Revelation 9:7-10

And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

John’s description is terrifying. These are not insects in any ordinary sense. They are fierce, bizarre, warlike, and dreadful. Everything about them speaks of power, menace, and pain. To John’s readers, this would have sounded familiar, because Joel had already spoken of locusts in a way that reached beyond bugs in a field and into the language of invasion, judgment, and dread.

That is what makes the connection so rich. Joel works on more than one level. Historically, locusts devastated the land in Joel’s own day. Symbolically, the Assyrians swept in and carried away the northern tribes. Prophetically, Joel points ahead to the demonic locusts released here in Revelation 9. So when John describes these creatures, the ears of his congregation would have perked up. They would have thought, Joel.

And tucked into Joel’s warning is one of the sweetest promises in Scripture.

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. Joel 2:25, 26

I love that. The Lord does not merely say, “I forgive you.” That would already be more than enough. But He goes further. He says, “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.”

Think about that.

Some people look back and see whole seasons chewed up. Bad choices. Wandering years. Wasted time. Sin. Pride. Stubbornness. Maybe you are fifty, sixty, seventy, and you feel like great chunks of life are gone. Eaten. Lost.

But the Lord says He restores.

Not just forgives.

Restores.

That is the kind of God He is. When a man listens to the trumpet, humbles himself, repents, and seeks the Lord sincerely, the Lord not only washes away the guilt, He begins restoring what was lost. He can do more in a short season of yieldedness than we could have imagined possible in years of striving.

Do not miss the contrast. Revelation 9 shows what locusts do in judgment. Joel 2 shows what God does in mercy. The locusts devour. The Lord restores. The enemy wounds. The Lord heals. The years may be gone to us, but they are not beyond Him.

Saints, that is good news for every tired heart. What the locusts ate, God can repay. What sin wasted, grace can redeem. What seems beyond recovery is not beyond the Lord.