Worship The One True God: Revelation 8-11: The Trumpets

This is from "The Unsealed Book: An Unorthodox look at the Church, Islam and God’s Kingdom in Bible Prophecy" by Benjamin Breece available on Amazon

Revelation 8-11: The Trumpets

Introduction

Revelation 8:2-5

2	And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.	Καὶ εἶδον τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλους οἳ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑστήκασι, καὶ ἐδόθησαν αὐτοῖς ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγες.
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.	καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος ἦλθε καὶ ἐστάθη ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἔχων λιβανωτὸν χρυσοῦν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ θυμιάματα πολλὰ, ἵνα δώσει ταῖς προσευχαῖς τῶν ἁγίων πάντων ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ χρυσοῦν τὸ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου.
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.	καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ καπνὸς τῶν θυμιαμάτων ταῖς προσευχαῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
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.	καὶ εἴληφεν ὁ ἄγγελος τὸν λιβανωτόν καὶ ἐγέμισεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐγένοντο βρονταὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ καὶ σεισμός.

Just as we had an introductory scene for the seven seals, we have an introductory scene for the seven trumpets.

We saw in Daniel that prophecies concerning a series of events would by default begin in the contemporary time period to when the vision was given. The visions in Revelation were given within a few decades of the destruction of Jerusalem (and there is some evidence that it may even have been before). I believe the imagery above (altar, censer, incense, prayer) connects the beginning of the trumpets to the services in the temple, which ended when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 C.E.

The altar is described here in Exodus 30:1-8

1	And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.	ועשׂית מזבח מקטר קטרת עצי שׁטים תעשׂה אתו
2	A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.	אמה ארכו ואמה רחבו רבוע יהיה ואמתים קמתו ממנו קרנתיו
3	And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.	וצפית אתו זהב טהור את־גגו ואת־קירתיו סביב ואת־קרנתיו ועשׂית לו זר זהב סביב
4	And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.	ושׁתי טבעת זהב תעשׂה־לו מתחת לזרו על שׁתי צלעתיו תעשׂה על־שׁני צדיו והיה לבתים לבדים לשׂאת אתו בהמה
5	And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.	ועשׂית את־הבדים עצי שׁטים וצפית אתם זהב
6	And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.	ונתתה אתו לפני הפרכת אשׁר על־ארן העדת לפני הכפרת אשׁר על־העדת אשׁר אועד לך שׁמה
7	And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.	והקטיר עליו אהרן קטרת סמים בבקר בבקר בהיטיבו את־הנרת יקטירנה
8	And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before [Yehovah] throughout your generations.	ובהעלת אהרן את־הנרת בין הערבים יקטירנה קטרת תמיד לפני יהוה לדרתיכם

Psalms 141:2 connects prayer with the burning of incense in the Sanctuary service.

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

תכון תפלתי קטרת לפניך משׂאת כפי מנחת־ערב

Also, the sixth trumpet ends after the 1260 year prophecy which links the timelines of Daniel and Revelation. You can see that here.

Revelation 11:1-3, 14-15

1	And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.	Καὶ ἐδόθη μοι κάλαμος ὅμοιος ῥάβδῳ, λέγων· ἔγειρε καὶ μέτρησον τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ἐν αὐτῷ·
2	But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.	καὶ τὴν αὐλὴν τὴν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ναοῦ ἔκβαλε ἔξω καὶ μὴ αὐτὴν μετρήσῃς, ὅτι ἐδόθη τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν πατήσουσι μῆνας τεσσεράκοντα δύο.
3	And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth….	καὶ δώσω τοῖς δυσὶ μάρτυσί μου, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν ἡμέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα, περιβεβλημένοι σάκκους.

…………………………………………………………………………..

14	The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.	῾Η οὐαὶ ἡ δευτέρα ἀπῆλθεν· ἰδοὺ ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ τρίτη ἔρχεται ταχύ.
15	And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.	Καὶ ὁ ἕβδομος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ μεγάλαι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγουσαι· ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.

The prophecy of the two witnesses is describing events that happen separate and parallel to the other events in the trumpets. The focus of the prophecy of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:1-14 is what happens to them after the end of the 1260 days (verses 7-14). This happens right before the beginning of the seventh trumpet. This indicates that the 1260 day time period ends during the sixth trumpet. This shows us that the sixth trumpet begins before 1798.

Since the trumpets begin with the destruction of Jerusalem and the sixth trumpet begins before 1798, we now have an outline of a timeline for the trumpets.

The First Four Trumpets

Now let’s begin with examining the first trumpet.

Revelation 8: 6-7

6	And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.	Καὶ οἱ ἑπτὰ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγας ἡτοίμασαν ἑαυτοὺς ἵνα σαλπίσωσι.
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.	Καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ ἐγένετο χάλαζα καὶ πῦρ μεμιγμένα ἐν αἵματι, καὶ ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς γῆς κατεκάη, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν δένδρων κατεκάη, καὶ πᾶς χόρτος χλωρὸς κατεκάη.

These symbols were used with both God’s judgment on the wicked in general and the first destruction of Jerusalem. Therefore, it makes sense to see them again when Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed a second time.

Exodus 9:23-24 (God’s judgement on the wicked in Egypt)

23	And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and [Yehovah] sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and [Yehovah] rained hail upon the land of Egypt.	ויט משׁה את־מטהו על־השׁמים ויהוה נתן קלת וברד ותהלך אשׁ ארצה וימטר יהוה ברד על־ארץ מצרים
24	So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.	ויהי ברד ואשׁ מתלקחת בתוך הברד כבד מאד אשׁר לא־היה כמהו בכל־ארץ מצרים מאז היתה לגוי

Ezekiel 13:10-16 (The first destruction of Jerusalem and the temple)

10	Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:	יען וביען הטעו את־עמי לאמר שׁלום ואין שׁלום והוא בנה חיץ והנם טחים אתו תפל
11	Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.	אמר אל־טחי תפל ויפל היה גשׁם שׁוטף ואתנה אבני אלגבישׁ תפלנה ורוח סערות תבקע
12	Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?	והנה נפל הקיר הלוא יאמר אליכם איה הטיח אשׁר טחתם
13	Therefore thus saith [Yehovah] GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.	לכן כה אמר אדני יהוה ובקעתי רוח־סערות בחמתי וגשׁם שׁטף באפי יהיה ואבני אלגבישׁ בחמה לכלה
14	So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am [Yehovah].	והרסתי את־הקיר אשׁר־טחתם תפל והגעתיהו אל־הארץ ונגלה יסדו ונפלה וכליתם בתוכה וידעתם כי־אני יהוה
15	Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;	וכליתי את־חמתי בקיר ובטחים אתו תפל ואמר לכם אין הקיר ואין הטחים אתו
16	To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith [Yehovah] GOD.	נביאי ישׂראל הנבאים אל־ירושׁלם והחזים לה חזון שׁלם ואין שׁלם נאם אדני יהוה

Jeremiah 22:6, 7,9,29, (The first destruction of Jerusalem and the temple)

6	For thus saith [Yehovah] concerning the house of the king of Judah: Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon; yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.	כי־כה אמר יהוה על־בית מלך יהודה גלעד אתה לי ראשׁ הלבנון אם־לא אשׁיתך מדבר ערים לא נושׁבה
7	And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.	וקדשׁתי עליך משׁחתים אישׁ וכליו וכרתו מבחר ארזיך והפילו על־האשׁ
9	Then they shall answer, Because they forsook the covenant of [Yehovah] their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.	ואמרו על אשׁר עזבו את־ברית יהוה אלהיהם וישׁתחוו לאלהים אחרים ויעבדום
29	O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of [Yehovah].	ארץ ארץ ארץ שׁמעי דבר־יהוה

2 Kings 19:26, (The first destruction of Jerusalem and the temple)

Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

וישׁביהן קצרי־יד חתו ויבשׁו היו עשׂב שׂדה וירק דשׁא חציר גגות ושׁדפה לפני קמה

Now, the second trumpet.

Revelation 8: 8-9

Καὶ ὁ δεύτερος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ ὡς ὄρος μέγα πυρὶ καιόμενον ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῆς θαλάσσης αἷμα,

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;

καὶ ἀπέθανε τὸ τρίτον τῶν κτισμάτων τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, τὰ ἔχοντα ψυχάς, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν πλοίων διεφθάρη.

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.

The first part would seem to represent the destruction of Rome as a great, burning mountain, sinking into the sea. This was was used to symbolize the destruction of Babylon after it destroyed Jerusalem the first time.

Jeremiah 51:24-25, 42, 49, 55, 64

24	And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith [Yehovah].	ושׁלמתי לבבל ולכל יושׁבי כשׂדים את כל־רעתם אשׁר־עשׂו בציון לעיניכם נאם יהוה
25	Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith [Yehovah], which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.	הנני אליך הר המשׁחית נאם־יהוה המשׁחית את־כל־הארץ ונטיתי את־ידי עליך וגלגלתיך מן־הסלעים ונתתיך להר שׂרפה
42	The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.	עלה על־בבל הים בהמון גליו נכסתה
49	As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.	גם־בבל לנפל חללי ישׂראל גם־לבבל נפלו חללי כל־הארץ
55	Because [Yehovah] hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:	כי־שׁדד יהוה את־בבל ואבד ממנה קול גדול והמו גליהם כמים רבים נתן שׁאון קולם
64	And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.	ואמרת ככה תשׁקע בבל ולא־תקום מפני הרעה אשׁר אנכי מביא עליה ויעפו עד־הנה דברי ירמיהו

This verse uses the phrase, “third part”, several times. As the Roman Empire broke up, there were three main parts. The Latin west, the Greek east and North Africa. The western regions fell to Germanic invaders who generally resisted Islamic invasion. Germanic invaders conquered North Africa. These were, in turn conquered by the Islamic invaders. But, the Greek (Byzantine) Eastern Empire held out against the invading tribes, and the initial Islamic expansion. This did not change until the Muslims were united under a single political force that would become the Ottoman Empire. However, I have not found any passages in Scripture that support this. It is just pure theory.

There are a few passages that talk about a third part, although I can’t definitively say how they might apply here.

Isaiah 19 is a prophecy about Egypt. It ends with this.

²⁴In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth;

²⁵for that [Yehovah] of hosts hath blessed them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Ezekiel 5 also mentions a third part. I think this is the most likely to be linked to the “third part” in the trumpets because Ezekiel was prophecying around the time of the first destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and the trumpets begin with the second destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.

¹And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp sword; as a barber's razor shalt thou take it unto thee, and shalt cause it to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

²A third part shalt thou burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled; and thou shalt take a third part, and smite with the sword round about it; and a third part thou shalt scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.

Zechariah 13 contains a passage that I think may provide another possible interpretation. This passage has the advantage that it is primarily dealing with the same time period as the beginning of the trumpets.

⁷Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith [Yehovah] of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.

⁸And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith [Yehovah], two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

⁹And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, [Yehovah] is my God.

The destruction of the ships seems to symbolize the destruction of their wealth and commerce. One of the tribes to deal a deadly blow to the Roman Empire was the Vandals. They conquered North Africa. Then they engaged in many sea battles with the Romans, finally sacking Rome itself.

Ezekiel 27:25-27

25	The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.	אניות תרשׁישׁ שׁרותיך מערבך ותמלאי ותכבדי מאד בלב ימים
26	Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.	במים רבים הביאוך השׁטים אתך רוח הקדים שׁברך בלב ימים
27	Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.	הונך ועזבוניך מערבך מלחיך וחבליך מחזיקי בדקך וערבי מערבך וכל־אנשׁי מלחמתך אשׁר־בך ובכל־קהלך אשׁר בתוכך יפלו בלב ימים ביום מפלתך

Now, the third trumpet.

