The 7 Trumpets Part IV

“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!” Revelation 8:13

“…Some prophecies God has repeated, thus showing that importance must be given to them. The Lord does not repeat things that are of no great consequence.” (Ms 107, 1897, p. 1, 2)

Woe = Judgments Jeremiah 50: 26, 27 “Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left. Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.” See also: Isaiah 3:11; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 7:12-14

“The ‘woe, woe, woe!’ was pronounced upon a church who walked in the sparks of their own kindling…” (Pamphlets 28, 1890, p. 3)

“…These visitations upon Papal Rome were judgments of God, as also were the four previous trumpets upon Pagan Rome.” (Cunningham, 1892, p. 362)

“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.” Revelation 9:1

Invasions of Islam/the Saracens (Arabians) (150 years)

Falling Star denotes an apostate power Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12; Revelation 12:9; Jude 1:10-13

Bottomless pit = confusion and darkness, desert, wilderness Genesis 1:2; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Deuteronomy 8:15 Jeremiah 2:6 “Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? “ Jeremiah 3:2 “Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.”

FALL OF CHOSROES OF PERSIA = THE KEY TO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT

“‘The spirit of fraud and enthusiasm, whose abode is not in the heavens,' was let loose on earth. The bottomless pit needed but a key to open it, and that key was the fall of Chosroes.” (Keith, 1833, p.298)

“The fall of Chosroes II the Persian king may well be represented as the opening of the bottomless pit, inasmuch as it prepared the way for the followers of Mohammed to issue from their obscure country and propagate their delusive doctrines with fire and sword until they had spread their darkness over all the Eastern Empire.” (Smith, 1944, p. 496)

“The military force of Persia was wasted by the marches and combats of twenty years and many of the veterans who had survived the perils of the sword and the climate were still detained in the fortresses of Egypt and Syria. But the revenge and ambition of Chosroes exhausted his kingdom.” (Gibbon & Milman, 1899, p. 475)

“During the conflict between the Persian and Roman Emperors, a power was rapidly growing up in the secret deserts of Arabia which was to erect its throne upon the ruins of both. Mohammed had already announced his religious doctrine, -- ‘There is but one God and Mohammed is His prophet’-- and the valleys of Arabia had echoed with the triumphant battle cry of his followers, ‘The Koran or death!’” (Milman, 1871, p. 94)

“…Chosroes…had subjugated a large part of the empire of Rome, and levied an annual tribute upon it of a fourfold thousand, in talents of gold and silver, silk robes, and horses, besides a thousand virgins. ‘To prevent the immediate dissolution of his empire, Heraclius subscribed to these terms of ransom.’ But the time which he obtained from Chosroes to collect treasures from the poverty of the East he used in preparing for a bold and desperate attack upon Chosroes. In the interval Chosroes received an epistle from Mecca inviting him to acknowledge Mahomet as

the apostle of God. This he rejected with disdain. And Mahomet retorted, ‘God will tear the kingdom, and reject the supplication of Chosroes.’ With secret joy Mahomet beheld the raging conflict between Chosroes and Heraclius” “…Heraclius having completed his preparations, transported his forces over the Black Sea into central Asia. Thus having intercepted Chosroes, he caused his immediate recall to defend his bleeding country that was being rapidly overrun by the army of Heraclius. The battle of Nineveh, of eleven hours, fiercely fought, resulted in the complete route of the Persians, and the star rapidly fell to the earth. A period of anarchy succeeded among the Persians for about eight years, then factions were silenced and Persia fell under the yoke of the Arabian caliphs. Thus the fall of Chosroes opened an inroad for the Saracens in their mighty work of devastation and conquest.” (Cunningham, 1892, p. 363, 364)

“In 629 Heraclius returned in triumph to Jerusalem and almost at the same moment the Roman territories were first attacked by the followers of Mahomet. The Prophet had no doubt been diligently watching the course of the war which is once at least directly alluded to in the Koran. He could not but see the immense advantage which he gained by finding the two greatest powers of the world utterly exhausted by this tremendous struggle. In such circumstances it seemed hardly possible that either could resist a new enemy full of such vigor and enthusiasm as the early Saracens.” (Freeman, 1876, p. 20)

