4. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before G.o.d out of the angel"s hand.
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.
The remainder of the book is embraced in the contents of the seventh seal. This may appear a little singular at first, being so much larger than the preceding ones. But it is easily understood when we consider the six as being a synopsis of the whole book, containing a history of the church apostate to the final consummation, and also the contemporaneous history of the truth church of G.o.d; while the seventh gives in detail the account of these great persecuting powers, civil and ecclesiastical, and the trials and triumphs of the saints in the New Jerusalem--developing more fully the events described under the six.
Upon the opening of the seventh seal, "there was silence in heaven about the s.p.a.ce of half an hour." Whether this interval of silence is intended to be symbolical of any event on earth I do not know; neither have I seen any solution of the matter that is consistent or satisfactory. Some have supposed that it denoted a cessation of persecution among the Christians of earth. But if that were the case, then its opposite, "voices in heaven," would indicate seasons of persecution. There were several seasons of rest from persecution enjoyed by the early saints, and why should one period be singled out more than the rest and be thus described? Besides, "a half hour," according to prophetic time would signify only about one week, a period too short certainly to take account of. Others have supposed that it signified the end of the world, and that heaven would then be deserted for a short time while the judgment was taking place. But the events following show that the end of the world is not here described, therefore it can not have reference to such. Moreover, it is extremely doubtful whether silence in heaven would be a proper symbol of such an event. I do not perceive the a.n.a.logy. In fact, such an interpretation of _silence_ would be literal and not symbolic.
Its explanation would seem to be found in connection with certain facts stated respecting the opening of the preceding seals--that voices followed them. When the first four seals were opened, John heard the voices of the four beasts, "as it were a voice of thunder"; and on the opening of the fifth, he heard the souls of the martyrs crying unto G.o.d; but when the seventh was opened, there was silence for a time. The contrast is noticeable; but whether it has any special signification, I am unable to say; perhaps not.
Before the sounding of the seven trumpets, the acceptableness of the prayers of the saints is represented by an angel offering incense "upon the golden altar which was before the throne." This scene was doubtless introduced to lend encouragement to G.o.d"s children--that, although iniquity abounded on every side and the judgments of G.o.d were poured out upon the people, still the prayers of the faithful few were acceptable in his sight, ascending before the throne like sweet incense from off the golden altar.
After offering up the incense with the prayers of all saints, the same angel took his censer and filled it with fire from off the altar and cast it (the fire) upon the earth--a token of G.o.d"s avenging judgments--"and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake." These, of course, were on earth, and symbolized the revolutions and convulsions now about to take place in the empire.
6. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
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 gra.s.s was burnt up.
We here enter upon a series of prophecies developing fully the successive steps in the decline of the Western Roman empire, by which it finally tottered to its fall. It was necessary that this persecuting, tyrannical government should be subverted in order to give opportunity for the establishment of apostate Christianity in the form of the Papacy, as it const.i.tuted the "let" or hindrance to the full development of the "man of sin" mentioned by the apostle in 2 Thes. 2. That persecuting, Pagan Rome was a serious obstacle confronting the development of apostasy was recognized even by the early Christians.
Thus, Tertullian, in his notable Apology, chapter 32, says: "Christians are under a particular necessity of praying for the emperors, and for the continued state of the empire; because we know that dreadful power which hangs over the world, and _the conclusion of the age, which threatens the most horrible evils, is restrained by the continuance of the time appointed for the Roman empire_. This is what we would not experience; and while we pray that it may be deferred, we hereby show our good-will to the perpetuity of the Roman state." In a subsequent chapter it will be seen that Pagan Rome, broken up into minor divisions and no longer able to maintain her position in the political world, resigns her power and authority into the hands of the rising Papacy.
