Bible Study What is Wormwood in Revelation 8?

[Hope in the Desert]

Revelation 8:10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

What could it be? With modern filtration and distillation technologies, it is hard to imagine how water could remain dangerous.

My theory is that it is tritium. Once tritium makes it way into water, it is exceedingly difficult to remove economically. Filtering and distilling won't remove the tritium from the water. With a half life of 12.32 years, for it to fall from the skies and contaminate the waters of the earth, it would (probably) have to be of artificial origin.

 

[Paul Timothy]

Nice to see someone thinking instead of just quoting old theories.
Keep up the good ideas.

 

[for_his_glory]

Rev 8:10-11 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

John saw in his vision a great star that is burning like a lamp that falls to earth. In John’s time torches were used as a light source so this star burning like a lamp or a torch could be that of a burning asteroid or a series of meteors falling on earth. I can only think it to be many as they fall on the third part of rivers and streams as it poisons the third part of the earth’s fresh water supply and causes many to die from the bitter water they drink. This would also kill all fresh water fish leaving man without another food source.

This star is given a name called Wormwood because wormwood is a plant that can be potentially toxic in its pure form and has a bitter aroma to it. In large amounts, it can cause damage to the nervous system, resulting in convulsions, loss of muscle control, and sometimes death. Now we have a third part of the world without fresh water to drink.​

 

[Hope in the Desert]

Thanks for the insight.

I feel the text could still point to tritium, because:
1. Tritium is the third isotope of hydrogen. It is difficult to imagine a poison that would only affect a third part of water, and not diffuse out into the rest. The text is not specific but the nuance is that sources of water, and people globally, die uniformly.
2. Tritium glows in the dark. "Burning as if it were a lamp" could suggest that its illumination was not heat (unstated: but radioactive decay) as if it were a lamp. Of course it could just mean it glowed like other meteors that enter the earth.

When water becomes contaminated with tritium, it is very difficult to remove because the isotopes of hydrogen tend to interchange with each other. So even the hydrogen in a plastic container holding tritiated water will exchange its hydrogen atoms with tritium and become likewise contaminated. For example, if a plastic water bottle containing pure (non tritiated) water comes into contact with tritiated water, there will be hydrogen-tritium exchange, which will lead to the plastic bottle becoming tritiated, and then the water within too.

If tritium enriched meteors strike the earth, the earth's water supply will very quickly be almost irreversibly contaminated.

Every other poison in water may be removed with distillation or filtration.

Of course God could still use a supernatural event to bring Rev 8:10-11 to pass.

 

[for_his_glory]

Hope in the Desert when you read Rev 8:1-13 you read how a third part of things will be destroyed during the wrath of God in the end of days before Christ returns on the last day. Here is my own scenario of what will happen at this time of the seven trumpets sounding, but as a true child of God these things will not befall us as we are under the wings of the Almighty.

When the son of perdition takes his literal seat in the holy place of Jerusalem, 2Thessalonians 2:1-5, Jesus warned us to flee as He has a place prepared for us wherever we go to, Matthew 24:15-21; Rev 12:14. At this time many Christians will be taken captive that did not heed the warning to flee and if they will not denounce Christ and bow down and take the mark of this beast, who falsely claims peace and safety to all who takes its mark, they will die a martyr's death.

God's protection is absolute to those who are His own and escape into the wilderness as they trust in Christ to help meet their needs. Just as God told Moses to strike the rock for fresh water, Exodus 17:1-7, and sending manna down from heaven and providing Quail for meat, Exodus 16, so will be the same in the end of days, Philippians 4:19.

Nut shell scenario of what will happen during the first six trumpets of Rev Chapters 8-11 that leads up to the seventh trumpet and the 3 1/2 years events of Chapter 13 with the beast out of the sea and out of the earth that will cause all to take the mark of this beast or die a martyr's death for the sake of Christ.

God’s wrath is poured out into the world as chastisements for disobedience, but also a warning that man needs to repent and turn back to God before the door of salvation is closed forever when Christ returns.

