In representing a system of religion by these objects from nature we depart from the general rule first laid down—that objects of nature symbolize political affairs, while the department of human and angelic life is chosen to represent religious affairs. But the reader should bear in mind one important exception to this rule—that things prominently connected with the history of the people of God in former ages are frequently employed (regardless of the department to which they belong) to represent spiritual things, their interpretation being easily seen; such as candle-sticks, altar, temple, incense, etc. When the plague of "thick darkness" covered the land of Egypt for three days, "the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." In the exodus the Lord went before them "by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light." After the erection of the tabernacle the holy place was constantly illuminated. This natural light in the Jewish age constitutes a beautiful type of the spiritual "light of the glorious gospel of Christ" that has "shined in our hearts" in the Christian dispensation. This spiritual light comes from Christ, the "Sun of righteousness," the "true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world"; and proceeds, also, from his people, who "shine as lights in the world." But it is the "light of the gospel." This light proceeds in a special sense from God's ministers, who are represented as "stars" (chap. [1:20]) and who possess "the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Mat. 16:19; 18:18. How appropriate, then, that a fallen "star," possessing "the key of the bottomless pit," should be a symbol of a religious impostor, and that the smoke which darkened the heavens, eclipsing the sun, the source of light, should represent a prominent delusive faith! I have already mentioned the fact that the symbols of this vision lead to a series of events entirely separate in their nature from the spiritual history of the church as developed under other symbols. We find its fulfilment in Mohammed and the delusive system he promulgated. In the year 606 Mahomet retired to a cave in Hera, near Mecca, and there received his pretended revelations, although it was not until six years later that he began to teach his doctrines publicly and to gain followers outside of the circle of his own family and personal friends. Gibbon, Vol. V., p. 121.
The next object in the vision is the locusts that came out of the smoke, to which was given power like scorpions, or power to inflict a deadly sting like scorpions. To what living agents, then, did the delusion of Mohammedanism give birth—agents of a destructive nature like scorpion locust? Evidently, the Saracens,[6] those warrior followers of Mohammed who flocked to his standard. These locusts received the express command that "they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." The successor of Mohammed, Abubeker, gave the Saracens a command that they should "destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of grain; cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only such as you kill to eat." This command was singular, yet it doubtless is not the fulfilment of the command to the locusts; for that would be adopting a literal meaning instead of a symbolic one, and to complete the picture we should have had literal Saracens instead of locusts. We can not consistently make a part literal and the remainder symbolical. In the explanation of the first trumpet (chap. [8:6, 7]), we showed that grass and trees symbolized the inhabitants of a kingdom, grass representing the feebler and trees the stronger portions of society. The fact, then, that these locusts were not to destroy the green grass and trees show that they were not sent as a scourge upon the political empire only, as was the storm of hail and fire under the first trumpet. Had their mission been like that of natural locusts, to destroy every green thing, we should then conclude that they were sent as a scourge upon the empire alone, having nothing whatever to do with a system of religion. These locusts, however, were commanded not to do what natural locusts always do—eat green grass and trees—and were commissioned to do what locusts never do—"hurt men," but only those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads; that is, the worshipers of a false, idolatrous church, who are not known unto God as his true people. This is positive proof that the design of this vision is to set forth some awful religious imposture; for the "men" that they were to hurt are found in the department which by analogy represents religious events.
Footnote 6: [(return)]
"In earlier times the name of Saraceni was applied by Greeks and Romans to the troublesome Nomad Arabs of the Syro-Arabian desert."—Encyclopædia Britannica. In the Middle Ages, however, Europeans began to call all their Moslem enemies Saracens. It is in the limited sense that it is here applied, designating the first followers of Mohammed before the rise of the Ottoman empire.
The fact that their commission was to torment those "men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads," is a proof also of the wide-spread apostasies that had already taken place. This was the time when the pale horseman was careering over the world carrying desolation everywhere by his instruments of oppression—sword, pestilences, famine, and the wild beasts of the earth. "The churches both in the Western and Eastern empire were in the most deplorable condition, being corrupted with the grossest ignorance and idolatry; the virgin Mary, the saints, and miserable relics of every description being worshiped in the place of Jehovah, and superstition reigning with sovereign power over all minds." The Saracen warriors of Mohammed were sent as a scourge upon apostate Christendom, overrunning the very territory where the gospel was first preached, and were commissioned to "torment" the false professors of Christianity.
In regard to the kind and the extent of the injury they were to inflict, it is said that "to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." The Saracens, as here described under the symbol of the locusts, sustained a two-fold relation, and the careful and perfect manner in which the symbols are selected to set it forth is worthy of particular notice. In the first place, the Saracens were a political body. As such, locusts would fitly represent them. But they were also a religious body, and how could that fact be symbolically combined with the other? It is done by the locusts' being forbidden to act out their own nature in eating grass and trees, and their being commanded instead to "hurt men," thus changing the field of their operations into the department of human life—the department that is chosen to symbolically set forth religious events. Thus the politico-religious system of the Saracens is accurately set forth. This, also, is nearly as clear as a demonstration that the position already taken concerning the nature and the use of symbolic language is correct.
