Last Updated on : Saturday, November 22, 2014 |
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Eureka AN EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE |
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Chapter 9 Section 4 Subsection 6 Breasts Fiery and Hyacinthine |
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But, there were characteristics pertaining to the armed equestrian
myriads seen in vision by John, that Habakkuk did not see
in the Chaldean hosts. He says, the horsemen "had breasts
thorakas, fiery and hyacinthine and sulphurous." These
were breast-works, in military phraseology; and on these were
mounted "heads," in which were "mouths." They
were equestrian lion-heads, very fierce and destructive; and
out of these horse-lion-head mouths "burst forth fire,
and smoke, and sulphur." These horses were what is now
styled horse-artillery: artillery drawn by horses, without
which they would be of little use in war. "The heads
of the horses were as the heads of lions," because of
their roaring, "and out of their mouths burst, or roared
forth the fire, smoke, and sulphur." Hence, the horses
in the vision besides being symbolical of the equestrian character,
and of the swift and fierce invincibility, of the Euphratean
angel-powers, are representative of the new and powerful artillery
used by the fourth Euphratean Angel in putting to death "the
third" -- the third that belonged to the men who were
unsealed. These lion-headed horses, roaring and vomiting fire,
smoke, and sulphur out of their mouths, were cannons belching
forth destruction. John saw them mounted on breastworks, which
breasted the troops behind them; and from these "breasts," as
well as from the "mouths," burst forth fire; for
the riders had "breasts fiery, hyacinthine, and sulphurous." He
saw these artillery mounted breastworks actively at work;
and the nature of their activity he signifies by the sight
and smell. They appeared to the eye "fiery and hyacinthine." This
is the symbolism of the flash seen on the discharge of loaded
cannon. If a little saltpetre and sulphur be triturated together,
and then thrown into the fire, the hyacinthine color will
be seen in their combustion. In other words, this combustion
will be "fiery and hyacinthine." Hence, breastworks,
lined with cannon in explosive operation, would be fiery and
hyacinthine to the eye, being illuminated with these colors
at every flash. The smell also would be highly "sulphurous," owing
to the composition of matters vomited out of the roaring mouths
of the great guns.
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