Chapter Eight
Blowing of the seven trumpets - The fall of Imperial Rome:
the first four trumpets
8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there
was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
After the preparations were made in chapter seven, we pick back up where we
left off in chapter six with the opening of the seventh seal. The servants of God have now been sealed, and
it is time for the four winds held back by the angels to blow. In other words, the Church is strong
enough now to withstand the armies coming to destroy Rome.
When the seventh seal is opened nothing happens, there is just silence for the
next half hour in Heaven. This
represents the period of relative peace and stability in the Roman Empire during the reign of Constantine. It is true
that the city of Rome itself had been humbled, but the Empire as a whole,
was doing better than it had for quite some time. This was the proverbial “calm before the
storm.”
8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were
given seven trumpets.
The first six seals each revealed something pertaining to the Roman Empire, but the seventh seal did not reveal anything of the
sort. Instead it revealed, as we see
here, seven trumpets. We will find the
pattern repeats itself with the seventh trumpet. Our story will pause momentarily between the
sixth and seventh trumpets, and then when it does finally blow it will not
reveal any world event, but will instead reveal seven vials.
Now the seven seals are past, and the seven angels, which we have already seen
several times, have been given seven trumpets.
As each of the first six blows we will see an important world event
concerning Rome symbolized by it.
The first four trumpets will reveal invasions of the western section of
the Roman Empire. These are the
“four winds” spoken of in chapter seven.
8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer;
and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the
prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
8:4 And the smoke of the
incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out
of the angel’s hand.
The burning of incense was one of the regular priestly duties under the Old Law. “And Aaron shall burn
thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn
incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth
the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before
the Lord throughout your generations”
(Exodus 30:7-8).
A censer is “A small portable vessel of metal fitted to receive burning coals
from the altar, and on which the incense for burning was sprinkled.” Here an angel
is burning incense in a censer and mixing it with the prayers of the saints. In chapter five the four creatures and the twenty-four
elders each had golden vials full of odors, which were said to be the prayers
of the saints. It was noted that God
enjoys receiving the prayers of His people.
They are like sweet scents drifting up from the earth, and are very
pleasing to Him. As the psalmist David wrote, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the
lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2). So the mixing of incense and the prayers of
saints is a very natural thing, as they are both pleasant odors to God.
This angel had a golden censer, which shows its value and importance, and would
therefore qualify it to be used before God.
The angel was given “much incense.” This shows that it is an important offering. The smoke from this incense, along with the
prayers of the saints, ascended up to God, where it was certainly pleasing to
Him.
8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it
with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and
thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
After burning the incense, the angel filled the censer with coals and fire from
the altar, and threw it upon the earth. This
resulted in voices, which represents the murmuring and complaining of those on
the earth who were affected by the angel’s actions. Thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake
all serve to characterize another traumatic event for Rome. We have
already entered a period of decline, turmoil, and chaos in the Roman Empire. After the
death of Constantine, in 337, the relative peace and stability he, and
Diocletian before him, had brought to the Empire was quickly lost.
“When Constantine designated Constantinople as
the capital it was further sign that the Western lands were in a period of
decline. After Constantine’s death in 337, the chief administrative question for
more than a century was whether one man could be strong enough to rule as sole
monarch. For most of the time this
proved impossible, and some kind of shared rule on the pattern established by
Diocletian became regular. On the death
of Theodosius, in 395, the Empire was divided into an Eastern half and a
Western half, with the dividing line just east of Italy.
In the last centuries of the Western Empire, society became more and more rigid; it did not, and
perhaps could not, allow people to move freely from one class to another. The coloni were bound to the soil chiefly
because foreign conquest could no longer provide a regular flow of slaves who
might replace them in agriculture. As
the central government weakened, estates, usually called villas, became more
independent, and the coloni became more dependent on the owners for protection;
thus the villas developed into the political units to which the coloni felt
allegiance. Many villas were self-sufficient
units resembling the later manors of the Middle Ages, with hunting lands and
workshops that supplied the goods that the local population needed; they
therefore became the main economic and political units of the Western Empire. The strength
of the Empire was thus no longer centered in Rome. At the same
time trade was declining because of the shortage of new markets and the
constant threat of invasions along the frontiers. Moreover, a shortage of labor caused fertile
lands to lie fallow and mines to remain unexploited.”
