The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

influences of European civilization and their government has been a perfect blight and
curse to the countries subjected to their rule."
Concerning this most notable event of history and its effects on nominal Christianity, we
have this further account from Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History:
"The ruin of the Grecian (Eastern Empire) was a new source of calamities to the Christian
Church in the greatest part of Europe and Asia. When the Turks headed by Mahomet II, an
accomplished Prince and formidable warrior, had made themselves masters of
Constantinople in the year 1453, the cause of (nominal) Christianity received a blow from
which it has never as yet recovered. Its adherents in those parts had no resources left
which could enable them to maintain it against the perpetual insults of their fierce and
incensed victors, nor could they stem that torrent of barbarism and ignorance that rushed
in with the triumphant arms of Mahomet, and overspread Greece with a fatal rapidity. The
Roman pontiff, Pius II, wrote a warm and urgent letter to Mahomet II to persuade that
prince to profess the Gospel, but this letter is equally destitute of piety and prudence."
"And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of
fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions:
and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third
part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out
of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like
unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt."--Rev. 9:17-19.
St. John having described the vision as it appeared in a general way now proceeds to
portray its particular features. The peculiar appearance of those he designates horses and
horsemen now engage his attention. The horsemen are represented as having breastplates
of the color of fire (red) and of hyacinth (blue) and of sulfur (yellow). Breastplates are