal their locations as the move and burrow).



[edit on 10/2/09 by Ophiuchus 13]

reply to post by undo


Keep in mind that Revelation was written to the Christians AT THAT TIME.

At that moment, everything would have been future.

But not future for all time. Future from that moment it was completed.

Logic, common sense, and human habit place things in sequence. One thing follows another thing, which in turn follows another.

Like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Now you can speak in generalities first, and then fold back and within each generality, get into more detail.

What was the world of Alexander? It was the Grecian and Persian world. That was all they knew existed.

What was the world of John? The Roman Empire. So if he speaks of a third being destroyed, then it would indicate that the Roman Empire would be destroyed by thirds.

Which is exactly what happened.

A lot of folks talk for example about the four horsemen of the apocalypse. This is just a brief, condense, version of what would occur to this Roman Empire.

From the writing of John, Rome had not reached its peak, and was to go on conquering and expanding with victory after victory, as can be validated by the White Horse, the rider, and the descriptive elements.

Then after this period, war (Red Horse) would be thrust upon the Roman world. And secular history speaks quite clearly of those wars, and the symbols all are very descriptive of those wars.

The Black Horse symbolizes the death and loss to the Empire, just as black today symbolizes death and loss. The symbols attached to the Black Horse go hand in hand with what Rome suffered.

The Pale Horse. Death. Disease. Sickness. Shortages. Famine. All these things occurred to the Roman Empire as the destruction of the infrastructure caused widespread hunger and disease. Even wild animals preyed on the nation.

For someone to jump to helicopters and tanks for something that was occurring in the Roman Empire is mighty selective for the purpose of sensationalism.

They want Revelation to read, 1, 18, 4, 66, 3, and so on. It doesn't work that way.

John gives glimpses of the future FROM THAT MOMENT in time.

John was also forbidden to write some things down that pertained to the latter days. So if in fact some of this period is anywhere near the latter day, a lot of the detail has intentionally been left out.

We get some overview, just as the four horsemen provided an overview of the destruction of the Roman world, but I would caution against getting hung up on all the symbolism, trying desperately to fit it into things we are familiar with.

It can't be done with any reliable degree, because we know that many sequences and identifying details were forbidden by God for John to relate.

We have plenty of scriptures from the Old Testament as well that have yet to be fulfilled, and most of those deal with Israel, so we can get an idea of what would be happening to them.

There is one city in the world that sits on seven hills. Rome.

Pagan Rome controlled a vast empire.

Papal Rome, which sprang up after Pagan Rome was to all appearances dead, rose on the ruins of Pagan Rome, and became even more powerful.

But with the printing press, the Reformation, and other changes, the previous 1260 years that Papal Rome kept the Word of God from the people was over.

It still exists, and we can see that one day it will be physically destroyed in a terrific manner.

Yet to happen is the destruction of the oldest ongoing city in existence, Damascus, which is to exist one day, and be gone the next. Specifically, from one evening to the next morning. That's fast. Sudden. Catastrophic.

From these many events, there is to be no earthly power to be able to take the credit for many of these events, but it appears that many great nations will be drastically reduced in capability for the sole purpose of enabling everyone to know without a doubt that God alone is able to account for these event.

I'm not a biblical scholar by any means, but once one decides to diligently read what is plainly spoken, and has a bit of knowledge of secular history, it's really not all that difficult to understand and in some instances, intuit.

i personally believe it to be a genetically altered locust or a completely new kind of locust that we have yet to categorize.



Keeper

reply to post by dooper


right, i think your position is primarily preterist. i'm a partial preterist. i believe these things are in successive layers and are not end to end. some are like a giant jigsaw puzzle. the only thing that is end to end is the list of empires, starting with the statue of nebuchadnezzar's dream in the book of daniel chapter 2, and ending with the last three empires of revelation (which, by the way, are repeats of the fifth empire -- which is not defeated - it's the beast that was, is not, and yet is. it keeps reinventing itself and is still in control of the planet. otherwise, daniel's interpretation of nebuchadnezzar's statue being the entirety of imperial history would be incorrect. note that the feet of the statue (the iron mixed with clay) is the last empire in world history. yet we see 3 more empires after it in revelation.. ..that's cause they are all the same empire, puppet empires you might say, run from the inside by the fifth empire, even if they don't realize the fifth empire is guiding their actions at all the most important points. )

The Mangled Greek of this passage is difficult but...

here is Apoc. 9:1-11 QUOTED in English...

