The Seven Trumpets

The Seven TrumpetsIllustration.Symbols Of War. "The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged." Rev. 11:18.1. Following the seven seals, under what symbols was the next series of thrilling events shown the apostle John?“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were givenseven trumpets.”Rev. 8:2.2. With what do these trumpets deal?With the wars, commotions, and political upheavals which result in the breaking up and downfall of the Roman Empire,—the first four with the downfall of Western Rome, the fifth and sixth with the downfall of Eastern Rome, and the seventh with the final downfall of Rome in its broadest sense, or all the kingdoms of the world. See Revelation 8 and 9 and 11:14-19. A trumpet is a symbol of war. Jer. 4:19, 20; Joel 2:1-11.3. Under what figures is the first trumpet described?“The first angel sounded, and there followedhailandfiremingled withblood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”Rev. 8:7.Notes.—“Twice, at least, before the Roman Empire became divided permanently into the two parts, the Eastern and the Western, there was a tripartite division of the empire. The first occurred 311a.d., when it was divided between Constantine, Licinius, and Maximin; the other, 337a.d., on the death of Constantine, when it was divided between his three sons, Constantine, Constans, and Constantius.”—Albert Barnes, on Rev. 12:4.[pg 290]To Constantius was given Constantinople and the East; to Constans, Italy, Illyricum, and northern Africa; and to Constantine II, Britain, Gaul, and Spain.This trumpet describes the first great invasion upon Western or ancient Rome, by the Goths, under Alaric, from 395a.d.to 410a.d.In 408 he descended upon Italy, the middle“third part,”pillaging and burning cities, and slaughtering their inhabitants. Says Gibbon, in his“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”chapter 33, closing sentence,“The union of the Roman Empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issuing from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa.”4. What striking figure is used to describe the destruction wrought under the second trumpet?“And the second angel sounded, and as it werea great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”Verses 8, 9.Note.—This describes the invasions and conquests of the Vandals under the terrible Genseric—first of Africa and later of Italy—from 428 to 476a.d.His conquests were largely by sea. In a single night, near Carthage, he destroyed, by fire and sword, more than half of the Roman fleet, consisting of 1,113 ships and over 100,000 men. See Gibbon's“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”chapter 36.5. What was to take place under the third trumpet?“And the third angel sounded, andthere 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; and the name of the star is calledWormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood;and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”Verses 10, 11.Notes.—The harassing invasions and conquests of Attila, the Hun, are foretold here. His conquests were characterized by fire; sword, and pillage along the Rhine, in Gaul, and northern Italy. He claimed descent from Nimrod, styled himself the“Scourge of God”and the“Dread of the World,”and boasted that grass would never grow again where his horse had trod. His greatest battle was at Chalons, in Gaul, 451a.d., where of his 700,000 men from 100,000 to 300,000 are said to have been left dead on the field. See Gibbon's Rome, chapter 35, and“Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World,”by Sir Edward Creasy, chapter 6.Says Gibbon (chapter 34),“In the reign of Attila, the Huns again became the terror of the world;”and he proceeds to describe“the character and actions of that formidable barbarian, who,”he says,“alternately insulted and invaded the East and the West, and urged the rapid downfall of the Roman Empire.”6. What was to occur under the fourth trumpet?“And the fourth angel sounded, andthe third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the[pg 291]day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”Verse 12.Note.—This trumpet brings us to the fall of Western Rome, in 476a.d., when the Herulian barbarians, under the leadership of Odoacer, took possession of the city and scepter of Rome; and the great empire which had hitherto been the empress of the world was reduced to a poor dukedom, tributary to the exarch of Ravenna. Its luminaries, or civil rulers, were smitten, and ceased to shine.“Italy now became in effect a province of the empire of the East. The Roman Empire in the West had come to an end, after an existence from the founding of Rome of 1,229 years.”—Myers's“General History,”page 348.7. What was to be the character of the last three trumpets?“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice,Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”Verse 13.Illustration.The Seven Trumpets.8. After the fall of Western Rome, what power in the East arose to harass and overrun the Roman world, East and West?Mohammedanism, commonly known as the Turkish or Ottoman power, which arose in Arabia, with Mohammed, in 622a.d.9. How is the fifth trumpet, or first woe, introduced?“And the fifth angel sounded, and I sawa star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smokelocustsupon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”Rev. 9:1-3.Notes.—Attila is symbolized by the star of the third trumpet (Rev. 8:10, 11); Mohammed, by the star of this trumpet. The bottomless pit doubtless refers to the wastes of the Arabian desert, from which came forth[pg 292]the Mohammedans, or Saracens of Arabia, like swarms of locusts. The darkening caused by the smoke from this pit fitly represents the spread of Mohammedanism and its doctrines over Asia, Africa, and portions of Europe. Their power as scorpions is strikingly seen in their vigorous and speedy attacks upon, and overthrow of, their enemies.“Over a large part of Spain, over north Africa, Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, Persia, north India, and portions of Central Asia were spread—to the more or less perfect exclusion of native customs, speech, and worship—the manners, the language, and the religion of the Arabian conquerors.”—Myers's“General History,”page 401.10. What command was given these locusts?“And it was commanded them 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.”Verse 4.Notes.—When the Arabian tribes were gathered for the conquest of Syria, 633a.d., the caliph Abu-Bekr, the successor of Mohammed, instructed the chiefs of his army not to allow their victory to be“stained with the blood of women and children;”to“destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of corn;”to“cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle;”and to spare those religious persons“who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God in that way;”but, he said,“you will find another sort of people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns: be sure you cleave their skulls and give them no quarter till they either turn Mohammedan or pay tribute.”In this, Mohammedanism, itself a false religion, is revealed as a scourge to apostate Christianity.“In a short time they [the Mohammedan Saracens] had taken from the Aryans all the principal old Semitic lands,—Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Babylonia. To these was soon added Egypt.”—Encyclopedia Britannica, article“Mohammedanism.”11. What were these locusts said to have over them?“And they hada kingover 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 [margin, a destroyer].”Verse 11.Notes.—For hundreds of years the Mohammedans and invading Tartar tribes, like the locusts (Prov. 30:27), had no general government or king over them, but were divided into bands, or factions, under separate leaders. But in the twelfth century Temuljin, king of the Mongols, or Moguls, who is described as“the most terrible scourge that ever afflicted the human race,”built up an empire“at the cost,”it is estimated, says Myers in his“General History,”page 461, of“fifty thousand cities and towns and five million lives.”This was followed by the more permanent Tartar empire founded by Othman a century later, commonly known as the Ottoman Empire, and ruled by the sultan.From the first, the great characteristic of the Turkish government has been that of a“destroyer.”Speaking of a war by the Turks upon the Byzantine Empire in 1050, Gibbon (chapter 57) says:“The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles from Tauris to Erzeroum, and the blood of one hundred and thirty thousand Christians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet.”[pg 293]In 1058 the Turks wrested the Holy Land from the Saracens, desecrated the holy places, and treated the pilgrims to Jerusalem with cruelty. This brought on the nine unsuccessful crusades of the next two centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land.12. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt menfive months.”Verse 10. See also verse 5.Notes.—“It was on the twenty-seventh of July, in the year 1299,”says Gibbon,“that Othman first invaded the territory of Nicomedia,”in Asia Minor,“and the singular accuracy of the date,”he adds,“seems to disclose some foresight of the rapid and destructive growth of the monster.”—“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”chap. 64, par. 14This, then, we take to be the beginning of the period referred to.A Bible month consists of thirty days; five months would be 150 days. Allowing a day for a year, 150 years from July 27, 1299, would reach to July 27, 1449. During this period the Turks were engaged in almost constant warfare with the Greek Empire, and yet without conquering it.13. With what statement does the fifth trumpet close?