Through the Bible – Day 352

₁The LORD God showed me that he is going to send locusts to attack your crops. It will happen after the king has already been given his share of the grain and before the rest of the grain has been harvested. ₂In my vision the locusts ate every crop in the land, and I said to the LORD, “Forgive me for asking, but how can the nation survive? It's so weak.”

₃Then the LORD felt sorry and answered, “I won't let it be destroyed.”

₄The LORD showed me that he is going to send a ball of fire to burn up everything on earth, including the sea. ₅Then I said, “Won't you please stop? How can our weak nation survive?”

₆Again the LORD felt sorry and answered, “I won't let it be destroyed.”

₇The LORD showed me a vision of himself standing beside a wall and holding a string with a weight tied to the end of it. The string and weight had been used to measure the straightness of the wall. ₈Then he asked, “Amos, what do you see?”

“A measuring line,” I answered.

The LORD said, “I'm using this measuring line to show that my people Israel don't measure up, and I won't forgive them any more. ₉Their sacred places will be destroyed, and I will send war against the nation of King Jeroboam.”

₁₀Amaziah the priest at Bethel sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is plotting against you in the very heart of Israel. Our nation cannot put up with his message for very long. ₁₁Here is what he is saying:

₁₂Then Amaziah told me, “Amos, take your visions and get out! Go back to Judah and earn your living there as a prophet. ₁₃Don't do any more preaching at Bethel. The king worships here at our national temple.”

₁₄I answered:

₁The LORD God showed me a basket of ripe fruit ₂and asked, “Amos, what do you see?”

“A basket of ripe fruit,” I replied.

Then he said,

₁When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star fall from the sky to earth. It was given the key to the tunnel that leads down to the deep pit. ₂As it opened the tunnel, smoke poured out like the smoke of a great furnace. The sun and the air turned dark because of the smoke. ₃Locusts came out of the smoke and covered the earth. They were given the same power that scorpions have.

₄The locusts were told not to harm the grass on the earth or any plant or any tree. They were to punish only those people who did not have God's mark on their foreheads. ₅The locusts were allowed to make them suffer for five months, but not to kill them. The suffering they caused was like the sting of a scorpion. ₆In those days people will want to die, but they will not be able to. They will hope for death, but it will escape from them.

₇These locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore something like gold crowns, and they had human faces. ₈Their hair was like a woman's long hair, and their teeth were like those of a lion. ₉On their chests they wore armour made of iron. Their wings roared like an army of horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle. ₁₀Their tails were like a scorpion's tail with a sting that had the power to hurt someone for five months. ₁₁Their king was the angel in charge of the deep pit. In Hebrew his name was Abaddon, and in Greek it was Apollyon.

₁₂The first horrible thing has now happened! But wait. Two more horrible things will happen soon.

₁₃Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet. I heard a voice speak from the four corners of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. ₁₄The voice spoke to this angel and said, “Release the four angels who are tied up beside the great River Euphrates.” ₁₅The four angels had been prepared for this very hour and day and month and year. Now they were set free to kill a third of all people.

₁₆By listening, I could tell there were more than two hundred million of these war horses. ₁₇In my vision their riders wore fiery red, dark blue, and yellow armour on their chests. The heads of the horses looked like lions, with fire and smoke and sulphur coming out of their mouths. ₁₈One third of all people were killed by the three terrible troubles caused by the fire, the smoke, and the sulphur. ₁₉The horses had powerful mouths, and their tails were like poisonous snakes that bite and hurt.

₂₀The people who lived through these terrible troubles did not turn away from the idols they had made, and they did not stop worshipping demons. They kept on worshipping idols that were made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. Not one of these idols could see, hear, or walk. ₂₁No one stopped murdering or practising witchcraft or being immoral or stealing.