October 19: THE THIRD TRUMPET JUDGEMENT (part 2)

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 Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:10-11 (KJV)

In Hebrew culture, names have significance. A certain name could serve as a revelation of character. For example, Jacob’s name revealed him as a deceiver. At a crossroads in his life, he struggled to overcome deceptions he’d pulled in the past on his father and his brother, and God renamed him Israel which means one who prevails with God (Genesis 32:28). Jacob had taken hold of God’s grace—all glory to God!—and stepped onto the path of a genuine character makeover.

We are taught that heaven’s beautiful angel, Lucifer, son of the morning, fell because he cultivated a desire to exalt himself above God (Isaiah 14:12-15). Instead of worshiping God, he coveted worship for himself, thus losing the joy that comes only out of a love relationship with the Creator, the Source of all joy. In failing to dismiss covetous thoughts, he made a devil of himself, and now he works feverishly to steal your joy as well and make you bitter. Wormwood describes the character of Satan. It symbolizes the poisonous mindset of apostasy: turning away from God and casting down righteousness (Deuteronomy 29:18; Amos 5:7).

These things were happening within the church as this system grew and developed among God’s people. This history surrounds the fall of pagan Rome, paralleling Christ’s letters to Pergamos and Thyatira and the third and fourth seals of Revelation 6. The toxic herb, wormwood, symbolizes injustice and affliction. This miserable character permeated the church of the Middle Ages. Instead of being a fountain of refreshment for God’s people, they were continually misled regarding the character of God by the bitter waters. Like the growing concentric circles from a pebble tossed in a lake, multitudes (Revelation 17:5) departed from the apostolic gospel. Bible teachings were perverted. Tradition and scholastic teachings led to corrupted doctrines. With sinful practices being promoted—practices contrary to the Bible—this system of dogmas devastated the institutional church. Therefore, the third trumpet portrays the medieval apostasy and its consequences: the spiritual death of many men who drank from its polluted and poisonous waters. The third trumpet judgement foreshadows a plague to come (Revelation 16:4).

Remember how Satan approached Christ in the wilderness of temptation, showing Him all the worldly glory of the kingdoms of the earth. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). But Jesus rebuked the presumptuous tempter, saying, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve” (v.10 – see also Luke 4:8). Satan presents the same worldly temptations to men, women, and children today; he exploits their ignorance of the Scriptures and meets with success after success. Worldly gains and honors are showered upon the vast numbers who yield homage to the usurper who gives himself the titles of Deity.

And the LORD said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it… Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.” Jeremiah 9:13,15