Therefore it is not surprising that the means by which this great change is effected should be made the subject of prophetic revelation. Besides, we have other things to guide us in the interpretation. We can readily identify the symbols under the fifth trumpet with the curse of Mohammedanism in the Eastern empire, and we would naturally suppose that the first four precede those. Again, the symbols are all drawn from the natural world, which leads us a.s.suredly into the political affairs of the empire for their fulfilment. They are also of the most destructive nature, therefore we look for objects of a corresponding desolating character. Finally, the vision of the preceding chapter represents fierce, destructive winds as about to descend upon the earth, being temporarily held in check to give opportunity for the primitive establishment of Christianity, implying that they would afterwards be let loose to burst like a tornado upon the empire. It is said positively that power was given "to hurt the earth and the sea" (chap. 7:2), and in the vision before us the effects produced upon the earth and the trees are particularly detailed.
"The earth" signifies the Roman empire, or that portion of the earth made the subject of apocalyptic vision. That this application of the word _earth_ is correct, is shown by various Scriptures. "And it came to pa.s.s in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that _all the world_ should be taxed." Luke 2:1. "The queen of the South ... came from the _uttermost parts of the earth_ [southern Arabia] to hear the wisdom of Solomon." Mat. 12:42. "Ye shall be witnesses ... unto the _uttermost part of the earth_." Acts 1:8. The apostles carried the gospel personally, only throughout the territory of the then-known civilized world--the Roman empire. Upon this earth there descended in the vision before us a fierce storm of hail and fire, mingled with blood. Its being mingled with blood would indicate its destructive effects. One characteristic of this symbol particularly is worthy of notice. Hail and fire cast upon the earth would become absorbed speedily or pa.s.s into new combinations with the surrounding elements, thus not remaining in any permanent form except in its effects. In this particular it is wholly unlike the symbol of the next trumpet, which is that of a burning mountain cast into the sea, for such a body would naturally remain permanently where it fell; whereas a storm of hail and fire would soon disappear. Also, the statement that this storm was cast upon the earth would indicate that it was a calamity descending from without upon the empire.
Where, now, do we find the object that fully meets the requirements of this symbol--destructive agents descending upon the Roman empire like a furious storm of hail and fire, accomplishing the first important step toward the subverting of the empire? We find it in the irruption of the fierce Gothic tribes of the North, who, under Alaric, burst like a tornado upon the empire about the beginning of the fifth century, spreading destruction and desolation upon every side.
The following quotations and facts from the highest authority on the subject, Gibbon"s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. III, pp.
190-294), will give the reader an idea of the awful effects produced by the invasions of these barbarous tribes. The great Theodosius, emperor of the Western Roman empire, "had supported the frail and mouldering edifice of the republic," but upon his death he was succeeded by the weak Honorious. In a few months the Gothic barbarians were in arms. "The barriers of the Danube were thrown down, the savage warriors of Scythia issued from their forests ... and the various tribes of barbarians, who glory in the Gothic name, were irregularly spread over the woody sh.o.r.es of Dalmatia to the walls of Constantinople." They were "directed by the bold and artful genius of Alaric," who soon concluded that the conquest of Constantinople was an impracticable enterprise. He "disdained to trample any longer on the prostrate and ruined countries of Thrace and Dacia, and he resolved to seek a plentiful harvest of fame and riches in a province which had hitherto escaped the ravages of war.... The troops which had been posted to defend the straits of Thermopylae retired ...
without attempting to disturb the secure and rapid pa.s.sage of Alaric; and the fertile fields of Phocis and Baeotia were instantly covered by a deluge of barbarians, who ma.s.sacred the males of an age to bear arms, and drove away the beautiful females, with the spoil and cattle of the flaming villages. The travelers who visited Greece several years afterwards, could easily discover the deep and b.l.o.o.d.y traces of the march of the Goths.... The whole territory of Attica, from the promontory of Sunium to the town of Megara, was blasted by his baleful presence; and, if we may use the comparison of a contemporary philosopher, Athens itself resembled the bleeding and empty skin of a slaughtered victim.... Corinth, Argos, Sparta, yielded without resistance to the arms of the Goths; and the most fortunate of the inhabitants were saved, by death, from beholding the slavery of their families and the conflagration of their cities."
