God's Destroying Army

John the Baptist preached repentance and ate locusts for lunch.

Our God has destroying armies that he has prepared to bring his people to repentance. In the Bible these armies are referred to as "locusts". The locusts are destroyers that take away our earthly possessions and leave us desolated and desperate for help.

Locusts may come in the form of actual armies, or in the form of actual locusts. They may be financial disasters or natural disasters brought upon us by divine appointment. They are intended to strip us of our worldly ambitions and turn our eyes upon Jesus. Locusts are commanded by God because of sin, and are defeated by repentance and cleansing from sin.

The plagues of locusts and darkness were the last two plagues on Egypt before the destroying angel took the firstborn of Egypt, and the precursors to armies in the book of Revelation.

In the book of Exodus, the plagues of hail and locusts each brought Pharaoh to confession of sin and repentance though not for long.

In the prophecy of Nahum the Assyrian armies are compared to an army of locusts.

In II Chronicles 7 God promises Solomon that if He sends drought or locusts or pestilence on the land because of sin, and the people humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, that He would hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. Forgiveness corresponds to the removal of the destroying locusts.

In the final apostasy described in Revelation 9, the locusts of the destroying angel inflict pain on those who have rejected God. The armies that follow them destroy 1/3 of mankind, but the people who remain still do not repent. This is the last time repentance is offered before the final trumpet blast.

In the prophecy of Joel there are four waves of locusts (destroying armies) that successively destroy the land of Israel. The last destroyer (Rome) leaves Jerusalem completely desolate, but those with understanding find the greatest gift of God written on their hearts.

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,

            “Return to Me with all your heart,

            And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

      And rend your heart and not your garments.”

            Now return to the LORD your God,

            For He is gracious and compassionate,

            Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness

            And relenting of evil.

Joel 2:12-13 NASB