Who Is This Fallen Star? What Is This Smoke From The Abyss?

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star

 fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, 

as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun 

and the air were darkened by reason of the 

smoke of the pit. And there came out of the 

smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them 

was given power, as the scorpions of the earth 

have power. And it was commanded them that 

they should not hurt the grass of the earth, 

neither any green thing, neither any tree; but

 only those men which have not the seal 

of God in their foreheads. And to them it was 

given that they should not kill them, but that 

they should be tormented five months: and 

their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, 

when he striketh a man.

Revelation 9:1-5 

     Sunday while channel hoping in my TV I took some small time to listen to some religious pundits expound their eschatological views. All seem to have "keys" to Scripture as though God had given to them some secret information and they were willing to pass this secret to others. these so-called theological scholars touted their views and explanations of the symbols in Revelation as though what they stated was true. This type of preaching may bring in money, or have followers but in reality they do not have some "secret" or "keys" to Scripture that you do not have making them to have higher authority. You have a brain, use it, and do some critical thinking and do not accept all that is preached, no matter how intelligent, or what degrees they have or whatever, no, follow the Gospel, and read the Scripture and do not read into them what you think, or like to believe is true, keep it simple. But we do have Biblical examples to give warrant for interpretation even if not fully understood. Study, read, pray, and allow the Holy Spirit that resided in all Authentic Christians to guide you, not some inner voice that is only your imagination, no, for the Holy Spirit speaks to you through His word and can guide you to verses that will give to you the knowledge in any subject. 

     We come to the sixth angle in John's vision and he heard a loud sound from this angel and then John saw a star fall from heaven. Who is this star? Is it Jesus? Is it Satan? Is it another angel that rebelled? We must remember that God created angels to do ministry work (do not confuse "ministry" as only preaching the Gospel) and this work was guided by God by means of His Providence. God commands and God by His Providence ensures that His will is done. In the secular world this would be to inspect what you expect. Stars represent angels and this angel fell from heaven. We know this from Scripture that Satan opposed God, again, not His power, but His authority: Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, whence comest thou? The Satan answered the LORD, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job 1:6-7). God allowed Satan to do harm to Job, but not kill him (vs. 12). Isaiah gives us this: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high" (Isaiah 14:12-14). 

     Now, God gave to this star the keys to the bottomless pit. The angel opened the bottomless pit. Remember, God is in control and by His ordaining things are done, Satan, fallen stars, stars that have not fallen, nor man can do anything that God does not allow to happen. God could have opened the bottomless pit Himself but instead as He does in all things uses means to accomplish His purposes. This fallen star could be Satan or any other fallen angel, but I do not believe that God would just give this to any angle, but to one who has opposed Him, and has brought sin upon this earth and to all angels who followed him, so in my understanding this angel has much warrant to be Satan. I do not what to go further until I address the word translated from the Greek, a word that we use in English as "abyss." Abyss is a deep immeasurable space, a vast chasm. It also means a hopeless depth, a most low place. When this pit was opened smoke arose out of it. What is this smoke? Smoke is used in various ways in Scripture: the Israelites when leaving Egypt had smoke in their read to protect them, smoke rose from the sacrifices unto God. Moses was in smoke while on the mount receiving the Ten Commandments. Smoke blinds, and anyone who has been in a burning building will testify to this, in fact, while I was in the Navy, in bootcamp, I had to lead my men to put out a fire burning in jet fuel in a building. When we went in we could see, but when the fuel was ignited, almost instantly the room was filled with black smoke, you could not see. I could not see the place where I was to put the nozzle of the fire hose, but I did know it was there so I advanced but scared. Satan blinds, blinds the innocent, those who are seeking "Keys," or some "secret" knowledge and while the seeker knows that there must be truth and advances unless that fire is put out he/she remains in darkness. Satan attempts to blind by extinguishing the light, hiding it in darkness and by this error and false teaching are promoted. Superstition, idolatry, cruelty are the results of this smoke that darkens. But, and this is important, you must grab on to this: Those who have the seal of God on them: they are not hurt. Those who did not have this seal were stung as if stung be a scorpion. A scorpion does not necessarily kill the one bitten, but the pain, the excruciating pain will not go away unto that person is healed. This injured person is sick and often wants to die. The brightness of the sun was darkened, even the air was filled with smoke and out of this darkness came poison, poison from a scorpion. Life will not be destroyed, represented by grass and trees. This torment would last a shortened time: five months. Short it may be, but awful it will be. 