Arcadius, the emperor of the East, wishing to dissuade Alaric from further conquests and such wholesale ma.s.sacres, promoted him to the rank of Master-general of the eastern Illyric.u.m, but it had an opposite effect. "The birth of Alaric, the glory of his past exploits, and the confidence in his future designs, insensibly united the body of the [Gothic] nation under his victorious standard; and, with the unanimous consent of the barbarian chieftains, the Master-general of Illyric.u.m was elevated, according to the ancient custom, on a shield, and solemnly proclaimed king of the Visigoths. Armed with this double power, situated on the verge of the two empires, he alternately sold his deceitful promises to the courts of Arcadius and Honorious; until he declared and executed his resolution of _invading the dominions of the West_.... He was tempted by the fame, the beauty, the wealth of Italy, which he had twice visited; and he secretly aspired to plant the Gothic standard on the walls of Rome, and to enrich his army with the acc.u.mulated spoils of three hundred triumphs." He marched into Italy, and the emperor fled before him. A temporary respite was finally procured by the promise of a payment of four thousand pounds of gold.
Alaric soon appeared, however, before the very walls of Rome, and that splendid city, surrounded by hordes of barbarians, was soon reduced to a wretched condition by famine. Two representatives of the Romans waited upon Alaric for terms of peace, stating that if such could not be arranged the inhabitants of the city, animated by despair, would fight to the bitter end. To this the haughty conqueror made this famous reply: "The thicker the gra.s.s, the easier it is mowed." With an insulting laugh, he named the ransom required--all the gold and silver contained in the city, all the rich and precious movables, together with all the slaves. Then the ministers humbly asked, "What do you intend to leave us?" "Your lives," the haughty king replied, and retired. He finally relaxed a little and fixed other terms, which included the immediate payment of the enormous sum of five thousand pounds of gold, thirty thousand pounds of silver, besides other treasure. "The victorious leader, who united the daring spirit of a barbarian with the art and discipline of a Roman general, was at the head of a hundred thousand fighting men; and Italy p.r.o.nounced, with terror and respect, the formidable name of Alaric."
A second time Rome was besieged by Alaric and taken. Honorious was deposed and Attalus made emperor; but Honorious was afterwards restored.
In A.D. 410 he again marched upon the city, captured and entered it.
"Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, the imperial city, which had subdued and civilized so considerable a part of mankind, was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germania and Scythia." For six days the city was sacked by the barbarous soldiery, and the horrible scenes of robbery, murder, and rapine that ensued can not be described. It has been said that "civilized warfare is sufficiently terrible," but that would be almost a blessing compared with such scenes as these. For a s.p.a.ce of four years Alaric ravaged Italy almost without opposition.
The slaughter and devastation that followed this storm of "hail and fire" is thus described: "The banks of the Rhine were crowned like those of the Tiber, with houses and well-cultivated farms; and if a poet descended the river, he might express his doubts on which side was situated the territory of the Romans. This scene of peace and plenty was suddenly changed into a desert, and the prospect of the smoking ruins could alone distinguish the solitude of nature from the desolation of man. The flourishing city of Mentz was surprised and destroyed, and many thousand Christians inhumanly ma.s.sacred in the church. Wurms perished after a long and obstinate siege. Strasburg, Spires, Rheims, Tournay, Arras, Amiens, experienced the cruel oppression of the German yoke, and the consuming flames of war spread from the banks of the Rhine over the greatest part of the seventeen provinces of Gaul. That rich and extensive country, as far as the ocean, the Alps and the Pyrenees, was delivered to the barbarians, who drove before them, in a promiscuous crowd, the bishop, the senator and the virgin, laden with the spoils of their houses and altars."
Another historian describing the same, a few years after the event, says: "The barbarians meeting with little resistance, indulged in the utmost cruelty. The cities which they captured, they so utterly destroyed that no traces of them now remain, except in Thrace and Greece, except here and there a tower or a gate. All the men who opposed them they slew, young and old, and indeed spared not women, nor even children. Whence there is still but a spa.r.s.e population in Italy. The plunder which they seized in every part of Europe was immense, and especially at Rome, where they left nothing, either public or private."