“One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”Verse 12.14. What command is given under the sixth trumpet?“And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet,Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.”Verses 13, 14.Notes.—These four angels are understood to refer to the four leading Turkish sultanies—Aleppo, Iconium, Damascus, and Bagdad—of which the Ottoman Empire was composed, situated in the country watered by the river Euphrates.As a striking parallel it may be noted that under the sixth plague (Rev. 16:12-16), the four angels of Rev. 7:1-3 will loose the winds of war, the waters of the river Euphrates (the Turkish Empire) will be dried up, and the armies of the nations will assemble for the battle of Armageddon.15. What warlike scene is given under this trumpet?“The number of the armies of the horsemen wastwice ten thousand times ten thousand: ... and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; andout of their mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone.”Verses 16, 17, R. V.Notes.—“In the year 1453, Mohammed II, the Great, sultan of the Ottomans, laid siege to the capital [Constantinople], with an army of over 200,000 men. After a short investment, the place was taken by storm. The cross, which since the time of Constantine the Great had surmounted the dome of St. Sophia, was replaced by the crescent, which remains to this day.”—Myers's“General History,”edition 1902, pages 462, 463.[pg 294]Thus Constantinople, the eastern seat of the Roman Empire since the days of Constantine, was captured by the Turks.Reference also seems to be made here to the use of firearms, which began to be employed by the Turks toward the close of the thirteenth century, and which, discharged from horseback, would give the appearance of fire and smoke issuing from the horses' mouths. In the battle of Armageddon, to which allusion may here be made, an army of“twice ten thousand times ten thousand,”or two hundred million, will doubtless be assembled.16. What was the result of this warfare by means of“fire and smoke and brimstone”?“By these three was the third part of men killed.”Verse 18.Note.—This shows the deadly effect of this new means of warfare.“Constantinople was subdued, her empire subverted, and her religion trampled in the dust by the Moslem conquerors.”—Elliott's“Horæ Apocalypticæ,”Vol. I, page 484.17. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?“And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for anhour, and aday, and amonth; and ayear, for to slay the third part of men.”Verse 15.Note.—An hour in prophetic time is equal to fifteen days; a day stands for a year, a month for thirty years, a year for 360 years. Added together, these amount to 391 years and fifteen days, the time allotted for the Ottoman supremacy. Commencing July 27, 1449, the date of the close of the fifth trumpet, this period would end Aug. 11, 1840. In exact fulfilment of the words of inspiration, this date marks the fall of the Ottoman Empire as an independent power. His empire wasted beyond hope of recovery in a war with Mohammed Ali, pasha of Egypt, the sultan of Turkey submitted to the dictates of the then four great powers of Europe, and his minister, Rifat Bey, on that very day, Aug. 11, 1840, reached Alexandria, bearing, not the sultan's ultimatum, but that of the powers, to place in the hands of the rebellious pasha. Since then Turkey has existed only by the help or sufferance of the great powers of Europe, and has commonly been referred to as“the Sick Man of the East.”18. With what announcement does the sixth trumpet close?“The second woe is past; and, behold,the third woe cometh quickly.”Rev. 11:14.Note.—The definite period under the sixth trumpet brings us to 1840, when Turkey lost her independence. Her final downfall, we understand, will come at the opening of the seventh trumpet.19. What is to be finished when the seventh trumpet is about to sound?“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finishedthe mystery of God, according to the good tidings which He declared to His servants the prophets.”Rev. 10:7, R. V.Note.—The mystery of God is the gospel. Eph. 3:3-6; Gal. 1:11, 12, When this trumpet is about to sound, therefore, the gospel will close,[pg 295]and the end will come. The“time of trouble,”of Dan. 12:1, and the seven last plagues and the battle of Armageddon, spoken of in Revelation 16, will take place when this trumpet begins to sound.20. What event marks the sounding of the seventh trumpet?“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.”Rev. 11:15-17.Note.—The seventh trumpet, therefore, brings us to the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom.21. What is the condition of the nations, and what other events are due or impending at this time?“Andthe nations were angry, andThy wrath is come, andthe time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldestgive reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldestdestroy them which destroy the earth.”Verse 18.Notes.—The closing scenes of this world's history and the judgment are clearly brought to view here. Ever since the loss of independence by the Ottoman Empire in 1840, the nations have been preparing for war as never before, in view of international complications and a world war which all fear is inevitable upon the dissolution of Turkey and the final disposition of its territory. Towering above all others, the Eastern question has been the one of paramount concern to them.The investigative judgment began in heaven in 1844, at the close of the prophetic period of 2300 days. See readings on pages230-253. When this is finished, the time of reward will have arrived, the end will have come, and the saints will themselves sit in judgment. See Rev. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:1-3.22. What scene in heaven was presented to the prophet as the seventh trumpet was about to sound?“Andthe temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His templethe ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”Rev. 11:19.Notes.—This forcibly calls attention to the closing work of Christ in the second apartment, or most holy place, of the sanctuary in heaven, which began in 1844. See readings referred to in preceding note. The reference to the ark of God's testament is a forcible reminder also of that which is to be the standard in the judgment,—the law of God, or ten commandments. See Eccl. 12:13, 14; Rom. 2:12, 13; James 2:8-12.From its closing words—the reference to“great hail”—the seventh trumpet evidently embraces the seven last plagues (see Rev. 16:17, 18); and from its opening words—“the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord”—it marks the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom.[pg 296]The Eastern QuestionIllustration.The Bosporus. "He shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Dan. 11:45.1. What, briefly stated, is the Eastern question?The driving out of Turkey from Europe, and the final extinction of the Turkish Empire, with the world-embracing events that follow. It has been otherwise described as“the driving of the Turk into Asia, and a scramble for his territory.”2. What scriptures are devoted to the Turkish power?Dan. 11:40-45; Revelation 9; and Rev. 16:12.Note.—In the eleventh chapter of Daniel, Turkey is dealt with under the title of the“king of the north;”in Revelation 9, under the sounding of the fifth and sixth“trumpets;”and in Revelation 16, under the symbol of the drying up of the water of the chief river of the Turkish Asiatic possessions,“the great river Euphrates.”The actual drying up of the river Euphrates was the signal for the overthrow of ancient Babylon.3. When did Turkey take Constantinople, and thus the northern division of ancient Greece and Rome?Ina.d.1453, under Mohammed II. See pages293,294.Note.—After the death of Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire was divided by his four leading generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy, into four parts,—east, west, north, and south,—the first three of which were shortly afterward absorbed into one kingdom, the kingdom of the north, Egypt remaining the king, or kingdom, of the south. In the breaking up of the Roman Empire, the Turks gained possession of the Holy Land ina.d.1058, and finally of Constantinople, and considerable portions of eastern Europe,—the kingdom of the north,—in 1453, to which, with varying fortunes and shrinking geographical boundaries, it has held ever since.4. How has Turkey been regarded by European nations?[pg 297]“The Turks have ever remained quite insensible to the influences of European civilization, and their government has been a perfect blight and curse to the countries subject to their rule. They have always been looked uponas intrudersin Europe, and their presence there has led to several of the most sanguinary wars of modern times. Gradually they have been pushed out from their European possessions, and the time is probably not very far distant when they will be driven back across the Bosporus.”—Myers's“General History,”edition 1902, page 468.5. When did the independence of Turkey cease?In 1840, at the close of a two years' war between Turkey and Egypt, when the fate of Turkey was placed in the hands of four great powers of Europe,—England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. See page 294, under question 19.6. What is one of the last predictions of the prophecy of Daniel concerning the king of the north?“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.”Dan. 11:44.Note.