The Siege of Jerusalem - The Locust Army of the Fifth Trumpet

In the fifth and sixth trumpets we will find a description of the siege and fall of Jerusalem. This happened in the middle of the 7 year Jewish-Roman war in the year 70.

Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss.

As we have seen in previous posts, description like this are like hooks that connect to other Images and Visions in Revelation. Here we find an angel that falls from heaven to earth. That reminds us of the Vision of the Woman with the 12 Stars, where there was a war in heaven and the devil was kicked out and thrown on earth. That means we can position this Vision in our global timeline right after the devil fell on earth when he was about to send the stream of water after the woman. And that is just before the fall of Jerusalem.

2 He opened the shaft of the abyss; and smoke rose up from the shaft, like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then locusts came forth from the smoke and onto the earth. They were given power like the power that scorpions have on the earth. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree. They could only hurt the people who didn’t have the seal of God on their foreheads.

The people who had the seal of God on their foreheads, had listened to the warnings of Jesus saying they should get out of Jerusalem when they would see the armies appear (see Luke 21). And thus these armies could not effect them.

5 The locusts weren’t allowed to kill them, but only to make them suffer for five months—and the suffering they inflict is like that of a scorpion when it strikes a person. 6 In those days people will seek death, but they won’t find it. They will want to die, but death will run away from them.

This locust army can be found in Joel 1, 2 where it is announced that Israel will be destroyed if they don't repent from their disobedience. The Spirit of God will be poured out on all of those who call on the name of the Lord and survived (because they were not there in the first place).
The siege of Jerusalem by the Roman legions lasted 5 months.
The hunger in Jerusalem was awful these days because it was Pesach and the commanding general Titus allowed the pilgrims to enter Jerusalem, but not to get out.

7 The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads were what seemed to be gold crowns. Their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 In front they had what seemed to be iron armor upon their chests, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots and horses racing into battle.

 The description of these locusts very much looks like Roman soldiers.

10 They also have tails with stingers, just like scorpions; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months.

The Romans had artillery pieces called Scorpions. (see Wikipedia).

11 Their king is an angel from the abyss, whose Hebrew name is Abaddon (Destruction) and whose Greek name is Apollyon (Destroyer).

Apollyon was also the name of Legion XV of which Titus was the commander before he became the general who destroyed Jerusalem. Legion XV was present during the siege and had the name Apollinarus.

This refers to the man of destruction (apóleia) that Paul is talking about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.