Revelation 8: 10-11

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;	Καὶ ὁ τρίτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀστὴρ μέγας καιόμενος ὡς λαμπάς, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ποταμῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων·
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.	καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀστέρος λέγεται ὁ ῎Αψινθος· καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῶν ὑδάτων εἰς ἄψινθον. καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπέθανον ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὅτι ἐπικράνθησαν.

A lamp symbolizes the word of God.

Proverbs 6:23

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.

כי נר מצוה ותורה אור ודרך חיים תוכחות מוסר

Psalm 119:105

105

NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

נר־לרגלי דברך ואור לנתיבתי

However, the description of the lamp is preceded by the phrase, “as it were.” This would seem to indicate that it has the appearance of the Word of God, but is not the true Word of God.

The true gospel message produces rivers of water.

John 7:37-38

37	Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.	᾿Εν δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ μεγάλῃ τῆς ἑορτῆς εἱστήκει ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς καὶ ἔκραξε λέγων· ἐάν τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω.
38	He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.	ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος.

However, this star falls on the gospel truth. It turns the truth to wormwood.

Jeremiah 9:13-15

13	And [Yehovah] saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein,	ויאמר יהוה על־עזבם את־תורתי אשׁר נתתי לפניהם ולא־שׁמעו בקולי ולא־הלכו בה
14	but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them;	וילכו אחרי שׁררות לבם ואחרי הבעלים אשׁר למדום אבותם
15	therefore thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.	לכן כה־אמר יהוה צבאות אלהי ישׂראל הנני מאכילם את־העם הזה לענה והשׁקיתים מי־ראשׁ

Amos 5:7

Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth.

ההפכים ללענה משׁפט וצדקה לארץ הניחו

We saw in the prophecy in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 that, after the breakup of the Western Roman Empire, the Medieval Christian Church would become a major political power. Remember, this is how the Bible describes the Church, symbolized by the little horn in Daniel and the beast in Revelation.

Daniel 7:21, 25

21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

…………………………………………………………….

25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Revelation 13:4-8, 18

4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

……………………………………………………………..

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Revelation 14:9-11

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

The Medieval Christian Church taught a religion based on tradition, rather than the Word of God. Their teachings sounded like they were based on the Word of God, but they led people away from the truth. Jesus’s true teachings gave life, which Jesus described as living water. But the Church’s false teachings turned that water to wormwood. The Church blasphemed against God and persecuted the saints who were worshiping God as Jesus taught.

Revelation 8: 12-13

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.	Καὶ ὁ τέταρτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε, καὶ ἐπλήγη τὸ τρίτον τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς σελήνης καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων, ἵνα σκοτισθῇ τὸ τρίτον αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ τρίτον αὐτῆς μὴ φάνῃ ἡ ἡμέρα, καὶ ἡ νὺξ ὁμοίως.
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!	Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἀετοῦ πετομένου ἐν μεσουρανήματι, λέγοντος φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· οὐαὶ, οὐαὶ, οὐαὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν φωνῶν τῆς σάλπιγγος τῶν τριῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν μελλόντων σαλπίζειν.

After the truth of the gospel was turned into wormwood, the light of truth faded across Western Europe (one of the three major parts of the Roman Empire). The Christian world had taken the pure Gospel that Jesus preached and twisted it into something evil. The angel announces three woes to the inhabitants of the earth. The darkening of the sun, moon and stars are part of the judgement that God sends on the wicked people.

Isaiah 13:9-11

⁹Behold, the day of [Yehovah] cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

¹⁰For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

¹¹And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

The false teachings of the church plunged Europe into spiritual darkness.

According to prophecy, the corrupt church would reign from 538 to 1798. Muhammad was born around 570; three decades after the corrupt church’s reign began.

The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets and the Rise of Islam

The Fallen Star and the Key to the Bottomless Pit

Revelation 9: 1 ASV

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss.

Καὶ ὁ πέμπτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ εἶδον ἀστέρα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεπτωκότα εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἡ κλεὶς τοῦ φρέατος τῆς ἀβύσσου.

The word for “fall” in the Kings James translation is actually in the past tense in the original Greek. That is why the modern translations translate it as “fallen”, which means it took place before the events in Revelation.

Ask any Muslim and he will tell you that the Arab tribes fell away from the worship of the God of Abraham, their ancestor. They were mostly pagan when Muhammad was born. In other words, Muhammad came from a fallen background. Now let’s look at some other passages to get the meaning of the star, key and bottomless pit.

Revelation 1:20

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

τὸ μυστήριον τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀστέρων ὧν εἶδες ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς μου, καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ λυχνίας τὰς χρυσᾶς. οἱ ἑπτὰ ἀστέρες ἄγγελοι τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησιῶν εἰσι, καὶ αἱ λυχνίαι αἱ ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαι εἰσίν.

Here we can see that stars represent angels. It is worth noting that the words translated as “angel”, in both the Tanakh (Old Testament) and New Testament, literally mean “messenger.”

Do we find other occurrences of an angel/messenger descending from heaven to the earth, a key, and the bottomless pit?

Revelation 19: 21

and the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, even the sword which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵππου, τῇ ἐξελθούσῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάντα τὰ ὄρνεα ἐχορτάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτῶν.

Revelation 20:1-3

1	And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.	Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἔχοντα τὴν κλεῖν τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν μεγάλην ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ.
2	And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,	καὶ ἐκράτησε τὸν δράκοντα, τὸν ὄφιν τὸν ἀρχαῖον, ὅς ἐστι Διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς, καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτη,
3	and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.	καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον, καὶ ἔκλεισε καὶ ἐσφράγισεν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ πλανήσῃ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη, ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη· μετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ αὐτὸν λυθῆναι μικρὸν χρόνον.

There are differences, so these are obviously not talking about the same event. But the parallels are unmistakable. What can we learn from this passage? This angel is obviously working for God, as he chains up Satan and casts him into the abyss. So, this would seem to indicate that the angel/messenger of chapter 9 is also working for God.

He has a key in his hand as he descends from heaven, so he must have received it in heaven. This would indicate that he received it from God. What does the Bible mean by the symbol of a key?

Matthew 16:19

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

καὶ δώσω σοι τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.

Revelation 1:18

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

καὶ ὁ ζῶν, καὶ ἐγενόμην νεκρὸς, καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶν εἰμι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου.

Isaiah 22:22

And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

ונתתי מפתח בית־דוד על־שׁכמו ופתח ואין סגר וסגר ואין פתח

Revelation 3:7

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Φιλαδελφείᾳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· τάδε λέγει ὁ ἅγιος, ὁ ἀληθινός, ὁ ἔχων τὴν κλεῖν Δαυΐδ, ὁ ἀνοίγων καὶ οὐδεὶς κλείσει, καὶ κλείων καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνοίξει·

Keys, in prophecy, represent power or authority. Specifically, power and authority that ultimately comes from God. The angel in Revelation 20 is obviously working for God since he descends from heaven and binds Satan. Also, his key obviously comes from God since he has it with him as he descends from heaven.

Now there is a difference in the keys of the two angels/stars/messengers. The angel in Revelation 20 is given the key in heaven. The star/angel/messenger in Revelation 9 is given they key while he is already on the earth. Some people believe the key in chapter 9 is given by Satan. However, the circumstances make the opposite much more likely. First, the key in chapter 20 is obviously given by God since the angel already possesses it before he descends from heaven. There is no indication that the key in chapter 9 is given by a different source. Also, they key in both chapters is the key of the abyss. Now, I will argue that the literal application of the abyss is different in both chapters, but if the abyss represents Satan’s prison in the parallel passage in chapter 20, it makes no sense to portray Satan as holding the key to the abyss in chapter 9.

Some people point out that the satanic beast powers are shown as ascending out of the abyss.

Revelation 11:7

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

καὶ ὅταν τελέσωσι τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτῶν, τὸ θηρίον τὸ ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου ποιήσει μετ᾿ αὐτῶν πόλεμον καὶ νικήσει αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀποκτενεῖ αὐτούς.

Revelation 17:8

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come.

Τὸ θηρίον ὃ εἶδες ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστι, καὶ μέλλει ἀναβαίνειν ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν ὑπάγειν· καὶ θαυμασθήσονται οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὧν οὐ γέγραπται τὸ ὄνομα ἐπὶ τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, βλεπόντων τὸ θηρίον ὅτι ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστι καὶ παρέσται.

This could be taken to mean that powers that come out of the bottomless pit are evil.

However, this interpretation fails to take into consideration the fact that, while the phrase “bottomless pit” only appears in a few places in the English translations, the actual Greek word appears in numerous places. One very interesting place is

Romans 10:7

or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)

ἤ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τοῦτ᾿ ἔστι Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν.

This means that, when Jesus rose from the dead, he came up out of the abyss. Certainly, we can’t say that all powers that rise up from the abyss are evil if Christ also rose up from the abyss.

In the text above, the abyss undeniably refers to the state of death. How else is this word used? A couple of centuries before Jesus, Jewish scholars translated the Tanakh (Old Testament) into Greek. This Greek text is known as the Septuagint or LXX (in reference to the 70 scholars believed to have done the initial work). It is significant in the study of Revelation because it was heavily used by the early Christian church, so it is helpful in understanding what the authors of the New Testament meant by certain words and phrases.

Let’s look at Genesis 1:2 in Septuagint,

ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος.

"But the earth was unseen and unready, and darkness was upon the abyss, and spirit of God bore upon the water."

Here you can see that the word, abyss, is used to describe the first state of the earth when it was unformed and empty.

When we look at the abyss in Revelation 20, we see that this happens immediately after all the wicked who fought Jesus are killed, resulting in a wasteland. Since we have an empty earth here and the abyss is also used in the Septuagint in reference to the formeless earth, we can conclude that that is the proper meaning of abyss in this verse.

The strong parallel between Revelation 20 and Revelation 9 provides strong support for interpreting abyss in a similar fashion, as an empty wasteland. And this is an appropriate symbol since Islam came out of Arabia and the desert in Arabia is historically known as the “Empty Quarter.” The rest of the Mediterranean world generally did not pay much attention to Arabia. Until oil was discovered there, it has historically been seen as an inhospitable desert of little value. And, as the Muslims burst out of Arabia, they certainly seemed to come from nowhere.

Now, we come to the fallen star. If a star falls from heaven, it must begin in heaven. Some people have argued that this indicates Muhammad may have started in the truth, but later turned his back on God. Most of the argument for this comes from the fact that Muhammad organized the Muslims into armies and conducted war. This certainly seems to contradict the peaceful mission of Jesus. However, Jesus was the exception rather than the rule, when you actually read the entire Bible. Muhammad wasn’t just a religious leader. He became a political leader because the Muslims had to form a separate political group in order to survive persecution.

While I’m not arguing that Muhammad was perfect, I believe it would only be fair to judge him according to more similar people in the Bible. For example, Saul tried to kill David, so David fled the city. People loyal to David joined him and they formed their own group, separate from the tribes of Israel. During part of this period, David and his men sought political asylum with the Philistines. This is what the Bible says David did during that period.

1 Samuel 27:1-12

¹And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

²And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

³And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.

⁴And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

⁵And David said unto Achish, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?

⁶Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

⁷And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

⁸And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

⁹And David smote the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel; and he returned, and came to Achish.

