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| 1 And, the fifth messenger, sounded; and I saw a star, out of heaven, fallen unto the earth, and there was given unto him the key of the shaft of the abyss. |
The fifth angel – Under the Saracens. HG77:2
When Othman first invaded the Roman empire, July 27, AD 1299, ending in July 1449, and the independence of the eastern possession of the empire virtually passed away. Constantinople fell two years later, in AD 1451. HG77:3
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The Fifth TrumpetFifth angel – 5th messenger to the church = John Wycliffe.
Star from heaven – Bright light, leader in the nominal church (Wycliffe).
To earth – Organized society under religious restraint - R498.
Key – Authority over or ability to open that which others (who do not have the key) cannot.
Bottomless pit – Strong's 12 + 5421. Strong's 12 = abyss (same as in Rev. 20:1, 3.) Here in vss. 1-2 is the only place where 5421 is added to it. The only other uses of 5421 are Luke 14:5 (pit); John 4:11,12 (well).
The key is most likely the key to the things hidden in the Word of God. Wycliffe began his translation of the bible into English in 1378, the year of the Great Schism (division of Papacy, two popes, each denouncing the other as the anti-christ). |
| 2 And he opened the shaft of the abyss; and there came up a smoke out of the shaft, as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened, by reason of the smoke of the shaft. |
The air – The Greek word here is used symbolically to represent government or controlling power over the earth. R152:6
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He opened the bottomless pit – Not only was Wycliffe given the key to the truth, but he used it. He did not read the Bible and then keep the things he found therein to himself but he published his findings.
Arose a smoke – Smoke = confusion.
As of a great furnace – The word of God will burn those who dare to touch it improperly. Only those who approach with a pure heart can learn the wonderful truths therein contained. Others will be burned. See Mal. 3:2-3., Heb. 12:29
The sun – The Gospel (as it appeared to the false church, i.e., the false gospel.)
And the air – The power of spiritual control - ecclesiasticism. [The air is where the seventh plague is poured out. Rev. 16:17]
Were darkened – Were made to appear less bright. This was exactly the result of Wycliffe's teachings. The Papacy and its false doctrines began to be exposed and thus became darkened in the eyes of the people.
By reason of the smoke – Because of the confusion arising from Papacy holding to its false doctrines which are now (late 14th century) being exposed and compared with the actual teachings of Scripture. |
| 3 And, out of the smoke, came forth, locusts, upon the earth; and there was given unto them licence, as the scorpions of the earth have licence. |
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Came out of the smoke – Came out of this confusion described above.
The locust – See Job 39:20. The word there used for "grasshopper" is Strong's 697. This is the same word used for "locust" elsewhere in scripture. - Exo. 10:4 - the plague of locust.
This suggests that fear came out of the confusion created by the exposure of Christendom's false doctrines coming in contact with the truth then due.
Upon the earth – Not upon all but upon those who dwell in and have placed their confidence in Christendom's organized society.
Unto them – These doctrines of fear (locust).
Power – Strong's 1849. Usually translated as power but a better word might be "Authority."
As the scorpions of the earth have power -- |
| 4 And it was bidden them that they should not injure the herbage of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree,–but only the men who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads. |
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Them that they – The scorpions.
Grass – People. 1 Pet. 1:24
The Earth – Organized society.
Green – Life (earthly).
According to the Tischendorf Notes "neither any green thing" is not found in the Sinaitic MS.
Seal of God – Present Truth. Not Present (2007) Truth but Present (Wycliffe's day) Truth.
In their foreheads – Their intellects. |
| 5 And it was given unto them, that they should not slay them, but that they should be tormented five months; and, the torture of them, was as of a scorpion's torture, whensoever it smiteth a man. |
Not kill – This being a symbol, is political, not literal death. HG77:3
Tormented – During this 150 years, the Saracens murdered, robbed and taxed the people, while the government at Constantinople was too weak to give protection. HG77:4
Five months – Five months is five times thirty, or 150 days--in symbolic time, 150 years. HG77:4
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To them – The scorpions.
Five months – 150 years, from 1378 to 1528. What is the significance of this time period? In 1378 the great schism within the Catholic church took place. There were two popes, each one denouncing the other as the 'anti-christ'. – As one brother remarked: 'It takes one to know one'. It was in this year that Wycliffe took up in earnest his translation of the New Testament.
