An angel, a trumpet blast, a great burning star speeding toward the earth’s fresh waters—a recipe for disaster if there ever was one… or should I say judgment...
The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. Revelation 8:10
When the third angel sounded his trumpet a great star fell from heaven. The first two judgments (a bloody mixture of hail and fire and a fiery mass) were thrown to the earth while this one is described as falling from heaven. This luminary was not a torch, but it was burning like one. It is interesting to note that all three trumpet judgments so far have been sent physically from heaven to earth. Both have affected one-third of the earth and have involved great fire and burning.
The great star fell on a third of the rivers of the earth and on the springs of waters on the earth. The first trumpet judgment was directed to the land, the second was directed to the sea (think of salt waters), and now the third trumpet judgment is directed to the fresh waters, the springs and the rivers. (And, just to draw this to your attention, we will see these same entities repeated in the bowl judgments.)
The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:11
The star has a name—it is called Wormwood. It makes one third of the waters wormwood, or bitter. The wormwood waters cause men to die.
Note the progression of the first three trumpet judgments: first there was great burning, then creatures and boats were destroyed, and now we see many men dying. The trumpet judgments are building in their intensity.
One thing I want you to start thinking about: What, exactly, is God damaging or destroying? The answer is, “His creation”. Watch and take note of, from the beginning to the end of Revelation, how many times it says things like, “The Lord of earth” and “The God of heaven”. It says, “for You have made the heavens”.
Here is what will happen. In His wrath and in His judgment, God is going to start destroying portions of His creation. God is going to start judging parts of His creation. And amazingly, the men that are left will haughtily blaspheme God for destroying their earth.
What does Romans 1 say? It tells us that everyone knows God deserves to be honored as Creator. Therefore He can take His creation away from men anytime He wants—He made them both and He has all rights over both.
Think about it… Men have not thanked and honored God for being Creator and Sustainer and Provider over the earth. God will eventually destroy what is rightfully His, but right up until the end God will give men time to repent.
But look at the audacity of mankind—blaspheming God for bothering with their earth instead of bowing their knees to the One Who is over all. We will see this time and time again throughout the rest of the book of Revelation.
Two questions I am often asked when I teach through the book of Revelation are, “When do the trumpet judgments take place?” and "Are the trumpet judgments part of the Great Tribulation?” Let me give you a little prelude of colliding events which we will see later on in the book of Revelation which will help to answer these questions. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make complete sense at this time—after all, you haven’t observed those coming chapters yet. (We are only in Revelation 8 and some of this info comes from Revelation 9 through 14.)
Here goes… (And remember—don’t worry!)
We know that the 144,000 are still on the earth during the fifth trumpet because the locusts are not permitted to touch them. But we will see the 144,000 up in heaven in Revelation 14. Chapter 14 is an interlude which has six angels giving us a trailer for upcoming events that will take place in the seventh trumpet. By the way, we will also see the pattern of “songs before judgment” come into play. The seventh trumpet, we will see, actually is the seven bowl judgments which increase in intensity and are the most severe judgments of all.
Once we have observed Revelation 12 and 13, we will be able to see three “givens” that all converge and show us that that the seventh trumpet and the Great Tribulation start simultaneously. We will also see that the time period of the Great Tribulation is the same as the last three and one-half years of Daniel’s 70th week.
For now, rest assured that these earlier trumpet judgments are not the Great Tribulation… birth pangs preceeding it maybe… but the last half of Daniel’s 70th week has not begun…
Well… does that confuse you? I hope not but it seems that students usually start asking about the Great Tribulation right around the third trumpet or so. So… I thought you might be thinking the same thoughts…
Keep listening… the fourth trumpet of judgment is about to sound…
