Chapter Nine
Blowing of the seven trumpets - The fall of Imperial
9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the
earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Now as the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, John sees a star
fall from Heaven. We have now
mentioned several times that heavenly bodies are often used to represent
positions of power and authority. Here
we are seeing someone who is very powerful represented by the figure of a star,
just like Attila. This person is said to
have the “key to the bottomless pit.”
This bottomless pit is used to represent Hell, the place of abode for
Satan and his angels. The word
bottomless is translated from the Greek “abussos,”
which Strong’s defines as “depthless, i.e. (specifically) (infernal) ‘abyss’
-:deep, (bottomless) pit.”[1] Symbolically
the bottomless pit is the source of anything and everything evil and wicked.
This person that falls from Heaven has the key to
the bottomless pit. A key represents
authority. The one who possesses the key
to a door has control over what lies behind the door. The fact that this person was given the key
to the bottomless pit shows that he has the power to unleash upon the world
some wholly evil force that lurks behind the door.
Who might this person be? It is very
easy to pinpoint the person who has had the most impact on the world since
Christ. In fact, it
can probably be said that next to Jesus, this person has had the most impact on making the world what it is
today since the world began. And not
surprisingly, this person lived shortly after the fall of the
9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the
pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by
reason of the smoke of the pit.
This person now uses his key to open the
door of the bottomless pit. As the door
opens, John sees a great
amount of smoke coming from the pit. He
likens it to the smoke of a great furnace.
Anyone who has ever been near a steel mill, a coal burning power plant,
or certain other industrial facilities while they were operating, should easily
be able to recall the tall smoke stacks that were spewing columns of smoke into
the sky. This is a good picture of what
John saw. He could not see the source of
the smoke, for it was deep within the pit, but he could still see the enormous
amounts of smoke billowing upward from its mouth.
John then gives us
an idea of the magnitude of the smoke. He
said there was so much smoke that the sun and the air were made dark because of
it. This brings to mind the very
disturbing pictures from
The smoke that John saw rising from
the pit was having this kind of devastating effect. It was overspreading the land with its evil. Just as real smoke will block out the sun
everywhere it goes, this smoke blocked out spiritual light everywhere it went. This conclusion is very evident since we know
that the abode of Satan is the source of the smoke in this case. One of the most well known effects of smoke
is its irritation of human eyes. Satan
will use this property to his advantage.
He will use this smoke to “blind” people in order to deceive them. He will spread darkness, as it were, over all
of the territory affected by this evil smoke.
9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them
was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Now the picture becomes a little clearer.
The smoke that John saw blotting
out the sun has given rise to something else.
It was a great swarm of locusts, which that part of the world is prone
to periodically. These locusts have come
from the smoke-screen which Satan threw up to deceive the world. Because they were blinded by the smoke, the
world was unable to learn that the origin of these locusts was the bottomless
pit. We can be certain that these people
will not be Christians, but will work against Christianity.
One of the plagues God brought upon
Notice
how it was stated that they covered the land so thoroughly that it was actually
darkened by their presence. Our locusts
here in Revelation will cast a spiritual darkness over the land.
“Unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” All of this descriptive language here, does
not of course, refer to actual locusts or scorpions, but is describing some
great force that God will bring to bear against the remainder of the
We have seen that at first John saw smoke, but
then he was able to see a great horde of locusts emerging from the smoke. In the next few verses we will see John’s
perceptions become even clearer. It
appears that what he is seeing is continually moving closer and giving him a
better view. Consequently, he will be
able to give us more elaborate details as time passes. I feel that it is important for us to have in
our minds the picture of a great army riding toward John. This will make the symbolism of this chapter
much clearer.
9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the
earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have
not the seal of God in their foreheads.
After comparing this great army with locusts, because of their number and the effect
they would have, John now shows us a
difference in this army and a real swarm of locusts. Whereas locusts will devastate all of the
vegetation in their path, this army would not do any harm to the vegetation that
it encountered. This is further evidence
that he is not speaking of actual locusts here.
Their aim is not to consume vegetation, but to consume territory and
people.
This description gives us a clue that will help identify this army. Back in chapter eight we saw the Visigoths
come through bringing destruction to the
But the force pictured here will have a completely different attitude about
vegetation. They will not harm it
because they will have respect for it. This
indicates that this great army will arise from some part of the world that is
very arid, and which lacks the great abundance of vegetation that characterized
the Visigoth’s world.
Instead of harming vegetation, the goal of these locusts will be to do harm to
men. But those who are sealed (faithful
to God) will be spared this fate. These
locusts will be very specific in who they harm.