It was given that they should "not kill" men. We have already shown that killing men when used symbolically signifies the destruction of the political or ecclesiastical organizations and institutions of society. We could not consistently interpret it as literal slaughter, but as some analagous destruction. Now, the Saracen power was, as already stated, a politico-religious system, and its warriors were an infatuated set of religious fanatics, described by historians as "carrying the sword in one hand, and the Koran in the other." Thus, they had it in their power to kill either religiously or politically—destroy either the church or the empire—but they did neither, for their mission was not to kill, but to "torment." "They made extensive conquests and gained immense numbers of converts. But they did not overthrow the Eastern empire, although they repeatedly attacked and besieged Constantinople, suffering, however, uniform defeat in the attempt. Neither did they destroy the church, corrupt and apostate as it was. To idolators and infidels they put the alternative of the Koran or death; but allowed the Christians to retain their church organization, laying them, however, under severe contributions, and treating them to the ignominious appellation of Christian dogs." Concerning the character of Mohammed, Gibbon informs us that "he seldom trampled on a prostrate enemy, and he seems to promise, that on the payment of a tribute, the least guilty of his unbelieving subjects might be indulged in their worship, or at least in their imperfect faith" (Vol. V, p. 129), and this, of course, would be the natural tendency of his followers. The Armenian and the Greek churches survived, and still exist in that portion of the world, but they have indeed been greviously tormented. "The proud Moslem, glorying in his prophet and religion, has heaped every possible insult and injury upon the Christians," yet he suffered them to live, but live only for him to torment. Surely the oppressions thus experienced are appropriately described by the words, "as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." Under such torments the professed Christians might court death, but such is not granted; and still they survive, but only to be "tormented." The Moslem had "the Christian dog" completely under his foot.
We now turn our attention to the period of time during which these Saracen locusts were to continue their ravages. It is given as "five months," or one hundred and fifty days. As this description is entirely symbolic, we must consider the time symbolic also, for time certainly can be symbolized as well as anything else. It is very appropriate for days to symbolize years, for they are analagous periods of time; the diurnal revolution of the earth being taken to represent the earth's annual movement. Such a system of reckoning time was known centuries ago. When Jacob complained to Laban because he had been given Leah instead of Rachel, "Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week ... seven other years." Gen. 29:26-30. In this case it will be seen that a day was used to represent a year, since seven days, or one week, represented seven years. When the law was given, Moses recognized the week of seven natural days, the last day of which was constituted a Sabbath of rest for Israel; but he also instituted a week of seven years, the last year of which was a sabbatical year of rest unto the land. This last fact will explain such expressions as "forty days, each day for a year" (Num. 14:34), and "I have appointed thee each day for a year." Ezek. 4:6.
This period, then, of "five months," or one hundred and fifty days, would represent symbolically one hundred and fifty years. As before stated, it was in the year A.D. 612 that Mohammed began to expound his doctrines publicly and to gather adherents around his standard, from which point the locusts commenced, although the smoke had been let out of the pit a little previously. For a period of one hundred and fifty years from this date, they continued their ravages, until A.D. 762. Then they "built Bagdad, which became their settled seat of empire; and henceforth they became a settled nation, making no further conquests." From that date their power began to decline. But during this one hundred and fifty years they spread over the country like swarms of devouring locusts. According to the well-known facts of history, "they overran Arabia, Palestine, Persia, Egypt, and the northern shores of Africa, from which they passed to the conquest of Portugal and Spain." These were the countries that had been the most oppressed by a priest-ridden church and where especially were to be found those "men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." Europe was trembling and filled with apprehension at what her fate might be at the hands of these fanatic warriors who fought with savage fury, under the promise of their prophet that, if slain in battle, they should be immediately transported to Paradise. At the zenith of their power, and confident of success, they passed from Spain into France four hundred thousand strong. But here they exceeded their mission. The southern provinces of France contained many Christians who had the "seal of God" upon them, and this country became the seat of the Waldenses and Albigenses, of which interesting people we shall learn more hereafter. The invading host was met at Tours by Charles, grandfather of Charlemagne, who dealt them such a crushing blow that he was ever afterward designated by the surname Martel—the Hammer. This battle was one of the fiercest recorded in history. The Saracens who had scarcely ever experienced defeat fought with the fury of despair, until, according to the accounts of that age, three hundred and seventy-five thousand of their number lay upon the field of battle with their general. This decisive victory saved Europe from her threatened subjection to the Mohammedan faith.
The next point in the vision to claim our attention is the particular description of these locusts. Some of the points mentioned might find a literal fulfilment in the personal appearance of the Saracens—such as the crowns signifying the turbans they wore, etc., but we must adhere strictly to the symbolic mode of interpretation and look for their fulfilment in Saracen character. Their being like war-horses denotes their warlike disposition. The crowns on their heads signify their great success and triumphs. Their faces of men and hair like women doubtless signify their boldness on the one hand and their effeminateness on the other. Their teeth as the teeth of lions show their ferocity of character. Their breastplates of iron indicate their invincibility or else their insensibility to injuries inflicted upon them. The sound of their wings like horses and chariots running to battle denotes the multitude and rapidity of their conquests. Their tails like scorpions, containing stings with which to "hurt men"—operating in the religious world—symbolize their position as propagators of a false faith. Thus they are set forth in their two-fold character—as invincible warriors and as the zealous professors of a delusion, whose sting was like that of a scorpion when he strikes a man.
"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." The following fact of history will explain this: "The Saracens had their Caliphs, the successors of Mohammed, who united in themselves the supreme civil, military and ecclesiastical powers. They were the high-priests of their religion, the commanders of their armies, and the emperors of the nation." This king over them signifies a succession of rulers, and they are well described as "the angel of the bottomless pit," for that is the very place where the delusion is said to have originated. Mahomet, as a fallen star, opened the pit and let out the smoke, and his successors, who grasped his power and authority, are fitly characterized as angels from the same place, bearing the name Abaddon or Apollyon, which terms both signify Destroyer.