—Upon this, Dr. Adam Clarke, writing in 1825, said:“If the Turkish power be understood, as in the preceding verses, it may mean that the Persians on theeastand the Russians on thenorthwill at some time greatly embarrass the Ottoman government.”Such indeed was the case, and these conditions brought on the Crimean war of 1853-56, between Russia and Turkey. In this war England and France came to the help of Turkey, and prevented Russia from grasping Constantinople, her coveted prize, and thus gaining access to the Dardanelles and the Mediterranean and so possessing herself of the gateway of commerce between Europe Asia. Without an outlet to the sea, Russia cannot be a strong naval power. In his celebrated will, Peter the Great of Russia (1672-1725) admonished his countrymen thus:“Take every possible means of gaining Constantinople and the Indies, for,”said he,“he who rules there will be the true sovereign of the world; excite war continually in Turkey and Persia; ... get control of the sea by degrees; ... advance to the Indies, which are the great depot of the world. Once there, we can do without the gold of England.”The authenticity of this will has been questioned, but it outlines a policy which Russia has quite faithfully pursued.7. What since 1840 has saved Turkey from complete overthrow?The help and interference of various European powers.Note.—“It is not too much to say that England has twice saved Turkey from complete subjection since 1853. It is largely—mainly—due to our action that she now exists at all as an independent power. On both these occasions we dragged the powers of Europe along with us in maintaining the Ottoman government.”—Duke of Argyle (1895), in“The Turkish-Armenian Question,”page 17.8. Why have these powers thus helped Turkey?[pg 298]Not from love for Turkey, but for fear of the international complications that its downfall might entail.Notes.—In his Mansion House speech, Nov. 9, 1895, Lord Salisbury, responding to a wide-spread demand for the overthrow of the Turkish power, said:“Turkey is in that remarkable condition that it has now stood for half a century, mainly because the great powers of the world have resolved thatfor the peace of Christendom it is necessary that the Ottoman Empire should stand. They came to that conclusion nearly half a century ago. I do not think they have altered it now.The danger, if the Ottoman Empire fall, would not merely be the danger that would threaten the territories of which that empire consists;it would be the danger that the fire there lit should spread to other nations, and should involve all that is most powerful and civilized in Europe in a dangerous and calamitous contest. That was a danger that was present to the minds of our fathers when they resolved to make the integrity and independence of the Ottoman Empire a matter of European treaty,and that is a dangerwhich has not passed away.”“The Balkan, or Near Eastern, question has been one of the most complicated political problems of the world's history for half a century. ... For four centuries and a half, or ever since the conquering Turk crossed the Bosporus and took Constantinople, the grim contest has been on to dislodge him by war and diplomacy.”—American Review of Reviews, November, 1912.Nearly a century ago, Napoleon, while a prisoner on St. Helena, explained that when emperor of France, he would not consent for Alexander, the czar of Russia, to have Constantinople,“foreseeing that the equilibrium of Europe would be destroyed.”9. What is the divine prediction regarding the future and final downfall of the king of the north?“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seasin the glorious holy mountain: yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”Dan. 11:45.Note.—It would seem natural that the Ottoman government should make its last stand at Jerusalem. Around the city of the Holy Sepulcher and the tombs of the“saints”has been waged for long years a war between the followers of Islam and the believers in the Christian religion. In this place, many Bible students believe, Turkey will come to her end in fulfilment of this scripture.10. Under which of the seven last plagues is the water of the Euphrates (Turkey) to be dried up, and for what purpose?“Andthe sixth angelpoured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof wasdried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared.”Rev. 16:12.Note.—For years the drying-up process of the Turkish Empire has been in progress, as may be seen from the following:—(1) In 1783 Turkey was compelled to surrender to Russia the territory of the Crimea, including all the countries east of the Caspian Sea.(2) In 1828 Greece secured her independence.(3) In 1830 Algeria was ceded to France.(4) In 1867 Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Egypt.[pg 299](5) In the same year Turkey lost possession of Servia and Bosnia.(6) In 1878 the Treaty of Berlin granted autonomous government to Bulgaria, and independence to Roumelia, Roumania, and Montenegro.(7) In 1912 Tripoli was taken over by Italy.(8) In 1912 and 1913 the Balkan States and Greece dispossessed Turkey of nearly all of her remaining territory in Europe.11. Under this plague, what incites the nations to war?“And I sawthree unclean spiritslike frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they arethe spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”Verses 13, 14.12. At this time, what event is near at hand?“Behold, I come as a thief.Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”Verse 15.13. To what place will the nations be gathered for battle?“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongueArmageddon.”Verse 16.Note.—Armageddon consists of a great triangular plain in northern Palestine, twelve by fifteen by eighteen miles, extending southeast from Mt. Carmel, otherwise known as the plain of Esdraelon, or valley of Jezreel. It has been the scene of many great battles, such as that of Gideon's overthrow of the Midianites (Judges 6, 7), when“the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow;”of Saul's defeat by the Philistines (1 Sam. 29: 1; 1 Chronicles 10); and of Josiah's defeat by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:20-24): and, as this scripture indicates, it is the place where, under the influence of evil spirits just preceding Christ's second coming, the great armies of the world will be gathered for their final struggle and utter destruction under the seventh plague.14. When the king of the north comes to his end, what, according to the prophecy, is to take place?“Andat that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: andthere shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nationeven to that same time: andat that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”Dan. 12:1.Note.—The expression“stand up”occurs eight times in this line of prophecy (Daniel 11 and 12), and in each case meansto reign. See Dan. 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 20, 21; 12:1. Michael is Christ, as will be seen by comparing Jude 9, 1 Thess. 4:16, and John 5:25. When the Turkish Empire is brought to an end, therefore, the time will have come for Christ to receive His kingdom (Luke 19:11-15), and begin His reign. This great change will be ushered in by the downfall, not only of Turkey, but of all nations (Rev. 11:15); by the time of trouble here spoken of; by the seven[pg 300]last plagues described in Revelation 16; and by the deliverance of all God's people,—those whose names are found written in the book of life (Rev. 3:5; 20:12),—which shows that probation and the investigative judgment will then be past.15. What will take place at this time?“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”Verse 2.Notes.—At the resurrection of Christ there was a special resurrection, when many of the saints were raised from the dead, were seen of many, and were taken to heaven with Christ at His ascension. Matt. 27:52, 53; Eph. 4:8. So, just prior to Christ's second coming and the general resurrection of the righteous, many of the sleeping saints, and some colossal sinners (those that“pierced Him,”Rev. 1:7), it seems, will be raised to witness His coming, and hear God's covenant of peace with His people.This line of prophecy, therefore, brings us down to the resurrection of the righteous, which takes place at the second advent.16. What false message will go forth before destruction comes upon those unprepared for Christ's coming and kingdom?“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, ... and they shall not escape.”1 Thess. 5:2, 3.Note.—The so-called Christian nations will not go to Palestine merely to expel the Turks from the land. As in the crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the idea will be to rescue the Holy Land from the Mohammedans, and make Jerusalem the center of a glorious kingdom, with Christ as king. The Papacy itself, it is thought by some, will at this time remove its seat to Jerusalem, and issue a great peace proclamation, directing the nations to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and calling upon all to come up to the mountain of the Lord, as described in Isa. 2:2-5 and Micah 4:1-5. Infatuated by the doctrine of a temporal millennium, many nations will join in the call, and say,“For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”Isa. 2:3. But this will be but the signal for the battle of Armageddon and the“sudden destruction”that is to overtake the world and bring to an end the present order of things. See Rev. 19:17-21; Eze. 38:14-23; 39:17-22. Toward this consummation passing events all indicate we are rapidly hastening.Watchman on the walls of Zion,What, O tell us, of the night?Is the day-star now arising?Will the morn soon greet our sight?O'er your vision shine there now some rays of light?Tell, O tell us, are the landmarksOn our voyage all passed by?Are we nearing now the haven?Can we e'en the land descry?Do we truly see the heavenly kingdom nigh?[pg 301]