The fact that these locusts will go after men, and not vegetation, is still
further proof that they are not literal locusts, but warriors in a great army.
The “seal of God in their foreheads” was discussed in depth back in
chapter seven. We saw there that seals
denote ownership. Correspondingly, the
seal of God upon a person denotes His ownership of that person. God “owns” Christians in the sense that they
have voluntarily submitted themselves to Him.
This is why the seal is said to be in the forehead. The forehead represents the seat of
understanding and thinking; in other words the mind. A person could only be “sealed” by God if he
chooses to allow it. A person makes a
voluntary decision in their mind, or in their forehead, to follow God. Thus the seal of God, the designation that
they are His, is in their forehead. And
those who have the seal of God will not be harmed by these invaders. In other words these people will practice
religious toleration to some degree.
9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they
should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a
scorpion, when he striketh a man.
The “hurt” which these locusts will do to the men of the
“Five months” is the period of time that these locusts will have their
power to torment men. Or in other words,
they will be a thorn in the side of the remains of the
“The torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man,” refers to the type
of suffering that men will be subjected to at the hands of these locusts. They will have the ability to make men suffer
the same way someone does when he has been stung by a scorpion. “The sting, which is situated at the end of
the tail, has at its base a gland that secretes a poisonous fluid, which is
discharged into the wound by two minute orifices at its extremity. In hot climates the sting often occasions
much suffering, and sometimes alarming symptoms.”[3] “A scorpion
wound is painful, but does not usually cause death.”[4] This harmonizes with the idea that this army will
torment, but not kill, those who it encounters.
So for 150 years some part of the remainder of the Roman Empire will be forced
to endure a great deal of pain and suffering at the hands of a large and
powerful army that God will bring against them.
But this pain and suffering will be mostly mental and emotional. They will be very distressed at the way their
empire is being dismantled by this powerful enemy.
9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall
not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
The torment and suffering mentioned in the previous verse will be so severe
that men will wish they were dead instead of having to continue to endure the
affliction. “And shall desire to die,
and death shall flee from them,” does not mean that they will be unable to
take their own lives if they desire to do so.
But rather it has reference to the locusts propensity to “hurt,” but not
kill. Many men will wish their
oppressors would kill them so that they would not have to be subjected to their
rule. The mental anguish will leave the
general population very distressed. Many
people will feel as if the world is collapsing, and will feel that life just is
not worth living any longer.
This situation is very similar to that encountered in chapter six, where men
were so distressed that they “Said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us,
and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb.’” Again these men could
have committed suicide had they chosen to, but that is the cowards way out. They wanted very badly to be out of the
terrible situation they were in, but they were not about to take their own
lives to accomplish this. So here we
have a similar situation where men will have a great desire to have the torment
removed from them, but will not be able to do anything about it.
9:7 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.
Now John is able to give
us clearer details about this army he is seeing. What once appeared to him to be locusts he
now sees as something quite different. These
locusts have moved closer and their true shapes are coming into focus for John. He tells us that they were shaped like horses
that were equipped for battle. In
reality these were horses John was seeing.
Horses with riders prepared to ride into battle.
Although John has a much
better view now than he had at the beginning, he is still just able to make out
the outline of the creatures. This
explains the phrase “And their faces were as the faces of men.” When you see a horse and rider at a distance,
the majority of what you will see is the horse because it is much larger than
the rider. The shape of the horse could
be distinguished long before anything could be told about the rider. But as the object moved closer your attention
would be drawn to its head. And
naturally a man sitting on a horse would be higher than the horses head. So what you would see as the “head” of the
creature would be the head of the rider.
Thus the objects face would look like the face of a man, because that is
what you would actually be seeing.
“Crowns like gold” indicates that they were wearing something, which at
a distance, appeared to John to resemble
crowns of gold. Obviously, no large
group of soldiers would actually go into battle wearing gold crowns on their
heads. These were not real gold crowns
but something which gave the same general appearance. After all, John never said he actually saw
crowns, but that what he saw on their heads was “as it were crowns
like gold.”
Therefore we should look for some group of people who traditionally wore head
gear during that time in history, which could be mistaken for golden crowns at
a distance. We saw in verse four that
the men most likely will come from an area of the world where vegetation is
scarce. One area which will fit both of
these criteria is the
9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the
teeth of lions.
