THE second trouble comes on the sea. The sea is the unformed mass of nations. (Jer. 51:42; Dan. 7:8.) A mountain is a kingdom in symbol. (Isa. 2; Dan. 2) A kingdom falls from the organized earth among the unformed nations under the judgment of God: its incorporation marks off a third of the nations for destruction; and one third of those not of the nations, yet living by them, are cut off; and one third of the traffic by the nations ceases, for so would be the death of the fish and destruction of the ships.
The third trouble is upon the rivers and fountains. A great star, which is a leader or ruler (Num. 24:17), or teacher (Rev. 1), fell from heaven. That heaven is the symbol of that which has rule is clear from Gen. 1:6, as gathered from its antitype, and from (Gen. 37:9-11) Joseph's dream: for the work of God in creation—matter, as recorded in Genesis 1, is exactly in analogy the same as His work in the development of the work of redemption—the wonders of each successive day in creation being types of the wonders of each successive dispensation. The distinctive feature of the second day in creation was the firmament, as dividing the waters from the waters; and the distinctive feature of the second, or antediluvian dispensation (of which we read from Gen. 4:1 to 8:14, inclusive), was the introduction of rule among the children of men as connected with the heavens. As to Gen. 37:9-11, we have the sun and moon and stars (Israel and the twelve patriarchs), as that for which and by which all order on the earth was regulated. This great teacher then descends with full authority, as coming thence where the authority of rule is; and He has a great show of light, being, as it were a lamp that burneth. In Matt. 25:3, 4, we have the lamp as the symbol of profession: “They took their lamps,” &c. In Psa. 119:105, we have, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths,” as showing the thing connected with God. The force of “a lamp that burneth,” as expressing bright light, is shown by Isa. 62:1, where it is said that Zion's salvation in the latter day shall be “as a lamp that burneth” while the connection of the lamp with wickedness is shown by Prov. 13:9: “The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.” (See also chap. 20:20.)
This great teacher, sustained with power and accredited by a great show of light, falls upon a third of the rivers and fountains. By a fountain I understand “doctrine.” “The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” (Prov. 13:14.) “The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” (Prov. 14:27.) I might refer also, I think, to (Zech. 13:1) the fountain opened to the house of David, &c., for sin and for uncleanness, as meaning doctrine of truth in power; and in the same way, to Rev. 21:6; 7:17. And by rivers I understand the proceeds of these hidden springs and resources of doctrine or truth, whether in the concrete the waters themselves, or the channels through which they flow, or the teachings by which they were proclaimed. And thus Ezek. 47:5, and the parallel passages, as Joel 3:18; Zech. 14:8, show the flowing forth on earth, as Rev. 22:1, 2, the flowing forth in heaven, of those fountains previously referred to, even the river of God.
His name was Wormwood. In Deut. 29:19, 20, He that hears the curses of the law, and says, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst, is likened to a root that beareth gall and wormwood. See also the strange woman, Prov. 5:4. In Jer. 9:15, wormwood seems the bitter results of disobedience, even being scattered among the heathen. See also Jer. 23:15. Here, as in Amos 5:7, “Ye who turn judgment to wormwood,” seems to mean the corruption of the waters, resulting in the death of those that drank thereof.
The fourth angel. On the symbolic meaning of the sun, and moon, and stars, I know not that I have anything to add to what was said under the last trumpet. If those remarks be correct, the result of this fourth trump will be obscuring judgment upon one-third of that which rules in that day on the earth, followed by an angel, or eagle] crying, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the other angels which are yet to sound.
As the four first seals are marked off from the three last, so here we have a similar division of the trumpets into four and three. In both cases, of the seals and trumpets, the four first are more general in character than the three last.
Chapter 9—The fifth angel sounds. The object of this trumpet, as a whole, is evidently to bring torment for a limited time, and limited extent, upon all men, save the one hundred and forty-four thousand. The symbolic force of a star, and its fall from heaven to the earth, have been looked at. To him was given a key, the insignia of power, to open the well of the abyss. That there is a difference between “the well of the abyss” and “the abyss” I do not say, though I think it well to notice, that while here it is φρέαρ τῆς ἀβύσσου, in verse 11, and in chapters 11, 17, and 20 it is merely the abyss which is mentioned. I incline to think that there is a difference, the abyss opening into hell itself, the well of the abyss opening merely into the deep parts of the earth.
The pit was opened, and thence ascended a large and thick volume of smoke as from a furnace.
I do not see definitely what “the well of the abyss” means, though the smoke ascending from it, as a thing from beneath, and from such a place, seems to impress the mind with the idea of the manifestation of an infernal origin.
Smoke, as the accompaniment and consequence of fire or “discernment” in the widest application, would have a variety of meanings, though all of them having one leading common idea. The smoke of Edom going up forever (Isa. 34:10) would be the abiding proof of God's having acted thereunto upon His discernment of its state, &c.