The
dividing of the Empire in 395 was a major blow to Rome. Not only had
it been removed from its prominent position as the capital of the Empire, but
now the Empire has suddenly been divided in two. Earlier we used the illustration of moving
the capital of the United States from Washington D.C. to Nebraska to show the impact on Rome when the capital was moved to Constantinople. Now imagine
if, a few years after this had happened, the country was suddenly divided along
the Mississippi River. Now, not only
would Washington not be the capital, but they also would now be part
of a much smaller and weaker nation. This
would make everyone east of the Mississippi very unhappy. This
was certainly a very traumatic event for residents of the western portion of
the Empire, but there was another event which was probably even more
devastating for many.
“In 381 the Emperor Theodosius I (‘The Great’) made
Christianity the sole legal religion. But
he was the last to rule a united Empire; before he died in 395, he made a
permanent division. Theodosius split the
Empire along the lines established by Diocletian, naming one of his two sons emperor of the West (at Milan) and the other emperor of the East (at Constantinople).”
The
outlawing of paganism was probably more crushing to
many than the dividing of the Empire. A
further slap in the face was when Milan was chosen as the capital of the West instead of Rome. Rome had went from being the
capital of the Western world to being the second city in one portion of a
divided and crumbling Empire.
But certainly these two events, the outlawing of paganism, and the dividing of
the Empire, separated by a mere fourteen years, were the main intent of the
phrase “thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” Taken together these two events were the two
most devastating things to yet happen to the once mighty Roman Empire.
But regardless of how bad this may have seemed to the residents of Rome, and indeed the entire Western half of the Empire,
the worst was by far still to come. This
was just setting the stage for the events which were soon to occur. With the internal decay and strife reaching
new heights, the Empire was ready to be toppled; it was fruit ripe for the
picking. The time for God to reap with
vengeance was at hand.
8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven
trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Although the seven angels would not sound simultaneously, they all prepared and
made ready for the time when they would be called upon to sound. Unlike man, who is often lazy and negligent
of his duties, the angels of God are always alert to their responsibilities.
8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed
hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the
third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
The first trumpet is blown, and from the graphic terms found in this verse it
certainly describes some great and terrible event which befell Rome. And what
could be more devastating and humiliating than for an invading army to sack the
Eternal City which had stood so proud and defiant for nearly a millennium? This invasion came from a Germanic people
known as the Visigoths.
“Meanwhile, the Germanic tribes were pressing more and
more insistently against the frontiers. Until
the fourth century the emperor had managed to hold these barbarians in check
north of the Rhine-Danube line, an area in which they had been wandering about
for centuries.
During the fourth century a major Germanic tribe, the
Visigoths, appeared along the lower Danube River. They had
originated in the Baltic Sea area but had later settled north of the Black Sea. During the third and fourth
centuries, a great horde of Huns swept out of Asia
and drove the Visigoths from their settlements.
On the move once again, they turned toward the frontiers of the empire,
and in 376 crossed the Danube and advanced toward Constantinople. Not far from
the capital their warrior horsemen won a crushing victory over the imperial
foot soldiers, and the Visigoths subsequently obtained a substantial grant of
land from the Emperor Theodosius I. They
were by no means satisfied, but the succeeding rulers at Constantinople managed, through diplomacy and bribery, to persuade
them to move westward.
The emperors in the West, with fewer resources at
their disposal, were less effective in resisting the invading barbarians. Alaric, a Visigoth king, shook the Roman
world in 410 by sacking the Eternal City itself. (This
was the first time in eight-hundred years that Rome had been taken by outsiders.)”
