FIFTH TRUMPET

Heavenly view:
Hebrews 9:11-12 But Christ (after His ascension in 31 A.D.) became an high priest of good things to come, in a greater and more perfect tabernacle. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Rev. 8:3-4and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

Thanks to Jesus sacrifice and mediation the prayers of God's people, being mixed with the precious merits of Christ, find forgiveness and mercy at the throne of God

Earthly view:
Rev. 9:1-2 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. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit,

That star had already fallen in the third trumpet.
As noted in previous posts, the fallen star is a church leader.
In Revelation 1:20; we are told that stars are seven angels or leaders of the churches, through whom (in chapter 2 and 3) God sent letters to the church members. But this is a fallen star, a church leader that has fallen from truth, sitting in the seat of Satan in Rome, receiving his power and authority from the dragon. (Rev. 13:4)

There was also smoke ascending -- a counterfeit of Christ's work in the heavenly sanctuary.
A counterfeit system of merits has been established. An earthly substitute pretending to dispense forgiveness and grace,

Rev. 9:2 And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
From the pit rises deception. The bottomless pit is ultimately the place of death and destruction.

The keys were claimed by the papacy.
In Matt. 16:19 is a verse the papacy, firmly claims for themselves. They claim the KEYS.
But those keys are not the heavenly keys that bring salvation and life, they are counterfeits that only bring deceptions.

Heavenly view:

Rev. 1:18 Jesus says, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Rev. 3:7: he that is true, has the key of David, it is he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens?
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

The key belongs to Jesus!

Earthly view:

Revelation 9:2 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.

The smoke from strange fire, from a strange altar - from the pit is darkness, a suffocating smoke, deadly. Sinful humans cannot cleanse anyone's sins. Claiming to have that power and even making merchandise of God's grace is Blasphemy. Enforcing laws demanding people confess their sins to priests who supposedly also have the power to refuse and consign someone to hell, brings darkness and extinguishes the light of God's grace.

Rev. 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth and unto them (the locusts) was given power,

In prophecy locusts become a symbol of divine intervention in human affairs. A call to turn from sin and come back under the protective arms of God.
Their sudden appearance, vast numbers, and devastating impact are symbolic of God's judgement.

Heavenly view:

2 Chron 7:13-14 If I ... command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

FIFTH TRUMPET

Heavenly View:
Byzantine Empire, though shattered by the fourth crusade, was allowed to re-conquer it's lost city and lands and re-establish itself. A second chance.
"Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever." Psalm 37:27
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins." Acts 3:19

Christ was still standing before the golden altar of incense. Would they return to the true gospel of salvation?

EARTHLY VIEW
1054 AD The Great Schism
1204 AD The fourth crusade attacks and conquers Constantinople.
1261 AD the Byzantine Empire was re-established.
1299 AD the "locusts" The Ottoman's were starting to rise to power. 150 years begin.
1449 AD the end of the 150 years of Grace -- a couple years later Constantinople falls.

Rev.9:4 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.
Rev. 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them,

The Christian world still had a certain amount of protection from God, against these "locusts". They were sorely "tormented" by them but they were not conquered by them.

THE SEAL
God's seal is not just something unique at the end of the age, the Holy Spirit works to develop it in us now.
Ephesians1:12-13... who first trusted in Christ. In whom they believed, after they heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation. In Him also after that you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Who is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Christ's followers have the seal of promise through the Holy Spirit, all through Christian history. This is the recognition that they are Christ's people. The Sabbath is a key part of that sign.

THE SABBATH

Ez. 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Ez. 20:20 20:20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.

The eastern church still had seventh day Sabbath Christians.

"We read of a group called "Nazarenes" who "observe the Sabbath of the Jews" who dwelt in Constantinople .
Nazareness was a term used for early Christians, as Roman governor Felix heard that Paul was "a creator of dissension" and "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5).
Nazarenes were early Christians with a high percentage of them being Jews converted to Christianity. This group was still around centuries latter in Constantinople and elsewhere.

About 1054 a historian - Neale_ wrote in
"A History of the Holy Eastern Church" Vol. 1, p.731
"The observance of Saturday is as everyone knows, the subject of a bitter dispute between the Greeks and the Latins.
Written in reference to the Great Schism of 1054.

Earlier (800's) there had been a strong movement in the eastern church to honour the second commandment -- generally known as the great icon controversy or Iconoclasm.

There were other issues which showed the east still had a strong resistance to the encroachments of Latin Papal dogmas. These led to "The Great Schism" between Papal Rome and the Byzantines in 1054.

Then the armies of the 4th crusade from the west, conquered Constantinople and destroyed the Byzantine Empire in 1204. But the former Byzantine people reconquered and started over in 1261. How would they reshape their religious life?

RESTORED BUT NOT REFORMED
The Byzantine Emperor gathered the religious power and glory to himself. Yes, the Patriarch was the religious leader, but the Emperor positioned himself as the final word and protector of the church. He would go so far as to build a special platform with light arrangement that made him look like the sun was rising when he ascended.

The Byzantine Empire was given 150 years more to repent and return to the true gospel.

Rev. 9:5 but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment [was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man.

The time "five months" is symbolic. The rule being that in apocalyptical prophecies in a passage that speaks in symbols, the time is also symbolic. In the fifth seal we see symbolic scorpions, symbolic locusts, and symbolic descriptions of horses -- and symbolic time. 50 months = 50 X 30 days = 150 symbolic days which equal 150 years.

Not only is time presented in symbolic format in the 5th trumpet, but we also know it is not until after the sixth trumpet that time prophecies END (Rev. 10:6) Time prophecies (the ability to calculate time) ended in 1844.

Thus -- to say the references to time (50 months/150 years, and the 391 days/years) in these prophecies are prophesying a length of time yet in the future is going against inspired writings.

The forces developed in history will manifest themselves all at once in a final show down, but that is NOT prophecy repeating.
Prophecy told the history about them, shows how they developed in sequential development throughout Christian history, warns us against them, but it's NOT prophecy repeating when they all sound in one terrible blast together in Satan's last desperate effort to stamp out God's faithful. History repeats, not prophecy.