¹⁰And Achish said, Against whom have ye made a raid to-day? And David said, Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites.

¹¹And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell of us, saying, So did David, and so hath been his manner all the while he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines.

¹²And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

Therefore, David formed a band of warriors and sought political asylum with the Philistines for his followers and his multiple wives. While there, he raided various towns, killing every man, woman and child, and enriching himself with their belongings. Then he would return and lie to the Philistines about what he had done. This is more violent than many of the things people use to claim Muhammad was a false prophet. There are many other incidents like this in David’s life.

Now, some may argue that David was mistaken in doing this and he should have acted differently. But the Bible never shows God openly criticizing David for his actions, except in one instance. This is what it says.

1 Kings 15:5,

Because David did that which was right in the eyes of [Yehovah], and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

אשׁר עשׂה דוד את־הישׁר בעיני יהוה ולא־סר מכל אשׁר־צוהו כל ימי חייו רק בדבר אוריה החתי

Acts 13:21-22

21	And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years.	κακειθεν ητησαντο βασιλεα και εδωκεν αυτοις ο θεος τον σαουλ υιον κις ανδρα εκ φυλης βενιαμιν ετη τεσσερακοντα
22	And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom also he bare witness and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who shall do all My will.	και μεταστησας αυτον ηγειρεν τον δαυιδ αυτοις εις βασιλεα ω και ειπεν μαρτυρησας ευρον δαυιδ τον του ιεσσαι [ανδρα] κατα την καρδιαν μου ος ποιησει παντα τα θεληματα μου

Acts 2:29-30

29	Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day.	ανδρες αδελφοι εξον ειπειν μετα παρρησιας προς υμας περι του πατριαρχου δαυιδ οτι και ετελευτησεν και εταφη και το μνημα αυτου εστιν εν ημιν αχρι της ημερας ταυτης
30	Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne;	προφητης ουν υπαρχων και ειδως οτι ορκω ωμοσεν αυτω ο θεος εκ καρπου της οσφυος αυτου καθισαι επι τον θρονον αυτου

So, someone can do the things David did and be described by the Bible as a man after God’s own heart and a prophet.

When one criticizes the violent verses in the Quran, he should judge them by the standard of the violent verses in the Bible. For example,

Psalm 137:8-9

8	O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.	בת־בבל השׁדודה אשׁרי שׁישׁלם־לך את־גמולך שׁגמלת לנו
9	Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.	אשׁרי שׁיאחז ונפץ את־עלליך אל־הסלע

Alternatively,

Hosea 13:16

Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

תאשׁם שׁמרון כי מרתה באלהיה בחרב יפלו עלליהם ירטשׁו והריותיו יבקעו

Obviously, context is critical when examining any controversial verse. But, my experience has been that, most of the time people make general accusations without citing specific instances. When they do cite specific instances and I am able to find strong evidence that they really happened (there are many stories with little or no evidence), and I examine the context of the events and culture he was dealing with, and I compare them to the examples in the Bible (not the sanitized versions people talk about in church), I have difficulty in proving to my own satisfaction that Muhammad ever completely turned his back on God or was any more violent than David or other Biblical prophets.

I will give one example. One of the most famous violent verses is Quran 9:5, “slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush.” This sounds very violent, of course, which is why nearly everyone quotes it.

Let us look at the context.

Quran 9: 1-4 (Yusuf Ali)

‏بَرَآءَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

1. A (declaration) of immunity from Allah and His Messenger, to those of the Pagans with whom ye have contracted mutual alliances:-

‏فَسِيحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍۢ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى ٱللَّهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُخْزِى ٱلْكَفِرِينَ

2. Go ye, then, for four months, backwards and forwards, (as ye will), throughout the land, but know ye that ye cannot frustrate Allah (by your falsehood) but that Allah will cover with shame those who reject Him.

‏وَأَذَنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَوْمَ ٱلْحَجِّ ٱلْأَكْبَرِ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَرِىٓءٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ۙ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ۚ فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

3. And an announcement from Allah and His Messenger, to the people (assembled) on the day of the Great Pilgrimage,- that Allah and His Messenger dissolve (treaty) obligations with the Pagans. If then, ye repent, it were best for you; but if ye turn away, know ye that ye cannot frustrate Allah. And proclaim a grievous penalty to those who reject Faith.

‏إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ عَهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنقُصُوكُمْ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَمْ يُظَهِرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًۭا فَأَتِمُّوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَىٰ مُدَّتِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

4. (But the treaties are) not dissolved with those Pagans with whom ye have entered into alliance and who have not subsequently failed you in aught, nor aided any one against you. So fulfil your engagements with them to the end of their term: for Allah loveth the righteous.

It begins with a declaration that God is dissolving the treaties between the Muslims and the idolaters. The idolaters will then have four months before the Muslims will fight them. But, it adds an exception. Any treaties with idolaters who did not break their treaties will still be upheld. This puts this entire context of this passage in a defensive war only against those people who broke their peace treaties with the Muslims.

Let’s read a little more.

Quran 9: 5-6, (Yusuf Ali)

‏فَإِذَا ٱنسَلَخَ ٱلْأَشْهُرُ ٱلْحُرُمُ فَٱقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَٱحْصُرُوهُمْ وَٱقْعُدُوا۟ لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍۢ ۚ فَإِن تَابُوا۟ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَخَلُّوا۟ سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

5. But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

‏وَإِنْ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ٱسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُۥ ۚ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌۭ لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ

6. If one amongst the Pagans ask thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah. and then escort him to where he can be secure. That is because they are men without knowledge.

Therefore, immediately after the command to slay the idolaters it says to spare them if they repent and turn to God or even simply ask for protection.

That said, the interpretation of the falling star representing the fall of Muhammad seems to come from the King James Version, which translates it as “and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth”. However, the Greek is in the past tense, which means the star had already fallen. And the vision shows the star receive the key after this. This seems to indicate the star came from a fallen background, rather than fell during the vision. So, there’s no indication in the chapter that the star (Muhammad) ever turned his back on God.

Remember Moses. He came from a people who had fallen away from the worship of God. Many of them worshiped the pagan gods of the Egyptians. Moses himself was a fugitive from justice for murdering an Egyptian. It was in this fallen state that God called him to be a prophet.

Exodus 2:11-12, 15

11 One day after Moses had become an adult, he went out among his people and he saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 He looked around to make sure no one else was there. Then he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand….15 When Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses ran away from Pharaoh and settled down in the land of Midian….

Exodus 3:7, 10

Then the LORD said…. I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

Similarly, Muhammad came from a tribe that had fallen away from worshipping God. Hundreds of idols filled the Kaaba (a cubic shaped building that, according to the Quran, was originally built by Abraham for the worship of God). It was in this fallen state that God called Muhammad to bring his people back to the worship of the one true God.

This interpretation seems to fit the structure of the vision the best.

The God of the Smoke

Many theologians over the past few centuries have interpreted Revelation 9 as representing Islam. However, they have consistently interpreted it negatively, declaring Islam a false religion and Muhammad a false prophet. One of the key symbols they latch onto for this interpretation is the smoke. They pretty much universally interpret the smoke as the satanic deceptions of a false religion, or something similar. Here, we will examine the role of smoke in the Bible and let the Bible interpret itself.

Many people interpret prophecy differently from each other. Part of this is due to the fact that they pick and choose verses that support their position, while ignoring verses that contradict their interpretation.

The position I hold, regarding the smoke of Revelation 9, directly contradicts the standard interpretations. I believe they arrived at their interpretations by assuming that Islam was evil and interpreting the smoke in that light. I believe the smoke is actually one of the strongest evidences that Muhammad was led by God. I believe that this is the only interpretation the Bible supports when you examine the role of smoke in Scripture.

Now we will look at what a smoking furnace and darkness mean, according to the Bible

Genesis 15: 12-18

12	And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.	ויהי השׁמשׁ לבוא ותרדמה נפלה על־אברם והנה אימה חשׁכה גדלה נפלת עליו
13	And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;	ויאמר לאברם ידע תדע כי־גר יהיה זרעך בארץ לא להם ועבדום וענו אתם ארבע מאות שׁנה
14	And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.	וגם את־הגוי אשׁר יעבדו דן אנכי ואחרי־כן יצאו ברכשׁ גדול
15	And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.	ואתה תבוא אל־אבתיך בשׁלום תקבר בשׂיבה טובה
16	But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.	ודור רביעי ישׁובו הנה כי לא־שׁלם עון האמרי עד־הנה
17	And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.	ויהי השׁמשׁ באה ועלטה היה והנה תנור עשׁן ולפיד אשׁ אשׁר עבר בין הגזרים האלה
18	In the same day [Yehovah] made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:	ביום ההוא כרת יהוה את־אברם ברית לאמר לזרעך נתתי את־הארץ הזאת מנהר מצרים עד־הנהר הגדל נהר־פרת

Here we see that Abraham saw a smoking furnace and darkness when God spoke to him. Also note that the darkness appears before the sun finishes going down. Therefore, the sun was darkened in this encounter with God.

Again, the smoke of a furnace covers Mount Sinai in darkness and it is in this darkness that we find God communicating with the prophet Moses.

Exodus 19: 18

And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because [Yehovah] descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

והר סיני עשׁן כלו מפני אשׁר ירד עליו יהוה באשׁ ויעל עשׁנו כעשׁן הכבשׁן ויחרד כל־ההר מאד

Exodus 20:18- 21

18	And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.	וכל־העם ראים את־הקולת ואת־הלפידם ואת קול השׁפר ואת־ההר עשׁן וירא העם וינעו ויעמדו מרחק
19	And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.	ויאמרו אל־משׁה דבר־אתה עמנו ונשׁמעה ואל־ידבר עמנו אלהים פן־נמות
20	And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.	ויאמר משׁה אל־העם אל־תיראו כי לבעבור נסות אתכם בא האלהים ובעבור תהיה יראתו על־פניכם לבלתי תחטאו
21	And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.	ויעמד העם מרחק ומשׁה נגשׁ אל־הערפל אשׁר־שׁם האלהים

Moses’s link to the smoke of a great furnace and darkness goes even further.

Exodus 24:4

And Moses wrote all the words of [Yehovah], and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

ויכתב משׁה את כל־דברי יהוה וישׁכם בבקר ויבן מזבח תחת ההר ושׁתים עשׂרה מצבה לשׁנים עשׂר שׁבטי ישׂראל

Deuteronomy 31:25-26

25	that Moses commanded the Levites, that bare the ark of the covenant of [Yehovah], saying,	ויצו משׁה את־הלוים נשׂאי ארון ברית־יהוה לאמר
26	Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of [Yehovah] your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.	לקח את ספר התורה הזה ושׂמתם אתו מצד ארון ברית־יהוה אלהיכם והיה־שׁם בך לעד

The Torah, the foundation of the Bible, has its origin in the smoke of the great furnace and darkness. This is where the Bible came from.

Let’s look at the Biblical examples of just smoke and darkness, without a furnace.