     Do not come to Jesus due to your fear of this, no, come to Jesus when you understand that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior, not just from torment, no but because God came in the flesh to save and will save you and will elect you to have eternal life, no matter what, no matter what you may have to endure, God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Godhead, has promised this: if you are sealed by God you will be saved. Jesus Christ must be your, not your Church, your denomination, your family, or friends, but you, and to you He must be your personal Savior. 

     Time is of the essence.

He giveth power to the faith;

     and to them that have no

might He increaseth strength.

                    Isaiah 40:29

Repent: commit, God will save

Richard L. Crumb

What Is The Meaning Of The Three Woes

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third 

part of the sun was smitten, and the third 

part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; 

so as the third part of then was darkened, 

and the day shone not for a third part of it, 

and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard 

an angel flying through the midst of the heaven, 

saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the 

inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other 

voices of the trumpet of the three angels 

which are yet to sound.

Revelation 8:12-13

     I have covered the various theological views on this chapter so I will give some information as to how they approach these verses. The Historicist sees The sun, the moon, and the stars represent “the political firmament of Rome.” The conquest of Rome and the end of its imperial rule were accomplished by the Heruli under the command of Odoacer in the year 476.Gregg, Steve: Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Re 8:12.

Matthew Henry is still open to the idea that this section is describing events that affect the church: The sun, and the moon, and the stars, either guides and governors of the church, or of the state, who are placed in higher orbs than the people, and are to dispense light and benign influences to them.Gregg, Steve: Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Re 8:12.

 The Preterist

Assigning these events to the times of the Jewish War, Chilton writes: “The imagery here was long used in the prophets to depict the fall of nations and national rulers (cf. Isa. 13:9–11, 19; 24:19–23; 34:4–5; Ezek. 32:7–8, 11–12; Joel 2:10, 28–32; Acts 2:16–21).”Gregg, Steve: Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Re 8:12.

 The Futurist

The diminishing of the heavenly lights in this judgment is interpreted by Ironside as a reduction of the light of spiritual perception in the Tribulation, a blinding of those who rejected the all-too-adequate light of the gospel to which they had been exposed. He references the prediction that “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:11–12).Gregg, Steve: Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Re 8:12.

 

 The Spiritual

At the sounding of the fourth trumpet, the light of the sun, moon, and stars is impeded. This is not the natural result of man-made pollution (which might conceivably diminish the light reaching the earth by one-third), for it is a darkening that only affects a portion of each day and night. Herschel Hobbs understands this trumpet to apply principally to the fall of the persecuting Roman Empire:

Gregg, Steve: Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Re 8:12.

     There are many more that I could quote but this should suffice for you to examine.

     The three woes: what are they and what to they mean? Without going through all the various theological positions this is probably the best: The final trumpets are designated as woes because of the surpassing intensity and duration of the judgments. Some would like to translate the Greek word for angel to be an eagle but I cannot agree for the Greek is very clear that it is an angel. Often presuppositions get in the way of accuracy. I will not go down that path. 

    K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple) this is my way of interpreting that which I cannot fully understand. Why? Because if it does not lead a person to Jesus Christ, and it is not the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ, if does not give instructions as to how to live, then and until that happens all theories are just that: theories. To believe as a Historicist, a Preterist, a Futerist, or a Spiritualist, has some merit in a debate but has nothing to do with salvation. You are saved only by believing in Jesus Christ as God incarnate, the Savior sent by God to pay this debt of sin that now paid can be applied to all who believe and with that, eternal life is not possible, not probable, but is a fact. Arguments among Christian people of different denominations is the biggest plague on Christianity. Why? Too much is taught that if one does not believe in their Church doctrine they are not saved. 

     Apply what you want according to the various views, but keep this in mind: God is bringing judgment upon this evil world and we have a mission, a responsibility, not to fight among ourselves, but to bring to our world Jesus Christ. If a person want to discuss this, then do it, but do it quietly, then get on with why we are left here on earth: Go and make disciples, teaching them, baptizing them in the name of Jesus Christ. If a person follows the teachings of Jesus Christ they will be blesses, living a blessed life. This does not mean perfection, and it does not mean that a person will not suffer or have trials, but it does mean that inside that person comes a change on the outside. You are a child of God: Live it! The three woes: three is completeness, done God's number, so these plagues upon the earth are from God, and are to do the will of God bringing judgment.

 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

     and a light unto my path. 

I have sworn, and I will perform it,

    that I will keep thy righteous

judgments.

                Psalm 119:10-106

 

You are a new creature: nothing can harm you

 

Richard L. Crumb

Who Is This Star That Is Called Wormwood

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.