Illustration.Symbols Of War. "The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged." Rev. 11:18.

Symbols Of War. "The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged." Rev. 11:18.

1. Following the seven seals, under what symbols was the next series of thrilling events shown the apostle John?

“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were givenseven trumpets.”Rev. 8:2.

2. With what do these trumpets deal?

With the wars, commotions, and political upheavals which result in the breaking up and downfall of the Roman Empire,—the first four with the downfall of Western Rome, the fifth and sixth with the downfall of Eastern Rome, and the seventh with the final downfall of Rome in its broadest sense, or all the kingdoms of the world. See Revelation 8 and 9 and 11:14-19. A trumpet is a symbol of war. Jer. 4:19, 20; Joel 2:1-11.

3. Under what figures is the first trumpet described?

“The first angel sounded, and there followedhailandfiremingled withblood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”Rev. 8:7.

Notes.—“Twice, at least, before the Roman Empire became divided permanently into the two parts, the Eastern and the Western, there was a tripartite division of the empire. The first occurred 311a.d., when it was divided between Constantine, Licinius, and Maximin; the other, 337a.d., on the death of Constantine, when it was divided between his three sons, Constantine, Constans, and Constantius.”—Albert Barnes, on Rev. 12:4.[pg 290]To Constantius was given Constantinople and the East; to Constans, Italy, Illyricum, and northern Africa; and to Constantine II, Britain, Gaul, and Spain.This trumpet describes the first great invasion upon Western or ancient Rome, by the Goths, under Alaric, from 395a.d.to 410a.d.In 408 he descended upon Italy, the middle“third part,”pillaging and burning cities, and slaughtering their inhabitants. Says Gibbon, in his“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”chapter 33, closing sentence,“The union of the Roman Empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issuing from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa.”

This trumpet describes the first great invasion upon Western or ancient Rome, by the Goths, under Alaric, from 395a.d.to 410a.d.In 408 he descended upon Italy, the middle“third part,”pillaging and burning cities, and slaughtering their inhabitants. Says Gibbon, in his“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”chapter 33, closing sentence,“The union of the Roman Empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issuing from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa.”

4. What striking figure is used to describe the destruction wrought under the second trumpet?

“And the second angel sounded, and as it werea great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”Verses 8, 9.

Note.—This describes the invasions and conquests of the Vandals under the terrible Genseric—first of Africa and later of Italy—from 428 to 476a.d.His conquests were largely by sea. In a single night, near Carthage, he destroyed, by fire and sword, more than half of the Roman fleet, consisting of 1,113 ships and over 100,000 men. See Gibbon's“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”chapter 36.

5. What was to take place under the third trumpet?

“And the third angel sounded, andthere 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; and the name of the star is calledWormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood;and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”Verses 10, 11.

Notes.—The harassing invasions and conquests of Attila, the Hun, are foretold here. His conquests were characterized by fire; sword, and pillage along the Rhine, in Gaul, and northern Italy. He claimed descent from Nimrod, styled himself the“Scourge of God”and the“Dread of the World,”and boasted that grass would never grow again where his horse had trod. His greatest battle was at Chalons, in Gaul, 451a.d., where of his 700,000 men from 100,000 to 300,000 are said to have been left dead on the field. See Gibbon's Rome, chapter 35, and“Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World,”by Sir Edward Creasy, chapter 6.Says Gibbon (chapter 34),“In the reign of Attila, the Huns again became the terror of the world;”and he proceeds to describe“the character and actions of that formidable barbarian, who,”he says,“alternately insulted and invaded the East and the West, and urged the rapid downfall of the Roman Empire.”

Says Gibbon (chapter 34),“In the reign of Attila, the Huns again became the terror of the world;”and he proceeds to describe“the character and actions of that formidable barbarian, who,”he says,“alternately insulted and invaded the East and the West, and urged the rapid downfall of the Roman Empire.”

6. What was to occur under the fourth trumpet?

“And the fourth angel sounded, andthe third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the[pg 291]day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”Verse 12.

Note.—This trumpet brings us to the fall of Western Rome, in 476a.d., when the Herulian barbarians, under the leadership of Odoacer, took possession of the city and scepter of Rome; and the great empire which had hitherto been the empress of the world was reduced to a poor dukedom, tributary to the exarch of Ravenna. Its luminaries, or civil rulers, were smitten, and ceased to shine.“Italy now became in effect a province of the empire of the East. The Roman Empire in the West had come to an end, after an existence from the founding of Rome of 1,229 years.”—Myers's“General History,”page 348.

7. What was to be the character of the last three trumpets?

“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice,Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”Verse 13.

Illustration.The Seven Trumpets.

The Seven Trumpets.

8. After the fall of Western Rome, what power in the East arose to harass and overrun the Roman world, East and West?

Mohammedanism, commonly known as the Turkish or Ottoman power, which arose in Arabia, with Mohammed, in 622a.d.

9. How is the fifth trumpet, or first woe, introduced?

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I sawa star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smokelocustsupon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”Rev. 9:1-3.

Notes.—Attila is symbolized by the star of the third trumpet (Rev. 8:10, 11); Mohammed, by the star of this trumpet. The bottomless pit doubtless refers to the wastes of the Arabian desert, from which came forth[pg 292]the Mohammedans, or Saracens of Arabia, like swarms of locusts. The darkening caused by the smoke from this pit fitly represents the spread of Mohammedanism and its doctrines over Asia, Africa, and portions of Europe. Their power as scorpions is strikingly seen in their vigorous and speedy attacks upon, and overthrow of, their enemies.“Over a large part of Spain, over north Africa, Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, Persia, north India, and portions of Central Asia were spread—to the more or less perfect exclusion of native customs, speech, and worship—the manners, the language, and the religion of the Arabian conquerors.”—Myers's“General History,”page 401.

“Over a large part of Spain, over north Africa, Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, Persia, north India, and portions of Central Asia were spread—to the more or less perfect exclusion of native customs, speech, and worship—the manners, the language, and the religion of the Arabian conquerors.”—Myers's“General History,”page 401.

10. What command was given these locusts?

“And it was commanded them 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.”Verse 4.

Notes.—When the Arabian tribes were gathered for the conquest of Syria, 633a.d., the caliph Abu-Bekr, the successor of Mohammed, instructed the chiefs of his army not to allow their victory to be“stained with the blood of women and children;”to“destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of corn;”to“cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle;”and to spare those religious persons“who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God in that way;”but, he said,“you will find another sort of people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns: be sure you cleave their skulls and give them no quarter till they either turn Mohammedan or pay tribute.”In this, Mohammedanism, itself a false religion, is revealed as a scourge to apostate Christianity.“In a short time they [the Mohammedan Saracens] had taken from the Aryans all the principal old Semitic lands,—Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Babylonia. To these was soon added Egypt.”—Encyclopedia Britannica, article“Mohammedanism.”

“In a short time they [the Mohammedan Saracens] had taken from the Aryans all the principal old Semitic lands,—Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Babylonia. To these was soon added Egypt.”—Encyclopedia Britannica, article“Mohammedanism.”

11. What were these locusts said to have over them?

“And they hada kingover 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 [margin, a destroyer].”Verse 11.

Notes.—For hundreds of years the Mohammedans and invading Tartar tribes, like the locusts (Prov. 30:27), had no general government or king over them, but were divided into bands, or factions, under separate leaders. But in the twelfth century Temuljin, king of the Mongols, or Moguls, who is described as“the most terrible scourge that ever afflicted the human race,”built up an empire“at the cost,”it is estimated, says Myers in his“General History,”page 461, of“fifty thousand cities and towns and five million lives.”This was followed by the more permanent Tartar empire founded by Othman a century later, commonly known as the Ottoman Empire, and ruled by the sultan.From the first, the great characteristic of the Turkish government has been that of a“destroyer.”Speaking of a war by the Turks upon the Byzantine Empire in 1050, Gibbon (chapter 57) says:“The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles from Tauris to Erzeroum, and the blood of one hundred and thirty thousand Christians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet.”[pg 293]In 1058 the Turks wrested the Holy Land from the Saracens, desecrated the holy places, and treated the pilgrims to Jerusalem with cruelty. This brought on the nine unsuccessful crusades of the next two centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land.