2 Samuel 22: 7-10

7	In my distress I called upon [Yehovah], and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.	בצר־לי אקרא יהוה ואל־אלהי אקרא וישׁמע מהיכלו קולי ושׁועתי באזניו
8	Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.	ותגעשׁ ותרעשׁ הארץ מוסדות השׁמים ירגזו ויתגעשׁו כי־חרה לו
9	There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.	עלה עשׁן באפו ואשׁ מפיו תאכל גחלים בערו ממנו
10	He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.	ויט שׁמים וירד וערפל תחת רגליו

Psalm 18:8, 9

8	There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.	עלה עשׁן באפו ואשׁ־מפיו תאכל גחלים בערו ממנו
9	He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.	ויט שׁמים וירד וערפל תחת רגליו

Joel 2: 30-32

30	And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.	ונתתי מופתים בשׁמים ובארץ דם ואשׁ ותימרות עשׁן
31	The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of [Yehovah] come.	השׁמשׁ יהפך לחשׁך והירח לדם לפני בוא יום יהוה הגדול והנורא
32	And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of [Yehovah] shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as [Yehovah] hath said, and in the remnant whom [Yehovah] shall call.	והיה כל אשׁר־יקרא בשׁם יהוה ימלט כי בהר־ציון ובירושׁלם תהיה פליטה כאשׁר אמר יהוה ובשׂרידים אשׁר יהוה קרא

And here’s a couple examples of just smoke.

Revelation 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.

καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ καπνὸς τῶν θυμιαμάτων ταῖς προσευχαῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Revelation 15: 8

And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

καὶ ἐγεμίσθη ὁ ναὸς καπνοῦ ἐκ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἄχρι τελεσθῶσιν αἱ ἑπτὰ πληγαὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων.

Isaiah 6:1-4

1	In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.	בשׁנת־מות המלך עזיהו ואראה את־אדני ישׁב על־כסא רם ונשׂא ושׁוליו מלאים את־ההיכל
2	Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.	שׂרפים עמדים ממעל לו שׁשׁ כנפים שׁשׁ כנפים לאחד בשׁתים יכסה פניו ובשׁתים יכסה רגליו ובשׁתים יעופף
3	And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is [Yehovah] of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.	וקרא זה אל־זה ואמר קדושׁ קדושׁ קדושׁ יהוה צבאות מלא כל־הארץ כבודו
4	And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.	וינעו אמות הספים מקול הקורא והבית ימלא עשׁן

Although the dedication of the Tabernacle and Temple describe a cloud instead of smoke, they obviously parallel Isaiah 6. More significantly, Solomon mentioned that God dwells in the thick darkness. This directly ties the smoke and thick darkness with God’s presence. Those who say the smoke and thick darkness represent evil or false doctrines are speaking blaspheomy against God whose presence produces the smoke and dwells in thick darkness.

Here is the description of the dedication of the Tabernacle in the wilderness by Moses.

Exodus 40:33-38 ASV

³³And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

³⁴Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of [Yehovah] filled the tabernacle.

³⁵And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of [Yehovah] filled the tabernacle.

³⁶And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys:

³⁷but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

³⁸For the cloud of [Yehovah] was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

And here is the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.

1 Kings 8:10-13 ASV

¹⁰And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of [Yehovah],

¹¹so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of [Yehovah] filled the house of [Yehovah].

¹²Then spake Solomon, [Yehovah] hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

¹³I have surely built thee a house of habitation, a place for thee to dwell in for ever.

2 Chronicles 5:11-14 ASV

¹¹And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, (for all the priests that were present had sanctified themselves, and did not keep their courses;

¹²also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets;)

¹³it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking [Yehovah]; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised [Yehovah], saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of [Yehovah],

¹⁴so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of [Yehovah] filled the house of God.

2 Chronicles 6:1-2 ASV

¹Then spake Solomon, [Yehovah] hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

²But I have built thee a house of habitation, and a place for thee to dwell in for ever.

Here is every other verse where smoke is mentioned in the Bible, outside of Revelation 9. You will note that there is not one verse in all of Scripture that connects smoke to false doctrine or the deceptions of Satan. Theologians make this leap because they predetermine Islam to be evil rather than letting the Bible interpret itself.

Genesis 19:28

28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

Exodus 20:18

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

Deuteronomy 29:20

20 [Yehovah] will not spare him, but then the anger of [Yehovah] and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and [Yehovah] shall blot out his name from under heaven.

Joshua 8:20

20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

Joshua 8:21

21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.

Judges 20:38

Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

Judges 20:40

40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

Job 41:20

20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

Psalms 37:20

20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of [Yehovah] shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Psalms 68:2

2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

Psalms 74:1

1 Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Psalms 102:3

3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.

Psalms 104:32

32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

Psalms 119:83

83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.

Psalms 144:5

5 Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

Proverbs 10:26

26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

Song of Solomon 3:6

6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

Isaiah 4:5

5 And [Yehovah] will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

Isaiah 7:4

4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Isaiah 9:18

18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

Isaiah 14:31

31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.

Isaiah 34:10

10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

Isaiah 42:3

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

Isaiah 51:6

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

Isaiah 65:5

5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

Hosea 13:3

3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

Nahum 2:13

13 Behold, I am against thee, saith [Yehovah] of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.

Matthew 12:20

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

Acts 2:19

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

Revelation 14:11

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Revelation 18:9

9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

Revelation 18:18

18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Revelation 19:3

3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

Smoke often connected with God’s presence/God’s actions/prayer

Smoke and darkness always connected with God’s presence/God’s actions. Darkness alone is used to represent spiritual darkness and theologians latch onto this to interpret Revelation 9 negatively. However, the primary symbol here is smoke and the combination of darkness and smoke always indicates God’s presence or actions.

Smoking furnace and darkness are always connected with God giving messages to His prophets.

The only interpretation for the smoking furnace and darkness supplied by the Bible is God communicating with His people. There is simply no other explanation offered by any verse in the Bible. The only times we see the three symbols of the smoke, furnace and darkness outside of Revelation are when God communicates with Abraham and Moses.

Muhammad began his ministry with the claim that Gabriel had given him a message from God. This message was later written down as the Quran. The Bible describes the rise of Islam using a combination of the smoking furnace and darkness. This combination directly connects Muhammad receiving messages from God to Abraham and Moses receiving messages from God. The written Bible itself began with the message Moses received from God in the thick darkness resulting from the smoke of a great furnace. Those who casually denounce Muhammad as a false prophet do so in violation of the clear Word of God.

And here we look at the first two verses of Revelation 9 using the interpretations supplied by the Bible.

Revelation 9:1-2

¹And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star (angel or messenger) from heaven fallen unto the earth (coming from a people who had fallen away from God): and there was given to him the key (authority, power) of the pit of the abyss (Arabia).

²And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up 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 (God communicating with His messengers or prophets).

Since this is part of the vision of the seven trumpets, we should keep in mind the role of smoke in other parts of the same vision.

Revelation 8:2-4,

"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 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. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand."

Here, we can clearly see that the smoke seen earlier in the same vision is associated with prayer. This would be an appropriate additional meaning for the smoke. At this time, the true followers of God were suffering persecution from the Christian authorities, so they were praying constantly. And, one of the most important pillars of Islam is regular prayers throughout the day.

Now, I would like to point out a few things. The book of Revelation is the book that Jesus received from God.

Revelation 1:1,

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."

This means that everything in this book are things that Jesus informed us about, that God revealed to him. If I am right about what Revelation says about Islam, then Jesus’s predictions of the future can certainly be said to describe Muhammad as one who is highly praised and one who constantly thanked God. These are the two meanings of the name Ahmed. According to the Quran, Jesus predicted that a prophet would follow him, called Ahmed.

The Locusts

Revelation 9:3-4

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.	καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καπνοῦ ἐξῆλθον ἀκρίδες εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐταῖς ἐξουσία ὡς ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν οἱ σκορπίοι τῆς γῆς·
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.	καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐταῖς ἵνα μὴ ἀδικήσωσι τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ πᾶν χλωρὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν δένδρον, εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἵτινες οὐκ ἔχουσι τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν.

The armies that emerge from the smoke are referred to as locusts. Interestingly enough, their actions directly contradict the wonton destruction of locusts. Locusts are feared because they consume all the vegetation. These locusts are commanded by God to not eat the vegetation, only the men that don’t have the seal of God in their foreheads.

Remember, the Little Horn power, representing the corrupt Christian Church, came into full power in 538 C.E. This was just a few decades before Muhammad was born (about 570 C.E.). The Little Horn power attacks the saints. Dan 7:21, 25, "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.... And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."

So here, Satan has corrupted the Christian Church to the point that it attacks the saints (those that have the seal of God in their foreheads). But Islam does the opposite. It attacks those that don’t have the seal of God and follow the Little Horn power, controlled by Satan.

When the Israelites would disobey God, He would sometimes send the Midianites to punish them. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his wife Keturah.

Genesis 25:1-2

1	Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.	ויסף אברהם ויקח אשׁה ושׁמה קטורה
2	And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.	ותלד לו את־זמרן ואת־יקשׁן ואת־מדן ואת־מדין ואת־ישׁבק ואת־שׁוח

The Midianites and the Ishmaelites seem to have maintained close relations and intermarried because their names become interchangeable.

Genesis 37:27

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

לכו ונמכרנו לישׁמעאלים וידנו אל־תהי־בו כי־אחינו בשׂרנו הוא וישׁמעו אחיו

Genesis 37:36

And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

והמדנים מכרו אתו אל־מצרים לפוטיפר סריס פרעה שׂר הטבחים

The book of Judges uses the term “grasshoppers” (a cousin of the locusts) to describe their armies.

Judges 6:1-5

1	And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of [Yehovah]: and [Yehovah] delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.	ויעשׂו בני־ישׂראל הרע בעיני יהוה ויתנם יהוה ביד־מדין שׁבע שׁנים
2	And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.	ותעז יד־מדין על־ישׂראל מפני מדין עשׂו להם בני ישׂראל את־המנהרות אשׁר בהרים ואת־המערות ואת־המצדות
3	And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;	והיה אם־זרע ישׂראל ועלה מדין ועמלק ובני־קדם ועלו עליו
4	And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.	ויחנו עליהם וישׁחיתו את־יבול הארץ עד־בואך עזה ולא־ישׁאירו מחיה בישׂראל ושׂה ושׁור וחמור
5	For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.	כי הם ומקניהם יעלו ואהליהם יבאו כדי־ארבה לרב ולהם ולגמליהם אין מספר ויבאו בארץ לשׁחתה

Although these Midianites don’t seem to have worshiped God, some did. Moses’s father-in-law was a Midianite priest (and possibly descended from Ishmael as well, which would connect him with Muhammad’s ancestral line). He worshiped God. He offered sacrifices to God. He acted as a host to Moses, Aaron and all the elders of Israel. And he advised Moses on how to lead the people. In addition, the fact that he was a priest means that Abraham’s other descendants had an organized religion centered on the worship of the true God independent of Israel. Exodus 18:1-27 records this little known, but very informative event.

There is another thing that both provides evidence that Revelation is talking about Islam and that it is from God. Look at

Revelation 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.

καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐταῖς ἵνα μὴ ἀδικήσωσι τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ πᾶν χλωρὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν δένδρον, εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἵτινες οὐκ ἔχουσι τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν.

Edward Gibbon, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapter LI Paragraph 10, recorded that Abu Bakr (the first Caliph after Muhammad’s death) instructed the Muslims like this,

“When you fight the battles of the Lord, acquit yourselves like men, without turning your backs; 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. When you make any covenant or article, stand to it, and be as good as your word. As you go on, you will find some religious persons who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God that way: let them alone, and neither kill them nor destroy their monasteries: And you will find another sort of people, that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns; be sure you cleave their skulls, and give them no quarter till they either turn Mahometans or pay tribute.”

If you don’t know, “Mahometan” is an archaic English term for Muslim, common in Gibbon’s time. The parallels are amazing. Revelation is a symbolic book, so much of it is fulfilled figuratively. But the fact that Revelation summarized certain key points of the actual speech makes it almost impossible to refute the fact that this chapter of Revelation is talking about Islam.