Isa. 7:4. The two tails of these smoking firebrands would express persons manifestly used as plagues. The smoke (Isa. 4:5), as of the cloud of smoke, was just the same as to the subject there—the manifestation of the presence of God. I cannot pass by the beautiful allusion here (Sol. 3: 6), the Bridegroom being likened to a pillar of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense. In Rev. 8:4 the smoke of the incense ascending up is the manifestation of God's approbation of the incense:
In Rev. 15:8 the temple is filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power, on the seven vials full of the seven last plagues being given forth. Here, in chapter 9, I take that the smoke is just the expression of the place whence it comes, being under judgment, and of the darkening tendency of what shall proceed thence, as the parent or nurse of the locusts thence issuing, and the smoke is” as the smoke of a great furnace,” I suppose as expressing the fullness of its volume; the result was, that the sun and the air were darkened thereby.
The air is, I believe, the symbolic mode of expressing universal connection with the earth, when looked at as not connected definitely with God.
[Eccl. 10:20, A bird of the air shall carry the voice]. Matt. 8:20, The birds of the air have nests—see also 13:32; Mark 4:32; Luke 9:58; Eph. 2:2, the prince of the power of the air; just as the word heaven is used in connection with the word fowl, Jer. 7:33; 16:4; 19:7; 34:20; 15:3; Ezek. 29:5; 31:6, 13; 32:4; 38:20; Dan. 2:38, &c.
I conceive also that the sun is thus used, not as where the moon and stars are also mentioned, but as express—sing in like manner universality, as we find “under the sun” so constantly used in Ecclesiastes: “What profit is there in any labor under the sun?” “There is no new thing under the sun,” &c., and 2 Sam. 12:12, “I will do this before Israel and the sun.”
Out of the smoke, thus darkening the sun and the air, came forth locusts.
Locusts were among the plagues of Egypt (Ex. 10:4-19), and were known always as a plague. (Deut. 28:38; Psa. 105:34.)
In Prov. 30:27, the order of the locusts (“the locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands") is spoken of, and in Nah. 3:15, 17, the number “make thyself many as the locusts.... thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as grasshoppers"); but these locusts are symbolic, for they are monsters most incongruous in their parts. The power they had of harming was not natural to them, it was given, “power as the power of a scorpion.” To harm the grass of the earth, the green things or trees (that is, to do the common works of their race), these locusts are prohibited, and limited to tormenting men—not to kill them, but to torment five months, with the anguish of the scorpion sting.
By this I understand the infliction of some such things as the mark of the beast; something which, while it circumscribes man's liberty in a painful way, at the same time has a poisoning effect upon his soul. If the marauding nation spoken of in Joel 1 and 2 are the same as these locusts, they come up against the land, ranging over its precincts, under a Satanic influence; for, God having then set to His hand to restore, Satan is seeking to binder. It strikes me that in the days of our Lord, when the remnant (issuing in the church) which corresponded with this 144,000, which shall (in the time we are now reading of) be delivered from the power of these plagues—that the remnant, I say, was delivered by its allegiance to the Lord from some such thing. If any man confessed Jesus to be Christ, he was to be, ipso facto, ἁποσυνάγωγος. Again, such edicts as we read of in Dan. 3 and 6 by Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, both of whom were of the stock which, in the day of these trials, shall be blossoming in wickedness, may also be considered. If the scene of these scorpion-stings be the land and its precincts, and any such thing be that referred to, we can see and understand it; for a Jew of very moderate attainment in Judaism would feel anguish and vexation of soul enough to make him hate life and choose strangling rather, though he might not refuse to submit. Many a thing in England the Hebrew nation has to submit to as the Jesuit of collision between its peculiar polity and the lenient laws of England. They are obliged, for instance, by a special covenant before marriage, to do away with their ability of acting upon part of their law. And we know how time was, when in Spain edicts were passed with a view of forcing the Jews to leave the country spontaneously, or to compromise their consciences.
The object of the description of their appearance seems to be to mark their monstrous character, and characteristics; yet this was universal, that, wherever they came, the result was “the tail and sting.” The description runs thus:—
lst.—In shape they were “like unto horses prepared for battle.” Horses were prohibited to Israel (Deut. 17:16), and they were brought from Egypt. (1 Kings 10:28.) Pharaoh is compared to a horse rider. (Ex. 15:21; Isa. 2:7; Zee. ix. 10.) The Assyrian hosts were famous for horses. (1 Kings 20:20, 25 Kings 18:23.) Thus they represent strength (Job 39:19:; Psa. 147:10), swiftness (Jer. 4:13; Hab. 1:8), fearlessness (Job 39:18; Jer. 8:6), majesty (Esther 6:8), and strength in the battle. (Prov. 21:31; Jer. 6:23; 8:16; 12:5, &c.)
2nd.— “On their heads crowns of gold,” expressing manifest and conscious dominion, for the crown is the symbol of royalty, priesthood, and victory, passim.
3rd.—They had faces like men's faces.” From the use of the face (Ex. 34:29; 33:11; Ezek. 10:14; 41:19; Rev. 4:6) I understand this as intelligence; and from its connection with man, who (as contrasted with woman in the next clause) personates lordship, they have manifest intelligent lordship.
4th.— “They had hair like the hair of women,” (length of hair,) being perhaps the badge of luxuriousness, or beauty (2 Sam. 14:26; Isa. 3:24). The reference to women definitely may be the assertion of the appearance of weakness (Isa. 3:12; 19:16), or (1 Cor. 11 The hair as for a veil) apparent subjection.
(Continued from page 176.)