Islam Surprise

REVELATION 9:1-11. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

MUSLIM SURPRISE

The star that fell is generally reckoned to be Satan .* The smoke from the pit, a new false religion. From the smoke came locusts,which are from the deserts of Arabia. Scripture always mentions them coming from the east, as in the plague of locusts in the time of Moses. (EXODUS 10 :13, see Judges 6:5) The locusts were given power, as scorpions have power to sting but not kill. They were ordered not to hurt any green thing, only men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads, that is true believers. They were to torment the false church for 5 months, that is 150 years on the prophetic year to a day scale.

Verse 7-10. The description of the locusts. They were on horses, prepared for battle. Crowns as it were of gold on their heads. Ezekiel spoke of “Sabeans (Arabs) from the desert with beautiful crowns upon their heads.” (Ezek. 23:42) One of their national proverbs also tells that turbans were given by God to them in stead of diadems

The Arabs wore gold coloured turbans. The Arabian poem "Antar" written about the time of Muhammad, describes the Arab as having long hair, a mustache and beard wearing a turban. One of their national proverbs also says that turbans were given by God to them instead of diadems. They wore chainmail breastplates. Sarecen woe lasted 150 years before it began to wane. It was Muhammad's aim was to destroy idolatry first from his own country then throughout the world. The Sarecens in a very short time had spread to the borders of India and Tartary, (China) and the gates of Constantinople, where they were defeated twice, and the Moors through Spain, Portugal and Southern France before they began to be turned back by Charles Martel, and completed by his son.

* The fallen Star. Muhammad was of the princely tribe, and of the family of Hashim. His grandfather, who adopted him after his mother died was holder of the keys of the Kaaba and prince of Mecca. When his grandfather died, the keys passed to another brancch of the family and he became servant to a poor window and used to trade in the market. He was the star that had fallen. When in one of his visions in the cave, his spirit guide, who he called Gabriel, gave him the key of paradise. This key was carried by his followers. Seven years after he was chased from Mecca, he returned and honoured as a prophet. The key that he actually was given was the key of the abyss.

To be concluded