The one thing that distinguishes a woman’s hair from a man’s is its length. So what John was referring
to here is the apparent length of these warrior’s hair. But what he was really seeing was the tail of
the turbans trailing behind the men as they rode along on the horses. At a distance, the cloth tail of a man’s
turban waving in the wind as he rode a horse, would look very similar to a
woman’s hair blowing in the wind.
The “teeth of lions,” cannot refer to any physical similarity between
the teeth of these men and the teeth of real lions. Rather, John is describing
their tendency to devour prey like a lion.
They will be extremely ferocious and brave in battle. This great army will come through devouring
everyone and everything in their path. But
as we have already seen they will not kill, except in battle.
9:9 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.
The breastplates they were wearing actually were of iron. Armor had been used by warriors in battle
since before the time of Christ. It would
indeed have been strange if these men did not wear armor. Still referring to them as locusts, John says the sound
of their wings was like a great herd of horses.
Again, the locusts that John saw were actually mounted warriors. So, in reality, John actually could hear
horses running to battle. And he indeed
could also hear the sound of the chariots many of the horses were pulling.
This is just a repetition of a couple of items from earlier verses. Their tails being like scorpions means they
would harm men, but not kill them, as a scorpion’s sting will normally do. And the five months is actually 150 years
during which this army will have its power to hurt men.
9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless
pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his
name Apollyon.
The bottomless pit was first encountered earlier in this chapter. It was explained to be a reference to Hell,
the dwelling place of Satan. The true king
of this great army was the angel of the bottomless pit, which is Satan. To say that Satan was the king of this great
army does not mean that he will take a physical form and literally lead them
into battle. But rather he is their
spiritual head, just as Christ is the king
over all Christians. It is from him that
they derive the inspiration for their evil beliefs and practices. The king referred to here obviously could not
have been a man since they had power for 150 years, which far exceeds the life
span of any man. But Satan, who is
behind all evil, was there the entire time, motivating this people to perform
his evil desires.
At one time Satan was an angel of God in Heaven, but after sinning, was cast out into the earth. It is in the earth that he now dwells and where
he continues to fight against all things righteous. Later in Revelation we will be given an even
more explicit description of Satan’s fall.
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither
was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and
his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9). Since the day man was created Satan has been
trying to defeat God’s purposes. He is
always behind the evil forces of this world.
The Hebrew “Abaddon” is defined by Strong’s as “a destroying angel.”[5] Thayer defines
it this way, “as a proper name it is given to the angel-prince of the infernal
regions, the minister of death and author of havoc on earth, and is rendered in
Greek by Destroyer.”[6] The Greek “Apollyon”
is defined by Strong’s as “a destroyer (i.e. Satan).”[7] So we should now feel secure that this king was
indeed Satan. We will find more and more
mention of him as we continue through Revelation. He will clearly be shown as the driving force
behind all of the evil that we will see.
Now comes the time to identify the people who have been described in this
chapter. We know they came from the
smoke-screen thrown up by Satan, led by a very prominent man. Eventually John was able to see
coming from the smoke a swarm of locusts overspreading the countryside (verse three). Then John tells us they were able to hurt men
like scorpions (verse three). Which
means that, for the most part, they will not kill, but will only oppress. Then we found that they would have a great
respect for vegetation, which would indicate that they originated in an area
with scant vegetation (verse four). We
also saw that they were to practice some degree of religious toleration, so God’s
people would not be harmed (verse four).
The period when they would inflict pain on the
Who would fit such a description? World
history tells us that a great force matching this description did indeed make
great advances against the remains of the
“At the beginning of the seventh century A.D., the
Western world was divided between two power blocs, the
These two great states were bitter rivals and were
constantly either at war or engaged in a commercial or diplomatic struggle for
supremacy. The state religion of
The only Arabs in existence in those days inhabited
the
From 602 to 628,
* * *
The Prophet Muhammad was born in 570 in
Before the preaching of Muhammad, the majority of the Arabs had been
idol-worshippers, though Judaism and Christianity were spreading among them. Muhammad learned from both religions, more
especially perhaps from Judaism. So
great, however, was the enthusiasm produced by the Prophet, who had himself
stated that to fight against unbelievers was a duty, that the Arabs set out, a
year after his death, to wage war simultaneously against Byzantium and Persia.
Both of these ancient military empires had long and warlike
traditions and well-equipped professional armies, which had received thorough
tactical training and were fully armed and equipped. But Muhammad had promised that any Muslim who
fell in battle against infidels would be instantly translated to the everlasting
gardens of
Neither the weapons, the training nor the discipline
of the Byzantine and Persian armies were adequate to resist the wild and
suicidal attacks of the first Muslims. The
Byzantines were ignominiously driven across the Taurus into
...the Arab conquests continued. On the east they crossed the
The
Arab’s period of conquest was interrupted temporarily by a civil war. At the end of this war there emerged two distinct
factions of the Arabs which remain to this day.
