<p>9:4 <em>And it was said to them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree</em>- There are many allusions in this section to the anatomy and style of the locust; the highlighted difference here with locusts who usually eat up the grass is therefore intentional. The people represented by the locusts were therefore going to be made to act uncharacteristically due to the charismatic individual controlling them. The reason for this is because these locusts have a king- which, again, locusts typically do not (see on <em>king over them</em>). </p><p>Keil in his commentary on Joel 2 describes the geographical origins of the locusts which descend upon Israel: &quot;Swarms of locusts come from south, west, north, and east. Their home is not confined to the desert of Arabia, but they are found in all the sandy deserts, which form the southern boundaries of the lands that were, and to some extent still are, the seat of cultivation, viz., in the Sahara, the Libyan desert, Arabia, and Iraq; and Niebuhr saw a large tract of land, on the road from Mosul to Nisibis, completely covered with young locusts. They are also met with in the Syrian desert, from which swarms could easily be driven to Palestine by a north-east wind... Such a swarm as this might be called the <em>tsephoni</em><em>¯</em>, i.e., the northern one, or northerner Joel 2:20, even if the north was not its true home&quot;. These are the very areas from where jihadist fighters are emerging in their tens of thousands, and uniting together to establish an Islamic state and destroy Israel. This geographical connection cannot be merely coincidental</p><p>Concerning trees and vegetation, the Koran says: &ldquo;When you fight the battles of the Lord&hellip; destroy no palm trees, nor burn any fields of grain. Cut down no fruit trees&hellip;&rdquo; (Quoted in Barnes, <em>op. cit</em>).</p><p>Albert Barnes makes the following commentary upon the statement that the locusts would be commanded to not harm the grass: &ldquo;The often-quoted order of the Caliph Aboubekir, the father-in-law and successor of Muhammed, issued to the Saracen hordes on their invasion of Syria, shows what was understood to be the spirit of their religion: &ldquo;Remember that you are always in the presence of God, on the verge of death, in the assurance of judgment, and the hope of paradise. Avoid injustice and oppression; consult with your brethren, and study to preserve the love and confidence of your troops. When you fight the battles of the Lord, acquit yourselves like men, without turning your backs; but let not the victory be stained with the blood of women or children. Destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of grain. Cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only such as you kill to eat. When you make any covenant or article, stand to it, and be as good as your word. As you go on, you will find some religious persons who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God in that way; let them alone, and neither kill them (&lsquo;and to them it was given that they should not kill them,&rsquo; ver 5), nor destroy their monasteries,&rdquo; etc. (Gibbon, iii. 417, 418). So Mr. Gibbon notices this precept of the Koran: &ldquo;In the siege of Tayaf,&rdquo; says he, &ldquo;sixty miles from Mecca, Muhammed violated his own laws by the extirpation of the fruit-trees,&rdquo; ii. 392. The same order existed among the Hebrews, and it is not improbable that Muhammed derived his precept from the command of Moses <u>Deu_20:19</u>, though what was mercy among the Hebrews was probably mere policy with him. This precept is the more remarkable because it has been the usual custom in war, and particularly among barbarians and semi-barbarians, to destroy grain and fruit, and especially to cut down fruit-trees, in order to do greater injury to an enemy&rdquo;.</p><p><em>But only such men as do not have the seal of God on their foreheads</em>- They also don't have His seal. So perhaps we are intended to read in an ellipsis: 'Have not received the seal of God'. The idea would then be that those who have not responded to the appeal to repent (as a result of the seal judgments) are targetted.</p><p>Job is being shown to represent &quot;those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads&quot; (Rev. 9:4). The idea of sealing is associated with being justified by faith rather than by the Law in Rom. 4:11. If &quot;the earth&quot; in Rev. 9 is read as &quot;the land&quot; and the chapter given a Jewish interpretation, the allusions to Job as representative of unsealed Jewry still depending on the Law become even more relevant. Note the clear connections between Rev. 9 and Job:&nbsp;</p><div align=center><table border=0 cellspacing=13 cellpadding=0 width=80%>    <tbody>        <tr>            <td>            <p><b><font size=3><strong>Rev. 9</strong></font></b></p>            </td>            <td>            <p><b><font size=3><strong>Job</strong></font></b></p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>:5 &quot;To   them it was given that they&nbsp;should not kill them, but that&nbsp;they   should be tormented&quot;</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>Satan could not   kill Job, but was given power to torment him.</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>:6 &quot;Men   (shall) seek death, and&nbsp;shall not find it; and shall&nbsp;desire to die,   and death shall&nbsp;flee from them&quot; .</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>Job said he was   one of them &quot;which long&nbsp;for death, but it comes not; and dig for it   more than for hid treasures&quot; (3:21,22)</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>The marauding   Saracen bands&nbsp;</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>The Sabean   bands</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>:11 &quot;A   king over them, which is&nbsp;the Angel..&quot;</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>The satan/Angel   of Job?</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>:11 &quot;A   king... Abaddon... Apollyon&quot; ('Destroyer').&nbsp;</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>&quot;The king   of terrors&quot; attacking Job's tents (18:14)</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td valign=top>            <p>:11 &quot;The bottomless   pit&quot; &nbsp;</p>            </td>            <td valign=top>            <p>&quot;Hell is   naked before Him, and&nbsp;destruction (cp. 'Abaddon') has no covering&quot;   (26:6).</p>            </td>        </tr>    </tbody></table></div>