"And these Locusts had the appearance of horses (Joel 2:4)
Even horses arrayed for battle;
upon their heads what appeared to be like crowns of gold;
their faces were like the faces of the sons of men
but the hairs on them [on their faces],
[i.e. ‘antennae’ like the Arab proverb says]
were like women's hair,
and their teeth were like lions' teeth; (Joel 1:6)
They had scales covering [their bodies] like iron-breastplates,
And the noise of their wings was terrible,
even as the noise of many chariots
Yea, as of the sound of horses rushing into battle.
And their tails were like scorpions’ tails
For each had a stinger in them.
with which they could wound the sons of Adam
even for a period of 5 months"
(NB : April to Sept were 5-Locust months).

The kind of language that Yohanon the Levite is here using seems like a Hagaddic Midrash on Joel 1:6 and Joel 2:2-8

PRIMARY HEBREW SOURCE for REV 9:1-11 (there are others too): e.g.

Joel 1:6 Sound the Trumpet in Zion..
For a strong innumerable nation is come
even up against my land, saith YHWH
their teeth are lion's teeth,
and their back teeth those of a [lion's] whelp.

2:2b A numerous strong enemy shall be spread out
even as the Morning Dew upon the mountains;
2:4 Their appearance is as the appearance of horses;
and as horsemen, so shall they run.
2:5 with the sound of many chariots
even on the tops of mountains shall they go forth,
as a numerous and strong people
setting themselves in array for battle.
2:7 As warriors shall they pursue the enemy
and as men of war shall they mount on the walls;
and each shall move in tight formations
yea,they shall not turn aside their advance
2:8 and when the sword is thrust into them
they shall NOT be wounded.


The next passage breaks the poetry of the oracle (see top of page) and certainly was a marginal gloss later copied into the text...despite warnings NOT to do this at the end of the book (there are over 60 of these glosses/marginalia in the mangled text copies of Revelation in what few Greek MSS we do possess...)

Apoc. 9:11 [but these locusts] did have a King (Melek) over them
see: Proverbs 30:27 ‘like a swam of locusts,
who have no king over them’]
Even the (Malak) ‘Angel’ of the Abyss ;
whose name in Hebrew is Abba D’on,
but in Greek he is known by Apollyon."

reply to post by Sigismundus


oh that's fascinating. thanks for the info, sigi.

will follow up.

Originally posted by Alethea


The Merovingians were referred to as the "long haired kings". Some sources imply that long hair was a distinction of the aristocracy. They were also said to be sorcerer kings. They were the Frankish kings of Gaul from c. 500-752 and are the root of all the Royal Houses of Europe.

The Holy Roman Empire was formally founded in the year 800 by Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Lombards, who revived the Imperial August Title of Roman Emperor in the West. According to Carolingian theory, the Roman Empire had merely been suspended, not ended, by the abdication of the last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus in 476.



The Imperial Nobility of The Holy Roman Empire, enjoys a more elevated status than that of the Nobilities of the Modern German States and, indeed, of the Modern Italian States.

It should be pointed out that the Holy Roman Empire, has never been conquered, and the prerogatives of its Imperial Nobility have therefore remained intact to this day.

As all its families were invested by Imperial Decree, they possess an indisputable right to enjoy their privileges and exercise their obligations.

....The Holy Roman Empire, being officially Confirmed by Imperial Decree in the meeting of the Reichs-Council of The Holy Roman Empire on the 1st of September 1999, in London. His Imperial Highness, formally assumed the Title of Hereditary Sovereign Chancellor and Grand Master of the aforesaid Association and of all other International Associations, Official Bodies and Imperial Orders of The Imperial Nobility of the Holy Roman Empire, on the same date which includes the descendants of the Imperial Italian Nobility of The Holy Roman Empire, who formed an Italian Association.

This subordinate Italian Association was established in 1963 in Rome, called the ASSOCIZIONI dei NOBILI del SACRO ROMANO IMPERO to unite the descendants in the male line of certain Italian individuals invested with Nobility of the Holy Roman Empire, held under the supreme control of the THE IMPERIAL ORDER AND ASSOCIATION OF THE NOBILITY OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE.


The Imperial Order and Association of the Nobility of The Holy Roman Empire of The German Nation, which has been preserved for many centuries for the formal defence of Christianity, which originates from the First Noble Knights of the Holy Roman Empire of The German Nation, who fought for the victory of the Christian Faith .

It is now formally composed of the old and new families of the Holy Roman Empire and is, therefore a closed Imperial Order. The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.