The
taking of Rome by outsiders was more a blow to the Roman ego than
anything else. You can imagine how America would feel if a band of Mexicans marched to Washington D.C., sacked it, and left.
How weak would that make the United States look? It would
be utterly humiliating. And this is
exactly how it was for the once mighty Roman Empire. They had
literally ruled most of the known world for over 500 years. Now a horde of barbarians waltzes in and
sacks the great city of the Empire. The
following historical comments sum up the feeling in the Empire after this earth-shattering
event.
“Rome was
given over to complete pillage and fire, and the sack lasted three days. The news of the capture of the ancient
capital caused profound shock and consternation all over the Roman world. For the first time men began to see that the
foundations of their life were crumbling, and there were mutual recriminations
of pagan and Christian.”
“Alaric’s capture of Rome was less significant for the city, which soon
recovered physically, than for the Mediterranean civilization as a whole. Roman prestige declined among the Barbarian
tribes of the north, who became more confident of their strength. The fall of Rome indicated to many the end of law and order and
symbolized the decline of the western Roman Empire.”
After
taking Rome, Alaric led his forces down the Italian Peninsula, hoping to sail to Africa,
but here his luck ran out.
“Alaric was a king of the Visigoths. He attacked Rome in 408 and in 409, but accepted huge ransoms to end
both sieges. In 410 he captured and looted
Rome, but spared its churches. Alaric planned to settle in Africa,
but a storm forced him to stop at Cosenza in southern Italy. He died there
suddenly, late in 410.”
The
sudden and unexpected death of Alaric soon after taking Rome, may well have saved Rome another, and more brutal, invasion a few years later. As Attila was planning to lead his Huns on a
march toward Rome, he was intercepted by the bishop of Rome, Leo I. Some
accounts relate that Leo persuaded Attila not to chance an invasion of Rome, because the last man who
had done so, had not lived long afterward.
Whether this is true or not, is for the historians to debate, but it is
an interesting supposition.
The reference to the “third part of trees...and all green grass,”
describes the way in which the Visigoths burned and pillaged the land as they
went forth conquering. Being from
northern Europe, they were accustomed to seeing an abundance of
vegetation. It held no special
significance to them, so they simply burned a path as they went.
The figure one-third, mentioned in this verse, has a very important meaning. We need to pause for a moment and examine the
continuing history of the entire Roman
Empire for this to become
clear. Although Rome will be taken once and for all late in the fifth
century, this does not truly mark the end of the Roman Empire. Even though Rome was no longer a part of it, a section of the Empire
lasted for nearly another one-thousand years.
Before Alaric ever led the Visigoths into Rome, there had been a major division within the Empire. It had been split into two parts, the East
and the West. The West went into decline
and soon fell victim to the marauding tribes descending the continent from
northern Europe. The East also
had its problems with the invaders, but managed to stand until 1453. In 330 Constantine had moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, this was the major event which facilitated the
eventual division of the Empire. Rome became the leading city of the West if not its
capital, and Constantinople was both the leading city and the capital of the East. Rome was finally taken in 476, but Constantinople survived until 1453.
So the last of the Roman
Empire was far from its
demise when Rome itself was suffering humiliation.
In addition to the two sections just discussed there was also a third part
which will be considered separately. The
entire northern coast of Africa as well as Palestine was part of the Roman Empire, and later the Byzantine Empire which was the name of the Eastern Roman Empire after Rome’s fall. So
there were actually three parts of the Roman Empire, and all met their respective ends at different times. The first section was the western part, which
included most of present day Spain, France, Britain, southern Germany, Italy, and the surrounding areas. The eastern section contained most of present
day Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and the surrounding areas. The southern section contained the northern
coast of Africa from immediately south of the Iberian Peninsula, all the way over to and including Egypt. Also part of
the southern section was the area of Palestine, which today contains Israel, Lebanon, and most of Jordan and Syria. The following
passage will serve well to give evidence of the recognition of the three parts
of the Empire.