In this latter description reference is also made to some later invasions, but they were all of the same desolating character.
These historical facts show how the green gra.s.s, or the feebler portion of society--the tender s.e.x, the young, and the aged--were consumed before this fearful storm of hail and fire; and also how the trees, or the stronger portion--those better able to make resistance--suffered greatly.
It is also a fact to be observed that these fierce tribes which overran Italy, hara.s.sed or captured Rome repeatedly, and threatened the overthrow of the empire, made no permanent settlement in that territory.
"Under Alaric the Goths make no lasting settlement. In the long tale of intrigue and warfare between the Goths and the two Imperial courts which fills up this whole time, cessions of territory are offered to the Goths, provinces are occupied by them, but as yet they do not take root anywhere; no Western land as yet becomes Gothia,"--Encyclopaedia Britannica, Art. Goths. After the death of Alaric (A.D. 412), however, they settled in the southern part of Spain and Gaul[5]--part of the territory of the West--but they no longer threatened the life of the empire; but, on the contrary, they became allies of the Romans in opposing the dreadful incursions of the Huns and other barbarians. Thus their invasion of the West was at first terribly destructive--like a storm of hail and fire--but their ravages soon ceased, except in their disastrous and weakening effects.
[Footnote 5: This division of the Gothic tribes is commonly called the Visigoths (Western Goths), as distinguished from the Ostrogoths, or Eastern Goths.]
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;
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 symbol of this trumpet is that of a volcanic mountain cast into the sea, whence it sends forth its streams of lava in every direction until a third of the creatures in the sea are destroyed, thus spreading desolation on every side. It would naturally remain where it fell, a permanent instrument of destruction.
We have here a description of the next step of importance in the downfall of the Western empire. The second great invasion was that of "the terrible Genseric" with his Vandal hordes, who pushed southward through Gaul and Spain, conquered the Carthaginian territory of northern Africa, and there formed a permanent independent government in A.D. 439.
From this fixed place, he continued for years to make incursions upon the bordering cities and islands, burning the cities, murdering the inhabitants, and intercepting the commerce of the Mediterranean. During his military career, 429-468, he became the terror of the inhabitants of the empire, insomuch that historians designate him "the terrible Genseric." The depredations committed by his followers were but a repet.i.tion of such scenes of barbarity as have already been described in the invasions of Alaric under the first trumpet, therefore I will not devote much s.p.a.ce to the historical facts in the case. Their deeds, however, were such that the very term _Vandal_ has come to be used as a designation of any man of ferocious character. Concerning the important part that this chieftain acted in the downfall of the Western empire, Gibbon uses this significant language: "Genseric, a name which, in the destruction of the Roman empire, has deserved an equal rank with the names of Alaric and Attila." Vol. III, p. 370.
In the year 454 the empress Eudoxia wished to be revenged on Maximus, who had murdered her husband Valentinian and had grasped the throne, and she secretly invited Genseric to attack Rome. That fierce general, who is described by the Encyclopaedia Britannica as "cruel to blood-thirstiness, cunning, unscrupulous, and grasping," was glad to undertake the task, and he soon landed an army of Vandals and African Moors at the gates of the city. It was soon taken and for fifteen days given over to be sacked by the barbarous soldiery. When they had glutted their savage instincts with the horrible deeds of murder and rapine, loaded with the spoils of the imperial city, they returned to Africa, taking with them an immense number of captives, including Eudoxia and her two daughters. This desolating incursion left the empire weak and tottering to its fall. Genseric "became the tyrant of the sea; the coasts of Italy, Greece, and Asia, were again exposed to his revenge and avarice. Tripoli and Sardinia returned to his obedience; he added Sicily to the number of his provinces; and before he died, in the fulness of years and glory, he beheld the FINAL EXTINCTION of the empire of the West." Gibbon, Vol. III, pp. 497, 498.
