The First Trumpet Sounds — Chapter 8. 7
As has been mentioned previously in this series, a trumpet symbolizes an alarm, as in a time of war or catastrophe. If the reader will peruse Jeremiah 4. 5, it will be appreciated that this is the sense in which the Scripture uses the symbol.
The results of the trumpet’s sounding were indeed severe. There came hail and fire mingled with blood upon the earth. This is surely a description described God’s judgment on Assyria of old in almost identical language thus, “. . . with the indignation of his anger and with the flame of a devouring fire with scattering and tempest and hailstones. For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down which smote with a rod”.
“The Earth”
The “earth” here referred to is the Roman Empire. However, only a particular portion of the Empire was intended to receive the judgment mentioned.
“The Third Part”
The seventh verse continues, “… and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up”. Mankind generally are sometimes referred to in Scripture as trees and grass, as for instance Isa. 40. 6-7, “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass (see also Psa. 92. 7).
Babylon of old was represented by a tree in Daniel chapter 4. Under it the nations were sheltered, but when the tree was cut down the smaller nations suffered. Other places where trees are mentioned symbolically are Isa. 61. 3, Judges 9. 8, Psa. 1. 3.
Only the “third” part of men were to be afflicted. The Roman dominion was divided into three parts, the Italian section being the most important “third”.
Historical Summary — A.D. 395-400
As the fourth century approached its end two Emperors were ruling the Roman dominion. Honorius in the west ruled from Rome and Arcadius in the east based on Constantinople. However, Arcadius had placed Alaric the Goth in power over Illyricum, which today we would call Yugoslavia.
Thus there were three sections of the Empire.
Alaric was quick to realize that the central and western provinces of the Empire were not strongly held. He therefore made preparations to seize power, which he did. Firstly he proclaimed himself king of the Visigoths (to the north) and proceeded to completely ravage the western provinces as far as the river Rhine in Germany. So swift and devastating were his conquests that they were truly like a hail of fire and blood, and be it noted that it was the best part of Europe, the grasslands and forests of the west which suffered.
However, he also attempted to take the Italian peninsula, but was turned back at Milan by an outstanding Roman general, Stilicho.
While these events had been in progress a certain German, Rhadagaisus, led a large body of his troops into Italy, spreading death and detruction. Again is was General Stilicho who defeated the German hordes and thereby saved Rome for a short while longer.
Between the years 608-610 Alaric again attacked the Italian sector and, after Stilicho’s death, he entered and sacked Rome itself. For over six centuries the so-called eternal city had not known a foreign conqueror, but now death and destruction were on every hand. So desperate did conditions become that cannibalism was rife, and the dead lay piled up in streets and houses. Where even the sword failed, disease succeeded and the city was virtually deserted for a time. The southern provinces of Italy suffered a similar fate and it was with many sighs of relief that a stunned third of the Empire received news of Alaric’s death in the year A.D. 610.
In this sack of Rome surely we can see Divine retribution for the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The “hail and fire” of war had certainly been mingled with blood in copious proportion.
Sounding of the Second Trumpet Verses 8-10
Verse eight of chapter 8 of the Apocalypse informs us, “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”. Verse 9 continues, “And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died, and the third part of the ships died”.
Great mountains are used in scripture to denote great powers, for instance, in regard to Babylon (Jer. 51. 25), “O destroying mountain which destroys all the earth”.
We could well imagine if a great burning mountain should be cast into a lake, how the result would be a bubbling seething mass in which neither men or ships could survive.
The Vandals under Genseric A.D. 429-477
The sounding of the first trumpet had scarcely died away, when the mighty sounding of the second trumpet went out over the western Mediterranean Sea and involved Rome itself.
A personal dispute between two generals of the western section of the Empire was the trigger which caused the visitation of the Vandals. Boniface and Actius, two Roman generals in the west, could not agree and Boniface invited Genseric, King of the Vandals to come to his aid. The Vandals were in Spain and passing over the straits of Gibraltar, entered the Roman provinces of North Africa.
The Donatists in North Africa were at this time being persecuted by the Catholics, and strange as it may seem were supported by Genseric, who sacked Carthage and Hippo. His depredations destroyed the North African Roman provinces as the granary of the Empire. The City of Rome found its finances and food supplies reduced to a mere trickle.
Whereas Boniface had looked to Genseric for help he found him to be a foe.
Gibbon in “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” wrote that Genseric “cast his eyes toward the sea”. He built great fleets of ships and sent out his cavalry to the islands of the Mediterranean ravaging them and capturing or destroying all the ships he could find. A number of Roman fleets sent against the Vandals, the last of which consisted of 1,100 ships and 100,000 men, were destroyed. The barbarian died in 477 having seen the military extinction of the western Empire, as it had been constructed. His forces had sacked and pillaged the city of Rome itself for a period of 14 days and nights.
In the words of scripture, truly the third part of creatures and the third part of the ships had been destroyed. The Apocalypse describes the conqueror in few words and it has been left to the historian Gibbon to supply a wealth of detail of God’s judgments upon the apostate city and empire of Rome.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One