Revelation 8:10-11

Revelation 8:10-11

[10] 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;  [11] 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. 

What does Revelation 8:10-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Next a great star (meteor or comet?) fell from heaven on the fresh water sources on earth. Sometimes stars represent angels (e.g, Revelation 9:1), but here something mineral seems to be in view. It too was on fire ( Revelation 8:7-8). The ancients sometimes used "torch" (this Greek word, lampas) to describe a meteor shooting through the sky. [1] It poisoned a third of the rivers and streams, and many people died from drinking the poisoned water. The National Geographic Society has listed100 major rivers in the world ranging in length from4 ,000 miles (the Amazon) to150 miles (the Rio de la Plata). [2] "Wormwood" means "bitter" (cf. Deuteronomy 29:18, et al.). It was the name of a bitter herb that was fatally poisonous to some people and was a symbol of divine punishment ( Jeremiah 9:15; Jeremiah 23:15; Lamentations 3:15; Lamentations 3:19; Amos 5:7). This judgment recalls the bitter water that God gave the rebellious Israelites to drink in the wilderness, which the tree cast in turned sweet ( Exodus 15:23-25), as well as the first Egyptian plague ( Exodus 7:21).