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After millennia of captivity, the vile demons would no doubt want to give full vent to all of their pent-up evil by slaughtering people. Certainly Satan would want to kill all the unregenerate to keep them from repenting. But God, in His mercy, will give people torment for five months (the normal life span of locusts, usually from May to September), during which they cannot die but will be given the opportunity to repent and embrace the gospel.2
This verse frustrates those who attempt to interpret the judgment as involving an army of human origin, for what army on earth has ever resisted killing the enemy?to torment them for five monthsThe duration of the plague is fixed. It is to last "five months." A similar fixed date is given in Numbers [[11:19-20|bible.4.11.19-4.11.20]]: "a whole month." In 2 Samuel [[24:13|bible.10.24.13]], also we have "seven years," "three months," and "three days," as the fixed limit of certain judgments. These periods are always taken literally. Why not this? The time limit of these infernal locusts corresponds with that of ordinary locusts, which is five months (from May to September).4
like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a manNotes
1 Concerning God's use of evil for His own purposes: Jdg. [[9:23|bible.7.9.23]]; 1S. [[18:10|bible.9.18.10]]; 1K. [[22:22|bible.11.22.22]]; 2K. [[19:7|bible.12.19.7]]; 2Chr. [[18:21|bible.14.18.21]]; Job [[1:12|bible.18.1.12]]; [[2:6|bible.18.2.6]]; Isa. [[37:7|bible.23.37.7]]; Mtt. [[4:1|bible.61.4.1]]; Luke [[22:31|bible.63.22.31]]; John [[19:11|bible.64.19.11]]; 1Cor. [[5:5|bible.67.5.5]]; 1Ti. [[1:20|bible.75.1.20]]; 2Cor. [[12:7|bible.68.12.7]]; Rev. [[2:10|bible.87.2.10]]+; [[9:5|bible.87.9.5]]+; [[9:15|bible.87.9.15]]+; [[16:14|bible.87.16.14]]+; [[17:17|bible.87.17.17]]+; [[20:3|bible.87.20.3]]+; [[20:8|bible.87.20.8]]+.
2 John MacArthur, Revelation 1-11 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), Rev. 9:5.
3 Henry Morris, The Revelation Record (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1983), Rev. 9:5.
4 E. W. Bullinger, Commentary On Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1984, 1935), Rev. 9:5.
5 Britannica CD 99 Multimedia Edition, s.v. "scorpion."
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