THE FIFTH TRUMPET

presents the rise of Mohammedanism with its cloud of errors, but especially the period of “five months,” one hundred and fifty prophetic days (one hundred and fifty years) from the time they “had a king over them.” July 27, 1299, Othman, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, invaded the territory of Nicomedia. From that time the Ottomans harassed and “tormented” the Eastern Empire of Rome till July 27, 1449, the one hundred and fifty years of the sounding of the fifth trumpet. At that time the Turks came with their forces against the city of Constantinople itself, using gunpowder in their warfare; and from a ponderous cannon, which the historian Gibbon says required sixty oxen to draw, they fired great rocks against the walls of Constantinople. About this time John Palaeologus-who is set down by historians as the last Greek emperor-died. Constantine Decozes was the rightful heir to the throne, but it is said that his fears of Amurath, the Turkish sultan, who was waging this warfare against him, led him to ask permission of Amurath to ascend the throne. Such an act would almost seem a resignation of the throne to the Turks. In fact, very shortly the Ottomans had possession of the city of Constantinople, and the Eastern Empire of Rome. Thus they (politically) “killed” that empire which they had before “tormented.” They were to “slay” it for “an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.” Taking this as prophetic time, a day for a year, how long a time would it be? The problem is a simple one: A year, 360 days, or years; a month, 30 days, or years; and one day, one year,-in all, 391 days, or, literally, 391 years. An hour being the twenty-fourth part of a day, as a symbol it would be half a month, or fifteen days. The whole time of Mohammedan independent rule of Eastern Roman territory would therefore be 391 years and 15 days. This added to July 27, 1449, brings us to August 11, 1840. On that very day, the affairs of the Turkish government passed into the hands of the “allied powers” of Europe, and there they have remained until the present time. The four governments which at that time took in hand to manage for the Turk were England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia.LDT 149.2