From the first, the great characteristic of the Turkish government has been that of a“destroyer.”Speaking of a war by the Turks upon the Byzantine Empire in 1050, Gibbon (chapter 57) says:“The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles from Tauris to Erzeroum, and the blood of one hundred and thirty thousand Christians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet.”

In 1058 the Turks wrested the Holy Land from the Saracens, desecrated the holy places, and treated the pilgrims to Jerusalem with cruelty. This brought on the nine unsuccessful crusades of the next two centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land.

12. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt menfive months.”Verse 10. See also verse 5.

Notes.—“It was on the twenty-seventh of July, in the year 1299,”says Gibbon,“that Othman first invaded the territory of Nicomedia,”in Asia Minor,“and the singular accuracy of the date,”he adds,“seems to disclose some foresight of the rapid and destructive growth of the monster.”—“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,”chap. 64, par. 14This, then, we take to be the beginning of the period referred to.A Bible month consists of thirty days; five months would be 150 days. Allowing a day for a year, 150 years from July 27, 1299, would reach to July 27, 1449. During this period the Turks were engaged in almost constant warfare with the Greek Empire, and yet without conquering it.

A Bible month consists of thirty days; five months would be 150 days. Allowing a day for a year, 150 years from July 27, 1299, would reach to July 27, 1449. During this period the Turks were engaged in almost constant warfare with the Greek Empire, and yet without conquering it.

13. With what statement does the fifth trumpet close?

“One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”Verse 12.

14. What command is given under the sixth trumpet?

“And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet,Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.”Verses 13, 14.

Notes.—These four angels are understood to refer to the four leading Turkish sultanies—Aleppo, Iconium, Damascus, and Bagdad—of which the Ottoman Empire was composed, situated in the country watered by the river Euphrates.As a striking parallel it may be noted that under the sixth plague (Rev. 16:12-16), the four angels of Rev. 7:1-3 will loose the winds of war, the waters of the river Euphrates (the Turkish Empire) will be dried up, and the armies of the nations will assemble for the battle of Armageddon.

As a striking parallel it may be noted that under the sixth plague (Rev. 16:12-16), the four angels of Rev. 7:1-3 will loose the winds of war, the waters of the river Euphrates (the Turkish Empire) will be dried up, and the armies of the nations will assemble for the battle of Armageddon.

15. What warlike scene is given under this trumpet?

“The number of the armies of the horsemen wastwice ten thousand times ten thousand: ... and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; andout of their mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone.”Verses 16, 17, R. V.

Notes.—“In the year 1453, Mohammed II, the Great, sultan of the Ottomans, laid siege to the capital [Constantinople], with an army of over 200,000 men. After a short investment, the place was taken by storm. The cross, which since the time of Constantine the Great had surmounted the dome of St. Sophia, was replaced by the crescent, which remains to this day.”—Myers's“General History,”edition 1902, pages 462, 463.[pg 294]Thus Constantinople, the eastern seat of the Roman Empire since the days of Constantine, was captured by the Turks.Reference also seems to be made here to the use of firearms, which began to be employed by the Turks toward the close of the thirteenth century, and which, discharged from horseback, would give the appearance of fire and smoke issuing from the horses' mouths. In the battle of Armageddon, to which allusion may here be made, an army of“twice ten thousand times ten thousand,”or two hundred million, will doubtless be assembled.

Thus Constantinople, the eastern seat of the Roman Empire since the days of Constantine, was captured by the Turks.

Reference also seems to be made here to the use of firearms, which began to be employed by the Turks toward the close of the thirteenth century, and which, discharged from horseback, would give the appearance of fire and smoke issuing from the horses' mouths. In the battle of Armageddon, to which allusion may here be made, an army of“twice ten thousand times ten thousand,”or two hundred million, will doubtless be assembled.

16. What was the result of this warfare by means of“fire and smoke and brimstone”?

“By these three was the third part of men killed.”Verse 18.

Note.—This shows the deadly effect of this new means of warfare.“Constantinople was subdued, her empire subverted, and her religion trampled in the dust by the Moslem conquerors.”—Elliott's“Horæ Apocalypticæ,”Vol. I, page 484.

17. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?

“And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for anhour, and aday, and amonth; and ayear, for to slay the third part of men.”Verse 15.

Note.—An hour in prophetic time is equal to fifteen days; a day stands for a year, a month for thirty years, a year for 360 years. Added together, these amount to 391 years and fifteen days, the time allotted for the Ottoman supremacy. Commencing July 27, 1449, the date of the close of the fifth trumpet, this period would end Aug. 11, 1840. In exact fulfilment of the words of inspiration, this date marks the fall of the Ottoman Empire as an independent power. His empire wasted beyond hope of recovery in a war with Mohammed Ali, pasha of Egypt, the sultan of Turkey submitted to the dictates of the then four great powers of Europe, and his minister, Rifat Bey, on that very day, Aug. 11, 1840, reached Alexandria, bearing, not the sultan's ultimatum, but that of the powers, to place in the hands of the rebellious pasha. Since then Turkey has existed only by the help or sufferance of the great powers of Europe, and has commonly been referred to as“the Sick Man of the East.”

18. With what announcement does the sixth trumpet close?

“The second woe is past; and, behold,the third woe cometh quickly.”Rev. 11:14.

Note.—The definite period under the sixth trumpet brings us to 1840, when Turkey lost her independence. Her final downfall, we understand, will come at the opening of the seventh trumpet.

19. What is to be finished when the seventh trumpet is about to sound?

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finishedthe mystery of God, according to the good tidings which He declared to His servants the prophets.”Rev. 10:7, R. V.

Note.—The mystery of God is the gospel. Eph. 3:3-6; Gal. 1:11, 12, When this trumpet is about to sound, therefore, the gospel will close,[pg 295]and the end will come. The“time of trouble,”of Dan. 12:1, and the seven last plagues and the battle of Armageddon, spoken of in Revelation 16, will take place when this trumpet begins to sound.

20. What event marks the sounding of the seventh trumpet?

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.”Rev. 11:15-17.

Note.—The seventh trumpet, therefore, brings us to the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom.

21. What is the condition of the nations, and what other events are due or impending at this time?

“Andthe nations were angry, andThy wrath is come, andthe time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldestgive reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldestdestroy them which destroy the earth.”Verse 18.

Notes.—The closing scenes of this world's history and the judgment are clearly brought to view here. Ever since the loss of independence by the Ottoman Empire in 1840, the nations have been preparing for war as never before, in view of international complications and a world war which all fear is inevitable upon the dissolution of Turkey and the final disposition of its territory. Towering above all others, the Eastern question has been the one of paramount concern to them.The investigative judgment began in heaven in 1844, at the close of the prophetic period of 2300 days. See readings on pages230-253. When this is finished, the time of reward will have arrived, the end will have come, and the saints will themselves sit in judgment. See Rev. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:1-3.

The investigative judgment began in heaven in 1844, at the close of the prophetic period of 2300 days. See readings on pages230-253. When this is finished, the time of reward will have arrived, the end will have come, and the saints will themselves sit in judgment. See Rev. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:1-3.

22. What scene in heaven was presented to the prophet as the seventh trumpet was about to sound?

“Andthe temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His templethe ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”Rev. 11:19.