“The passing of Greece and Rome brings us to a new phase in Western history. Geographically the focus shifts from the
Mediterranean lands to Europe-that favored region jutting into the Atlantic from the Eurasian land mass. Britain, Gaul, Germany, and Italy formed the core of what was to become a distinctly
European culture. In the seventh century
the rest of what was once the Roman
Empire split into two parts:
Byzantium and Islam. Byzantium (heir to the eastern portion of the empire) included Greece and Asia
Minor, while the power of
Islam rolled across the rest of the Middle East and the
southern rim of the Mediterranean, then north through Spain to the Pyrenees Mountains. Thus, the ‘one
world’ of Pax Romana was broken into three separate areas.”
These
three parts of the Roman
Empire are the basis of the
phrase “third part of...” which we will see several times in Revelation. We will eventually see that the fall of each
third is predicted, and that history coincides with these predictions. In our present case it serves to tell us that
the effects of the winds are primarily brought to bear against only one third
of the Empire, namely against the western third.
The Roman Empire has now been humiliated by Alaric and his forces, but
yet it still stands. Alaric, and his
Visigoth warriors, had no interest in staying there. They were primarily interested in looting and
wanton destruction not in conquering and ruling. After his death, Alaric’s forces eventually
worked their way back up the Italian Peninsula, and are said to have settled in the area of Gaul. The first hurdle has been successfully
crossed, but now the second wind is about to blow upon the ever weakening Rome.
8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a
great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of
the sea became blood;
8:9 And the third part of the
creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the
ships were destroyed.
When the first trumpet sounded the trees and grass were affected. History told us that the Visigoths had indeed
come through destroying and burning much of the vegetation in their path. Now we see that when the second trumpet sounds
the sea is affected. So, if the pattern
holds true, we should be able to look toward the sea and find some army coming
from that direction which will have a great impact on the western part of the Roman Empire. Looking at
history we do indeed find this very thing occurred.
“Later, a small but aggressive tribe called the
Vandals swept across the Rhine River, through Gaul and Spain, and down into North Africa. From a base
there, they made a sea raid on Rome in 455, leaving their name in history as a synonym
for looters and destroyers.”
“Another tribe pushed by the Hunnic conquests were the Vandals. They
broke across the Rhine River into Gaul in 406 and embarked upon a career of conquest that
within three years took them over the Pyrenees into Spain and south to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Vandals
crossed to North Africa, where they established a permanent kingdom in 429. They were the only barbarians to become a
power on the Mediterranean Sea, and from their base in North Africa they subjected Rome to fourteen days of ferocious plundering in 455 and
harassed shipping on Western waters until destroyed by the Byzantines in the
next century.”
“In the confused years of the early 5th
century, the Vandals began a new migration by crossing the Rhine
into Gaul (405). An
attempted invasion of Italy was repulsed, and by 409 they had been driven from Gaul
into Spain by the Franks.
They were soon confined to the extreme south of the Iberian Peninsula by the pressure of the Visigoths.
The fortunes for the Vandals took a turn for the
better under King Gaiseric (Genseric), who ruled from 428 to 477. Count Boniface, the governor of Roman Africa,
invited the Vandals to enter his territory as allies because of a quarrel with
Valentinian III, the Roman emperor. Gaiseric
then led his people, numbering about 80,000, from Spain into North
Africa (429-430). Boniface meanwhile had composed his
differences with Rome, but it was too late to stop the Vandals from swarming
into the Province. Town after town was
captured, and as the ailing Saint Augustine expired in Hippo, the besieging Vandals howled outside the city walls. Carthage was finally taken in 439 after the collapse of a four
year peace negotiated between Gaiseric and Valentinian. The Vandals later extended their holdings to
the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily, while their powerful fleet engaged in piracy in the
western Mediterranean.