By "the sea" into which this burning mountain was cast is meant, not the Mediterranean nor any other literal sea, but the heart of the empire, and that in a state of agitation. The empire was in a state of comparative quiet when Alaric appeared; therefore the storm of hail and fire is represented as falling upon "the earth," as a result of which society was thrown into a state of great agitation, and moved to its depths, like an ocean in a storm. This was its condition when Genseric, from his fixed position in Africa, began his desolating incursions; therefore the next symbol is that of a mountain cast into "the sea." By the sea becoming blood is doubtless meant the destruction of life in the empire, and "the third part" denotes the vast extent of the destruction.
I must speak with hesitation on what is signified by "the creatures which were in the sea" and the "ships." By a.n.a.logy I would be led to refer the former to the rulers and the dignitaries in the empire, they bearing an a.n.a.lagous position to the empire that fishes do to the waters of the sea; while the latter may refer to public monuments and structures.
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;
11. And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
The description given of this star is similar to that of a large burning meteor, such as we frequently see shooting athwart the heavens. It fell rapidly to earth, as such meteors often do, and struck the fountain-heads of the rivers, imparting to them such a poisonous quality as caused the death of those who drank the waters.
This symbol is also drawn from the natural world, and hence we must look for its fulfilment in political events. The rapidity of its fall and disappearance in the waters would direct us to an agent who would appear suddenly and soon disappear, and whose career would leave bitter results. The direct effects of this meteor were experienced by the rivers and the fountains of waters, which bear an a.n.a.lagous relation to the sea that bordering tribes and nations do to an empire. The heart of the empire, or "the sea," was directly affected by the burning mountain, under the preceding trumpet; while the tributaries of the sea, or the bordering tribes, are made the subject of direct attack under this symbol and the poisonous qualities of their waters carried to far distant points.
Under this striking symbol we have a description of the third important step in the downward course of Rome--the short but eventful career of Attila, with his terrible Scythians, or Huns. Singularly, Attila was said to "possess the iron sword of the war-G.o.d _Mars_," and he claimed for himself the designation or t.i.tle "The Scourge of G.o.d"; while his followers were even more cruel and barbarous, if possible, than the Goths and the Vandals.
Coming from the remote solitudes of Asia under the leadership of their fierce king, they poured like a tornado, first upon the inhabitants of the Eastern empire (in 442, 445) and then turned their attention westward. Attila ruled over "nearly all the tribes north of the Danube and the Black sea," and under his banner fought Ostrogoths, Gepidae, Alani, Heruli, and many other Teutonic peoples. Says Gibbon: "The whole breadth of Europe, as it extends above five hundred miles from the Euxine to the Adriatic, was at once invaded, and occupied, and desolated by the myriads of barbarians whom Attila led into the field." It was the boast of Attila that the gra.s.s never grew on the spot which his horse had trod. In 451 he led his forces, seven hundred thousand strong, through the center of Germany into the heart of Gaul, where he was met at Chalons by the combined forces of the Visigoths, Alans, Franks and Romans, and was defeated, with the loss of one hundred and seventy thousand of his men. This was one of the most gigantic as well as one of the most important battles of history. A rivulet flowing through the field of battle is said to have been colored and swollen by the blood of the slain. The next year, however, with a greater force at his command, he fell with headlong fury upon northern Italy; but he did not attack Rome. Suddenly and seemingly without cause, he withdrew his army; and this peculiar action of his has been the wonder of historians ever since. Says the Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Attila at once withdrew from Italy, but the motive which led him to act thus is not known." According to the prophecy, he was to fall upon the "rivers and fountains of waters" only. A short time later, in 453, he died, and "the vast empire over which he had ruled broke up _immediately_ after his death, no one chief being powerful enough to seize the supremacy." Thus his short but wonderful career of about twelve years ended suddenly, like a meteor falling into a river.
But the effects of this invasion were farreaching. Rome in her declining strength, being unable to cope with these immense hordes of barbarians, was forced to call to her a.s.sistance the half-civilized tribes of Gothic barbarians against a more dreaded foe. The success that attended these conflicts of the combined forces were the means of giving greater political importance to these Gothic tribes and securing their independence. But while they rose, Rome fell. By the very act of employing such weapons in defense, Rome robbed herself of the little political strength remaining, and she was obliged to accept the bitter consequences.