Notes.—This forcibly calls attention to the closing work of Christ in the second apartment, or most holy place, of the sanctuary in heaven, which began in 1844. See readings referred to in preceding note. The reference to the ark of God's testament is a forcible reminder also of that which is to be the standard in the judgment,—the law of God, or ten commandments. See Eccl. 12:13, 14; Rom. 2:12, 13; James 2:8-12.From its closing words—the reference to“great hail”—the seventh trumpet evidently embraces the seven last plagues (see Rev. 16:17, 18); and from its opening words—“the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord”—it marks the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom.

From its closing words—the reference to“great hail”—the seventh trumpet evidently embraces the seven last plagues (see Rev. 16:17, 18); and from its opening words—“the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord”—it marks the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom.

The Eastern QuestionIllustration.The Bosporus. "He shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Dan. 11:45.1. What, briefly stated, is the Eastern question?The driving out of Turkey from Europe, and the final extinction of the Turkish Empire, with the world-embracing events that follow. It has been otherwise described as“the driving of the Turk into Asia, and a scramble for his territory.”2. What scriptures are devoted to the Turkish power?Dan. 11:40-45; Revelation 9; and Rev. 16:12.Note.—In the eleventh chapter of Daniel, Turkey is dealt with under the title of the“king of the north;”in Revelation 9, under the sounding of the fifth and sixth“trumpets;”and in Revelation 16, under the symbol of the drying up of the water of the chief river of the Turkish Asiatic possessions,“the great river Euphrates.”The actual drying up of the river Euphrates was the signal for the overthrow of ancient Babylon.3. When did Turkey take Constantinople, and thus the northern division of ancient Greece and Rome?Ina.d.1453, under Mohammed II. See pages293,294.Note.—After the death of Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire was divided by his four leading generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy, into four parts,—east, west, north, and south,—the first three of which were shortly afterward absorbed into one kingdom, the kingdom of the north, Egypt remaining the king, or kingdom, of the south. In the breaking up of the Roman Empire, the Turks gained possession of the Holy Land ina.d.1058, and finally of Constantinople, and considerable portions of eastern Europe,—the kingdom of the north,—in 1453, to which, with varying fortunes and shrinking geographical boundaries, it has held ever since.4. How has Turkey been regarded by European nations?[pg 297]“The Turks have ever remained quite insensible to the influences of European civilization, and their government has been a perfect blight and curse to the countries subject to their rule. They have always been looked uponas intrudersin Europe, and their presence there has led to several of the most sanguinary wars of modern times. Gradually they have been pushed out from their European possessions, and the time is probably not very far distant when they will be driven back across the Bosporus.”—Myers's“General History,”edition 1902, page 468.5. When did the independence of Turkey cease?In 1840, at the close of a two years' war between Turkey and Egypt, when the fate of Turkey was placed in the hands of four great powers of Europe,—England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. See page 294, under question 19.6. What is one of the last predictions of the prophecy of Daniel concerning the king of the north?“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.”Dan. 11:44.Note.—Upon this, Dr. Adam Clarke, writing in 1825, said:“If the Turkish power be understood, as in the preceding verses, it may mean that the Persians on theeastand the Russians on thenorthwill at some time greatly embarrass the Ottoman government.”Such indeed was the case, and these conditions brought on the Crimean war of 1853-56, between Russia and Turkey. In this war England and France came to the help of Turkey, and prevented Russia from grasping Constantinople, her coveted prize, and thus gaining access to the Dardanelles and the Mediterranean and so possessing herself of the gateway of commerce between Europe Asia. Without an outlet to the sea, Russia cannot be a strong naval power. In his celebrated will, Peter the Great of Russia (1672-1725) admonished his countrymen thus:“Take every possible means of gaining Constantinople and the Indies, for,”said he,“he who rules there will be the true sovereign of the world; excite war continually in Turkey and Persia; ... get control of the sea by degrees; ... advance to the Indies, which are the great depot of the world. Once there, we can do without the gold of England.”The authenticity of this will has been questioned, but it outlines a policy which Russia has quite faithfully pursued.7. What since 1840 has saved Turkey from complete overthrow?The help and interference of various European powers.Note.—“It is not too much to say that England has twice saved Turkey from complete subjection since 1853. It is largely—mainly—due to our action that she now exists at all as an independent power. On both these occasions we dragged the powers of Europe along with us in maintaining the Ottoman government.”—Duke of Argyle (1895), in“The Turkish-Armenian Question,”page 17.8. Why have these powers thus helped Turkey?[pg 298]Not from love for Turkey, but for fear of the international complications that its downfall might entail.Notes.—In his Mansion House speech, Nov. 9, 1895, Lord Salisbury, responding to a wide-spread demand for the overthrow of the Turkish power, said:“Turkey is in that remarkable condition that it has now stood for half a century, mainly because the great powers of the world have resolved thatfor the peace of Christendom it is necessary that the Ottoman Empire should stand. They came to that conclusion nearly half a century ago. I do not think they have altered it now.The danger, if the Ottoman Empire fall, would not merely be the danger that would threaten the territories of which that empire consists;it would be the danger that the fire there lit should spread to other nations, and should involve all that is most powerful and civilized in Europe in a dangerous and calamitous contest. That was a danger that was present to the minds of our fathers when they resolved to make the integrity and independence of the Ottoman Empire a matter of European treaty,and that is a dangerwhich has not passed away.”“The Balkan, or Near Eastern, question has been one of the most complicated political problems of the world's history for half a century. ... For four centuries and a half, or ever since the conquering Turk crossed the Bosporus and took Constantinople, the grim contest has been on to dislodge him by war and diplomacy.”—American Review of Reviews, November, 1912.Nearly a century ago, Napoleon, while a prisoner on St. Helena, explained that when emperor of France, he would not consent for Alexander, the czar of Russia, to have Constantinople,“foreseeing that the equilibrium of Europe would be destroyed.”9. What is the divine prediction regarding the future and final downfall of the king of the north?“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seasin the glorious holy mountain: yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”Dan. 11:45.Note.—It would seem natural that the Ottoman government should make its last stand at Jerusalem. Around the city of the Holy Sepulcher and the tombs of the“saints”has been waged for long years a war between the followers of Islam and the believers in the Christian religion. In this place, many Bible students believe, Turkey will come to her end in fulfilment of this scripture.10. Under which of the seven last plagues is the water of the Euphrates (Turkey) to be dried up, and for what purpose?“Andthe sixth angelpoured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof wasdried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared.”Rev. 16:12.Note.—For years the drying-up process of the Turkish Empire has been in progress, as may be seen from the following:—(1) In 1783 Turkey was compelled to surrender to Russia the territory of the Crimea, including all the countries east of the Caspian Sea.(2) In 1828 Greece secured her independence.(3) In 1830 Algeria was ceded to France.(4) In 1867 Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Egypt.[pg 299](5) In the same year Turkey lost possession of Servia and Bosnia.(6) In 1878 the Treaty of Berlin granted autonomous government to Bulgaria, and independence to Roumelia, Roumania, and Montenegro.(7) In 1912 Tripoli was taken over by Italy.(8) In 1912 and 1913 the Balkan States and Greece dispossessed Turkey of nearly all of her remaining territory in Europe.11. Under this plague, what incites the nations to war?“And I sawthree unclean spiritslike frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they arethe spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”Verses 13, 14.12. At this time, what event is near at hand?“Behold, I come as a thief.Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”Verse 15.13. To what place will the nations be gathered for battle?“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongueArmageddon.”Verse 16.Note.—Armageddon consists of a great triangular plain in northern Palestine, twelve by fifteen by eighteen miles, extending southeast from Mt. Carmel, otherwise known as the plain of Esdraelon, or valley of Jezreel. It has been the scene of many great battles, such as that of Gideon's overthrow of the Midianites (Judges 6, 7), when“the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow;”of Saul's defeat by the Philistines (1 Sam. 29: 1; 1 Chronicles 10); and of Josiah's defeat by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:20-24): and, as this scripture indicates, it is the place where, under the influence of evil spirits just preceding Christ's second coming, the great armies of the world will be gathered for their final struggle and utter destruction under the seventh plague.14. When the king of the north comes to his end, what, according to the prophecy, is to take place?“Andat that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: andthere shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nationeven to that same time: andat that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”Dan. 12:1.Note.—The expression“stand up”occurs eight times in this line of prophecy (Daniel 11 and 12), and in each case meansto reign. See Dan. 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 20, 21; 12:1. Michael is Christ, as will be seen by comparing Jude 9, 1 Thess. 4:16, and John 5:25. When the Turkish Empire is brought to an end, therefore, the time will have come for Christ to receive His kingdom (Luke 19:11-15), and begin His reign. This great change will be ushered in by the downfall, not only of Turkey, but of all nations (Rev. 11:15); by the time of trouble here spoken of; by the seven[pg 300]last plagues described in Revelation 16; and by the deliverance of all God's people,—those whose names are found written in the book of life (Rev. 3:5; 20:12),—which shows that probation and the investigative judgment will then be past.15. What will take place at this time?“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”Verse 2.Notes.—At the resurrection of Christ there was a special resurrection, when many of the saints were raised from the dead, were seen of many, and were taken to heaven with Christ at His ascension. Matt. 27:52, 53; Eph. 4:8. So, just prior to Christ's second coming and the general resurrection of the righteous, many of the sleeping saints, and some colossal sinners (those that“pierced Him,”Rev. 1:7), it seems, will be raised to witness His coming, and hear God's covenant of peace with His people.This line of prophecy, therefore, brings us down to the resurrection of the righteous, which takes place at the second advent.16. What false message will go forth before destruction comes upon those unprepared for Christ's coming and kingdom?“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, ... and they shall not escape.”1 Thess. 5:2, 3.Note.—The so-called Christian nations will not go to Palestine merely to expel the Turks from the land. As in the crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the idea will be to rescue the Holy Land from the Mohammedans, and make Jerusalem the center of a glorious kingdom, with Christ as king. The Papacy itself, it is thought by some, will at this time remove its seat to Jerusalem, and issue a great peace proclamation, directing the nations to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and calling upon all to come up to the mountain of the Lord, as described in Isa. 2:2-5 and Micah 4:1-5. Infatuated by the doctrine of a temporal millennium, many nations will join in the call, and say,“For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”Isa. 2:3. But this will be but the signal for the battle of Armageddon and the“sudden destruction”that is to overtake the world and bring to an end the present order of things. See Rev. 19:17-21; Eze. 38:14-23; 39:17-22. Toward this consummation passing events all indicate we are rapidly hastening.Watchman on the walls of Zion,What, O tell us, of the night?Is the day-star now arising?Will the morn soon greet our sight?O'er your vision shine there now some rays of light?Tell, O tell us, are the landmarksOn our voyage all passed by?Are we nearing now the haven?Can we e'en the land descry?Do we truly see the heavenly kingdom nigh?

