It's seems that even the revised edition of the book Revelation: It's Grand Climax A Hand was wrong again.
In the 2019 AGM David Splane "clarified our understanding of the prophecy recorded in Joel 2". Clarified? You mean he done a 180 reversal.
From Revelation: It's Grand Climax A Hand page 143, para. 5
Reasonably, we could expect Joel’s prophecy to have a final fulfillment in the time of the end. How true this has proved to be! At the Bible Students’ convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A., September 1-8, 1919, a notable outpouring of Jehovah’s spirit activated his people to organize a global campaign of preaching. Of all professed Christians, they alone, recognizing that Jesus had been enthroned as heavenly King, spared no effort in publishing abroad that good news. Their relentless witnessing, in fulfillment of prophecy, became as a tormenting plague to apostate Christendom.
From Watchtower 15th April 2009:
The prophet Joel compared the activity of Jehovah’s servants to the actions of locusts. He wrote: “Like powerful men they run. Like men of war they go up a wall. And they go each one in his own ways, and they do not alter their paths. And one another they do not shove. As an able-bodied man in his course, they keep going; and should some fall even among the missiles, the others do not break off course.” How well this prophecy describes modern-day proclaimers of God’s Kingdom! No “wall” of opposition has been able to stop their preaching. Rather, they imitate Jesus, who persisted in doing God’s will even though he was despised by many. True, some Christians have ‘fallen among the missiles’ by being put to death as martyrs for their faith. Still, the preaching work has continued, and the number of Kingdom proclaimers keeps growing. In fact, persecution has often served to spread the good news to people who would not otherwise have heard the Kingdom message. In your personal ministry, have you demonstrated perseverance like that of the locust—even in the face of indifference and opposition?
The prophet Joel compared the activity of Jehovah’s servants to the actions of locusts? Joel did this? Not the GB?!!
Now? It appears the the GB now agree with what actual theologians and bible scholars have been saying for centuries - namely, that the locusts are enemies of God’s people.
https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/global/2019-Annual-Meeting-Summary/