The other crucial point, for it reflects heavily on whether God or Satan is behind the rise of Islam, is what Abu Bakr says. He commands the Muslims to not kill the women or children, or harm those that are trying to follow God. He only tells them to attack the followers of Satan.

The summary at the end of the chapter clarifies part of the reason behind the rise of Islam.

Revelation 9:20-21

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:	καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἳ οὐκ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν ταῖς πληγαῖς ταύταις, οὐ μετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ προσκυνήσουσι τὰ δαιμόνια καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὰ χαλκᾶ καὶ τὰ λίθινα καὶ τὰ ξύλινα, ἃ οὔτε βλέπειν δύνανται οὔτε ἀκούειν οὔτε περιπατεῖν,
21	Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.	καὶ οὐ μετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν φόνων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν φαρμάκων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν κλεμμάτων αὐτῶν.

Therefore, one purpose of the spread of Islam was to get men to repent of these things.

Compare this list of sins to the list of sins that will cause people to enter the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

τοῖς δὲ δειλοῖς καὶ ἀπίστοις καὶ ἐβδελυγμένοις καὶ φονεῦσι καὶ πόρνοις καὶ φαρμακοῖς καὶ εἰδωλολάτραις καὶ πᾶσι ταῖς ψευδέσι τὸ μέρος αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ καιομένῃ πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος.

The lists closely parallel each other. If Islam was a false religion controlled by Satan, why would its primary purpose of existence be to convince people to repent of sins that will cause them to be thrown into the Lake of Fire?

The First Woe

The prophet Joel sent a warning to the Israelites to turn from their way and repent, or God would send a great army to punish them. However, if the Israelites would turn from their wickedness, God would forgive them. The army Joel predicted was a pagan army from the north (the Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman armies invaded Jerusalem from the north), whereas the Muslims were a monotheistic army from the southeast and Daniel 11 describes the Islamic world as the King of the South. Also, Joel’s army destroys the vegetation (Joel 2:3), whereas the army in Revelation 9 does not harm the grass or trees or anyone who has the seal of God in their foreheads (Revelation 9:4). Joel 2 takes place when there are priests and a temple (Joel 2:17), whereas the temple was destroyed long before the rise of Islam. For these reasons, I think it is clear that Joel 2 is not directly referring to the same army as Revelation 9. However, Revelation 9 drew much of its imagery from this prophecy, so looking at Joel 2 helps us understand it better. You will immediately notice that the entire theme of Joel 2 is that this army is sent as a judgement by Yehovah against the people in order to get them to repent. This lends credence to the interpretation that God wanted to punish the Christian world for turning away from God.

Joel 2:1-32

¹Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of [Yehovah] cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

²a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after them, even to the years of many generations.

³A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and none hath escaped them.

⁴The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so do they run.

⁵Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

⁶At their presence the peoples are in anguish; all faces are waxed pale.

⁷They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and they break not their ranks.

⁸Neither doth one thrust another; they march every one in his path; and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.

⁹They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in at the windows like a thief.

¹⁰The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

¹¹And [Yehovah] uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for he is strong that executeth his word; for the day of [Yehovah] is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

¹²Yet even now, saith [Yehovah], turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

¹³and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto [Yehovah] your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

¹⁴Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto [Yehovah] your God?

¹⁵Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly;

¹⁶gather the people, sanctify the assembly, assemble the old men, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

¹⁷Let the priests, the ministers of [Yehovah], weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O [Yehovah], and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

¹⁸Then was [Yehovah] jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

¹⁹And [Yehovah] answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you grain, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations;

²⁰but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things.

²¹Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice; for [Yehovah] hath done great things.

²²Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength.

²³Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in [Yehovah] your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first month.

²⁴And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

²⁵And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you.

²⁶And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of [Yehovah] your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame.

²⁷And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am [Yehovah] your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame.

²⁸And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

²⁹and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.

³⁰And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

³¹The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of [Yehovah] cometh.

³²And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of [Yehovah] shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as [Yehovah] hath said, and among the remnant those whom [Yehovah] doth call.It is useful to keep this imagery in mind when reading the description of the first and second woes.

The locusts’ attacks are divided into two periods, the rest of the fifth trumpet, and the sixth trumpet. Here we will look at the first period.

Revelation 9:5-12

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.	καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἵνα μὴ ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτούς, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα βασανισθῶσι μῆνας πέντε· καὶ ὁ βασανισμὸς αὐτῶν ὡς βασανισμὸς σκορπίου, ὅταν παίσῃ ἄνθρωπον.
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.	καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ζητήσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν θάνατον καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρήσουσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐπιθυμήσουσιν ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ φεύξεται ὁ θάνατος ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν.
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.	καὶ τὰ ὁμοιώματα τῶν ἀκρίδων ὅμοια ἵπποις ἡτοιμασμένοις εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν ὡς στέφανοι ὅμοιοι χρυσῷ, καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ὡς πρόσωπα ἀνθρώπων,
8	And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.	καὶ εἶχον τρίχας ὡς τρίχας γυναικῶν, καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτῶν ὡς λεόντων ἦσαν,
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.	καὶ εἶχον θώρακας ὡς θώρακας σιδηροῦς, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ὡς φωνὴ ἁρμάτων ἵππων πολλῶν τρεχόντων εἰς πόλεμον.
10	And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.	καὶ ἔχουσιν οὐρὰς ὁμοίας σκορπίοις καὶ κέντρα, καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἀδικῆσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μῆνας πέντε,
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.	ἔχουσιν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν βασιλέα τὸν ἄγγελον τῆς ἀβύσσου· ὄνομα αὐτῷ ῾Εβραϊστὶ ᾿Αβαδδὼν, καὶ ἐν τῇ ῾Ελληνικῇ ὄνομα ἔχει ᾿Απολλύων.
12	One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.	῾Η οὐαὶ ἡ μία ἀπῆλθεν. ἰδοὺ ἔρχονται ἔτι δύο οὐαὶ μετὰ ταῦτα.

During this period the Muslims attacked, but did not conquer, the Byzantine Empire. Their speed and ferocity in battle could easily be described as the stings of a scorpion.

“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 Arabs have a well-earned reputation for breeding and utilizing their warhorses. The locusts in the vision are described as both looking like horses and having wings that sound like, “many horses running to battle.” The vision does use the word “chariots”, which the Arabs did not use. However, it only uses “chariots” in describing the sound of the locusts’ wings.

“And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men”. The locusts had human faces, indicating that they symbolize a human army. Moreover, the crowns like gold symbolize leadership and wealth.

“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.” The Arabs generally kept their hair long during this period, but this was not a sign of effeminateness or weakness. When they fought, they were fierce and strong, like a lion’s bite.

I read one interpretation that used Paul’s letter to the Corinthians to say that the long hair symbolizes shame.

1 Corinthians 11:14

14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

I disagree because the chapter starts out with symbols that reflect Yehovah’s covenant. In addition, the covenant contains a very big exception to the general rule that Paul mentions. In truth, I do not necessarily think that it is trying to say anything more than the length of the hair. However, if you want to assign a religious significance to it, I believe that the Nazirite vow is more accurately reflected here than the shame Paul describes.

The Nazirite vow was only taken by individuals, rather than an entire community. The question is can we see aspects of the vow in the lives of the early Islamic Arabs? Let us look at the key components of the Nazarite vow.

Numbers 6:2-8,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto [Yehovah]:

3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.

4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto [Yehovah], he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

6 All the days that he separateth himself unto [Yehovah] he shall come at no dead body.

7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.

8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto [Yehovah].

Nazarites would dedicate every aspect of their lives to Yehovah.

Islam encompasses many parts of the Muslim life.

Nazarites were not allowed to eat or drink anything that came from the grape vine.

Islam forbids drinking wine or any alcoholic drink.

Nazarites were forbidden to cut their hair.

The early Islamic Arabs wore long hair.

The Nazarites were forbidden to touch a dead body for any reason.

The Muslims must perform ritual washing after they touch a dead body.

As I said before, the description in Revelation 9 probably just refers to the length of the hair of the Arabs as they burst out of Arabia. However, if it does have more significance, I believe it would be something like this.

“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.”

Although the events of the fifth trumpet start with Muhammad, the militancy is focused on the five-month period mentioned in verse 5 and repeated in verse 10. There are clues as to when this period begins. Verse 11 says, “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 king represents a political power that has gained control of the Islamic world. Muhammad was the star/angel/messenger that opened the bottomless pit/Arabia. This king has gained the political authority over the Muslims that Muhammad once held, but it has not inherited the same spiritual authority.

The next phase (the sixth trumpet), specifies that the horsemen “slay the third part of men.” We already discussed in the first four trumpets some of the possible meanings of the phrase “third part”. The fifth trumpet says that men will be tormented and wish for death. Since these phases are connected, they are fighting the same empire. As the Roman Empire broke up, there were three main parts. The Latin west, the Greek east and North Africa. The western regions fell to Germanic invaders who generally resisted Islamic invasion. Germanic invaders conquered North Africa. These were, in turn conquered by the Islamic invaders. But, the Greek (Byzantine) Eastern Empire held out against the invading tribes, and the initial Islamic expansion. This did not change until the Muslims were united under a single political force that would become the Ottoman Empire. It was the Ottomans who united the Muslims under one political authority.

Is there any other clue in the fifth trumpet that it is talking about the Ottomans in particular? The next part, which we will talk about in the next chapter, gives a clue about the interpretation of the tails. Revelation 9:19, "For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt." Since the next phase of the horsemen specifically describes the power in the tails, the “stings in their tails” is related. The Turkish tugh was the symbol of authority and power. The tugh was a staff with horse-tail hair at the end.

The text says that it is this political authority, “the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.” Both of these words mean “destroyer.” Most people automatically assume that this means it is an evil power (although the Ottoman sultans were known to kill off relatives to remove any potential rivals). We should look at how destroying angels were figured in the rest of the Bible.

Exodus 12:23, 29

23	For [Yehovah] will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, [Yehovah] will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.	ועבר יהוה לנגף את־מצרים וראה את־הדם על־המשׁקוף ועל שׁתי המזוזת ופסח יהוה על־הפתח ולא יתן המשׁחית לבא אל־בתיכם לנגף
29	And it came to pass, that at midnight [Yehovah] smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.	ויהי בחצי הלילה ויהוה הכה כל־בכור בארץ מצרים מבכר פרעה הישׁב על־כסאו עד בכור השׁבי אשׁר בבית הבור וכל בכור בהמה

2 Samuel 24:15-16 KJV

15	So [Yehovah] sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.	ויתן יהוה דבר בישׂראל מהבקר ועד־עת מועד וימת מן־העם מדן ועד־באר שׁבע שׁבעים אלף אישׁ
16	And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, [Yehovah] repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of [Yehovah] was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.	וישׁלח ידו המלאך ירושׁלם לשׁחתה וינחם יהוה אל־הרעה ויאמר למלאך המשׁחית בעם רב עתה הרף ידך ומלאך יהוה היה עם־גרן האורנה היבסי

1 Chronicles 21:15-16 ASV

15	And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, [Yehovah] beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of [Yehovah] was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.	וישׁלח האלהים מלאך לירושׁלם להשׁחיתה וכהשׁחית ראה יהוה וינחם על־הרעה ויאמר למלאך המשׁחית רב עתה הרף ידך ומלאך יהוה עמד עם־גרן ארנן היבוסי
16	And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of [Yehovah] standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.	וישׂא דויד את־עיניו וירא את־מלאך יהוה עמד בין הארץ ובין השׁמים וחרבו שׁלופה בידו נטויה על־ירושׁלם ויפל דויד והזקנים מכסים בשׂקים על־פניהם

2 Kings 19:32-35 KJV

32	Therefore thus saith [Yehovah] concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.	לכן כה־אמר יהוה אל־מלך אשׁור לא יבא אל־העיר הזאת ולא־יורה שׁם חץ ולא־יקדמנה מגן ולא־ישׁפך עליה סללה
33	By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith [Yehovah].	בדרך אשׁר־יבא בה ישׁוב ואל־העיר הזאת לא יבא נאם־יהוה
34	For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.	וגנותי אל־העיר הזאת להושׁיעה למעני ולמען דוד עבדי
35	And it came to pass that night, that the angel of [Yehovah] went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.	ויהי בלילה ההוא ויצא מלאך יהוה ויך במחנה אשׁור מאה שׁמונים וחמשׁה אלף וישׁכימו בבקר והנה כלם פגרים מתים

We can see here that, in the rest of the Bible, destroying angels clearly work for Yehovah, not Satan. Although the Ottomans were human and had their faults, the Bible does not describe destroying angels as satanic entities. Remember, this is during the little horn period of the Church. Mainstream churches were under the control of Satan and waged war against the saints during this time.

