Bitter Wormwood

This past week in Bible study, we studied Revelation, chapter 8, which describes the opening of the 7th seal and the first four trumpet judgments.   We discussed how these judgments reflect types of destruction the earth has already experienced, but the final judgments will occur to a much greater extent. Just as a trumpet is used as an alarm or warning when danger is coming or to send troops out to battle, devastating natural disasters on earth warn us of pending judgments so that we will repent.  These disasters also alert and prepare us for spiritual battles taking place. In His mercy, God gives us warnings and continues to hold back the winds of judgment to provide more time for the lost to come to Him.

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:14)

1st trumpet:  This judgment is similar to the hail plague on Egypt (Exodus 9:13-34) with the addition of blood to the mixture. This judgment will destroy 1/3 of trees and all green grass which should then cause grazing animals to hunger.  We've seen hail and fire destroy parts of the earth and trees throughout history, but never to the extent that will occur at the final judgments.

Fallen trees + dead grass = our view out back!

2nd trumpet: The 2nd trumpet judgment describes a blazing mountain being thrown into the sea causing 1/3 of the sea to turn into blood and 1/3 of sea creatures and 1/3 of ships to be destroyed.  The blazing mountain reminds me of the various volcanic eruptions that have dramatically altered the earth.  We've seen the waters fill with blood when people and animals die at sea.  Water looked like blood following the BP oil spill.  These tragic events should remind us of the judgments to come and cause us to praise God for continuing to withhold these judgments until the appointed time after more people have come to faith in Christ.

Oil Spill, Source:  Wikipedia

3rd trumpet:  The 3rd trumpet judgment is the first in which the cause of destruction is given a specific name, Wormwood, which means "bitterness".  There has been much debate over whether or not the Chernobyl accident is a sign or a fulfillment of the 3rd trumpet judgment.  With this judgment, the blazing "star", Wormwood, falls into the rivers causing 1/3 of the waters to become bitter and people begin to die because of the water.  At this point, the judgments move from devastation of the physical earth to human death.

4th trumpet:  When the 4th trumpet sounds, the sun, moon, and stars turn dark for 1/3 of the day and night. We know how the sun and moon appear to darken during solar and lunar eclipses, but commentaries written by theologians such as Ray Stedman, suggest that the sun, moon, and stars mentioned in Revelation 8:12 represent earthly rulers with the sun being the chief ruler and darkness representing loss of morality (light).  A third of the world rulers will govern without any moral compass, so I suppose that selfish ambition with no regard for human life will guide their decisions.  Each year, the wake up call grows louder as we watch the corruption in our earthly governments continue to increase.

Bitterness
The one judgment that I've continued to think about this week is the 3rd trumpet judgment described in Revelation 8:10-11.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky 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 turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.


The discussions linking Wormwood and Chernobyl are fascinating.   I found this forum most interesting and especially appreciated the comments made by someone named Bill.  I want to accurately give credit to this author, but when I tried to contact him by clicking on his name, I noticed that someone had hacked the html code so that his email address reads as something offensive rather than providing actual contact information.  The mere fact that he was attacked in this way tells me that what he communicates contains some enlightening truth.
Amos 5:10
There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth.

Some of the highlights I drew from my research are as follows:

• The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company defines wormwood as: n.
  
  1. Any of several aromatic plants of the genus Artemisia, especially A. absinthium, native to Europe, yielding a bitter extract used in making absinthe and in flavoring certain wines.
  2. Something harsh or embittering.
  

  

  Wormwood, Source: Wikipedia

• Chernobyl and Chornobyl are the Russian and Ukranian words for artemisia vulgaris, meaning literally the four foot high "black stalks" native to the area which are known in English as mugwort or "common wormwood".  (Credits: Bill who I will refer to as Mr. Bill henceforth since I do not know his last name thanks to Mr. HTML Hacker.)

