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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Revelation IX].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>R E V E L A T I O N.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. IX.</FONT>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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In this chapter we have an account of the sounding of the fifth and
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sixth trumpets, the appearances that attended them, and the events that
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were to follow; the fifth trumpet
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:1-12">ver. 1-12</A>),
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the sixth,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:13-21">ver. 13, &c.</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Re9_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Seven Trumpets.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT VALIGN=BOTTOM><FONT SIZE=-1>A. D.</FONT> 95.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from
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heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
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bottomless pit.
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2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out
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of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the
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air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
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3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and
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unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have
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power.
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4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass
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of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only
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those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
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5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but
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that they should be tormented five months: and their torment
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<I>was</I> as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
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6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find
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it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
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7 And the shapes of the locusts <I>were</I> like unto horses
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prepared unto battle; and on their heads <I>were</I> as it were crowns
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like gold, and their faces <I>were</I> as the faces of men.
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8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were
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as <I>the teeth</I> of lions.
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9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron;
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and the sound of their wings <I>was</I> as the sound of chariots of
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many horses running to battle.
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10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were
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stings in their tails: and their power <I>was</I> to hurt men five
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months.
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11 And they had a king over them, <I>which is</I> the angel of the
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bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue <I>is</I> Abaddon, but
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in the Greek tongue hath <I>his</I> name Apollyon.
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12 One woe is past; <I>and,</I> behold, there come two woes more
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hereafter.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Upon the sounding of this trumpet, the things to be observed are,
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1. <I>A star falling from heaven to the earth.</I> Some think this
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star represents some eminent bishop in the Christian church, some angel
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of the church; for, in the same way of speaking by which pastors are
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called stars, the church is called heaven; but who this is expositors
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do not agree. Some understand it of Boniface the third bishop of Rome,
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who assumed the title of universal bishop, by the favour of the emperor
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Phocas, who, being a usurper and tyrant in the state, allowed Boniface
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to be so in the church, as the reward of his flattery.
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2. To this fallen star <I>was given the key of the bottomless pit.</I>
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Having now ceased to be a minister of Christ, he becomes the
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antichrist, the minister of the devil; and by the permission of Christ,
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who had taken from him the keys of the church, he becomes the devil's
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turnkey, to let loose the powers of hell against the churches of
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Christ.
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3. Upon the opening of the bottomless pit <I>there arose a great
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smoke,</I> which darkened the sun and the air. The devils are the
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powers of darkness; hell is the place of darkness. The devil carries on
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his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by extinguishing light and
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knowledge, and promoting ignorance and error. He first deceives men,
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and then destroys them; wretched souls follow him in the dark, or they
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durst not follow him.
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4. Out of this dark smoke there came a swarm of locusts, one of the
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plagues of Egypt, the devil's emissaries headed by the antichrist, all
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the rout and rabble of antichristian orders, to promote superstition,
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idolatry, error, and cruelty; and these had, by the just permission of
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God, power to hurt those who had not the mark of God in their
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foreheads.
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5. The hurt they were to do them was not a bodily, but a spiritual
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hurt. They should not in a military way destroy all by fire and sword;
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the trees and the grass should be untouched, and those they hurt should
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not be slain; it should not be a persecution, but a secret poison and
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infection in their souls, which should rob them of their purity, and
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afterwards of their peace. Heresy is a poison in the soul, working
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slowly and secretly, but will be bitterness in the end.
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6. They had no power so much as to hurt those who had the seal of God
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in their foreheads. God's electing, effectual, distinguishing grace
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will preserve his people from total and final apostasy.
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7. The power given to these factors for hell is limited in point of
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time: <I>five months,</I> a certain season, and but a short season,
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though how short we cannot tell. Gospel-seasons have their limits, and
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times of seduction are limited too.
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8. Though it would be short, it would be very sharp, insomuch that
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those who were made to feel the malignity of this poison in their
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consciences would be weary of their lives,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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<I>A wounded spirit who can bear?</I>
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9. These locusts were of a monstrous size and shape,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:7,8"><I>v.</I> 7, 8</A>,
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&c. They were equipped for their work like horses prepared to battle.
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(1.) They pretended to great authority, and seemed to be assured of
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victory: <I>They had crowns like gold on their heads;</I> it was not a
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true, but a counterfeit authority.
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(2.) They had the show of wisdom and sagacity, <I>the faces of men,</I>
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though the spirit of devils.
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(3.) They had all the allurements of seeming beauty, to ensnare and
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defile the minds of men--<I>hair like women;</I> their way of worship
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was very gaudy and ornamental.
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(4.) Though they appeared with the tenderness of women, they had <I>the
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teeth of lions,</I> were really cruel creatures.
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(5.) They had the defence and protection of earthly
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powers--<I>breastplates of iron.</I>
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(6.) They made a mighty noise in the world; they flew about from one
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country to another, and the noise of their motion was like that of an
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army with chariots and horses.
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(7.) Though at first they soothed and flattered men with a fair
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appearance, there was a sting in their tails; the cup of their
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abominations contained that which, though luscious at first, would at
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length bite like a serpent and sting like an adder.
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(8.) The king and commander of this hellish squadron is here described,
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[1.] As an angel; so he was by nature, an angel, once one of the angels
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of heaven.
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[2.] <I>The angel of the bottomless pit;</I> an angel still, but a
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fallen angel, fallen into the bottomless pit, vastly large, and out of
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which there is no recovery.
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[3.] In these infernal regions he is a sort of prince and governor, and
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has the powers of darkness under his rule and command.
