The Demon Locusts of Revelation 9
When the fifth angel sounds, John sees “a star fallen from heaven” (Revelation 9:1)—likely a demonic being given the key to the abyss. The bottomless pit is opened, and smoke like a great furnace darkens the sky (Revelation 9:2). Out of that smoke comes a swarm—not insects, but demons cloaked in locust imagery.
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Their Appearance
John struggles to describe what he sees, stringing together comparisons:
• “Like horses prepared for battle” 
— warlike, armored, swift.
• “On their heads were crowns like gold” 
— symbols of authority.
• “Their faces were like human faces” 
— intelligence and malice.
• “Their hair like women’s hair” 
— seduction, mockery.
• “Their teeth like lions’ teeth” 
— savage and tearing.
• “They had breastplates like iron” 
— invulnerable, unstoppable.
• “The sound of their wings was like the thundering of chariots rushing to battle” 
— overwhelming dread.
• “Their tails like scorpions” 
— weapons of torment.
(Revelation 9:7–10)
This is demonic distortion—a perversion of God’s created order. Each feature intensifies the terror: warlike horses, crowns of false rule, faces of mockery, seduction, and unstoppable cruelty.
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Their Mission
They are commanded not to harm the grass or trees (Revelation 9:4)—unlike natural locusts. Their sole purpose: torment those who lack the seal of God (cf. Revelation 7:3).
For five months, they sting and torment. Men will “seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them” (Revelation 9:6). This is hell on earth—despair without relief, agony without death.
Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart under the plagues of Egypt, so too will mankind refuse repentance. (cf. Revelation 9:20–21).
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Their King
Locusts in nature “have no king” (Proverbs 30:27). But these do:
• In Hebrew: Abaddon — “Destruction”
• In Greek: Apollyon — “The Destroyer”
(Revelation 9:11)
This reveals their true identity: a satanic army under organized command, a parody of Christ’s Kingdom. Just as Christ is the Good Shepherd leading His flock, Apollyon leads a horde bent on destruction.
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The Five Months
Natural locust swarms last May through September in the Middle East. John ties this natural timeframe to a demonic counterfeit. The plague mimics creation but corrupts it—not vegetation, but humanity itself is devoured in torment.
This is God allowing mankind to reap the fruit of rebellion: to experience the terror of serving the Destroyer instead of the Savior.
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The Jewish Prophetic Echo
Joel’s prophecy of locusts becomes an eschatological backdrop:
• “A day of darkness and gloom… a people great and strong” (Joel 2:2).
• “Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon are darkened” (Joel 2:10).
For Jewish readers, Revelation 9 would be a fulfillment of Joel’s terror—no longer mere insects, but demonic armies shaking the nations.
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A Glimpse of Hell
This is not the final judgment, but a preview of the Lake of Fire. The agony of five months foreshadows the eternal torment of Revelation 14:11: “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night.”
Revelation 9:6 is a horrifying taste of eternal separation: men begging for death but finding none.
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Spiritual Takeaway
These visions remind us:
• Demons are real. (Matthew 8:29)
• Judgment is certain. (Hebrews 9:27)
• God’s wrath is unstoppable. (Nahum 1:6)
But the sealed of God are safe (Revelation 7:3). The Church, promised deliverance “from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10), will not face this plague. Yet for those left behind, the warning is clear: Repent now—or face the Destroyer.
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“The world that laughs at demons will one day beg for death under their sting. The locusts of Revelation 9 are the emissaries of hell, and yet they still serve the purposes of a holy God.” — John MacArthur