f the three
angels, who are to sound."--Rev. 8:13.

The word eagle, instead of angel, is in accordance with the more recent
revised editions of the Greek. It must symbolize persons peculiarly
apprehensive at this crisis, of disasters to follow the extinction of the
Roman empire in the west. During the first half of the sixth century, the
Sclavonians invaded the east, "spread from the suburbs of Constantinople
to the Ionian Gulf, destroyed thirty-two cities or castles, razed Potidaea,
which Athens had built, and Philip had besieged, and repassed the Danube,
dragging at their horses' heels one hundred and twenty thousand of the
subjects of Justinian."--_Gibbon._ And they continued their inroads, until
the citizens became apprehensive that the Empire of the East would be
extinguished like that of the West.

This symbol also indicates that the events under the trumpets which were
to follow, would be far more dreadful and terrible than those of the
preceding ones. For this reason, the last three are sometimes denominated
THE WOE TRUMPETS.

The Fifth Trumpet.

"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star, which had fallen
from heaven to the earth: and to him was given the key of the pit
of the abyss. And he opened the pit of the abyss: and a smoke
arose out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the
sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. And locusts
came out of the smoke into the earth: and power was given to them,
as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was said to them
that they should not injure the herbage of the earth, nor any
green thing, nor any tree; but only those men who have not the
seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not allowed to kill
them, but to torment them five months: and their torment was like
the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those
days men will seek death, and will not find it; and will desire to
die, and death will flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts
were like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were as
it were crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of
men. And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth
were like those of lions. And they had breast-plates, like
breast-plates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the
sound of chariots with many horses rushing into battle. And they