Hail and fire can be likened unto meteors that fall from the sky. A third of the trees and all the green grass are burned up which makes a third part of the world with a shortage of oxygen in the air that is created from the carbon dioxide from the trees and living plants. Seeing that this is Global the intense fire and smoke from all the trees and grass burning can travel for miles causing much more damage throughout the nations. The trees that produce various healthy foods for our wellbeing will become scarce. The green grasses that would probably include crops of wheat, barley, corn and so forth will be destroyed causing a shortage in food. The animals we depend on as a food source will also die as they are left without vegetation they need to live on.

This great mountain burning with fire could be a large asteroid as the third part of the sea is destroyed along with sea life and the third part of the ships that sit in it. The third part of the sea turned to blood by reason of all the animal life that is killed and those men, women and children who are on these ships that are destroyed. Take into consideration the disease that would spread from all the rotted sea life that is rotting away washing up on the shore and the flesh of those who were burned along with the ships.

These ships will more than likely be types of fuel tankers, merchant, fishing and luxury cruises ships traveling the waters. With the third of these ships being destroyed means a third part of the world’s fuel and food supply would be destroyed. There is only one ocean, but divided by four regions as being the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. This would be like the four corners of the earth as being North, South, East and West. The only difference between the ocean and the sea is that the ocean is much larger and feeds into the 108 seas around the world that also flow into our lakes and streams that provide us with fresh drinking water and other sources of food.

With the third part of the sun, moon and stars being darkened this will affect mans source of electricity and heat that is vital to keep a certain degree of the earth warm, and generated power in homes, hospitals and manufacturing plants including nuclear reactors.

Agriculture and navigation would be hard pressed as it takes the solar power from the sun to run the solar cells that produces the energy needed to run farming machinery and trucks to take the produce to manufacturing plants where the produce is then distributed to market.

Vehicles such as cars, ambulances, planes, trains and the list goes on need an energy source from the sun in order to run their engines. The darkness of the third part of the day would be roughly around eight hours of daylight being lost and total darkness of night as the moon and stars are illuminated by the sun at night. A flashlight would be useless to see in the dark as it needs energy from the sun to run the battery that turns the light on.

This much darkness would cause people to panic in the streets creating chaos as the love of many will wax cold, Matthew 24:12. Riots would break out causing looting and lose of life as those who have not will do anything in desperation to take from those who have much. IMO Marshal law will be enforced as we see history repeat itself with many Christians taken captive that did not flee and killed as they refuse to denounce Christ and take the mark. They will also die a martyr's death, Rev 6:9-11, especially vs. 11. Also we are not to fear what man can do to us, Matthew 10:28.

This is where the mark of the beast comes in during the seventh trumpet as this NWO is a Luciferian system of economics, political, military, educational, environmental and false religious power that gives power to the beast out of the earth being the son of perdition. By lying signs and wonders the beast will deceive the nations (people) into taking its mark. IMO I think the mark is the thoughts of our mind and the actions of our hands reaching out to this beast that promises peace, safety and provision as many will bow down and worship this beast who claims to be God.

After the 3 1/2 years of this Luciferian reign on earth that will try and wear out the saints, Daniel 7:25, then every eye will see Christ coming in the clouds with His army of angels that are then sent out to gather those saints who are alive at His coming and those who sleep in their graves, Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Rev 19:11-21. We are gathered up to the clouds as we receive our new glorified bodies in order to meet Jesus in the air. From the air He destroys the beast and false prophet by the brightness of His coming only speaking their destruction casting them into the lake of fire. Satan is bound for a time as Jesus sets out to destroy all the nations that followed after the beast. Satan is then released in a final attempt to destroy the saints as he sends his army out to surround the camp of the saints, but they are consumed by fire and Satan cast into the lake of fire. Then comes God's great white throne judgment and the books are opened and all are judged. Then this present heaven and earth are burned up and made new again and the New Jerusalem is ushered down from heaven where we will be with the Lord forever.