November 1: THE SIXTH TRUMPET (part 3)

Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. Revelation 9:16 NKJV

Innumerable horses and their riders! John heard the number, and whether it is literal or symbolic, the effect is the same. The Islamic hordes that invaded eastern Europe during the second woe – continued judgement against apostate Christianity – created the needed distractions that allowed the work of the Reformation across the rest of Europe to progress largely unhindered. The attention of pope after pope was almost constantly directed toward the east. God’s providence!

And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone (v.17). John the Revelator is shown in vision the scenes of war waged by the Islamic invaders. The uniforms were brightly assembled at a time in history when the concept of a uniform did not exist in Europe. The Ottoman empire was the exception. The intense colors of red, blue and yellow used in the cavalry uniforms were part of a theatrical display of state wealth. These were worn over their armor in fabrics of silk, brocade, and velvet. The horses’ manes were groomed to stand up in a crest formation. The recent development of gunpowder was a major game-changer in war technique. The Turkish cavalry was trained to ride and cue their horses using only their legs, leaving both hands free. Their muskets were unlike anything John had ever seen. As the riders discharged their firearms on horseback, it appeared to him that fire, smoke, and brimstone issued from the horses’ mouths! By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths (v.18 KJV). Incredibly, the colors in the uniform and the colors resulting from the ignited gunpowder were the same three colors.

After more than eleven hundred years since the original Constantine founded the city he named for himself, the Ottoman Turks took down Constantinople, whose walls had previously been impregnable – owing to the use of gunpowder and the Islamic foundry at Adrianople casting the largest cannons made up to that point. With the fall of Constantinople came the final catastrophe of the Greek leg of the Holy Roman Empire. The Islamic conquerors had trampled her false religion into the dust.

For their power is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm (v.19 NKJV). Remember that the ensigns carried by the Islamic cavalry were made of horses’ tails. The swath of destruction left behind each storm of Muslim cavalry appeared as though the tails of the ensign-bearers completed the destruction and killing of the third part of men – those who were willingly deceived.

Jesus said, “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” Revelation 3:3