July 21: IMPENETRABLE POWER
And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. Revelation 9:9-10
John certainly saw “more than his share” of breastplates of iron in his day. Rome’s dominion over the Holy Land was punctuated with visual reminders through the strategic placement of armored Roman soldiers. Such “visuals” are an important element of intimidation tactics inspired by the evil one. By contrast, the armor provided by the Savior includes the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14), not made of iron, but of the impenetrable power of the love of God over the human heart that yields to His amazing love.
During the Dark Ages when Christianity was suppressed and Islam was invented, warriors wore protection (front and back) over vital organs. These one-piece coverings were called cuirasses. Islamic cavalry donned cuirasses that were engraved with verses from the Koran. These displays of religious zeal served to fuel the armies of the Ottoman Empire, adding to the perception of their power, like the crusty outer shell of locusts. The phrase like breastplates of iron alludes directly to the iron monarchy Rome (Daniel 2:33,40; 7:7). Though Rome as a political entity had disintegrated and fallen by 476AD, the papacy quickly arose in the year 538 atop its grave, marking the Dark Ages with her peculiar exercise of religious power over political entities—monarchies—in and around Europe. The papal power created Islam (610AD) for her own manipulative purposes.
Wings are used in Bible prophecy to symbolize speed, an example being the Greek Empire that arose from obscurity with tremendous speed and toppled Medo-Persia, under the leadership of Alexander the Great (see Daniel 7:6). In describing the fifth trumpet plague, John the Revelator’s vision was augmented by sound. In numerous accounts of historical locust plagues, people have stated that their approach sounded like the approach of an army. The intense sound produced by their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle, a very descriptive simile indeed!
This is the second mention of tails like scorpions. This reference to tails comes from Isaiah 9:15b which states: the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail (see also Revelation 12:4). Before a scorpion uses its tail, it gains a grip upon its victims with its lobster-like claws. Surely no one sets out to be a false prophet. It is in departing from the truth that falsehoods enter into thinking, thus displacing truth—with the aid of the father of lies (John 8:44). It has been said that the most dangerous lies are the ones mixed in with some element(s) of truth. Herein lies the initial grip.
The last statement of today’s passage, Their power was to hurt men five months, points us back to verse 5. The word for power can also mean authority. During the one hundred and fifty prophetic days (literal years) during which Ottoman Turks imposed authority over the Byzantine Empire, death was preferable to the tortures inflicted (v.6), these tortures being intended to gain converts. It is no coincidence that the church of Rome, also prophetically depicted with iron, employed false doctrines and torture to lead the church into apostasy. Jesus made it clear that His authority came from God. He also said:
“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.” John 7:17