They are the Sunnis and Shiites. Muhammad
himself, was of the group which became known as the Shiites. But after this struggle a Sunni leader
emerged victorious.
“As soon as the civil wars were ended, the Arabs
resumed their career of world conquest. When
Abdul Malik died in 705, the whole of
In
747 the Arab world was once again racked with internal struggles. By 750 the ruling dynasty had been deposed,
and another took its place. Not long
after that the Arab Empire began to slowly disintegrate. By 755
“During the 800’s, the empire began to expand
again. Byzantine armies drove the Arabs
back on several fronts. From 867 to
1025, under the Emperor Basil I and his descendants, the empire achieved
another major period of success.”[10]
Although
the Arabs were driven back from
“The extent of the Arab dominions from
Now
we must sift through the history and compare it with the predictions to insure
a perfect match. In their early days the
Arabs did indeed overspread the land as locusts, at one point controlling most
of the southern and eastern portions of the old
The
army was supposed to hurt men like scorpions, which means to do them harm
without killing them. We must be
realistic here, the lands the Arabs conquered did not surrender. They fought bravely and tens of thousands of
men died defending their lands. But this
is to be expected with any invasion. This
was not the item John meant to focus
our attention upon. The question is,
what did they do once they had won the battle?
During the fifth century, the conquests which toppled the western third of the
“The caliphs did not conquer new lands solely to gain
new converts, but many conquered peoples embraced Islam. Unlike the Byzantine Christians, the Muslim
conquerors granted a large measure of religious tolerance. All non-Muslims had to pay a special tax in
return for not serving in the Muslim army.
But many worked as officers and tax collectors in the civil
administration and as doctors and tutors in the court. At first, only a few were converted to Islam. Gradually the Muslims produced their own
administrative and professional classes.
Beginning about 750, conversion to Islam increased until Islam became
the predominant religion in most of the conquered lands.”[12]
To
the Arabs, the fight was more than a struggle for wealth, land, and power; it
was also a religious matter. They were
engaged in, what is even still called today, a jihad, or holy war. They believe in using brute force to
subjugate others, and then influence them to adopt the Islamic religion. So one of the main purposes they had in
enlarging their territory, was to spread their religion. When they captured an area they did not
attempt annihilation but rather conversion.
While this might not have been the worst fate for the individuals
involved, the conquests themselves were certainly very troubling to the Empire. No one enjoys having their land invaded and
conquered by someone else, especially when that someone else is a serious
threat to topple your entire empire. Thus
we can understand the distressed condition of the people mentioned in verse six. The Arabs brought great hurt to the
The statement that they would not harm any vegetation (verse 4), is certainly
consistent with the respect that those from such a desolate place as the
Arabian Peninsula would have for plant life.
The great Arab Khalif Abu Bekr, principal lieutenant of the Prophet
Mohammed, said as he sent his troops into battle in
“But let not
your victory be stained with the blood of women or children. Destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of
corn. Cut down no
fruit trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only such as you kill to eat.”[13]
Although
renowned for their ferocity in battle, the Arabs were otherwise unusually
civilized as conquerors go.
There
was one thing, however, that greatly enraged the Muslims and drove them to more
destructive behavior. This was idolatry. Idolatry was one of the major reasons the
Muslims so despised the
“In the 700’s and early 800’s
Byzantine emperors tried to end the worship of images of Jesus Christ and the saints. Churches in the western part of the empire
opposed this action. The dispute nearly
split the empire.”[14]
The
worship of idols continued to be a center of controversy in the Churches of the
East. And it is very interesting to note
that the worship of images was legalized again in 787. This was only five years after a treaty was
signed with the Arabs. There can be no
doubt but that the entire reason the images were banned in the first place, was
to try to appease the Arabs.
“In the days of the early Christian Church, people who opposed the worship of images were called
iconoclasts. A long dispute had divided
the church, especially in the East, about images of Jesus Christ and the saints
in churches. Emperor Leo in 726 issued
an order that all images and paintings in churches should be covered or
destroyed. People destroyed many images,
and the emperor’s order divided the church into opposite groups. The iconoclasts favored removing the images,
but many of the monks and people strongly opposed them.