Under each of these first three trumpets the extent of destruction is indicated by the expression "the third part." Since the successive steps in the downfall of the empire is the subject under consideration, this expression as here applied doubtless has particular reference to the loss of political power and life, rather than referring directly to the loss of human life sustained. With this thought in view, it is evident that the political importance of the empire was entirely destroyed by these desolating incursions. Of the truth of this fact all historians agree. Nothing of Rome remained, except the semblance of a government, when the time arrived for the sounding of the next trumpet.
12. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
The symbol of this trumpet is that of an eclipse of sun, moon, and stars, so that they shone not for a third part of the day and night.
Under the sixth seal we showed that these luminaries of heaven are taken as symbols of rulers and princes; for the latter bear an a.n.a.lagous relation to the empire that the former do to the earth. In the darkening, then, of the sun, moon, and stars, we are to look for some disastrous change or overthrow in the imperial government. Such an event occurred only a few years after the events described under the preceding trumpets. With her political strength and resources exhausted, Rome could no longer maintain a separate existence, and Odoacer, king of the Heruli, overthrew Momyllus Augustulus, the last of the Roman line of emperors, and caused himself to be proclaimed king of Italy in A.D. 476.
This terminated the Western empire; and thus was the Roman sun eclipsed in darkness. In a subsequent chapter, however, we will find the eclipse lifted at a later period and _New Rome_ enjoying all the power and authority lost in her predecessors of the old Augustin line.
Odoacer continued in possession of his kingdom seventeen years. Then he was defeated and slain by Theodoric, and by him the kingdom of the Ostrogoths was established in Italy. Sixty years later this kingdom was subverted by Belisarius, the general of Justinian, emperor of the East, to whom it became a tributary province. In each of the princ.i.p.al cities of Italy Justinian appointed a governor with the t.i.tle of Duke, in subordination to another with the t.i.tle of Exarch, whose residence was at Ravenna. "Thus, at last, was Rome, once the proud mistress of the world, reduced to a poor dukedom, made tributary to the Exarch of Ravenna, and he holding his authority at the will of the emperor of Constantinople, the seat of the Eastern empire."
Thus, under the symbols of these four trumpets we have developed the wondrous history of the downfall of imperial Rome, in order to give opportunity for the scenes of the drama yet to follow. The "man of sin"
could not be fully revealed in all his terrible features until this hindrance was removed out of the way. Imperial Rome for three centuries stood as the great opposer of G.o.d"s people and slaughtered thousands, perhaps millions, of the Lord"s innocent servants, and the hand of retributive Justice was finally extended to humble her to the dust.
Singularly, the persons whom G.o.d made choice of to effect her downfall have either regarded themselves as special instruments whose mission it was to punish the world or else have received such designations by historians because of their awful work. Contemporary historians distinguish Alaric by the epithets "The Scourge of G.o.d," "The Destroyer of Nations"; while the great Vandal leader is designated "The Terrible Genseric." Attila claimed the t.i.tle "The Scourge of G.o.d."
13. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
The later editions of the Greek New Testament give the word _eagle_ instead of _angel_--denoting a messenger or angel flying with the swiftness of an eagle. This messenger doubtless is not intended to be symbolic; for it is not one of the seven angels, but a messenger possessing a warning, and that warning is given "to the inhabitants of the earth," as if they were addressed directly. It simply announces that the three trumpets yet to sound will possess greater calamities to the people of earth than those that have preceded, by reason of which they are called woes. The manner, also, in which the woe trumpets are spoken of afterwards confirm the statement that the announcement is literal and not symbolical. "One woe is past, and, behold, there come two more woes hereafter." Chap. 9:12. "The second woe it past: and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly." Chap. 11:14. These announcements are evidently literal, and serve to explain the pa.s.sage before us. Accordingly, the last three trumpets are generally referred to as the woe trumpets.