Third Trumpet
(Excerpt from Daniel
and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897)
Revelation 8 -
VERSE 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.
In the
interpretation and application of this passage, we are brought to the third
important event which resulted in the subversion of the Roman empire. And in
finding a historical fulfilment of this third trumpet, we shall be indebted to
the Notes of Dr. Albert Barnes for a few extracts. In explaining this
scripture, it is necessary, as this commentator says, -
"That there should be some chieftain
or warrior who
p 485 -- might
be compared to a blazing meteor; whose course would be singularly brilliant;
who would appear suddenly LIKE a blazing star, and then disappear like a star
whose light was quenched in the waters.
That the desolating
course of this meteor would be mainly on those portions of the world which
abounded with springs of water and running streams; that an effect would be
produced as if those streams and fountains were made bitter; that is,
that many persons would perish, and that wide desolations would be caused in
the vicinity of those rivers and streams, as if a bitter and baleful
star should fall into the waters, and death should spread over lands adjacent
to them, and watered by them." - Notes on Revelation 8.
It is here premised
that this trumpet has allusion to the desolating wars and furious invasions of
Attila against the Roman power, which he carried on at the head of his hordes
of Huns.
Speaking of this
warrior, particularly of his personal appearance, Mr. Barnes
says: - "In the manner of his appearance, he
strongly resembled a brilliant meteor flashing in the sky. He came from the
East gathering his Huns, and poured them down, as we shall see, with the
rapidity of a flashing meteor, suddenly on the empire. He regarded himself also
as devoted to Mars, the god of war, and was accustomed to array himself in a
peculiarly brilliant manner, so that his appearance, in the language of his
flatterers, was such as to dazzle the eyes of beholders."
In speaking of
the locality of the events predicted by this trumpet, Mr.
Barnes has this note: - "It is
said particularly that the effect would be on 'the rivers' and on 'the
fountains of waters.' If this has a literal application, or if, as was supposed
in the case of the second trumpet, the language used was such as had reference
to the portion of the empire that would be particularly affected by the hostile
invasion, then we may suppose that this refers to those portions of the empire
that abounded in rivers and streams, and more particularly those in which the
rivers and streams had their origin; for the effect was permanently in the
'fountains of waters.' As a matter of fact, the principal operations of
Attila were on the regions of the Alps, and on the portions
p 486 --
(picture not
included)
p 487 -- of the
empire whence the rivers flow down into Italy. The invasion of Attila is
described by Mr. Gibbon in this general
language: '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.'"
"And the Name
of the Star is Called Wormwood [denoting the bitter
consequences]." These words -
which are more intimately connected with the preceding verse, as even the
punctuation in our version denotes - recall us for a moment to the character of
Attila, to the misery of which he was the author or the instrument, and to the
terror that was inspired by his name.
"'Total
extirpation and erasure,' are terms which best denote the calamities he
inflicted." He styled himself, "The Scourge of God."
"One of his
lieutenants chastised and almost exterminated the Burgundians of the Rhine.
They traversed, both in their march and in their return, the territories of the
Franks; and they massacred their hostages as well as their captives. Two
hundred young maidens were tortured with exquisite and unrelenting rage; their
bodies were torn asunder by wild horses, or were crushed under the weight of
rolling wagons; and their unburied limbs were abandoned on public roads, as a
prey to dogs and vultures.
"It was the
boast of Attila that the grass never grew on the spot which his horse had trod.
The Western emperor with the senate and people of Rome, humbly and fearfully
depreciated the wrath of Attila. And the concluding paragraph of the chapters
which record his history, is entitled, 'Symptoms of the Decay and Ruin of the
Roman Government.' 'The name of the star is called Wormwood.'" - Keith.
*******
' Attila
was a leader of the Hunnic
Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and
from the Danube
River to the Baltic Sea.'
You can read up on
Attila on wikipedia. Truly he was a force to be reckoned with and a name many
are still to this day familiar with in association with being a "bad"
person. His name along with the name of other infamous conquerors if very familiar-
Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Nero.
That we go through
our history and can see the prophecy puzzle coming together is amazing!
We will continue
this walk through history and prophecy and we will be amazed at where it brings
us, amazed and perhaps awed by the majesty of our God who has given us prophecy
so we can all be prepared, that we can all comprehend His truth through our SAVIOR,
Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Amen!
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