After the second Nicene Council met in 787, the Empress Irene of the
“Theodemir and his subjects were treated with
uncommon lenity; but the rate of tribute appears to have fluctuated from a tenth
to a fifth, according to the submission or obstinacy of the Christians. In this revolution, many partial calamities were
inflicted by the carnal or religious passions of the enthusiasts: some churches
were profaned by the new worship: some relics or images were confounded with
idols: the rebels were put to the sword; and one town (an obscure place between
Cordova and
If
the Arabs fit the prophesy then we must find that they enjoyed power for a
period of 150 years. After Muhammad died
in 632, the first caliph led the Arabs to conquests outside the
“By the time the Abbasids came to power the vigor of
the Arab conquest had spent itself and the Arab warriors had either gone back
to the desert or had been assimilated. The
Abbasids added very little to the territory they had inherited. Except for the bodyguard which remained in
An exception to this general situation, however, was
their relation with
This
treaty did not permanently end the hostilities between the two sides, but it
did mark the time when the respective fortunes of each side changed. The Arabs began to lose territory and power
back to the Byzantines after this time. And
as we would hope, it was exactly 150 years from the beginning of their
conquests of Byzantine lands, until this peace treaty was signed.
The remainder of the description is somewhat more general in nature, and just
gives us a description of a great army wearing armor, riding horses, wearing
turbans on their heads, and using chariots.
This certainly applied to the Muslim armies which subdued most of the
The statement in verse eight about their teeth being as the teeth of lions has
much more significance now. It was
mentioned that this symbolized bravery and ferocity in battle. One of the references above spoke of “the
wild and suicidal attacks of the first Muslims.” The way in which the Muslims fought, and were
so willing to die for their cause, was unknown before this point in history. They were truly like savage lions on the
hunt.
Was the king of the Arabs Satan, as the prophesy stated? The Islamic religion not only denied Christ as the Messiah,
but even denied
The sum of all these events is that the southern third of the original
The first woe trumpet, also the fifth trumpet overall, has sounded. It has revealed the end of the southern third
of the
When the sixth trumpet is blown John does not see
any event on the earth which might affect
We have seen the altar previously in chapters six and eight. Assuming this altar was of the same pattern
as the one used by the Jews in the
The angel which had just blown the sixth trumpet, is now told to “Loose the
four angels which are bound in the great river
The Muslims had tried twice to take
If we examine history we find that
The
four angels which represent, in some way, the forces that will destroy
Byzantium will have power for “An hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.” In actual time that will be a month, and a
year, and thirty years, and a “year” of years respectively. The question we first need to answer is
whether year is meant to be general or specific here. It appears to be quite clear in this instance
that it is meant to be specific. We know
this because months, days, and even hours are specified. Obviously this time period is meant to be
very exact. Thus we will use the value
of 365¼ days per year. So we need to add
one month, one year, thirty years and 365¼ years (¼ of a year is three
months). This will then give us a total
of 396 years and four months. This time
frame is much more exact than the one describing the Arabs earlier in this
chapter. With a prediction so specific
it should be difficult to mistake what is intended here. This time period will be discussed in more
detail later in the chapter.
“To slay the third part of men,” is again a reference to the three parts
of the
The army under consideration is represented by four angels, this figure would
indeed fit the Turks.
“In the western and northwestern parts of their empire
the Ghaznevides were supplanted soon after the death of Mahmud by the family of
another Turkish chieftain, named Seldjuk, fresh from the wild life of the
steppes, whom Mahmud, unwisely, had invited to settle in a portion of his
domain. Very soon the Seldjuks were
lords where they came as guests, and, at the end of the year 1050, Togrul Beg,
grandson of their first leader, was in
Only
thirty-five years after crossing the
Now, instead of referring to the four angels, John tells us that
we are actually considering an enormous army.
An army of two-hundred-million horsemen.
John did not count all of these men himself, but someone, most likely an
angel, told him that there were two-hundred-million men. This is another instance where a large number
is used to impress upon us the great size of something, and so the number
should not be taken literally. The world
has never seen an army of that size, and likely never will. The only country in the world right now that
would have the manpower to field such an army would be
9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them,
having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of
the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and
smoke and brimstone.
John has already
told us of the great army under consideration here, now he gives us a more
specific description of the soldiers on the horses. The breastplate was armor used for the
purpose of protecting the soldier’s body in battle. “Jacinth” means deep blue, and is synonymous
with smoke in the last part of the verse.
“Brimstone” is from the Greek “theiodes,” and
is defined by Strong’s as “sulphur-like, i.e. sulphurous:-brimstone.”[19]
There can be little doubt about the origin of the term brimstone. One of the main components of gases expelled
into the atmosphere by volcanoes is sulfur.