The death of Valentinian in 455 provided Gaiseric with
an opportunity to invade Italy, Empress Eudoxia having appealed to him for aid
against the usurper, Petronius Maximus. The
Vandals captured and sacked Rome,
and then retired to North
Africa with all of the
portable treasures of the imperial city as well as the empress and her two
daughters.”
Thus
we see the exact thing which had been predicted did actually happen. The Vandals swept in from the sea and once
more humbled the once great city of Rome. The Vandals
were also notorious pirates on the Mediterranean Sea,
with two of the above references mentioning their activities in this sphere. This is also in accord with the prediction
which had mentioned ships being destroyed.
Again, the “third part” has reference to the western third of the Roman Empire. Two winds, or
armies, have now been allowed to blow on Rome, but both times the invaders have left, so for the
time being Rome still stands.
8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven,
burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and
upon the fountains of waters;
8:11 And the name of the star is
called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men
died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
The third angel sounds and this time we see that the rivers are affected. Again, we must not allow ourselves to become
caught up in the ominous wording of these verses. All they mean to do is reveal some force
coming against Rome. We have
mentioned previously that stars, as well as other heavenly bodies, are often
used to represent prominent powers and authorities. Here we have a “great star” which
falls from heaven to affect Rome. This leads us to believe that a very powerful
force is now poised to come against the Empire.
This force will be lead by a great leader symbolized by this star. The first two invaders did not have leaders
that are known today to the average person.
This will not be the case with the third invaders. This great leader and his followers will inflict
serious damage on the Empire and add to its humiliation. The passages cited to help explain the first
two trumpets have already provided clues to the identity of this great and
powerful force. Both the Visigoths and
Vandals were on the move because of the advance of an extremely powerful enemy
from the East, the Huns.
According to Strong’s, wormwood means bitterness or calamity. That this
event is a calamity, at least for Rome, goes without saying.
History tells us that in the middle of the fifth century Attila and his
Huns marched through much of central and southern Europe leaving death
and destruction in their wake. What was
interesting about his quests is that for some reason, he chose to move along
rivers destroying all the cities he came to which were situated along their
banks. So for those living along the
rivers this was certainly a “bitter” experience. And indeed many men did die because the “water
had become bitter.” The reference to the
third part of the rivers again means that this calamity was to primarily affect
the western third of the Roman
Empire.
“During the early years of his (Attila’s) reign, from A.D.
434 to 441 he seems to have been engaged in extending his power in the east
toward the Caucasian Mountains. But in A.D. 441
an irresistible opportunity offered itself for attacking the provinces of
Theodosius (Emperor of the eastern Roman empire), for in that year the Imperial armies were engaged
in operations against both the Vandals and the Persians.
He condescended to allege reasons for his aggression. He complained that the tribute had not been
regularly paid, and that deserters had not been restored. When the Imperial government disregarded his
complaints, he appeared on the Danube and laid siege to Ratiaria. Here Roman ambassadors arrived to remonstrate
with him for breaking the peace. He
replied by alleging that the bishop of Margus had entered the land of the Huns
and robbed treasures from the tombs of their kings, and he demanded the
surrender of these treasures as well as of deserters. The negotiations broke down, and, having
captured and plundered Ratiaria, the Hunnic horsemen rode up the course of the Danube
to take the great towns on its banks. Viminacium
and Singidunum itself were overwhelmed in the onslaught. Margus, which faces Constania on the opposite
side of the river, fell by treachery; the same bishop whom Attila accused as a
grave-robber betrayed a Roman town and its Christian inhabitants to the cruelty
of the heathen destroyer. Advancing up
the valley of the Margus, the invaders halted before the walls of Naissus, and
though the inhabitants made a brave defence, the place yielded to the machines
of Attila and the missiles of a countless host.
Then the marauders rode southeastward and approached Constantinople. He did not
venture to attack the capital, but he took Philippopolis and Arcadiopolis and
the fort of Athyras.