What about the 5 months? Taking the day for a year principle, we can see that the 5 months comes to 150 years. This began when you had the convergence of the Muslims being united under one political authority that waged war with, but did not destroy, the Eastern Roman Empire. Edward Gibbon, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire chapter LXIV, stated that, “It was on the twenty-seventh of July, in the year twelve hundred and ninety-nine of the Christian aera, 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.” 150 years later takes us to 1449 when the last emperor, Constantine, had to be crowned with the permission of the Ottoman sultan. This marks the beginning of the Second Woe.

The Second Woe

Revelation 9: 13-21

13	And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,	Καὶ ὁ ἕκτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν μίαν ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων κεράτων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ χρυσοῦ τοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ,
14	Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.	λέγοντος τῷ ἕκτῳ ἀγγέλῳ, ὁ ἔχων τὴν σάλπιγγα· λῦσον τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀγγέλους τοὺς δεδεμένους ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ μεγάλῳ Εὐφράτῃ.
15	And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.	καὶ ἐλύθησαν οἱ τέσσαρες ἄγγελοι οἱ ἡτοιμασμένοι εἰς τὴν ὥραν καὶ ἡμέραν καὶ μῆνα καὶ ἐνιαυτόν, ἵνα ἀποκτείνωσι τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
16	And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.	καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν στρατευμάτων τοῦ ἱππικοῦ δύο μυριάδες μυριάδων· ἤκουσα τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν.
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.	καὶ οὕτως εἶδον τοὺς ἵππους ἐν τῇ ὁράσει καὶ τοὺς καθημένους ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν, ἔχοντας θώρακας πυρίνους καὶ ὑακινθίνους καὶ θειώδεις· καὶ αἱ κεφαλαὶ τῶν ἵππων ὡς κεφαλαὶ λεόντων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν ἐκπορεύεται πῦρ καὶ καπνὸς καὶ θεῖον.
18	By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.	ἀπὸ τῶν τριῶν πληγῶν τούτων ἀπεκτάνθησαν τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τοῦ θείου τοῦ ἐκπορευομένου ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν.
19	For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.	ἡ γὰρ ἐξουσία τῶν ἵππων ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν ἐστι καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν· αἱ γὰρ οὐραὶ αὐτῶν ὅμοιαι ὄφεσιν, ἔχουσαι κεφαλάς, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἀδικοῦσι.
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:	καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἳ οὐκ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν ταῖς πληγαῖς ταύταις, οὐ μετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ προσκυνήσουσι τὰ δαιμόνια καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὰ χαλκᾶ καὶ τὰ λίθινα καὶ τὰ ξύλινα, ἃ οὔτε βλέπειν δύνανται οὔτε ἀκούειν οὔτε περιπατεῖν,
21	Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.	καὶ οὐ μετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν φόνων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν φαρμάκων αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῶν οὔτε ἐκ τῶν κλεμμάτων αὐτῶν.

In 1449, the last Roman emperor had to get permission from the Ottoman sultan to be crowned, thus symbolizing the complete shift in power to the Ottomans.

Now the horsemen in the vision go from stinging men to slaying men. “Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.” Notice the army is described in much more fiersome terms. For example, in the first woe they were described as having breastplates of iron and here they are described as having breastplates of fire.

There were four principal sultans of Ottoman Empire located on or near the Euphrates. These were in Aleppo, Iconium, Damascus, and Baghdad. With the commencement of the sixth trumpet, they were let loose to finally conquer the Byzantine Empire. This was the Greek portion of the old Roman Empire.

Earlier, the horsemen were told to not hurt the trees or those who had the seal of Yehovah in their foreheads. How does the Bible connect the four angels and the seal of Yehovah?

Revelation 7:1-3

1	And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.	Μετὰ τοῦτο εἶδον τέσσαρας ἀγγέλους ἑστῶτας ἐπὶ τὰς τέσσαρας γωνίας τῆς γῆς, κρατοῦντας τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ πνέῃ ἄνεμος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μήτε ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης μήτε ἐπὶ πᾶν δένδρον.
2	And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,	καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον ἀναβαίνοντα ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου, ἔχοντα σφραγῖδα Θεοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ ἔκραξε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τοῖς τέσσαρσιν ἀγγέλοις, οἷς ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἀδικῆσαι τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν,
3	Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.	λέγων· μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὴν γῆν μήτε τὴν θάλασσαν μήτε τὰ δένδρα, ἄχρι οὗ σφραγίσωμεν τοὺς δούλους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν.

The circumstances are different in these two visions, so they are talking about two separate events. However, the similarity of the symbols does provide some insight into the interpretation. The horseman appear to be working with the angels of Yehovah, not against them.

“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. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.”

The death of the Eastern Roman Empire happened at the siege of Constantinople. This was one of the first major battles in history where cannons were used. One of the major ingredients of black powder is sulfur, also known as brimstone. So, “out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone” would be an accurate description of the battle that killed the last part of the Roman Empire.

What does the “hour, and a day, and a month, and a year” cover? The five month period began on July 27, 1299 and ended on July 27, 1449. An hour is 1/24th of a day. 1/24th of a 360 day prophetic year is 15 days. 15 days after July 27 is August 11. A day, a month and a year comes to 391 prophetic days/years. 391 years after August 11, 1449 is August 11, 1840.

Some people have rightfully pointed out that nothing significant happened on July 27, 1449. The Greek allows the text to also be interpreted as, “prepared for the hour, a day, a month, and a year.” Therefore, you can interpret the hour as being part of the time period, or you can interpret the hour as the event of slaying the third part of men. Either way will lead you to the major political blow to the Ottoman Empire in 1840.

The five month prophecy ended with an event that symbolized the fact that the Byzantine Empire was no longer its own master. In this case it was the fact that the emperor had to get permission from the Ottoman sultan to assume the throne. At the end of the hour, day, month and year we see the same thing. The governor of Egypt rebelled against the Ottoman leadership which was forced to seek help and aid from the European nations. This war came close to destroying the Ottomans and they only retained control with the aid of the Europeans. However, this resulted in making the Ottomans effectively a protectorate of the British. Most significantly, the prophecy states that the Ottomans would be able to kill the third of men for the hour, day, month and year. The Ottomans had been growing weaker for some time before 1840. However, becoming a British protectorate definitely symbolizes that the power has completely left.

Historians describe it this way.

The war with Mehmed Ali was an internal Ottoman problem, but it was resolved through European adjudication. After much disagreement between themselves, Britain, Russia, France, Austria and Prussia, presenting a united front, warned the Grand Vezir against rushing into a settlement with the rapacious governor. On 22 August, Istanbul responded by authorizing the Powers to negotiate a settlement on the empire’s behalf, and the diplomatic manoeuvring that ensued revealed the nub of the ‘Eastern Question’: each of the Powers was suspicious of the influence wielded by the others in the Ottoman Empire, and particularly fearful lest another Power should gain an untoward advantage – whether strategic, territorial or commercial….

A great deal of intricately nuanced negotiation eventually resulted in July 1840 compromise – the Convention for the Pacification of the Levant – signed by Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and the Ottoman Empire; France refused to be party to the inevitable coercive measures against Mehmed Ali….

From this time, British influence and intervention in the Near East burgeoned. It was not long before other European states were accorded similar trading privileges, but it was the British, with their advanced industrialization and financial institutions, who were best placed to profit from commercial opportunities now available to them. The long-term effects of this liberalization of trade were mixed: foreign merchants had the advantage over Ottoman merchants, who continued to pay internal customs dues; the volume of trade increased, but at the cost of undermining Ottoman domestic production and, primarily because of the loss of income from tariffs, of weakening still further the finances of the empire. As one historian sees it, ‘the Ottoman Empire turned into a virtual British protectorate’.[1]

The date of August 11, 1840 is well suited for symbolizing the loss of Ottoman power because it was on this date that a British captain, sailing a British ship, carrying a treaty hashed out by European powers, sailed from Castelrosso (Kastelorizo) to Beirut in order to deliver the treaty on behalf of the Ottomans, anchoring in Beirut the next day.

On the 3rd of August we took leave of Beyrout, and sailed in company with the Edinburgh, to join the Commander-in-chief's flag, leaving the Castor and Gorgon on the coast. Thinking it probable that counter orders might be sent to Rhodes, we made the best of our way thither. On the 10th we made Castel Rosso, on the coast of Caramania, and there fell in with the Ganges, commanded by my old friend Captain Reynolds, who brought me direction to hoist a broad blue pennant, and take under my command the Ganges, Thunderer, Edinburgh, Castor, and Gorgon, and return to Beyrout. He was the bearer of the Treaty of the 15th of July, and of orders to assist the mountaineers, supposing the insurrection to be in full force; the Ganges was directed to pass to the east of Cyprus, and the Thunderer to the west, in order to pick me up. All sail was made, and by noon next day we were fortunate in joining the latter ship, and then made the best of our way to Beyrout.

The service was rather of a delicate nature ; the insurrection was over, and twenty days were allowed Mehemet Ali to reject or accept the Treaty of July. In the quarantine ground, two miles from Beyrout, were encamped 4000 Turks ; it was known they were dissatisfied, and wished to return to Constantinople, but how to assist them, and how far to go under the existing treaty, was not very easy to decide; it was, however, important some effort should be made before they were moved out of our reach. It was also desirable to prevent, if possible, that enterprising officer Souliman Pacha (who had organized the Egyptian army) from removing the stores from the magazine, and from strengthening the town.

My position was not agreeable. If I commenced hostilities before the expiration of the twenty days and Mehemet Ali accepted the terms, I should be accused of precipitation, and of causing an unnecessary sacrifice of life; on the other hand, should Mehemet Ali hold out, I might be accused of supineness. Under this embarrassment we anchored at Beyrout on the 12th of August.[2]

Before we move on, we need to remember the reason God raised up Islam.

Revelation 9:20-21 ASV

²⁰And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk:

²¹and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The Christian world was beginning the 1260 year period of blaspheomy and persecution of the followers of God perpetrated by the Church. God raised up another messenger, Muhammad, to try to get the Christian world to repent of the evils it was beginning to do and come back to God. But the mainstream did not listen and continued in their transgressions.

