Chapter 8, Verses 10 – 11 “The Third Trumpet” (Attila and the Huns)
The great milestones in the history of mankind have usually been ushered in with dramatic suddenness. It was in such manner that Attila and the hordes who followed him fell upon the Roman Empire.
The Burning Star or Meteor
We must reiterate what has been observed before regarding the use of trumpets. Generally their use in scripture was for the purpose of summoning armies. As the third trumpet sounded so the armies of mankind were again drawn into battle.
In many places in scripture sun, moon and stars are used to indicate the greater and lesser ruling powers of mankind. In this regard examine the following passages:
A notable feature of the great star of Rev. 8. 10 is that it is described as -burning as a lamp”. Probably most of us have seen a meteor flash across the sky at night, and then, as quickly as it has come, so it is extinguished.
John as an onlooker describes a great star or notable luminary in the political heavens, flashing across the political expanse for a very brief period.
Whereas the burning mountain of the second trumpet fell upon the -sea” the burning star was destined to fall upon the “third. part of rivers and fountains of waters”.
Wormwood
Verse 11 assists us to understand the mystery by attaching the name “Wormwood” to the star. Natural wormwood is very bitter, and John records that the waters whereon the wormwood fell became very bitter by reason of the star’s action, and as a result many men died.
In the Greek (the original language in which the Apocalypse was written) the word for “wormwood” is “Apsinthos”. The facts of history and geography combine to point unerringly to Attila as the flashing star, and the northern or Alpine region of Italy as the particular portion of the Roman earth or habitable upon which his armies fell.
Attila the Hun
A river in the Illyrian region ruled by Attila was called Apsinthos, and just as the river Thames, if mentioned in prophecy, would point to Britain, so in the case before us the country of Illyria and its ruler are indicated by the river’s name.
The bitterness of wormwood aptly describes the extreme or bitter suffering of the populations upon whom Attila vented his fury.
His depredations ranged from the plains of Hungary to the river Rhine; the country of Gaul (France) with its many cities was ravaged.
Attila was defeated at the battle of the city of Chalons where upward of 300,000 soldiers were killed.
Although repulsed, the leader of the Huns in the following spring took his forces into the Alpine regions of Italy, styled in Rev. 8. 10 as “the rivers and fountains of waters”. Surely an exact description of the country where the rivers of southern Europe rise.
In the year A.D. 453 the Third Trumpet ceased to sound, the Barbarian conqueror died of a broken blood vessel, and a power which had pillaged and terrorised the Western Empire was no more.
The Fourth Trumpet Rev. 8. 12— “Sun, Moon and Stars”
The sun, moon and stars are looked upon as completing the natural heavens of the universe, or the ruling powers. If it is said that these powers are eclipsed, or darkened, then it is understood that the rulers or government of the area defined are superseded by another.
The power of Babylon was superseded by the Medes and Persians, and Isaiah in his 13th Chapter, verse 10, wrote concerning the time, “Ford the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light, and the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine”.
Luke in his 21st chapter, verse 25, uses the terms sun, moon and stars as indicative of Gentile powers.
The “Third”
If the reader ask which third of the Empire is here indicated, the answer must of course be, “The Western Third”. The course of history proved this to be so.
Coming of Odoacer (or Odovacar)
The Barbarians who had virtually become the masters of Rome placed on the throne of the Empire one called Romulus Augustus, who was only a tool in their hands. He was compelled by Odoacer, King of the Heruli (Germans), to send his resignation from office to Zeno, the Roman Emperor at Constantinople in the east, and make request that the major power of the Empire be transferred from Rome to Constantinople. He further requested that Odoacer be appointed the representative of Zeno in the west.
This was acceded to and Odoacer ruled in the west for approximately fourteen years. Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, then deposed Odoacer, who some three years later was assassinated. The new king reigned for 33 years, and various other Gothic kings for a further 27 years.
Gothic Kingdom — 7th Head of the Beast
Dr. Thomas points out in Eureka Vol. 3, pp 86-87, that the Gothic phase of Empire constituted the 7th head of the Roman beast, and that the connivance of Constantinople in setting up firstly Odoacer, and then arranging with Theodoric his overthrow, is forecast in Revelations 13. 2, 3 thus, “And the dragon (Constantinople) gave him his power, and his seat and great authority”.
Odoacer being an Arian Catholic and not a Trinitarian Catholic, it could truly be said that the moon (ecclesiastical) was darkened as well as the sun (military-administrative) and the stars (or nobility-lesser rulers).
Chapter 9 : The First Woe —The Fifth Trumpet
The sounding of the first four trumpets had affected the western third of the Empire, and the east had continued without being greatly affected.
However, in the sounding of the next two trumpets the Eastern Empire was to feel the hand of Divine judgment for its arrogant and apostate condition.
The last verse of chapter 8 prepares the reader thus, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhibiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the •three angels which are yet to sound”.
The Angel in Mid-Heaven
Dr. Thomas points out in regard to the first part of verse 13 of chap. 8 that the word “angel” should be rendered “eagle” and it is so translated in the Revised Version of the scriptures.
The eagle power was only in “mid-heaven”, that is to say, was not among the rulers, and yet was separated from “those upon earth”, who were being warned of judgments yet to come.
This eagle power was undoubtedly the saints or called-out ones of God, preaching God’s message to the “earth”, or common people.
Fifth Angel Sounds: A Star Falls to Earth
This 9th chapter of the Apocalypse turns our attention to the Saracen or Arab power which was growing, and would yet fall upon the eastern third of the Empire.
Mahomet was born in the year 570 and was a member of the Koreish Clan, a religious group, in the city of Mecca. A young man having a vivid imagination, he saw himself as a leader of the Arab peoples and therefore claimed that he had been appointed by God as His sole prophet or representative upon earth. In this claim he had been humored and protected by the Prince of Mecca. However, upon the death of this prince, Mahomet was driven from the city, to find his place among the “earth” or common people of the realm; hence, in the words of scripture, “a star having fallen from heaven”.
It will be seen that Dr. Thomas’ translation of “having fallen” is more accurate than that of the Authorised Version, which simply says “fall from heaven”.
Whereas the self-styled prophet had been accepted in the political “heaven” or ruling place, he was now cast out to the earth.
Strange as it may seem he was nevertheless to achieve supreme power thereafter, as in indicated in the words of chap. 9.1, “To him was given the key of the bottomless pit”.
“The key”
The term “key” obviously indicates power and is so used in this instance. Revelation chap. 1. 18 states that Christ had the “keys of hell and of death”. Obviously that means that our Lord had power over hell and death. The reader can also refer to Isa. 22.22. A further point to note is that a key was used as one of the insignia of the Mohammedans in the building of one of their great edifices in Spain called the Alhambra.
It is obvious that there is no such thing as a bottomless pit. Dr. Thomas points out that the country of Arabia from whence Mohammed came is a very low-lying area and really commences with the great depression of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.
The “key” or power over these people in this area was given to Mohammed.
Mohomet
This person, a self-styled prophet, commenced his preaching in A.D.609 and, having achieved the position of undisputed ruler of the Saracen or Arab peoples, died in A.D. 632.
Further facets of the Arabian power will be considered in our next contribution.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One