Connect Revelation 9:10 with other scriptures about God's protection during tribulation. Reading the verse in context “They have tails with stingers like scorpions, and in their tails they have power to harm people for five months.” – Revelation 9:10 Key observation • Harm is real and time-limited. • Revelation 9:4 clarifies the target: “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” God’s own are exempt. God’s seal: a consistent pattern of protection • Revelation 7:3-4 – 144,000 servants of God sealed on their foreheads before the trumpet judgments begin. • Ezekiel 9:4-6 – A mark placed on the faithful in Jerusalem spared them from coming judgment. • Exodus 12:12-13 – Blood on the doorposts shielded Israel from the destroyer during the Passover night. Promises that anchor our hope in tribulation • Psalm 91:9-10 – “Because you have made the LORD your dwelling… no evil will befall you, no plague will approach your tent.” • Isaiah 43:2 – “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… the flames will not consume you.” • Proverbs 18:10 – “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” • Luke 21:18 – “Yet not a hair of your head will perish.” • 2 Thessalonians 3:3 – “The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” • 1 Thessalonians 5:9 – “God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” • Revelation 3:10 – “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world.” Why the locust judgment matters • It shows literal, targeted wrath—five months of torment only on the unsealed. • It highlights God’s absolute control: even demonic hordes obey His limits. • It demonstrates mercy amid judgment: protection for the faithful remains intact. Historical echoes of selective protection • Plague of flies – Exodus 8:22: Goshen spared. • Plague of darkness – Exodus 10:23: “All the Israelites had light where they lived.” • Fiery furnace – Daniel 3:27: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerge unsinged. • Lion’s den – Daniel 6:22: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths.” Living out the truth today • Rest in the certainty that every promise is literal and dependable. • Remember that tribulation, however fierce, is timed and bounded by God’s command. • Hold fast to the seal of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) as assurance of present and future security. • Encourage one another with these truths (1 Thessalonians 4:18), knowing that the same God who spared Israel, Daniel, and the sealed servants in Revelation is committed to preserve all who belong to Him. |
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