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[4.] His true name is <I>Abaddon, Apollyon--a destroyer,</I> for that
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is his business, his design, and employment, to which he diligently
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attends, in which he is very successful, and takes a horrid hellish
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pleasure; it is about this destroying work that he sends out his
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emissaries and armies to destroy the souls of men. And now here we have
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the end of one woe; and where one ends another begins.</P>
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<A NAME="Re9_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re9_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Seventh Trumpet.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT VALIGN=BOTTOM><FONT SIZE=-1>A. D.</FONT> 95.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the
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four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
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14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the
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four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
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15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an
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hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third
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part of men.
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16 And the number of the army of the horsemen <I>were</I> two
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hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
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17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat
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on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and
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brimstone: and the heads of the horses <I>were</I> as the heads of
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lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and
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brimstone.
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18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the
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fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of
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their mouths.
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19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for
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their tails <I>were</I> like unto serpents, and had heads, and with
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them they do hurt.
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20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these
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plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they
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should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and
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brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear,
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nor walk:
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21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their
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sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here let us consider the preface to this vision, and then the vision
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itself.</P>
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<P>
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I. The preface to this vision: <I>A voice was heard from the horns of
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the golden altar,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:13,14"><I>v.</I> 13, 14</A>.
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Here observe,
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1. The power of the church's enemies is restrained till God gives the
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word to have them turned loose.
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2. When nations are ripe for punishment, those instruments of God's
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anger that were before restrained are let loose upon them,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>.
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3. The instruments that God makes use of to punish a people may
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sometimes lie at a great distance from them, so that no danger may be
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apprehended from them. These four messengers of divine judgment lay
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bound in the river Euphrates, a great way from the European nations.
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Here the Turkish power had its rise, which seems to be the story of
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this vision.</P>
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<P>
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II. The vision itself: <I>And the four angels that had been bound in
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the great river Euphrates were now loosed,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:15,16"><I>v.</I> 15, 16</A>.
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And here observe,
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1. The time of their military operations and executions is limited to
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<I>an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.</I> Prophetic
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characters of time are hardly to be understood by us; but in general
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the time is fixed to an hour, when it shall begin and when it shall
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end; and how far the execution shall prevail, even to a third part of
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the inhabitants of the earth. God will make the wrath of man praise
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him, and the remainder of wrath he will restrain.
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2. The army that was to execute this great commission is mustered, and
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the number found to be of horsemen <I>two hundred thousand
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thousand;</I> but we are left to guess what the infantry must be. In
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general, it tells us, the armies of the Mahomedan empire should be
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vastly great; and so it is certain they were.
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3. Their formidable equipage and appearance,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>.
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As the horses were fierce, like lions, and eager to rush into the
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battle, so those who sat upon them were clad in bright and costly
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armour, with all the ensigns of martial courage, zeal, and resolution.
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4. The vast havoc and desolation that they made in the Roman empire,
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which had now become antichristian: A third part of them were killed;
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they went as far as their commission suffered them, and they could go
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no further.
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5. Their artillery, by which they made such slaughter, described <I>by
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fire, smoke, and brimstone,</I> issuing out of the mouths of their
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horses, and the stings that were in their tails. It is Mr. Mede's
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opinion that this is a prediction of great guns, those instruments of
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cruelty which make such destruction: he observes, These were first used
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by the Turks at the siege of Constantinople, and, being new and
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strange, were very terrible, and did great execution. However, here
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seems to be an allusion to what is mentioned in the former vision,
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that, as antichrist had his forces of a spiritual nature, like
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scorpions poisoning the minds of men with error and idolatry, so the
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Turks, who were raised up to punish the antichristian apostasy, had
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their scorpions and their stings too, to hurt and kill the bodies of
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those who had been the murderers of so many souls.
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6. Observe the impenitency of the antichristian generation under these
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dreadful judgments
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>);
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the rest of the men who were not killed repented not, they still
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persisted in those sins for which God was so severely punishing them,
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which were,
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(1.) Their idolatry; they would not cast away their images, though they
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could do them no good, <I>could not see, nor hear, nor walk.</I>
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(2.) Their murders
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+9:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),
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which they had committed upon the saints and servants of Christ. Popery
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is a bloody religion, and seems resolved to continue such.
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(3.) Their sorceries; they have their charms, and magic arts, and rites
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in exorcism and other things.
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(4.) Their fornication; they allow both spiritual and carnal impurity,
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and promote it in themselves and others.
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(5.) Their thefts; they have by unjust means heaped together a vast
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deal of wealth, to the injury and impoverishing of families, cities,
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princes, and nations. These are the flagrant crimes of antichrist and
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his agents; and, though God has revealed his wrath from heaven against
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them, they are obstinate, hardened, and impenitent, and judicially so,
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for they must be destroyed.</P>
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<P>
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III. From this sixth trumpet we learn,
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1. God can make one enemy of the church to be a scourge and plague to
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another.
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2. He who is the Lord of hosts has vast armies at his command, to serve
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his own purposes.
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3. The most formidable powers have limits set them, which they cannot
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transgress.
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4. When God's judgments are in the earth, he expects the inhabitants
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thereof should repent of sin, and learn righteousness.
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5. Impenitency under divine judgments is an iniquity that will be the
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ruin of sinners; for where God judges he will overcome.</P>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC66008.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC66010.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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CREDITS: <A HREF="http://ccel.org" target="_blank"><B>Christian Classics Ethereal Library</B></A><br><br>
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