Illustration.The Bosporus. "He shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Dan. 11:45.

The Bosporus. "He shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Dan. 11:45.

1. What, briefly stated, is the Eastern question?

The driving out of Turkey from Europe, and the final extinction of the Turkish Empire, with the world-embracing events that follow. It has been otherwise described as“the driving of the Turk into Asia, and a scramble for his territory.”

2. What scriptures are devoted to the Turkish power?

Dan. 11:40-45; Revelation 9; and Rev. 16:12.

Note.—In the eleventh chapter of Daniel, Turkey is dealt with under the title of the“king of the north;”in Revelation 9, under the sounding of the fifth and sixth“trumpets;”and in Revelation 16, under the symbol of the drying up of the water of the chief river of the Turkish Asiatic possessions,“the great river Euphrates.”The actual drying up of the river Euphrates was the signal for the overthrow of ancient Babylon.

3. When did Turkey take Constantinople, and thus the northern division of ancient Greece and Rome?

Ina.d.1453, under Mohammed II. See pages293,294.

Note.—After the death of Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire was divided by his four leading generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy, into four parts,—east, west, north, and south,—the first three of which were shortly afterward absorbed into one kingdom, the kingdom of the north, Egypt remaining the king, or kingdom, of the south. In the breaking up of the Roman Empire, the Turks gained possession of the Holy Land ina.d.1058, and finally of Constantinople, and considerable portions of eastern Europe,—the kingdom of the north,—in 1453, to which, with varying fortunes and shrinking geographical boundaries, it has held ever since.

4. How has Turkey been regarded by European nations?

“The Turks have ever remained quite insensible to the influences of European civilization, and their government has been a perfect blight and curse to the countries subject to their rule. They have always been looked uponas intrudersin Europe, and their presence there has led to several of the most sanguinary wars of modern times. Gradually they have been pushed out from their European possessions, and the time is probably not very far distant when they will be driven back across the Bosporus.”—Myers's“General History,”edition 1902, page 468.

5. When did the independence of Turkey cease?

In 1840, at the close of a two years' war between Turkey and Egypt, when the fate of Turkey was placed in the hands of four great powers of Europe,—England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. See page 294, under question 19.

6. What is one of the last predictions of the prophecy of Daniel concerning the king of the north?

“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.”Dan. 11:44.

Note.—Upon this, Dr. Adam Clarke, writing in 1825, said:“If the Turkish power be understood, as in the preceding verses, it may mean that the Persians on theeastand the Russians on thenorthwill at some time greatly embarrass the Ottoman government.”Such indeed was the case, and these conditions brought on the Crimean war of 1853-56, between Russia and Turkey. In this war England and France came to the help of Turkey, and prevented Russia from grasping Constantinople, her coveted prize, and thus gaining access to the Dardanelles and the Mediterranean and so possessing herself of the gateway of commerce between Europe Asia. Without an outlet to the sea, Russia cannot be a strong naval power. In his celebrated will, Peter the Great of Russia (1672-1725) admonished his countrymen thus:“Take every possible means of gaining Constantinople and the Indies, for,”said he,“he who rules there will be the true sovereign of the world; excite war continually in Turkey and Persia; ... get control of the sea by degrees; ... advance to the Indies, which are the great depot of the world. Once there, we can do without the gold of England.”The authenticity of this will has been questioned, but it outlines a policy which Russia has quite faithfully pursued.

7. What since 1840 has saved Turkey from complete overthrow?

The help and interference of various European powers.

Note.—“It is not too much to say that England has twice saved Turkey from complete subjection since 1853. It is largely—mainly—due to our action that she now exists at all as an independent power. On both these occasions we dragged the powers of Europe along with us in maintaining the Ottoman government.”—Duke of Argyle (1895), in“The Turkish-Armenian Question,”page 17.

8. Why have these powers thus helped Turkey?

Not from love for Turkey, but for fear of the international complications that its downfall might entail.

Notes.—In his Mansion House speech, Nov. 9, 1895, Lord Salisbury, responding to a wide-spread demand for the overthrow of the Turkish power, said:“Turkey is in that remarkable condition that it has now stood for half a century, mainly because the great powers of the world have resolved thatfor the peace of Christendom it is necessary that the Ottoman Empire should stand. They came to that conclusion nearly half a century ago. I do not think they have altered it now.The danger, if the Ottoman Empire fall, would not merely be the danger that would threaten the territories of which that empire consists;it would be the danger that the fire there lit should spread to other nations, and should involve all that is most powerful and civilized in Europe in a dangerous and calamitous contest. That was a danger that was present to the minds of our fathers when they resolved to make the integrity and independence of the Ottoman Empire a matter of European treaty,and that is a dangerwhich has not passed away.”“The Balkan, or Near Eastern, question has been one of the most complicated political problems of the world's history for half a century. ... For four centuries and a half, or ever since the conquering Turk crossed the Bosporus and took Constantinople, the grim contest has been on to dislodge him by war and diplomacy.”—American Review of Reviews, November, 1912.Nearly a century ago, Napoleon, while a prisoner on St. Helena, explained that when emperor of France, he would not consent for Alexander, the czar of Russia, to have Constantinople,“foreseeing that the equilibrium of Europe would be destroyed.”