The Illyrian and Thracian provinces enjoyed a respite
from invasion for three years. But in A.D.
447 the Huns appeared again south of the Danube. The provinces of Lower Moesia and Scythia, which had suffered less in the previous incursions,
were now devastated. Marcianopolis was
taken, and the Roman general Arnegisclus fell in a battle on the banks of the
River Utus (Wid). At the same time,
another host of the enemy descended the valley of the Vandar and advanced, it
is said, to Thermopylae.”
After
much success Attila was finally defeated soundly in Gaul
by a combination of Roman and Visigoth forces.
But after a little time to reorganize and rearm his army Attila was once
again on the warpath.
“Attila lost little time in seeking to take revenge
for the unexpected blow which had been dealt him. He again came forward as the champion of the
Augusta Honoria, claiming her as his affianced bride, and invaded Italy in the following year. Aquileia, the city on the Venetian march, now fell before the
Huns, and was razed to the ground, never to rise again; in the next century
hardly a trace of it could be seen. Verona and Vicentia did not share this fate, but they were
exposed to the violence of the invader, while Ticinium and Mediolanum were
compelled to purchase exemption from fire and sword.
The path of Attila was now open to Rome. Aetius, with
whatever forces he could muster, might hang up his line of march,
but was not strong enough to risk a battle.
But the lands south of the Po, and Rome herself, were spared the presence of the Huns. According to tradition, the thanks of Italy were on this occasion due not to Aetius but to Leo,
the bishop of Rome. The emperor, who was at Rome, sent Leo, and two leading
senators, Avienus and Trygetius, to negotiate with the invader. Trygetius had
diplomatic experience; he had negotiated the treaty with Gaiseric in A.D. 435. Leo was an imposing figure, and the story
gives him the credit for having persuaded Attila to retreat.
The fact of the Embassy cannot be doubted. The distinguished ambassadors visited the Hun’s
camp near the south shore of Lake Garda. It is also
certain that Attila suddenly retreated. But
we are at a loss to know what considerations were offered to induce him to
depart. It is unreasonable to suppose
that this heathen king would have cared for the thunders and persuasions of the
Church. A trustworthy chronicle hands down another account which does not
conflict with the fact that the embassy was sent, but evidently furnishes the
true reasons which moved Attila to receive it favorably. Plague broke out in the barbarian host and
their food ran short, and at the same time troops arrived from the east, sent
by Marcian to the aid of Italy.”
Once
again I will mention that some accounts relate that Leo persuaded Attila not to
chance an invasion of Rome, because the last man who
had done so, had not lived long afterward.
Again, this is far from a proven fact, but is none the less an
interesting side note. Whatever the
cause, Attila left Italy without attacking Rome. Despite this
small consolation the Empire had still suffered greatly from his exploits.
As the verses had indicated, this third wind affected the waters of Europe. Attila used a
much different style than most other military leaders of that era and chose to
travel along the courses of the numerous rivers and other waterways in Central
and Southern Europe.
It should also be mentioned that the attacks of the Vandals and Huns might seem
to be reversed chronologically. Here in
Revelation the Vandals appear before the Huns, but history records that it was
the Huns who were the first of the two to approach Rome, the Huns doing it in 452 and the Vandals in 455. But a closer examination will show that the
most of the Vandal’s activities in Europe, except the sack of Rome itself, had been done by 430 when they sailed for the
north African coast.
Since the majority of the Vandals exploits occurred before those of the
Huns, they appear first in Revelation
Some consider Attila to have been the most powerful man on the European
continent at one point in his career. Whether
or not this is true is debatable, but one thing is certain. By the time Attila’s career of plunder was
over at his death in 453, he had effectively left the entire western third of
the Roman Empire in shambles. Whatever
strength they might have had in the past to resist the encroaching barbarians
was now gone. This is evidenced by the
Vandals raid on Rome two years after Attila’s death. It was no longer a question of “if” Rome would fall permanently into the hands of the
barbarians, but rather how long it would take, and who would actually do it. The fourth and final wind will soon answer
this question for us.