Revelation 8:10-11 

     We return to Chapter eight of Revelation beginning at verse 10 and look to see what and how certain symbols and words have a meaning and they apply to our everyday life. I gave much information regards to the various theological thought for you to surmise, study, and to come to some understanding. But...I also reminded you that there are things of difference, those things that are not based on Scripture properly, that which leads to false teaching, even heresy, or just another man's opinion often based on "proof" texts. There are things of indifference and we cannot argue against them so long as they are not subject to control, that is, that a particular denomination, or preacher causes them to be necessary for faith, or to belong to that particular denomination. Therefore this information should aid you to come to a decision as to who, and how, and what you are being taught and as 1Thessalonians demands at 5:21: "test all things, and hold to that which is good." 

     In verse 10 there is a mention of an angel, a third angel, and about a star in heaven, a burning star, burning as a lamp and this star fell upon the third of the rivers and upon fountains of waters. This star has a name "Wormwood" and in this case as the Greek word is masculine, nominative, and being called something it is to be understood as a proper name so then the name of the star is Wormwood. By this star, Wormwood and falling upon the waters they became bitter. What is wormwood? I will draw upon information from WebMd: wormwood is called by several different names, one you may be familiar with is Absinth. Wormwood is an herb and the oil from this plant is used for medicine. Wormwood is used for various digestion problems, to treat fever, or liver disease, and to stimulate sweating, and such as Crohn's disease and other ailments. Wormwood is applied for insect bites, to reduce pain, even used in some alcoholic beverages, Vermouth is and example, uses in soaps and cosmetics, perfumes. Now it gets interesting for wormwood is banned in many countries, including the U.S. but is still allowed in European Union countries as long as the thujone content is less than 35 mg/kg. Why? Thujone, a product in wormwood is potentially poisonous chemical and to distill this for alcohol increases thurjone concentration. Thujone excites the central nervous system and can cause seizures and other adverse effects. The Greek word for wormwood means a type of bitterness, there is a figurative use of it in the Bible meaning calamity (Lamentations 3:15, and for injustice (Amos 5:7). Men died due this star causing the water to be poisoned. 

     Who is this star that fell from heaven? The word "star" is used often in the Bible, in fact we use the word "star" when we speak of celebrities. We give a star to those who have done something special, and maybe in your early school years you got a gold star next to your name when you accomplished a feat. Stars can mean celestial bodies, the measureless expanse in which we came from, about heavenly beings singing together (Job 38:7). The sun, moon, and stars can be seen as evidence of God creative power. Depending on what theological view a person has will determine what the deem to be the correct view. I will only give this, that fresh water are waters without pollution. Wormwood pollutes a third part of the waters. Life requires water but not just water, pure water, unpolluted water to be sustained. Let me quote, not that this is the only thought about this star, but to give food for thought: For more than half a century evangelist, author, journalist, and Bible expositor Arno C. Gaebelein (1861-1945 A.D.) passionately proclaimed the prophetic truths of the Bible and daily lived with the hope of their fulfillment.

	With reference to falling of the great star (v. 10), Gaebelein writes that it is some person who claimed authority and who becomes an apostate, whose fall produces the awful results given here. It may be the final anti-Christ who first may have claimed to be for Israel a great teacher with divine authority and then takes the awful plunge. Worm-wood is his name and the waters became worm-wood and bitter. It stands for great corruption. Gregg, Steve: Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Re 8:10-11       What we do know is that this falling star brings a plague upon a portion of the earth, the waters, a calamity. This strikes as a punishment from God, from heaven. Yes it is true that Lucifer fell from heaven due to his opposition to God, not of God's power for if he had done that God would be just to just destroy him, no, he stood against the right to have authority over man, over God's creation, therefore man fell due to Satan's sin, and we are subject to that sin and are in need of a Savior, and Jesus who is the Bright and Morning Star gives to all who believe on Him salvation. Satan does not bring to earth punishment, rather that because of him, and all who are wicked will receive the punishment they deserve from God, from the One Whom He sent to earth to destroy sin.       We can debate this until the coming of the Lord and while this may not be all bad, it does, if allowed, to derail us from our mission and that mission is to bring the Gospel to our world. Does this mean this, or that, the Pope, or some other event in the past, or should we take this for what it means first and foremost? It means that God will bring His wrath upon the ungodly and if we are a child of God we have no fear for God will protect us, no matter what we go through, and we have the one hope that is sure and true from the truth of God's word: eternal life. God is merciful, and God has given to men much time to turn to Him, but as in the days before the Great Flood some men will never no matter how much truth is presented to them to turn to God. God is patient, but God does have a time limit on that patience, not for Himself but for all who have chosen and will choose to be a believer in the One that He sent to save. Choose will: time is of the essence.    O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger,     neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak:     O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD,     how long? Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies sake.                         Psalm 6:1-4   God is coming: Your expectation should be high   Richard L. Crumb