Today we continue studying the book of Revelation. In this episode we note that the first plague or calamity God pours out is called a noisome grievous sore upon those who worship the beast and his image.

There is a noisome pestilence mentioned in Psalms chapter 91 from which God delivers his people from.

So what kind of pestilence, plague or calamity is this.

Mounce says, noisome means of bad quality or disposition, worthless, corrupt, depraved wicked, destructive.

Thayers says it means of a bad nature, mode of thinking, feeling, and acting troublesome. Key related words are perverse, mocking, one who mocks when guilty, quarrelsome

This plague refers to the locusts, that is evil spirits, released from the bottomless in chapter 9.

These evil angels will torment, the minds of those who worship the beast. They will oppress them, depress them and cause them to do evil things to wreak havoc in the nation.

God has used this type of plague before in the past.

Psalms 78 lists a number of plagues or shall say we calamities God sent upon his people when they turned away from him, and in verse 49 he sent evil angels to trouble the people here’s the text: Psalms chapter 78 verse 49.

Psalms 78:49  He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

When we obey God, he restrains evil angels but when we forsake him, evil spirits are released.

Psalms 12:8 says the wicked (evil spirits) walk on every side when the vilest of men are exalted. Strong’s Dictionary says, vilest means “to be loose morally.”

AHLB says the word walk in Ancient Hebrew Pictograph is a picture of a shepherd and the palm of a hand and combined means a staff in the palm.

When sinful behavior is common, boldly promoted and accepted, devils are freed to roam among us.

May we all repent and return to the Lord and pray for his mercy in judgment and that His righteousness be poured out upon the land.