Often the rocks and soil near the mouth of a volcanic crater or vent are
colored a brilliant shade of yellow. As
the gases escape some of the hot sulfur is deposited on the cooler rocks near
the opening. Thus sulfur has long been
referred to as brimstone, since it is most often encountered near the brim of
volcanic openings.
In two places in this verse we have a picture of fire, smoke, and sulphur. In the second place it is said to come out of
the mouths of the horses. Clearly we are
not talking about real horses here, but are symbolically referring to something
quite different. In the battles of that
day, two of the soldiers greatest assets were his horse and his armor. Without these he would soon perish. This is the idea that John is trying to
relate to us here. Whatever he is
describing was absolutely necessary to the success of the enemy against
What John was actually
seeing, although it wouldn’t be invented for over 1,200 years after his death,
was a cannon. After their last unsuccessful
attempt it is said that “Several generations elapsed before the Muslims
appeared again before the walls of
When a cannon was fired in the fifteenth century, it would generate a sight
quite unlike what we would probably imagine today. We are all familiar with the detonation of “smokeless”
powder, which is used today. It was
invented in 1884, and had replaced gunpowder in most uses by the early 1900’s.[21] When the
cannons which John saw were fired,
there would be a tremendous amount of smoke and fire to be seen; much more so
than we would imagine today. This is why
John is so vehement in his description of the “fire and smoke and brimstone.”
“The earliest artillery was used chiefly against the
walls and gates of besieged towns, forts, and castles. The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), in which
the English kings tried to add
At the other end of
As
John’s illustration had supposed, the artillery used by
the Turks proved to be as valuable to them as a soldier’s breastplate and horse
in battle.
There is an excellent description of the final day of battle, when the Turks
finally captured
“As the sun rose Mohamet saw that his great effort had
succeeded. Where Arabs, with even
greater numbers than he commanded, in the first flush of the victorious career
of Islam, with the presence of the great Eyoub, the companion of the Prophet,
to encourage them and to speak of the wondrous rewards which paradise had in
store for the believers who should enter New Rome or die in the attempt; where
Murad thirty years before; and where twenty other besieging armies had been
unable to capture the world’s capital, he had succeeded. Seated on horseback beneath his great
standard and insignia, he watched with the legitimate pride of a conqueror the
entry of his hordes into the city. The
morning sun shed its rays upon him and his standard as his soldiers thronged
through the gate of the Assault or hastened towards that of Andrionople. The entry was not long after sunrise and
probably between five and
It
is very interesting to note that in the above passage
Now we need to investigate the time aspect and see if it fits John’s prediction. This
army was supposed to come from the area of the
You cannot expect any greater accuracy from something than that which it is
meant to give. Most car odometers
measure mileage to an accuracy of one-tenth of a mile. Let us look at an example where you drive
down to the local supermarket. If you
watch your odometer as you drive and notice that the mileage changes by 3.2
miles, does this mean that it is exactly 3.200 miles from your house to the
supermarket? There is absolutely no way
you can claim that kind of precision based on the readings from a device which
is not meant to measure mileage that closely.
Since tenths of a mile is the smallest thing you are given, that is what
you will have to be content with. Likewise,
we must be content with the fact that all time elements specified in this
prophesy matched exactly. Any smaller
elements can simply be ignored. The
accuracy of the prediction was to the nearest month, and there it agrees
perfectly. So the conclusion is that
once again we find the predictions of Revelation fit exactly with world
history.
The “third part of men” refers once again to a third part of
The reference to the third part of men being killed, does not actually have
reference to men dying, although certainly many did perish in battle, but
refers to the death of the eastern third of the Empire just described. The Empire was “killed” by “smoke and
brimstone.” The reference quoted in the
previous verse spoke of Mohamet being victorious where “Twenty other besieging
armies had been unable to capture the world’s capital.” If he had used the methods which those other twenty
armies had employed, Mohamet also would have failed. But he had a tool which none of his
predecessors had been blessed with. The
walls of
This verse is just a more thorough description of the cannons which the Turks used
to conquer
It was logical for John to say that
their power was also in their tails, because he would see the fire in their
tails after the fuse had been lit. Then
John tells us that is was the cannons which were used to “hurt”
9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet
repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils,
and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither
can see, nor hear, nor walk:
The fall of
In condemning Israel for their
idolatrous practices, God was not only condemning them because they were
worshipping other Gods, but also because they were performing worship which He
had not commanded them to do. “And
hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them...which I have not
commanded” (Deuteronomy 17:3). “For
they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not,
and whom he had not given unto them” (Deuteronomy 29:26). God has never condoned the worship of ANY type
of object which man is able to make with his hands. “Their land also is full of idols; they
worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made”
(Isaiah 2:8). “Thy graven images also
will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou
shalt no more worship the work of thine hands” (Micah 5:13).