“Although a victorious army had been formed under the standard of Heraclius, the unnatural effort appears to have exhausted rather than exercised their strength. While the emperor triumphed at Constantinople or Jerusalem, an obscure town on the confines of Syria was pillaged by the Saracens,…These robbers were the apostles of Mahomet; their fanatic valor had emerged from the desert; and in the last eight years of his reign, Heraclius lost to the Arabs the same provinces which he had rescued from the Persians.” (Gibbon, 1837, p. 777)

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. Revelation 9:2

“…and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” Revelation 9:2b “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Malachi 4:2

Smoke arising out of the pit/smoke of a great furnace = Judgment of God; Wickedness, Works of Wickedness, Prayers Genesis 19:28-29; Isaiah 9:18; Hosea 13:1-3; Revelation 8:4

“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.” Revelation 9:3

"The swarms of these insects darken the air and appear at a distance like clouds of smoke." ‘Niebuhr Travels' Vol. II. p 337.

Locust = [numerous] armies that consume Joel 2:25; Exodus 10:12-15; Deuteronomy 28:37, 38, 42; Jeremiah 46:22, 23; Judges 6:3-5; Nahum 3:15

"Like locusts, the Osmanlis swarmed in all directions and no village missed their notice up to the very walls of Constantinople" (Herbert Adams Gibbons 'The Foundation of the Ottoman Empire'). "Onward and still onward, like swarms from the hive, or flights of locusts darkening the land, tribe after tribe issued forth, end hastening northward, spread in great masses to the east, and to the west" ('The Caliphate', Sir William Muir page 44).

Proverbs 30:27 “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands” “...Rome was only saved from the yoke of the prophet of Mecca by the divisions of the Saracens.” (Cunningham, 1892, p. 366) The Saracens were “divided into various factions under several leaders. These continued to harass the Romans for centuries and also civil war raged most murderously among the several caliphates of the Saracens who continued to exhaust or overthrow each other and to make occasional invasions of Constantinople.” (Cunningham, 1892, p. 366)

“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.” Revelation 9:3 Scorpion, Very much a Fitting Symbol for the Desert/Wilderness & Denotes Judgment/Chastisement. Deuteronomy 8:15; 1 Kings 12:11

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails…” Revelation 9:10 Revelation 12:3, 4a “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth...”

“The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.” Isaiah 9:15 Tail = False Prophet Muhammad

“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.” Revelation 9:4

G RASS & T REES = BOTH PEOPLE & FOOD SUPPLY 1 Peter 1:24; Isaiah 40:7; Mark 8:24; Genesis 1:29; Deuteronomy 20:19

“It is remarkable that when the Saracen army was marching to invade Syria it was charged by its leaders ‘to destroy no palm trees, nor hurt any fields of corn; to cut down no fruit trees,’ &c. It is also to be noted that the Saracens extended their conquests principally in those countries where the corruptions of Popery were most prevalent whilst places where religion was preserved in some degree of purity were protected from the fearful scourge.” (Nangle, 1859, p. 43)

“…the Roman Church still pursued its work of suppressing the Sabbath during the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and following centuries, and elevating the Sunday in its place, by decrees of councils, curses of popes, crusades of extermination, tortures of the inquisition, lying miracles, and rolls said to come from heaven, but really originating in the pope's palace. Wherever the papacy had the power, Sunday was established, and the Sabbath of the Lord condemned.” (1904 GIB, CHS, p 165)

“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. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from themshapes of the locusts were like unto horses. And the 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.” Revelation 9:5-9

“And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months…” “Evidently alluding to the time during which locusts commit their devastations and after which they die. They are hatched as Bochart observes about the spring and die at the latter end of summer thus living about five months… It is again mentioned at ver. 10 that their power was to hurt men five months….these months designate each a space of thirty prophetick [sic] days or years then the whole period denoted is one hundred and fifty years. And accordingly we shall find that though the empire of the Saracens had a longer duration yet within that period they made their principal conquests and their power of tormenting men was chiefly exerted. --Bp Newton” (D’oyly & Mant, 1839, comments on Revelation 9:5)

“And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months…” “When were they to begin their work of torment? The 11th verse answers the question. 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 hath his name Apollyon.…From the death of Mahomet until near the close of the 13th century the Mahommedans were divided into various factions under several leaders with no general civil government extending over them all. Near the close of the 13th century Othman founded a government which has since been known as the Ottoman government or empire extending over all the principal Mahommedan tribes consolidating them into one grand monarchy.” (Litch, 1838, p. 179)

