[[Rev-09]] Prev: [[Prophecies in Rev-08]] | Next: [[Prophecies in Rev-10]] --- ### Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth... They were given power, not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a person. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: The sounding of the fifth trumpet releases demonic or symbolic locusts from the abyss to torment those without the seal of God for a period of five months. *Historical context*: Historicist scholars, such as E.B. Elliott and Josiah Litch, identify this as the rise and expansion of the Saracen (Arab) Empire starting in 612 AD. The 'five months' (150 days) is interpreted via the day-year principle as 150 years of conquest, ending around 762 AD with the founding of Baghdad. Futurist theologians view this as a yet-to-occur demonic plague during the Great Tribulation. *Related to*: ### The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like golden crowns, and their faces were like people's faces. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. *Type*: fulfillment *Summary*: The physical description of the fifth trumpet 'locusts' serves as the apocalyptic fulfillment of the imagery first revealed in the book of Joel. *Historical context*: Theological analysis links this description directly to [[Joel-01#v6|Joel 1:6]] ('teeth of a lion') and [[Joel-02#v4|Joel 2:4]] ('appearance of horses'), suggesting that John's vision is the ultimate eschatological fulfillment of the 'Day of the Lord' plagues prophesied by Joel. Historicists note that Saracen soldiers wore turbans ('crowns') and had long hair and beards, matching the visual details. *Related to*: [[Joel-02#v4|Joel 2:4]]-10 ### Free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates! ... The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. ... By these three plagues were one third of mankind killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, which proceeded out of their mouths. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: The sixth trumpet involves the release of four angels to lead a 200-million-man army that kills one-third of humanity using fire, smoke, and sulfur. *Historical context*: Historicists often link this to the rise of the Ottoman Turks, who crossed the Euphrates to conquer the Eastern Roman Empire; the 'fire, smoke, and sulfur' are seen as a prophecy of the early use of gunpowder and cannons in the siege of Constantinople (1453). Modern futurists often interpret the 200 million-man army as a literal military force from the East (e.g., China) or a supernatural demonic host in a future global conflict. *Related to*: ### The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn't repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn't worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver... They didn't repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prediction that despite catastrophic global judgments and mass death, the survivors of the trumpet plagues will persist in idolatry and moral corruption rather than repenting. *Historical context*: Theologians observe this prophecy as a recurring theme in human history where major crises often lead to further entrenchment in sin rather than spiritual revival. This specific prediction is set within the eschatological framework of the final 'Day of the Lord' preceding the Second Coming of Christ. *Related to*: --- #ai_prophecy