There
is one interesting side note that I would like to point out at this
juncture. Back in chapter six we saw the
white horse carrying a bow representing the period of peace and prosperity in
the Roman Empire. It was there
mentioned that the skill of the Roman archers was what gave them a military
edge over most of their foes. The old
saying that ‘he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,’ is apparently true
for bows also.
“… the Romans owed much of
their military superiority to armies of skilled archers. At the beginning of the medieval period the
Romans were in turn defeated by the more highly skilled archers of the Goths,
Huns and Vandals.”
8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was
smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as
the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of
it, and the night likewise.
The fourth angel sounds, which is also the fourth wind. If our interpretation is correct, then this
should signal the end of the western third of the great Roman Empire. The language
of this verse is certainly fitting for such a noteworthy event. Earlier it was mentioned that the sun, moon,
and stars are often used in the Bible to represent positions of authority and
power. Here we see that they are smitten
and darkened. To say that the sun is
darkened is to say that life will cease to exist. And this is exactly what happened to the
western third of the Roman
Empire. The sun set on it for the final time.
The fact that the powers of Rome are
to be smitten and blackened shows that the great catastrophe which is about to
occur will be extremely devastating to them.
And it is not hard to see that the fall of Rome itself would be much more devastating than anything
else that could happen. The impact was
certainly the greatest for those who had previously enjoyed positions of
authority and power within the Empire. The
poor man would just find himself serving another master, but the upper class
might well lose everything. Their wealth
might be taken from them, and their positions of influence would most certainly
be gone. In short, their whole world was
being turned inside out. The reference
to the “third part” is once again telling us that these events are only
affecting the western third of the Empire.
The final blow to Rome turned out to be somewhat ironic. For centuries the Roman army had been forced
to enlist men from many different countries who had become part of the Empire. As the Empire began to weaken, being less
able to defend themselves from the many tribes of barbarians advancing in their
direction, they were forced to become more and more dependent on the foreign
soldier. Many of them even rose to very high ranks in the army, some even becoming
generals. But the very ones enlisted to
protect Rome, proved to be her final undoing. Even before the “official” end of the Roman Empire, it was no secret that the Germans were the ones
really in charge, and the Roman emperors little more than puppets.
“One of those barbarians, Odoacer, deposed the last
emperor in 476. Although no more than a
palace mutiny, this coup marks the final passage of power from Roman to German
hands.”
“Odoacer became a leader of a band of Rugians,
Herulians, Scyrians, and Turrilingians. He
entered the Roman army about 470, and in 476 was a member of the imperial
bodyguard. When Orestes deposed Nepos
and made his own son, Romulus Augustus I, emperor, Odoacer headed the rising of
the dissatisfied German soldiers, killed Orestes, and
forced Romulus to retire.”
Odoacer
then proclaimed himself King of Italy, and reigned there for several years. The mighty Roman Empire has finally fallen, but instead of a loud crash, it
was really more like a whimper. Something
so large and complex does not simply crash to the ground like a tree, but
rather changes form from one thing to another.
And in reality this change took centuries. The western third of the Empire is gone, but
the other two thirds remain. They will
likewise be dealt with in turn.
8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven,
saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by
reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to
sound!
The first four of the seven angels have now sounded their trumpets, bringing to
an end the western third of the Roman
Empire. In this verse we do not see another trumpet
being blown, but the remaining three are discussed. An angel flies through Heaven proclaiming,
with a loud voice, a very ominous message about the remaining trumpets. He is going about proclaiming “woe” to the
inhabitants of the earth. According to
Strong’s woe is an exclamation of grief. This grief
will be brought about, the angel says, because of the last three trumpets which
have yet to sound. So when we come to
these last trumpets we should look in history to find events which will be very
grievous to those affected. These last three trumpets will be referred to
as “woe” trumpets.