The Little Book

[3]

Here we begin an interlude between the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet similar to what we saw between the sixth and seventh seal. These events are not a direct part of the three woes of the fifth, sixth and seventh trumpets. They seem to be parallel events. There are two parts of the interlude. The little book and the two witnesses.

Revelation 10:1-2 ASV

1	And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire;	και ειδον αλλον αγγελον ισχυρον καταβαινοντα εκ του ουρανου περιβεβλημενον νεφελην και η ιρις επι την κεφαλην αυτου και το προσωπον αυτου ως ο ηλιος και οι ποδες αυτου ως στυλοι πυρος
2	and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth;	και εχων εν τη χειρι αυτου βιβλαριδιον ηνεωγμενον και εθηκεν τον ποδα αυτου τον δεξιον επι της θαλασσης τον δε ευωνυμον επι της γης

The beasts in Daniel and Revelation are often seen coming up out of the sea. Revelation 17:15 explains that the sea are the nations of the then known world.

Revelation 17:15

¹⁵And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

This angel has one foot on the sea and one foot on the earth. If the sea is the nations of the old world, then the earth would represent places that are not part of the old world, such as America. This angel has a global message that reaches beyond the old world. This would also place the time period of the little book to after the age of exploration when contact was made between the old world and the new lands.

Revelation 10:3-4 ASV

3	and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices.	και εκραξεν φωνη μεγαλη ωσπερ λεων μυκαται και οτε εκραξεν ελαλησαν αι επτα βρονται τας εαυτων φωνας
4	And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.	και οτε ελαλησαν αι επτα βρονται ημελλον γραφειν και ηκουσα φωνην εκ του ουρανου λεγουσαν σφραγισον α ελαλησαν αι επτα βρονται και μη αυτα γραψης

This was a private message that was not to be given to everyone.

Revelation 10:5-7 ASV

5	And the angel that I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven,	και ο αγγελος ον ειδον εστωτα επι της θαλασσης και επι της γης ηρεν την χειρα αυτου την δεξιαν εις τον ουρανον
6	and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be delay no longer:	και ωμοσεν εν τω ζωντι εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων ος εκτισεν τον ουρανον και τα εν αυτω και την γην και τα εν αυτη [και την θαλασσαν και τα εν αυτη] οτι χρονος ουκετι εσται
7	but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished they mystery of God, according to the good tidings which he declared to his servants the prophets.	αλλ εν ταις ημεραις της φωνης του εβδομου αγγελου οταν μελλη σαλπιζειν και ετελεσθη το μυστηριον του θεου ως ευηγγελισεν τους εαυτου δουλους τους προφητας

The angel is summarizing the message that needs to go out.

8	And the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard it again speaking with me, and saying, Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.	και η φωνη ην ηκουσα εκ του ουρανου παλιν λαλουσαν μετ εμου και λεγουσαν υπαγε λαβε το βιβλιον το ηνεωγμενον εν τη χειρι του αγγελου του εστωτος επι της θαλασσης και επι της γης
9	And I went unto the angel, saying unto him that he should give me the little book. And he saith unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey.	και απηλθα προς τον αγγελον λεγων αυτω δουναι μοι το βιβλαριδιον και λεγει μοι λαβε και καταφαγε αυτο και πικρανει σου την κοιλιαν αλλ εν τω στοματι σου εσται γλυκυ ως μελι
10	And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter.	και ελαβον το βιβλαριδιον εκ της χειρος του αγγελου και κατεφαγον αυτο και ην εν τω στοματι μου ως μελι γλυκυ και οτε εφαγον αυτο επικρανθη η κοιλια μου
11	And they say unto me, Thou must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.	και λεγουσιν μοι δει σε παλιν προφητευσαι επι λαοις και εθνεσιν και γλωσσαις και βασιλευσιν πολλοις

This is an obvious reference back to Ezekiel’s experience and drawing a parallel to the Last Days.

Ezekiel 2 ASV

¹And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak with thee.

²And the Spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet; and I heard him that spake unto me.

³And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day.

⁴And the children are impudent and stiffhearted: I do sent thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord [Yehovah].

⁵And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

⁶And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

⁷And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.

⁸But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee.

⁹And when I looked, behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

¹⁰And he spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Ezekiel 3:1-11 ASV

¹And he said unto me, Son of man, eat that which thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel.

²So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll.

³And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

⁴And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

⁵For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;

⁶not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken unto thee.

⁷But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are of hard forehead and of a stiff heart.

⁸Behold, I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads.

⁹As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

¹⁰Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thy heart, and hear with thine ears.

¹¹And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord [Yehovah]; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

In the case of the little book, it was sweet like honey in the mouth, but bitter in the stomach. Ezekiel only mentions his book as being sweet in the mouth. The most significant difference, however, is that John is told that he “must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings”. However, Ezekiel was “not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel”.

The time has come to take the message of God to all the world. This is aptly symbolized by the angel with one foot in the sea and one foot on the earth.

The book becoming bitter in the stomach could be a reference back to the third trumpet. Remember, the vision of the little book is given in the context of the seven trumpets. In the third trumpet, Jesus’s message (symbolized by fountains of waters of life) is turned to bitter wormwood.

Revelation 8:10-11

¹⁰And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters;

¹¹and 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 Two Witnesses

[4]

Revelation 11:1-2

1	And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.	και εδοθη μοι καλαμος ομοιος ραβδω λεγων εγειρε και μετρησον τον ναον του θεου και το θυσιαστηριον και τους προσκυνουντας εν αυτω
2	And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.	και την αυλην την εξωθεν του ναου εκβαλε εξωθεν και μη αυτην μετρησης οτι εδοθη τοις εθνεσιν και την πολιν την αγιαν πατησουσιν μηνας τεσσερακοντα [και] δυο

If you recall from the prophecies of the Little Horn in Daniel 8 and the King of the North in Daniel 11-12, this is the time period when the abomination of desolation, which follows the removal of the “daily”, is set up. The holy city and the outer court are tread under foot during this time. This echoes Daniel 8:13 which states that “both the sanctuary and the host” are “trodden under foot”. If you recall, these things pollute the sanctuary, requiring it to be cleansed. However, the inner temple and the atar is still there for those who worship there. That is why only a cleansing is necessary and not a rededication.

Revelation 11:3-6

3	And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.	και δωσω τοις δυσιν μαρτυσιν μου και προφητευσουσιν ημερας χιλιας διακοσιας εξηκοντα περιβεβλημενους σακκους
4	These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth.	ουτοι εισιν αι δυο ελαιαι και αι δυο λυχνιαι [αι] ενωπιον του κυριου της γης εστωτες
5	And if any man desireth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man shall desire to hurt them, in this manner must he be killed.	και ει τις αυτους θελει αδικησαι πυρ εκπορευεται εκ του στοματος αυτων και κατεσθιει τους εχθρους αυτων και ει τις θεληση αυτους αδικησαι ουτως δει αυτον αποκτανθηναι
6	These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they shall desire.	ουτοι εχουσιν την εξουσιαν κλεισαι τον ουρανον ινα μη υετος βρεχη τας ημερας της προφητειας αυτων και εξουσιαν εχουσιν επι των υδατων στρεφειν αυτα εις αιμα και παταξαι την γην εν παση πληγη οσακις εαν θελησωσιν

God’s two witnesses prophesy during this 1260 days / 42 months. They are clothed in sackcloth, which signifies distress and mourning. For example:

Genesis 37:34 “And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.”

The two witenesses are said to be “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth”. Revelation 1:20 says that candlesticks represent churches. There is also an obvious parallel to Zechariah 3-4.

Zechariah 3:1-10

¹And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of [Yehovah], and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.

²And [Yehovah] said unto Satan, [Yehovah] rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, [Yehovah] that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

³Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel.

⁴And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take the filthy garments from off him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich apparel.

⁵And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of [Yehovah] was standing by.

⁶And the angel of [Yehovah] protested unto Joshua, saying,

⁷Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou also shalt judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee a place of access among these that stand by.

⁸Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee; for they are men that are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.

⁹For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith [Yehovah] of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

¹⁰In that day, saith [Yehovah] of hosts, shall ye invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig-tree.

Zechariah 4:1-14

¹And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.

²And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have seen, and, behold, a candlestick all of gold, with its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are upon the top thereof;

³and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

⁴And I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

⁵Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

⁶Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of [Yehovah] unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith [Yehovah] of hosts.

⁷Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings of Grace, grace, unto it.

⁸Moreover the word of [Yehovah] came unto me, saying,

⁹The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that [Yehovah] of hosts hath sent me unto you.

¹⁰For who hath despised the day of small things? for these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; these are the eyes of [Yehovah], which run to and fro through the whole earth.

¹¹Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

¹²And I answered the second time, and said unto him, What are these two olive-branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that empty the golden oil out of themselves?

¹³And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

¹⁴Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

In Zechariah, there is only one candlestick and the two olive trees symbolize the high priest, Joshua, and the governor, Zerubabel. The application of these symbols in Revelation seems to be a little different, although understanding how they are used in Zechariah will guide us in understanding their application in Revelation.

In Revelation, it says that “have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they shall desire”. These signs identify them with the prophet Elijah and the lawgiver Moses. These two have already appeared together at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9).

However, to the best of my knowledge, neither Moses nor Elijah were on earth during the 1260 year period. While I don’t deny the possibility of them making another appearance, the prophecy is clear that they were preaching during the 1260 year period. Jesus identified John with Elijah since John had the spirit of Elijah (Matthew 17:10-13). This could mean that Revelation is referring to people who preached in the spirit of Moses and Elijah, such as those who preach straight from the Law and Prophets.

The Scriptures are referred to as the Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:12; Matthew 11:13; Matthew 22:40; Luke 16:16; Luke 24:44; John 1:45; Acts 13:15; Acts 24:14; Acts 28:23) or the Law and Testimony (Psalm 19:7; Isaiah 8:16; Isaiah 8:20), and were definitely around during this time. However they were ignored and not easily accessible to the average person, so they could be accurately described as being in sackcloth. I personally lean towards the interpretation that the two witnesses are the Law and Prophets, the Scriptures. Even if it is people preaching in the spirit of Moses and Elijah from the Law and Prophets, it is still referring to the Scriptures.

Revelation 11:7 ASV

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.

και οταν τελεσωσιν την μαρτυριαν αυτων το θηριον το αναβαινον εκ της αβυσσου ποιησει μετ αυτων πολεμον και νικησει αυτους και αποκτενει αυτους

In Revelation 13 we are introduced to the seven-headed beast.

Revelation 13:1-3 ASV

¹and he stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns, and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy.

²And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.

³And I saw one of his heads as though it had been smitten unto death; and his death-stroke was healed: and the whole earth wondered after the beast;

One of the heads is wounded to death and then recovers. Revelation 17 elaborates on this.

Revelation 17:8-11 ASV

⁸The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come.

⁹Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth:

¹⁰and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while.

¹¹And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition.

The beast is described as ascending out of the abyss. One of the meanings of the abyss is the grave.

Romans 10:7

⁷or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)

The focus of both of these chapters is the head that is killed then recovers and is and was not and shall come. These are simply different ways to describe the recovery of the beast from its deadly wound.

We will see in Revelation 13 that this is the same power represented by the little horn in Daniel 7. It receives the deadly wound at the end of the 1260 year period, then it recovers. The Roman Catholic Church received its deadly wound in 1798. In the 20^th Century it began to make great progress in its recovery. But it still hasn’t regained the level of power it held during the Middle Ages.