“And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle…and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.” “The Arabian horse takes the lead throughout the world; and skill in horsemanship is the art and science of Arabia. And the barbed Arabs, swift as locusts and armed like scorpions, ready to dart away in a moment, were ever prepared unto battle…” (Keith, 1833, p )

“And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle…and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.” “…their military force was chiefly formed of cavalry and archers... With a touch of the hand, the Arab horses dart away with the swiftness of the wind. ‘The sound of their wings was as the sound of many horses running to battle.’ Their conquests were marvelous both in rapidity and extent, and their attack was instantaneous. Nor was it less successful against the Romans than the Persians.” (Keith, 1833, p. 313)

“…and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold…” “…When Mahomet entered Medina (AD 622), and was first received as its prince, 'a turban was unfurled before him to supply the deficiency of a standard.' The turbans of the Saracens, like unto a coronet, were their ornament and their boast…And the Arabs were anciently distinguished by the miters which they wore.” (Keith, 1833, p ) “And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her: and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.” Ezekiel 23:42

“…The gravity and firmness of the mind [of the Arab] is conspicuous in his outward demeanor;... his only gesture is that of stroking his beard, the venerable symbol of manhood.... The honor... of their beards is most easily wounded.” (Gibbon, 1788, p. 86, 88) “Long hair is esteemed an ornament by women. The Arabs, unlike to other men, had their hair as the hair of women, or uncut, as their practice is recorded by Pliny and others. But there was nothing effeminate in their character; for, as denoting their ferocity and strength to devour, their teeth were as the teeth of lions.” (Keith, 1833, p. 312) “…faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women…”

“The cuirass (or breastplate) was in use among the Arabs in the days of Mahomet. In the battle of Ohud (the second which Mahomet fought) with the Koreish of Mecca (AD 624), ‘seven hundred of them were armed with cuirasses.’” (Keith, 1833, p. 312) “…And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron…”

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 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.” Revelation 9:5-11 “...Near the close of the 13th century Othman founded a government which has since been known as the Ottoman government or empire extending over all the principal Mahommedan tribes consolidating them into one grand monarchy.” (Litch, 1838, p. 179)

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them...” Revelation 9: months = 5 X 30 prophetic days = 150 prophetic days 1 day in prophecy = 1 prophetic year Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6  150 years

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them...” Revelation 9:5-11 “And this period relating to the Turks dates from the time they had a king over them to within four years of the fall of Constantinople and the overthrow of the Greek empire. Says Gibbon (chap. 64), ‘It was on the 27th of July, A.D. 1299, that Othman first invaded the territory of Nicomedia; and the singular accuracy of the date seems to disclose some foresight of the rapid and destructive growth of the monster.’ ‘They have over themselves a king, the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.” (Cunningham, 1892, p. 367)

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them...” Revelation 9:5-11 “Thus far their commission extended torment by constant depredations but not to kill them. Five months that is hundred and fifty years. Commencing July 1299 the one hundred and fifty years reach During that whole period the Turks engaged in an almost perpetual war with Greek empire but yet without conquering it seized upon and held several of the Greek provinces, but still Greek independence was maintained in Constantinople. But in 1449, the termination of the one hundred and fifty years, a change came.” (Litch, 1838, p. 181)

Papal Power Still Grows Invasions of the Saracens, left Rome’s imperial power only at Constantinople, thereby the bishop of Rome had no other rivals and spoke as the intact imperial power. (Sheppard, 1861)

Papal Power Still Grows “…The first exemplification, on a great scale, of her office which she gave mankind was the crusades. As the professors of an impure creed, she pronounced sentence of extermination on the Saracens of the Holy Land; she sent thither some millions of crusaders to execute her ban; and the lands, cities, and wealth of the slaughtered infidels she bestowed upon her orthodox sons. If it was right to apply this principle to one pagan country, we do not see what should hinder Rome - unless indeed lack of power - from sending her missionaries to every land where infidelity and heresy prevailed, emptying them of their evil creed and their evil inhabitants together, and re-peopling them anew with a pure race from within her own orthodox pale.” (Wylie, 18??, p. 38)

One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. Revelation 9:12