THE FIFTH TRUMPET continued

As stated in our last post, the Renaissance was blossoming; people were reasoning; they would love to be free. Hence:

VERSE 6 “In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.”

IN THOSE DAYS MEN WILL SEEK DEATH: “Men” (nominal Christians) will seek death (separation from Papacy) — a repudiation of their lives as Roman Catholics. They were tired of serving an unreasonable and unyielding Papacy.

AND WILL NOT FIND IT: The mechanism for the Reformation was not yet in place. The scorpion-like locusts could not set them free to Protest the Papacy. They were still her captives. They could not KILL their relationship to the Pope.

THEY WILL DESIRE TO DIE, AND DEATH WILL FLEE FROM THEM:

This phrase only accentuates the agony of the beginning of the verse. The Renaissance had men SO WANTING to get away from the old way of doing things. But the Papal grasp could not yet be loosened. The verbal challenges to Papal authority gave them hope, but not strength to break away.

The remaining part of the narrative of this trumpet is a re-examination of the locusts. Verses 1 through 6 gave us the results of Wycliffe’s sounding. These final verses tell us in more detail about the saints of the day and how they functioned. This is important in that it tells saints under siege how they can continue and be sustained in their witness efforts.

VERSE 7 “The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.”

THE SHAPE OF THE LOCUSTS: This is much like Rev 9:17. We are seeing how WE view the saints, the doctrines, and the works of the Sardis period.

WAS LIKE HORSES PREPARED FOR BATTLE:

Wycliffe’s followers, unlike those of Waldo, were out for a fight. They were not wanting to hide themselves and their doctrines in the mountains or sewn into their garments. These locusts went out to devour! They were CHALLENGING the Papacy!

ON THEIR HEADS WERE CROWNS OF SOMETHING LIKE GOLD:

As the 24 Elders (Rev 4:4) have Divine Authority, so too the ideas (heads) which support these doctrines (horses) BECAUSE Wycliffe and his followers supported everything by SCRIPTURE.

AND THEIR FACES WERE LIKE THE FACES OF MEN:

Since God’s LOVE is represented thus (Rev 4:7), so are Wycliffe’s teachings. They represented LOVE over the fear and fantasies propagated by Papacy. Wycliffe began his career by sending out the “poor priests” to teach the people by word of mouth and action the LOVE of God, rather than the greed and superstition being brought to them by the mendicant friars.

VERSE 8 “They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.”

THEY HAD HAIR LIKE WOMEN’S HAIR:

Hair symbolizes spiritual strength (as with Samson). Women represent the Church — the true Church here; the false system was the MAN OF SIN who had NO SPIRITUAL STRENGTH; it was bound in earthly reasoning’s or conspiracies. The thought is the loveliness of spiritual strength which came from accepting the revealed truths.

AND THEIR TEETH WERE LIKE LIONS’ TEETH:

But do not be deceived by the lovely women with beautiful hair! These doctrines have TEETH — and not small ones at that! They have the power to deliver rending criticism backed by the power of the Lion of the tribe of Judah!

The truth is mighty in bringing down the strongholds of error.

VERSE 9 “And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.”

AND THEY HAD BREASTPLATES LIKE BREASTPLATES OF IRON:

Iron is strength. (Dan. 2:40) Breastplates are defensive armor.

THESE breastplates are NOT iron, but are LIKE iron.

That is, they have the strength of iron, but THEY are made of righteousness (Eph. 6:14). They are based on FAITH AND LOVE (1 Thess. 5:8).

This makes them UNASSAILABLE by false use of Scripture or by human reasoning.

AND THE SOUND OF THEIR WINGS:

Wings when on an eagle represent the Old and New Testaments (Rev 12:4). This seems to show that these locusts are borne about by the SOUNDS of Scripture — the ring of Truth.

WAS LIKE THE SOUND OF CHARIOTS:

Chariots symbolize organizations. In the Sardis period, the followers of Wycliffe were organized in their approach to witnessing. First there were the “Poor- Priests” who traveled the English countryside teaching the people. Then there were the Lollards, Hussites, Moravians, etc. — all of whom organized their work in groups. Thus, the SOUNDS of Scripture (the Old and New Testament WINGS) came to the world through these organized saints. But they were not earthly organizations; they were groups organized around doctrines of the Lord. HENCE:

WITH MANY HORSES RUNNING INTO BATTLE:

It was DOCTRINE, doctrinal clarity, that stimulated the followers of Wycliffe. It was SCRIPTURAL doctrine that encouraged their crusades. They were doing battle against the preposterous doctrines of the Antichrist. Antichrist would strike back with the Inquisition. The Lollard’s were hurt and somewhat restrained, but there seemed always some group to keep up the assault. The Teachings of Wycliffe would NOT DIE.

Hence the poem by William Wordsworth’s Ecclesiastical Sonnets, number XVII:

“Once more the Church is seized with sudden fear,
And at her call is Wicliffe (Wycliffe) disinhumed (exhumed):
Yea, his dry bones to ashes are consumed
And flung into the brook that travels near;
Forthwith, that ancient Voice which streams can hear
Thus speaks (that voice which walks upon the wind,
Though seldom heard by busy human kind) —

“As thou those ashes, little Brook! (*) wilt bear
Into the Avon (Celtic for river), Avon to the tide
Of Severn (another river), Severn to the narrow seas (the English Channel),
Into main Ocean they, this deed accurst
An emblem yields to friends and enemies
How the bold teacher’s Doctrine, sanctified
By truth, shall spread, throughout the world dispersed.”

We continue on to Verse 10 in our next post.