The Roman Church also prays to
and worships certain saints. Most
everyone has heard of “Hail Marys,” which are prayers to Mary, the mother of
Jesus. No where in
the Bible do we find that she was worshipped, nor are Christians commanded to
worship her. When the wise men came they
worshipped the young child Jesus, but nothing is said of their worshipping His mother. “And when they were come into the house,
they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped
him” (Matthew
The Apostle Peter is also
worshipped. There is a picture of what
is supposed to be Peter hanging in St. Peter’s Basilica in
The Bible tells us that even angels are not to be worshipped. “Let no man beguile you of your reward in
a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels” (Colossians
Gibbon
describes eloquently the origins of idolatry in the Catholic Church.
“The primitive Christians were possessed with
an unconquerable repugnance to the use and abuse of images; and this aversion
may be ascribed to their descent from the Jews, and their enmity to the Greeks. The Mosaic law had severely proscribed all representations
of the Deity; and that precept was firmly established in the principles and practice
of the chosen people. The wit of the
Christian apologists was pointed against the foolish idolaters, who bowed
before the workmanship of their own hands; the images of brass and marble,
which, had they been endowed with sense and motion, should have started rather
from the pedestal to adore the creative powers of the artist. Perhaps some recent and imperfect converts of
the Gnostic tribe might crown the statues of Christ and
St. Paul with the profane honors which they paid to
those of Aristotle and Pythagoras; but the public religion of the Catholics was
uniformly simple and spiritual; and the first notice of the use of pictures is
in the censure of the council of Illiberis, three hundred years after the Christian
aera. Under the successors of
“The worship of images had
stolen into the church by insensible degrees, and each petty step was pleasing
to the superstitious mind, as productive of comfort, and innocent of sin. But in the beginning of the eighth century,
in the full magnitude of the abuse, the more timorous Greeks were awakened by an
apprehension, that under the mask of Christianity, they had restored the religion
of their fathers: they heard, with grief and impatience, the name of idolaters;
the incessant charge of the Jews and
Mahometans, who derived from the Law and the Koran an immortal hatred to graven
images and all relative worship. The
servitude of the Jews might curb their zeal, and depreciate their
authority; but the triumphant Mussulmans, who reigned at
“Of such adventurers, the most fortunate was the
emperor Leo the Third, who, from the mountains of Isauria, ascended the throne
of the East. He was ignorant of sacred
and profane letters; but his education, his reason, perhaps his intercourse with
the Jews and
Arabs, had inspired the martial peasant with a hatred of images; and it was
held to be the duty of a prince to impose on his subjects the dictates of his own
conscience. But in the outset of an
unsettled reign, during ten years of toil and danger, Leo submitted to the meanness
of hypocrisy, bowed before the idols which he despised, and satisfied the Roman
pontiff with the annual professions of his orthodoxy and zeal. In the reformation of religion, his first
steps were moderate and cautious: he assembled a great council of senators and
bishops, and enacted, with their consent, that all the images should be removed
from the sanctuary and altar to a proper height in the churches where they
might be visible to the eyes, and inaccessible to the superstition, of the
people. But it was impossible on either
side to check the rapid through adverse impulse of veneration and abhorrence:
in their lofty position, the sacred images still edified their votaries, and reproached
the tyrant. He was himself provoked by
resistance and invective; and his own party accused him of an imperfect
discharge of his duty, and urged for his imitation the example of the Jewish
king, who had broken without scruple the brazen serpent of the temple. By a
second edict, he proscribed the existence as well as the use of religious pictures;
the churches of
The
bottom line is that only God can be worshipped.
And God cannot be worshipped through images and idols. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the
true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the
Father seeketh such to worship him. God
is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”
(John
So even after the destruction of
Here more crimes of the apostate Roman Church are listed. “Murders” has reference to the many
Christians who were slain for their opposition to the Catholic Church. The period from the thirteenth to the
eighteenth centuries, was a period of great persecution by the Catholics. It was during this time that the Reformation
took place, and the Roman Church did not hesitate to kill in order to try to
stop it.