“The Balkan, or Near Eastern, question has been one of the most complicated political problems of the world's history for half a century. ... For four centuries and a half, or ever since the conquering Turk crossed the Bosporus and took Constantinople, the grim contest has been on to dislodge him by war and diplomacy.”—American Review of Reviews, November, 1912.

Nearly a century ago, Napoleon, while a prisoner on St. Helena, explained that when emperor of France, he would not consent for Alexander, the czar of Russia, to have Constantinople,“foreseeing that the equilibrium of Europe would be destroyed.”

9. What is the divine prediction regarding the future and final downfall of the king of the north?

“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seasin the glorious holy mountain: yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”Dan. 11:45.

Note.—It would seem natural that the Ottoman government should make its last stand at Jerusalem. Around the city of the Holy Sepulcher and the tombs of the“saints”has been waged for long years a war between the followers of Islam and the believers in the Christian religion. In this place, many Bible students believe, Turkey will come to her end in fulfilment of this scripture.

10. Under which of the seven last plagues is the water of the Euphrates (Turkey) to be dried up, and for what purpose?

“Andthe sixth angelpoured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof wasdried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared.”Rev. 16:12.

Note.—For years the drying-up process of the Turkish Empire has been in progress, as may be seen from the following:—(1) In 1783 Turkey was compelled to surrender to Russia the territory of the Crimea, including all the countries east of the Caspian Sea.(2) In 1828 Greece secured her independence.(3) In 1830 Algeria was ceded to France.(4) In 1867 Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Egypt.[pg 299](5) In the same year Turkey lost possession of Servia and Bosnia.(6) In 1878 the Treaty of Berlin granted autonomous government to Bulgaria, and independence to Roumelia, Roumania, and Montenegro.(7) In 1912 Tripoli was taken over by Italy.(8) In 1912 and 1913 the Balkan States and Greece dispossessed Turkey of nearly all of her remaining territory in Europe.

Note.—For years the drying-up process of the Turkish Empire has been in progress, as may be seen from the following:—

(1) In 1783 Turkey was compelled to surrender to Russia the territory of the Crimea, including all the countries east of the Caspian Sea.

(2) In 1828 Greece secured her independence.

(3) In 1830 Algeria was ceded to France.

(4) In 1867 Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Egypt.

(5) In the same year Turkey lost possession of Servia and Bosnia.

(6) In 1878 the Treaty of Berlin granted autonomous government to Bulgaria, and independence to Roumelia, Roumania, and Montenegro.

(7) In 1912 Tripoli was taken over by Italy.

(8) In 1912 and 1913 the Balkan States and Greece dispossessed Turkey of nearly all of her remaining territory in Europe.

11. Under this plague, what incites the nations to war?

“And I sawthree unclean spiritslike frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they arethe spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”Verses 13, 14.

12. At this time, what event is near at hand?

“Behold, I come as a thief.Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”Verse 15.

13. To what place will the nations be gathered for battle?

“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongueArmageddon.”Verse 16.

Note.—Armageddon consists of a great triangular plain in northern Palestine, twelve by fifteen by eighteen miles, extending southeast from Mt. Carmel, otherwise known as the plain of Esdraelon, or valley of Jezreel. It has been the scene of many great battles, such as that of Gideon's overthrow of the Midianites (Judges 6, 7), when“the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow;”of Saul's defeat by the Philistines (1 Sam. 29: 1; 1 Chronicles 10); and of Josiah's defeat by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:20-24): and, as this scripture indicates, it is the place where, under the influence of evil spirits just preceding Christ's second coming, the great armies of the world will be gathered for their final struggle and utter destruction under the seventh plague.

14. When the king of the north comes to his end, what, according to the prophecy, is to take place?

“Andat that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: andthere shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nationeven to that same time: andat that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”Dan. 12:1.

Note.—The expression“stand up”occurs eight times in this line of prophecy (Daniel 11 and 12), and in each case meansto reign. See Dan. 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 20, 21; 12:1. Michael is Christ, as will be seen by comparing Jude 9, 1 Thess. 4:16, and John 5:25. When the Turkish Empire is brought to an end, therefore, the time will have come for Christ to receive His kingdom (Luke 19:11-15), and begin His reign. This great change will be ushered in by the downfall, not only of Turkey, but of all nations (Rev. 11:15); by the time of trouble here spoken of; by the seven[pg 300]last plagues described in Revelation 16; and by the deliverance of all God's people,—those whose names are found written in the book of life (Rev. 3:5; 20:12),—which shows that probation and the investigative judgment will then be past.

15. What will take place at this time?

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”Verse 2.

Notes.—At the resurrection of Christ there was a special resurrection, when many of the saints were raised from the dead, were seen of many, and were taken to heaven with Christ at His ascension. Matt. 27:52, 53; Eph. 4:8. So, just prior to Christ's second coming and the general resurrection of the righteous, many of the sleeping saints, and some colossal sinners (those that“pierced Him,”Rev. 1:7), it seems, will be raised to witness His coming, and hear God's covenant of peace with His people.This line of prophecy, therefore, brings us down to the resurrection of the righteous, which takes place at the second advent.

This line of prophecy, therefore, brings us down to the resurrection of the righteous, which takes place at the second advent.

16. What false message will go forth before destruction comes upon those unprepared for Christ's coming and kingdom?

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, ... and they shall not escape.”1 Thess. 5:2, 3.

Note.—The so-called Christian nations will not go to Palestine merely to expel the Turks from the land. As in the crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the idea will be to rescue the Holy Land from the Mohammedans, and make Jerusalem the center of a glorious kingdom, with Christ as king. The Papacy itself, it is thought by some, will at this time remove its seat to Jerusalem, and issue a great peace proclamation, directing the nations to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and calling upon all to come up to the mountain of the Lord, as described in Isa. 2:2-5 and Micah 4:1-5. Infatuated by the doctrine of a temporal millennium, many nations will join in the call, and say,“For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”Isa. 2:3. But this will be but the signal for the battle of Armageddon and the“sudden destruction”that is to overtake the world and bring to an end the present order of things. See Rev. 19:17-21; Eze. 38:14-23; 39:17-22. Toward this consummation passing events all indicate we are rapidly hastening.

Watchman on the walls of Zion,What, O tell us, of the night?Is the day-star now arising?Will the morn soon greet our sight?O'er your vision shine there now some rays of light?Tell, O tell us, are the landmarksOn our voyage all passed by?Are we nearing now the haven?Can we e'en the land descry?Do we truly see the heavenly kingdom nigh?

Watchman on the walls of Zion,What, O tell us, of the night?Is the day-star now arising?Will the morn soon greet our sight?O'er your vision shine there now some rays of light?

Watchman on the walls of Zion,

What, O tell us, of the night?

Is the day-star now arising?

Will the morn soon greet our sight?

O'er your vision shine there now some rays of light?

Tell, O tell us, are the landmarksOn our voyage all passed by?Are we nearing now the haven?Can we e'en the land descry?Do we truly see the heavenly kingdom nigh?

Tell, O tell us, are the landmarks

On our voyage all passed by?

Are we nearing now the haven?

Can we e'en the land descry?

Do we truly see the heavenly kingdom nigh?

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