(From New Albany's Revelation study) – It is significant that Wycliffe's translation of the bible was the only one available for 150 years.
150 years later brings us to 1528. So what happened in 1528? It was during the early part of the Reformation. In England, King Henry VIII wanted a divorce from his wife (under the pretext that she had not borne him any male heirs). The Pope refused to grant him this divorce. Henry wanted to marry Ann Bolien. It was during this whole affair that Henry (who had been given the title of 'defender of the faith') separated England from the church of Rome. According to the historian ('The History of the Reformation in England') the year 1528 was 'The Year of the Two Divorces', i.e., Henry's divorce from his wife and England's divorce from the Church of Rome. It was also in this year (1528) that the term 'Protestant' was first applied to those who opposed the Catholic church. |
| 6 And, in those days, shall men seek death, and in nowise shall find it, and shall covet to die, and death fleeth from them. |
Seek death – The people earnestly desired political death, that their own government might be abolished. HG77:4
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In those days – During the 150 days (years).
Shall men seek death – Seek the death of the old man so the new creature may grow.
And not find it – This is during the Sardis period, the darkest period of the church. The message to Sardis was "strengthen the things which remain and are ready to die." Rev. 3:2
How do these next two phrases differ from the previous two?
And shall desire to die – Shall desire to be dead to the world and walk the narrow way of self-sacrifice.
And death shall flee from them – The narrow way is so hidden during this (Sardis – "strengthen the things which remain, and are ready to die," Rev. 3:2) the darkest period in church history. |
| 7 And, the likenesses of the locusts, were like unto horses prepared for battle; and, upon their heads, as it were crowns, like unto gold, and, their faces, were as the faces of men, |
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Shapes of the locust – These were not exactly like normal locust.
?Why shapes of the locust?
As horses – Doctrines.
Prepared for battle – These are doctrines for which the Lord's people must take a stand.
On their heads – The head is what must be protected (by the helmet of salvation – Eph. 6:17).
As it were, crowns like gold – Crowns indicate royalty. Gold = things divine. Golden crowns can picture Divine Authority (Rev. 4:10) and/or Divine Kingship (Rev. 14:14).
Faces of men – Perhaps a reference to Rev. 4:7 where the attribute of God that is described as the face of a man is that of love. This would be in great contrast with the teachings of the false church which had doctrines of fear and dread. |
| 8 and, they had hair, as the hair of women, and, their teeth, were, as of lions, |
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They – The locust.
Hair – A possible connection to the Nazarite vow. Num. 6:1-21
Of women – A woman normally pictures the church, the bride of Christ (whether the true bride or the false).
A woman's hair is her glory. 1 Cor. 11:15
The fact that these locust have hair of women seems to be a good confirmation of the thought that the locust represent the true church.
Teeth – First reference to teeth is Gen. 49:12 (Judah) – Judah (the tribe of our Lord) is described as a Lion – Gen. 49:9.
As the teeth of lions – Strong enough to devour their prey. This is how they appear to their enemies. |
| 9 and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and, the sound of their wings, was as the sound of chariots of many horses, running into battle; |
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They – The horse-shaped locust.
Had breastplates – Breastplate of righteousness – Isa. 59:17; Eph. 6:14.
The breastplate is that which covers the heart.
Breastplates of iron – ? Iron we would normally associate with the civil power of the Roman Empire, the legs of iron (Dan. 2:33,40) as well as the toes of part clay (religious element – Dan. 2:41) and part of iron (civil power) – Dan. 2:41-44.
Sounds of their wings – Reminiscent of the fact that the church was given two wings as an eagle and fled into the wilderness 1260 days. Rev. 12:14.
Sound of chariots – Organizations.
Horses running to war – Doctrines of battle. |
| 10 and they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings, and, in their tails, is their licence to injure men five months. |
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Five months – See comment on vs. 5. |
| 11 They have over them, as king, the messenger of the abyss, whose name, in Hebrew, is Abaddon [="Destroyer"], and, in the Greek, he hath for name, Destroyer. |
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| 12 The first, Woe, hath passed away, lo! there come, yet, two, Woes, after these things. |
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| 13 And, the sixth messenger, sounded; and I heard one voice, from among the horns of the altar of gold which is before God, |
The sixth angel – Under the Mohammedans. HG77:2
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The Sixth TrumpetThe sixth angel – Martin Luther.