Mugwort, Source:  botannical.com

• "Wormwood and mugwort are so closely related (both genetically and in physical appearance) that definitions are blurred in many ways. Mugwort is also called "common wormwood" in English and prior to 1986 Russian and Ukranian dictionaries included wormwood as a secondary definition for chernobyl/chornobyl."  (Mr. Bill) 
  

• "The Greek word for star, ἀστήρ, means not only star, but also strewn over the sky, as in radiating. This secondary definition is evidenced by the various flowers with radiating petals in the genus Aster."  (Mr. Bill)  

• So, Wormwood isn't necessarily an asteroid or a star, but could possibly be nuclear radiation.  At the time that Revelation was written, no concept of nuclear radiation existed, so metaphorical terms were used to describe future technologies.

• Furthermore, if the Bible spelled out names precisely, then the prophecies would become self-fulfilling instead of miraculous evidences of the inerrancy of the scriptures.

• "A stable time frame reference required hiding the reference point until after an event had occurred. What better place to hide that reference than in a "god-less" empire like the USSR where the Bible was largely unknown."  (Mr. Bill)

• "The obscurity of the reference in Russia is underscored by the fact that my 35,000 word 1974 Russian/English dictionary contains neither mugwort nor wormwood when translating into Russian, and only the Russian term polyn' (полын) which then translates only into wormwood."  (Mr. Bill)  

• Just as Wormwood will make 1/3 of the waters bitter and cause men to die, the Chernobyl incident polluted the water causing many to die.

My conclusion is that the Chernobyl accident is yet another wake-up call.  The fact that it can be so closely connected to this 3rd trumpet prophesy does seem to support the prophetic nature of scripture on multiple levels.   Chernobyl was bad, but the final judgments will be much worse.  I also think that we can learn a lot about the ramifications of harboring bitterness (recall that Wormwood means "harsh, embittering") by studying the effects of the Chernobyl accident.

The damage is intense and far reaching.
The Chernobyl accident released 400 times more radioactive material than the bombing of Hiroshima (which our kids "just happen" to be studying this week for their homeschool co-op curriculum).  This radioactive material spread throughout most of Europe.  Similarly, when we become embittered, those harsh emotions can spread rapidly through gossip, ill-will, and attempts at vindication. 

Bombing of Hiroshima, Source: Wikipedia

The destructive potential is a function of boiling point.
The release of the radioactive isotopes from the nuclear fuel at Chernobyl was controlled by their boiling points.   Similarly, the more we are filled by the Spirit, the less likely we are to reach our boiling point, explode, and release hurtful words or actions.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20)

Those who suffer most are those who reach out to help.
Reports indicate that after the Chernobyl accident, 237 people suffered from acute radiation sickness and 31 died within the first 3 months.  Most of those affected were fire and rescue workers.

Similarly, when someone is bitter, usually only family members and closest friends go to the effort to listen, comfort, and encourage him/her to repent and release the bitterness.  (Ezekiel 33, Matthew 18:15)  In the process, the embittered person may unleash his/her anger on those who love him/her most.  Or worse, the embittered person could draw loved ones into the same state of bitterness if the helper has not armored up (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Armored up

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Even natural resources, plants, and animals suffer.
The Chernobyl accident caused radioactive matter to pour into rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.  Trees turned red-brown and died.  Countless fish died.  Horses, cattle, and other animals either died or suffered thyroid damage.  When we are embittered, we can become so consumed with our hurts, anger, and inner hostilities that we lose focus on our roles and responsibilities.  Mankind was given the responsibility of being a good stewards of the earth and all that it contains.  Bitterness can consume us to the point that we neglect the earth and misuse its resources.

Feeding a sick horse <2 weeks before it died

 So then, we obviously must get rid of all bitterness.
¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. (James 3:13-15)
 
But how?

1.  Repent!
²² Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”  (Acts 8:22-24)

2. Forgive!
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  (Matthew 6:14)


3. Be filled with the Spirit! (Acts 9:17)

It's all easier said than done.  However, it is certainly worth the effort because nothing says freedom like releasing a load of bitterness from a heart that should instead be filled with the Spirit of God.