An Imperial Decree was issued by His Imperial Highness Prinz Karl Friedrich von Deutschland, on the 10th of January 2002, and voted by the Grand Reichs-Council of the Imperial College of Princes and Counts of the Holy Roman Empire, in London on the same date, which formally Decreed the following: Heads of Princely and Ducal Houses of the Holy Roman Empire.....

www.imperialcollegeofprincesandcounts.com...

"I sit a queen".

Hi Alethea--

The Apocalypse of Yohanon the Levite (whoever he was) aka the Book of Revelation which narrowly was barely voted into the canon in the east and later the western churches in the 4th-5th centuries AD is full of vibrant and powerful imagery, most of which is adapted from Hebrew writings some of which included books that never got voted into the 'old testament' e.g. the War Scroll and The Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs or the Testament of Moses, or the Sybilline Oracles, and the Wisdom of Solomon, the Pslams of Solomon, I Henoch and the Wisdom of Ben-Sirach (aka Ecclesiasticus) etc.

The reason why these horrific images are 'painted in words' is because it was originally based on an earlier Jewish Apocalypse, and post-Exilic Jews were not allowed to make 'paintings' or 'representations' of humans or animals or any living thing i.e. graven images (despite Moses and his Bronze Snake Idol and Aaron and his Golden Calf Idol !!)-- so the Jews painted in words and images that could be imagined vividly.

The majority of the word painting images in the Apocalypse of Yohanon are clearly extracted from the more common Hebrew writings that did become part of the formal canon of the Jews(finally decided around AD 120-140, after the Rebbes from Babylon under Hillel II re-organized rabinnic Judaeism's 'books which defiled the hands' (i.e. holy writings) and decided which books were 'in' and which books were 'out--e.g. the plagues of Exodus, the Scrolls of the prophets Hezekiel, proto and tritoIsaiah, deuteroZechariah, (and Zechariah chapter 4 with its 4 horses !), the book of Jeremiah, the 2nd Temple Tamid (specifically Psalms 24, 48, 82, 94, 81, 93, 92) sung in the 'Herodian' Temple every week, the Book of Daniel (in Theodotion's text) etc.

Interpreting these fantastic images is part of the job of the audience who is expected to understand the Hebrew image underpinnings--unfortunately most modern day Christians do not have a very full understanding of Hebrew writings including the socalled Dead Sea Scrolls, etc. but one CANNOT understand any of the word painting in the Apocalypse of Yohanon WITHOUT a working knowledge of 2nd Temple Hebrew Scriptures, from which these images were directly taken (and which the author/s expected his Jewish (or later, Messianic Jewish) audience fully to understand writing as he did just before and during the 1st Failed Jewish War against Rome (66-72 CE). Thus one cannot understand Rev 9:7-11 WITHOUT first understanding the images found in Joel 2:4-11 (see my earlier posting with the fuller QUOTE) -- especially in the Aramaic Targum versions of the earlier Hebrew (i.e. NOT the later Masoretic Text with the vowells added in the year 960 CE)

The poetic oracular passage in chapter 9 of Revelation e.g. 'and lo, the locusts had long hair like women's hair' are describing masses of 'organized' Locusts swarming forcibly in military ranks (unlike real locusts who swarm unevenly 'without a king over them') over Eretz Yisro'el in the Last Days in the Apocalypse links first 'the long hair' to the middle eastern proverb in Arabic ('the locusts has long-hairs on its face like that of a woman' i.e. antennae) i.e. as an extension of the image of the literal locusts and how they move in frightening swarms over the land devouring everything in their wake.

But the author(s) of the book also wanted their audience to imagine a huge army of daemonic (Roman?) soldiers---their long flowing hair could refer to the Parthian Army who partnered with Rome on some campaigns (and threatened Rome on others !) wwore their hair long, or could refer to the very tops of the Centurions' Roman military helmets which also had hair or furry material resembling 'hair' at the top (these were often made of bronze flashed with gold plate to shine in the sunlight, and not rust/corrode over time--hence the reference to 'helmets of gold' in the passage above)--and Nero (NRWN QSR) was thought (in some Apocalyptic circles at least) NOT to have died in AD 69 (probably the year the Apocalypse was written) but survived and 'went to the east' i.e. to join up with the Parthian hordes to reclaim his throne.

The whole pericope here seems to be the military might of Rome being harnessed against the Judaeans during the 1st Failed Jewish War of 66CE and lines up with the horrific language by Josephus (The Jewish War) who was an eyewitness to the atrocities before he 'went to the dark side'...

reply to post by Sigismundus


What has happened in the past has merely been foreshadowing which will culminate in the last event.

History repeats itself, but we have been told this will be the last time. It will be finished.

Levites? Leviim. Leviathan.