I – The John Class - the Church in the flesh during the Lord's parousia.
The four horns – Power. 4 - perhaps God's Attributes. Also, universality. Message is justification of faith.
The golden altar – This is the golden or incense altar in the holy. |
| 14 saying unto the sixth messenger, who was holding the trumpet–Loose the four messengers, who are bound at the great river Euphrates. |
Euphrates – The people supporting the system of Babylon. Q720:4
The restraint of the Christian nations, the waters of the Euphrates, "the waters on which the harlot"--mystic Babylon--"sitteth," was to be let loose, or taken off from the Mohammedans so that the sixth trumpet or downfall of Constantinople and the east, might be accomplished HG77:5
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The sixth angel – Martin Luther.
Loose the four angels – Four other messengers. Perhaps these would have come out and taken bold positions against the anti-christ system at that time, but this seems to suggest that it was the work of the sixth messenger, Martin Luther, which opened the door for these others to come out and be courageous in their battle against that false system.
In R1094:2 Br. Russell mentions four reformers (not necessarily as an application of this text) as being: Knox, Melanchthon, Zwingli, Calvin.
Which are bound – These four angels are not to be bound, but they are (at the time the sixth angel sounds) already bound in the Euphrates river. This word bound is Strong's 1210. First used in Matt. 12:29 re: binding the strong man. Last used in Rev. 20:2 re: binding of Satan.
This could possibly have reference to the other reformers of Luther's day, i.e., Zwingli, Melanchthon, Tyndale, Calvin. [Thomas Muntzer]
Great river Euphrates – The people upon whose support Babylon the Great depended. |
| 15 And the four messengers were loosed, who had been prepared for the hour, and day, and month, and year, that they should slay the third of men. |
An hour, and a day – 391 years, 15 days, commencing July 27, 1449, ending August 11, 1840. HG78:1
In August 1840 the combined Ally fleet knocked at the door of the Sultan at Constantinople. On that very day, the independence of the Turkish empire virtually ended. HG78:2
To slay – Not torment merely, but death, political death. HG77:6
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Just thinking - probably not significant. There are four angels loosed. They were prepared for (1) an hour, (2) a day, (3) a month, (4) a year. 4 angels, 4 times.
Suggestion (from New Albany?)
Hour Rev. 11:13
Day Rev. 11:3; 12:14-15
Month Rev. 11:2
Year Rev. 11:6; Dan 12:7; Rev. 10:6 |
| 16 And, the number of the armies of the horsemen, was twice ten thousand times ten thousand–I heard the number of them. |
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Two hundred thousand thousand – 200 million. - OBSERVATION: This was the population of Christendom around the time of the French Revolution. |
| 17 And, thus, saw I the horses in the vision,–and them who were sitting upon them, having breastplates as of fire and hyacinth and brimstone;–and, the heads of the horses, were as heads of lions, and, out of their mouths, come forth fire and smoke and brimstone: |
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Jacinth – Wikepedia: "Jacinth is a red transparent variety of zircon used as a gemstone. Jacinth is also a flower of a reddish blue or deep purple (hyacinth), and hence a precious stone of that colour (Revelation 21:20). It has been supposed to designate the same stone as the ligure (Hebrew leshem) mentioned in Exodus 28:19 as the first stone of the third row in the high priest's breast-plate, the Hoshen."
 Jacinth |
| 18 by these three plagues, were slain, the third part of mankind, by reason of the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, that proceedeth out of their mouths; |
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| 19 for, the licence of the horses, is, in their mouth, and in their tails, for, their tails, are like unto serpents, having heads, and, with them, they injure. |
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| 20 And, the rest of mankind who were not slain by these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands,–that they should not do homage unto the demons, nor unto the idols of gold and of silver and of copper and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; |
Worship devils – Evil spirits, operating along the line of man's natural and religious instincts, have diverted his worship from God, sometimes directly to themselves, and sometimes to four-footed beasts. R3068:3
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| 21 Neither repented they of their murders, or of their sorceries, or of their lewdnesses, or of their thefts. |
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Their fornication – The union between church and state continued. |