This is the only beast in Revelation that is described as ascending out of the abyss, so we must conclude that the beast in Revelation 11:7 is this same beast. Since this verse only describes the beast as ascending out of the abyss, we can know it is the Roman Church after its recovery. Since the Church still hasn’t regained its full strength, these events appear to be in our future.

It would appear that the Church will make an attack on the Law and Prophets, or those who preach the Law and Prophets, or the authority of Scriptures above the traditions of the Church, or something similar. I don’t want to speculate too far about specifics that haven’t yet been clearly revealed.

Revelation 11:8-10 ASV

8	And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.	και το πτωμα αυτων επι της πλατειας της πολεως της μεγαλης ητις καλειται πνευματικως σοδομα και αιγυπτος οπου και ο κυριος αυτων εσταυρωθη
9	And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.	και βλεπουσιν εκ των λαων και φυλων και γλωσσων και εθνων το πτωμα αυτων ημερας τρεις και ημισυ και τα πτωματα αυτων ουκ αφιουσιν τεθηναι εις μνημα
10	And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.	και οι κατοικουντες επι της γης χαιρουσιν επ αυτοις και ευφραινονται και δωρα πεμψουσιν αλληλοις οτι ουτοι οι δυο προφηται εβασανισαν τους κατοικουντας επι της γης

Their bodies lie in the street of the great city. I personally lean towards the idea that the two witnesses are the Scriptures. If so, then lying dead in the street would seem to indicate that no one is reading them. During the 1260 year period some people read them, but not many, which is why they testified in sackcloth. Now they lie dead.

The great city is is given some identifying marks. It is identified as the city where their Lord was crucified. The most obvious interpretation is that this city is Jerusalem. If you recall, Daniel 11:41 indicates that the King of the North (Papal alliance) will enter the Holy Land. If the two witnesses are killed at that time, then it could be taking place in Jerusalem. It could also be referring to Rome, the seat of the beast’s heresy. Hebrews indicates that those who once knew the faith and fell away metaphorically crucify Christ again.

Hebrews 6:4-6 ASV

⁴For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

⁵and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,

⁶and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

The city is described as being spiritually like Sodom. At the end of the 20^th Century the Catholic Church went through a tremendous scandal involving priests sodomizing children and the leadership ignoring or covering it up. While the prophecy is probably not aiming at this specific scandal, I belive this scandal does provide an example of the general corruption in the church, which the prophecy seems to be pointing to.

The city is described as being spiritually like Egypt. Egypt was about as far from atheism as you can get. It was extremely religious as indicated by the amount of time and expense they put into building temples and tombs. However, their religion was corrupted. The exact connection to Egypt is identified in the prophecy itself by linking it with the Lord’s crucifixion. The New Testament compares Jesus’s death to the Passover lamb.

1 Corinthians 5:4-8

⁴in the name of our Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

⁵to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

⁶Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

⁷Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ:

⁸wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The killing of the Passover lamb was considered to be an abomination against the Egyptian gods.

Exodus 8:25-26

²⁵And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

²⁶And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to [Yehovah] our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?

One of the greatest Jewish sages, Moses Maimonides, explained how the Passover was an abomination to the Egyptians in The Guide for the Perplexed, part 3, section 46.

Scripture tells us, according to the Version of Onkelos, that the Egyptians worshipped Aries, and therefore abstained from killing sheep, and held shepherds in contempt. Comp. "Behold we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians," etc. (Exod. viii. 26); "For every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians" (Gen. xlvi. 34). Some sects among the Sabeans worshipped demons, and imagined that these assumed the form of goats, and called them therefore "goats" [se'irim]. This worship was widespread. Comp. "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto demons, after whom they have gone a whoring" (Lev. xvii. 7). For this reason those sects abstained from eating goats' flesh. Most idolaters objected to killing cattle, holding this species of animals in great estimation. Therefore the people of Hodu [Indians] up to this day do not slaughter cattle even in those countries where other animals are slaughtered. In order to eradicate these false principles, the Law commands us to offer sacrifices only of these three kinds: "Ye shall bring your offering of the cattle [viz.], of the herd and of the flock" (Lev. i. 2). Thus the very act which is considered by the heathen as the greatest crime, is the means of approaching God, and obtaining His pardon for our sins. In this manner, evil principles, the diseases of the human soul, are cured by other principles which are diametrically opposite.

This is also the reason why we were commanded to kill a lamb on Passover, and to sprinkle the blood thereof outside on the gates. We had to free ourselves of evil doctrines and to proclaim the opposite, viz., that the very act which was then considered as being the cause of death would be the cause of deliverance from death. Comp. "And the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come unto your houses to suite you" (Exod. xii. 23). Thus they were rewarded for performing openly a service every part of which was objected to by the idolaters.[5]

The animals used for sacrifice were specifically chosen because idolaters considered them to be sacred or even incarnations of their gods. These animals were adored and worshipped instead of Yehovah.

The Passover lamb could be either a sheep or a goat.

Exodus 12:5

⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:

By killing and eating the lamb and decorating their houses with the lamb’s blood, the Israelites were daring the Egyptian gods to take revenge on them. But it was the Egyptians who were slaughtered by the angel of death. This proved once and for all that the lamb is not god or and incarnation of god or something to be held up an adored like a deity. The lamb is a creature. Yehovah alone is truly God. Those who consider the lamb to be God or an incarnation of God are spiritually like Egypt.

By comparing his death to the Passover lamb in the book of Revelation, Jesus was similarly declaring that he is not God and Yehovah, the Father, is the only true God.

John 17:1-3

¹These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee:

²even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life.

³And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ.

Mark 12:28-30

²⁸And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all?

²⁹Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is ONE:

³⁰and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.

But, the Roman Church has returned to the spirituality of the Egyptians. It has declared that the lamb is God and they have made God’s Spirit a separate person and formed these three into a Trinity. They have made this Trinity, in which the lamb is god, the foundation of the Roman Church.

The mystery of the Trinity is the central doctrine of Catholic faith. Upon it are based all other teachings of the Church. In the New Testament there is frequent mention of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A careful reading of these passages leads to one unmistakable conclusion: each Person is presented as having qualities that can belong only to God. But if there is only one God, how can this be [199-202]? The Church studied this mystery with great care and, after four centuries of clarification, decided to state the doctrine in this way: in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—truly distinct one from another [249-256].[6]

With the Law and Prophets lying dead, the Roman Church has appearently triumphed. This lasts for 3 ½ prophetic days. We see a balance here. The two witnesses testified for 3 ½ prophetic years and they lie dead for 3 ½ prophetic days. This means they will lie dead for 3 ½ literal years or about 1260 literal days.

Revelation 11:11-14 ASV

11	And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them.	και μετα [τας] τρεις ημερας και ημισυ πνευμα ζωης εκ του θεου εισηλθεν [εν] αυτοις και εστησαν επι τους ποδας αυτων και φοβος μεγας επεπεσεν επι τους θεωρουντας αυτους
12	And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them.	και ηκουσαν φωνης μεγαλης εκ του ουρανου λεγουσης αυτοις αναβατε ωδε και ανεβησαν εις τον ουρανον εν τη νεφελη και εθεωρησαν αυτους οι εχθροι αυτων
13	And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand persons: and the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.	και εν εκεινη τη ωρα εγενετο σεισμος μεγας και το δεκατον της πολεως επεσεν και απεκτανθησαν εν τω σεισμω ονοματα ανθρωπων χιλιαδες επτα και οι λοιποι εμφοβοι εγενοντο και εδωκαν δοξαν τω θεω του ουρανου
14	The second Woe is past: behold, the third Woe cometh quickly.	η ουαι η δευτερα απηλθεν ιδου η ουαι η τριτη ερχεται ταχυ

But, God will vindicate the two witnesses. He will breathe new life into them raise them up to heaven where everyone can see them. And God will send an earthquake to punish those who killed the witnesses. In this earthquake, the tenth part of the great city is destroyed and seven thousand people killed. The remainder are frightened and give glory to the God of heaven. They repent for a time.

Revelation 11

15	And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.	και ο εβδομος αγγελος εσαλπισεν και εγενοντο φωναι μεγαλαι εν τω ουρανω λεγοντες εγενετο η βασιλεια του κοσμου του κυριου ημων και του χριστου αυτου και βασιλευσει εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων
16	And the four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God,	και οι εικοσι τεσσαρες πρεσβυτεροι [οι] ενωπιον του θεου καθημενοι επι τους θρονους αυτων επεσαν επι τα προσωπα αυτων και προσεκυνησαν τω θεω
17	saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign.	λεγοντες ευχαριστουμεν σοι κυριε ο θεος ο παντοκρατωρ ο ων και ο ην οτι ειληφας την δυναμιν σου την μεγαλην και εβασιλευσας
18	And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth.	και τα εθνη ωργισθησαν και ηλθεν η οργη σου και ο καιρος των νεκρων κριθηναι και δουναι τον μισθον τοις δουλοις σου τοις προφηταις και τοις αγιοις και τοις φοβουμενοις το ονομα σου τους μικρους και τους μεγαλους και διαφθειραι τους διαφθειροντας την γην
19	And there was opened the temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.	και ηνοιγη ο ναος του θεου ο εν τω ουρανω και ωφθη η κιβωτος της διαθηκης αυτου εν τω ναω αυτου και εγενοντο αστραπαι και φωναι και βρονται και σεισμος και χαλαζα μεγαλη

The time has finally come for the Kingdom of God and His anointed one (Christ) to rule.

Notice that it specifically says “the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ”. Then it says the focus of their adoration is God, not Christ, and give thanks to the “Lord God”. God made Jesus Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36) just as He made Moses god to Pharoah (Exodus 7:1). These are titles indicating that Jesus, like Moses, acts as God’s representative. But the Father is the true “Lord God”.

The dead will be judged and those who fear God will be rewarded and those who destroy the earth will be destroyed. The people see the Ark of the Covenant in heaven. The Ark of the Covenant contains the tables of stone on which are written the Ten Commandments. This is the law by which the people will be judged.

The “lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail” echo the seventh plague in Revelation 16. In the seventh plague the earthquake divides the city in three parts and the people blaspheme God instead of repenting.

The last part of the sixth seal also echoes the seventh plague in Revelation 16 when the mountains and islands are moved out of their place. And, the seventh seal declared that there was silence in heaven for a half hour. God and His anointed one have come to earth along with the armies of heaven (Revelation 19), so heaven will be empty. If the half hour is meant to be half an hour in a prophetic day, then it would correspond to about 7 ½ literal days. This could be an indicator of how long it will be before the armies of heaven return.

[1] Finkel, Caroline. Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1923. New York: Basic, 2005. 445-446. Print.

[2] Napier, Charles. "Chapter III." The War in Syria. Vol. 1. London: J.W. Parker, 1842. 29-31. Print.

[3] By Phillip Medhurst (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

[4] By The Prophets and the Beast for the abyss. (Scan from the original work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[5] Maimonides, Moses; Friedländer, M.; M. Friedländer (2009-05-14). The Guide for the Perplexed (pp. 304-305). Evinity Publishing Inc. Kindle Edition.

[6] Redemptorist Pastoral Publication (2010-08-31). Handbook for Today's Catholic (pp. 19-20). Liguori Publications. Kindle Edition.

Worship The One True God

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Revelation 8-11: The Trumpets

Revelation 8-11: The Trumpets

Introduction

The First Four Trumpets

The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets and the Rise of Islam

The Fallen Star and the Key to the Bottomless Pit

The God of the Smoke

The Locusts

The First Woe

The Second Woe

The Little Book

The Two Witnesses

Categories

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