And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star — Far different from that mentioned, Revelation 8:11. This star belongs to the invisible world. The third woe is occasioned by the dragon cast out of heaven; the second takes place at the loosing of the four angels who were bound in the Euphrates. The fi... [ Continue Reading ]
And there arose a smoke out of the pit — The locusts, who afterwards rise out of it, seem to be, as we shall afterwards see, the Persians; agreeable to which, this smoke is their detestable idolatrous doctrine, and false zeal for it, which now broke out in an uncommon paroxysm. As the smoke of a gre... [ Continue Reading ]
And out of the smoke — Not out of the bottomless pit, but from the smoke which issued thence. There went forth locusts — A known emblem of a numerous, hostile, hurtful people. Such were the Persians, from whom the Jews, in the sixth century, suffered beyond expression. In the year 540 their academie... [ Continue Reading ]
And it was commanded them — By the secret power of God. Not to hurt the grass, neither any green thing, nor any tree — Neither those of low, middling, or high degree, but only such of them as were not sealed — Principally the unbelieving Israelites. But many who were called Christians suffered with... [ Continue Reading ]
Not to kill them — Very few of them were killed: in general, they were imprisoned and variously tormented.... [ Continue Reading ]
The men — That is, the men who are so tormented.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the appearances — This description suits a people neither throughly civilized, nor entirely savage; and such were the Persians of that age. Of the locusts are like horses — With their riders. The Persians excelled in horsemanship. And on their heads are as it were crowns — Turbans. And their fac... [ Continue Reading ]
And they had hair as the hair of women — All the Persians of old gloried in long hair. And their teeth were as the teeth of lions — Breaking and tearing all things in pieces.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots of many horses — With their war — chariots, drawn by many horses, they, as it were, flew to and fro.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they have tails like scorpions — That is, each tail is like a scorpion, not like the tail of a scorpion. To hurt the unsealed men five months — Five prophetic months; that is, seventy — nine common years So long did these calamities last.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they have over them a king — One by whom they are peculiarly directed and governed. His name is Abaddon — Both this and Apollyon signify a destroyer. By this he is distinguished from the dragon, whose proper name is Satan.... [ Continue Reading ]
One woe is past; behold, there come yet two woes after these things — The Persian power, under which was the first woe, was now broken by the Saracens: from this time the first pause made a wide way for the two succeeding woes. In 589, when the first woe ended, Mahomet was twenty years old, and the... [ Continue Reading ]
And the sixth angel sounded — Under this angel goes forth the second woe. And I heard a voice from the four corners of the golden altar — This golden altar is the heavenly pattern of the Levitical altar of incense. This voice signified that the execution of the wrath of God, mentioned Revelation 9:2... [ Continue Reading ]
Loose the four angels — To go every way; to the four quarters. These were evil angels, or they would not have been bound. Why, or how long, they were bound we know not.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared — By loosing them, as well as by their strength and rage. To kill the third part of men — That is, an immense number of them. For the hour, and day, and month, and year — All this agrees with the slaughter which the Saracens made for a long time aft... [ Continue Reading ]