What does Revelation 9; 3 and 4 mean to you. How does your interpretation of it compare to mine?

Those comments are really intersting and certainly seem to square with what's said in chapter 7 verses 1 to 8 about the sealing on the forehead of the 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. In chapter 7 the four angels holding back the four winds of the earth are commanded not to harm the land, the sea or the trees until the 144,000 have been sealed. In chapter 9 we are told that the green vegetation is not to be harmed; only those who don't have the seal of od on their foreheads.

Are you saying that the 144,000 must be Jewish people (by ancestry) who also acclaim Jesus Christ (as stated in chapter 14 verses 3-5)? And are you also saying that the 144,000 will stay on the earth? Certainly, in chapter 7 they are on the earth, but by chapter 14 they are in heaven (unless you interpret Mount Zion as being literally on earth - but vs 1 says the Lamb is standing on that Mount Zion with the 144,000)?

I'm not proposing any interpretation myself, I'm just keen to glean ideas from others, to consider. Thanks for raising this question.

well actually your "interpretation" isn't very accurate. the bible is clear on this. the beast is the 1 world political system, not the locust army. the locust army is the antichrists army. those that have been deceived by Satan's twisting of scripture. you know the fly away boys and the eternal hellfire people and those that believe mans doctrines rather than Gods word.

verse 4 means that satan is not allowed to destroy the earth. not 1 green thing can be harmed. this is why there will never be a nuclear holocaust. it won't happen. the earth will continue. also it means thatSatan'ss army, the locust army is not allowed to harm 1 single person that has the true knowledge of Gods word. these are the zadok, or God's elect. these people will be delivered up to the anti christ but can not be harmed. (other than the 2 witnesses that is. but that is another topic) God will send the Holy Spirit to speak through them when they are delivered up. now as to the 144,000 these are the elect. those that will not be deceived. those that know 6 comes before 7. they know there are 2 tribulations, 1 for satan and 1 for Christ. they know not to even think about what they will say when they are delivered up. they will just let the Holy Spirit talk through them. you really need to look for the "keys" to revelation which can be found elsewhere in the bible. these include

sea means the mass of people alive at the time

beast is a 1 world political system

head of beast is the anti christ

locust army is satans army of believers. those that believe the anti (instead of this means not against) christ is the true Christ.

Revelation 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Verse 3-The bottomless pit is hell, the locusts are demon spirits.They had many crowns( attributes and abilities to do different things and the authority to do them)hair like women but faces like men(sexual perversion) they had breast plates of armor and made a sound of many horses going to war(they will make war with GOD'S people ,part of this is by working through human governments) and they had stingers in their tails-disease and pestilence.

Verse 4-They were forbidden to harm anyone who is born again and is sealed with GOD'S SPIRIT, the HOLY GHOST.

Their place was not to destroy the Earth's environment but to destroy wicked people.They were turned loose on humanity and we see this in the rise of sexual perversion(homosexual movement,nambla,,transvestites,transexuals etc.),all the different wars based on different things around the world,religion ,poverty,political ideals.

You also see many STD's and other diseases they still have no cure for.

These religions and governments are in the background of revelations, but not one of the signs. The signs will be seen and heard throughout the World like a bang, not just an increase in religion or something like that. In other words governments and religions have been around for a long time, so they couldn't be any of the signs.

To me this one means a great event in which something like electricity or something will go down. Again all of the signs will be easily explained away by science. Then with whatever it is that goes down people will feel alone or isolated. It will bring a sort of panic to the World, however those who know God know they are never alone. As for the locust it is our own fear

This answer goes with Matthew 13:25-30. The tares represents the locusts-- which crept into the wheat unawares (while man slept); they cannot harm us, but they can try to deceive us with false teachings. The wheat would be the grass, trees etc. We now have tares in all denominations;

(Revelation 22:21) [might] the undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ [be] with the holy ones. that's the final financial ruin and Verse of no longer basically Revelation yet of the Bible itself. yet, you probably did understand that did no longer you. (Revelation 13:3) and that i observed one among its heads as though slaughtered to death, yet its death-stroke have been given healed, and all you're so way off base that is not humorous. in accordance to dissimilar the international Jehovah's Witnesses are a faux faith so how do you get "the earth observed the wild beast with admiration" as being Jehovah's Witnesses? you attempt to have each and every thing your way and it basically won't artwork. you won't be in a position to alter issues to make it in good condition your schedule. The earth would not save on with JW's.

Your eschatology assumes the preterist position is true.

Begin your exegesis of Revelation by looking at the time texts.

REV 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

REV 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Note well that the testimony is what is prophesied will occur "shortly" and "the time is near."

It is bad exegesis to take these time texts and say Christ meant they are 2000 years in the future or even beyond that. It is not exegesis. It is eisegesis. You have come to the Bible with a preconceived notion.

Saudi Arabia is very sunny and with the sunlight on the rotor-blades, looking down on them flying, it would (and did) appear like a crown on the locust's (helicopter's) head.

Looking at them from the front with the two windows (eyes); the nose and some had a mouth with teeth like lion's teeth painted on them; they looked like a face, but also, men sit in them and they certainly have faces like the faces of men.

John said they had breast-plates like breast-plates of iron (metal) because they are made of metal (aluminium) and he didn't say aluminium because it had not been invented then and wouldn't be, for almost 2000 years into the future.

The sound of their wings was "like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle." The only flying-machine that sounds like that is a HELICOPTER.

They had tails like scorpions (they stick up in the air) and there were stings in their tails (the tail rotor-blade).

The verse that causes the most confusion and would prevent most people from recognising the LOCUSTS as helicopters is verse 8 because of the reference to them having hair like the hair of women. Helicopters do not have hair like the hair of women - but in the Gulf War they did.

The key is in the past. In John's day all the women, except those in disgrace, had very long hair because they were not allowed to cut their hair short. If they were in disgrace their hair was cut for them, as a sign that they were in disgrace.

A lady's hair was known as her glory and her "covering". The operative word here is "covering" and that word is the key to the riddle.

John was shown the helicopters flying, with the sun on their rotor-blades which made them look like "crowns like gold", but he was also shown them on the ground, where they were kept under camouflage nets that hung down to the ground and was their "covering".

Next we have the statement that they were commanded not to hurt the grass or any green thing or any tree and they obeyed.

During the Vietnam War the U.S.A. "carpet-bombed" and used "agent orange" (a defoliant) and "napalm" (fire) both of which caused a great deal of damage to the vegetation (greenery).

This time, using laser and video-guided weapons with precision "pin-point" accuracy, the allies hit only exactly what they aimed at and did not destroy the vegetation.

You are reading into it making it say what it does not say. It is literal and not figurative.

The time is after the Rapture, during the Tribulation when God is raining down judgment on the earth.

Verse 3) are demons released from hell with power to sting men with immense misery and pain and suffering for five months and the men will not die. They will be in agony.

Verse 4) Don't harm any vegetation. Only the men who have not accepted God gift of salvation. Those He saved He puts a mark on their foreheads.

Here is the rest of this judgment

5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 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. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these thing.

I don't agree with you at all. You should allow God (His Holy Word) to interpret scriptures for you. This is the only way to fully understand any of the Bible.

These verses concern the true invisible church (God knows the ones who are His) and the false church. The locust are false preachers who teach lies. Power is given to them to continue deceiving the church. This is allowed because they prefer lies over the truth, God turns them over to a reprobate mind.

Romans 1:28

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"

Verse 4 deals with who the locust/scorpions can not touch. They can't touch God's true elect or church. The 144, 000 is not a literal number of saved men. It's a spiritual number meaning the church is complete, or it's finished at this time.