TABLE OF CONTENTS |
Part
I
Prelude to the Trumpets |
Part
II
The 1st Trumpet
The 2nd Trumpet
The 3rd Trumpet
The 4th Trumpet
The 5th Trumpet
The 6th Trumpet
The 7th Trumpet
|
The Fifth Trumpet
and First Woe—
CE 1378-1528
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star
fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."
Revelation 9:1
John
Wycliff
is the messenger that sounds forth here. Those who criticized the church were cast out or
ostracized. Such was the experience of Wycliff. To his good fortune, in 1378 there was a
Great Schism in the papal hierarchy with two popes each claiming to be the head of the
church. Papacy had so much internal strife that Wycliff's dissent appeared as a
small brush fire.
Wycliff's Trial before the Council
|
Three papal bulls were
issued before the Great Schism to deal with Wycliff’s alleged heresy.
At Wycliff’s trial, two powerful princes accompanied him,
preventing the execution of the judgments against Wycliff.
We see how God intervened to prevent papacy from destroying Wycliff
before his work was accomplished.
|
The "key of the bottomless pit" represents
the authority to unloose the truths being restrained by Satan.
It is interesting to note how the devil succeeded in locking the Divine
truths in the "bottomless pit" for a season, yet in the appointed time Satan
himself will be locked in the "bottomless pit" along with his lies and
deceptions. This is poetic justice in its finest form.
We submit Revelation 9:2-11 as it is presented in the "Interpreted
Rendering of Revelation" with some additions and variation. This will provide
immediate explanations of the highly symbolic language.
"And he [Wycliff] opened the bottomless pit
[released suppressed and dormant biblical truths]; and there arose a smoke out of the
pit [evidences that truths had been suppressed], as the smoke of a great furnace
[this evidence was very pronounced]; and the sun [the Gospel according to the
creedal teachings] and the air [influence of the evil spirits] were darkened
[diminished] by reason of the smoke of the pit [evidence that truths had been
restrained and suppressed in this dormant condition]."
Revelation 9:2
"And there came out of this smoke [evidence]
locusts
[truths which had been
suppressed and restrained] upon the earth [stable society]; and unto them
[the locusts or truths themselves which appeared unto society] was given power, as the
scorpions [schools—the sting of a scorpion is very painful but generally not fatal] of
the earth [society] have power [through teaching and education, bringing
extreme discomfort and a desire for conversion which could not then be realized]."
Revelation 9:3
LOCUSTS |
SCORPION |
Wycliff's followers were known as "Lollards," who were represented by
locusts with stinging scorpion tails in Revelation 9:9,
10. |
Wycliff engaged "poor" priests to teach his doctrines to
the people. The ministry of Wycliff and his followers, along with the English New
Testament, brought truths to light that were painful. This work was embraced by the
Lollards who continued to speak the truths Wycliff had made known.
"And it was commanded them [these truths were
directed] that they should not hurt [bring pain to] the grass [common
people] of the earth [society]; neither any green thing [with
spiritual vitality], neither any tree [prominent people]; but only those men
[professed Christians] which have not the seal [enlightenment] of God [the
holy Spirit of God] in their foreheads [intellects]."
Revelation
9:4
"And to them [these locust truths] it was given
that they should not kill them [or convert them], but that they should be tormented
[troubled] five months [one hundred and fifty years from 1378 to 1528]; and
their torment [trouble] was as the torment of a scorpion [teaching and
education], when he striketh a man [causing pain because others saw through their
errors and practices. A scorpion has two glands that supply his tail stinger. This could
picture the teachings from the Old and New Testament]."
Revelation 9:5
Page from Wycliff's Bible
|
Wycliff's Bible |
"And in those days shall men [those without the
enlightenment of the holy spirit] seek death [a change or conversion from their
position], and could not find it; and shall desire to die [be converted] and
death [conversion] shall flee from them [the reforms were uncertain of being
carried out for no one knew if reforms would be sustained or perish]."
Revelation
9:6
"And the shapes of the locusts [truths] were like
unto horses [doctrines] prepared unto to battle [combat or debate with error];
and on their heads [the priests of these truths] were as it were crowns like
gold [with divine authority], and their faces [appearance of these truth
bearers] were as the faces of men [Christians]."
Revelation 9:7
"And they [the locust truths] had hair
[justification] as the hair of women [an ample covering], and their teeth
were
[rending criticisms] as the teeth of lions [of divine justice]."
Revelation
9:8
"And they [the locust truths] had breastplates
[righteousness], as it were breastplates [righteousness] of iron
[which are impregnable]; and the sound of their wings [messages Scripturally
supported by the wings of the Old and New Testaments, wings of an eagle] was as the
sound of chariots [the message of organizations] of many horses [doctrines] running
to battle [prepared for controversy]."
Revelation 9:9
Wycliff before the Council
|
"And they [the locust truths] had tails
[teachings] like unto scorpions [were sponsored by teachers who were like scorpions
who inflict painful irritations], and there were stings [painful
irritations] in their tails [caused by these teachers]: and their power
[ministry] was to hurt [afflict those men in the church who had not the
enlightenment of the holy Spirit] five months [one hundred and fifty years of a
very shaky reform and uncertain survival]."
Revelation 9:10
"And they had a king [these truths had a king, the
Bible] over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit [the messenger of
restraint and suppression to the unenlightened], whose name [king, Bible truths are
destructive to entrenched errors] in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon [Destroyer],
but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon [Destroyer]."
Revelation
9:11
"One woe [the fifth trumpet] is past; and,
behold, there come two woes more hereafter [by reason of the two remaining
trumpet messages]." Revelation 9:12