“Their (bishops) efforts were reinforced in the
thirteenth century by special courts of inquiry set up by the papacy. These courts, known as the Inquisition, were
eventually introduced to most areas of
The pope’s grand Inquisitor was placed at
Canon law (Church law) forbade
the clergy to take life,
but the civil authorities felt no such inhibition. And, because heresy was often associated with
popular discontent or rebellion, the civil authorities regarded it as
equivalent to treason and therefore set the penalty of death for convicted
heretics. If a responsible official
failed to apply that penalty, he himself was liable to excommunication and
punishment. The most common means of
execution was burning at the stake—a means that gave heretics a chance to make
a final repentance as the flames reached higher and higher. They might then have time to beg for God’s
forgiveness and the salvation of their souls.
But in no case would the fire be quenched; the body of a ‘confirmed’
heretic was already forfeit.
The procedures and penalties of the Inquisition appear
cruel and inhuman to modern minds. In
the view of medieval churchmen, however, the end (rooting out heresy) justified
the means. Even the ‘Angelic Doctor’ of
the Church, Thomas Aquinas, held that extreme punishments were
necessary to protect souls from the contamination of false beliefs. His was no doubt an honest argument. But the inquisition was also open to the
foulest abuses. To level the accusation
of heresy became a convenient way of injuring or getting rid of personal
enemies, and the accusers were never identified by the court.”[28]
Although
the Catholics did not practice execution themselves, they had thousands killed
by the civil authorities. How could
anyone condone the burning of another human being in the name of Christianity? During this period of time anyone who dared
voice even the smallest criticism against the Catholics was putting their life
in grave danger. Many notable men were
killed for this very thing early on in the Reformation. Around 1400 both John Wiclif and John
Hus were killed because they took stands in direct opposition to
They were also accused of “sorceries,” which means magic or witchcraft. There are many items of the Catholic religion which
will fit this definition. When otherwise
ordinary water is blessed it becomes “holy water” and is ascribed nearly
magical properties. Emblems of the cross
are also supposed to possess extraordinary powers. During the Eucharist, also known as the Mass
or Communion, a magical event supposedly occurs. As a person partakes of the bread and wine, there
comes a point where these symbols literally transform into the body and
blood of Jesus.
“Fornication” is meant in a spiritual sense, and has reference to their
practice of idol and image worship. God
has often spoken of idolatry as fornication or adultery. “Moreover he (Jehoram, king of
“Thefts” could refer to several things.
One very prominent example was their seizure, or theft, of the property
of heretics. Anyone who disagreed with
the official Church doctrine, as
issued from
“The extraordinary power of the medieval Church rested solidly
on the trust of the people. The rich
left the Church generous gifts, and bishops and abbots thereby acquired vast
properties in land, serfs, animals, and buildings.”[29]
These
“gifts” were being used for personal gratification, and not for God’s service. So the clergy were “stealing”
items given to the Church.
Despite God’s warning,
[1] Strong, 1982, s.v. “Greek #12.”
[2] Thayer, 1989, s.v. “βασανίζω.”
[3] Smith, 1986, s.v. “scorpion.”
[4] World Book, 1985, s.v. “scorpion.”
[5] Strong, 1982, s.v. “Greek #3.”
[6] Thayer, 1989, s.v. “Αβαδδών.”
[7] Strong, 1982, s.v. “Greek #623.”
[8] John B. Glubb, Course
of Empire: the Arabs and Their Successors, (
[9] Ibid., pp. 26, 28.
[10] World Book, 1985, s.v. “
[11] Glubb, p. 29.
[12] World Book, 1985, s.v. “Muslims.”
[13] Gibbon, vol. I, 1963, p. 145.
[14] World Book, 1985, s.v. “
[15] Ibid., s.v. “iconoclasts.”
[16] Gibbon, vol. III, 1963, p. 200.
[17] Yahya
Armajani,
[18] J. N. Larned, Larned’s History of the World, (New York, World Syndicate Inc., 1915), p. 438.
[19] Strong, 1982, s.v. “Greek #2603.”
[20] Sydney
N. Fisher, The
[21] World Book, 1985, s.v. “gunpowder.”
[22]
[23] Edwin Pears, The Destruction of the Greek Empire, (New York, NY: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1903), p. 334.
[24] Ibid., p. 351.
[25] Gibbon, vol. III, 1963, pp. 1-3.
[26] Ibid., vol. III, pp. 5-6.
[27] Ibid., vol. III, 1963, pp. 7-9.
[28] Greer, 1987, pp. 208-9.
[29] Ibid., p. 200.