John gives us a descripton of the great destruction of the "third part" that will occur at the opening of the seventh seal, or the beginning of the seventh thousand years:
"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire
mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third
part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And
the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with
fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And
the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life,
died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 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. 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 them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third
part of it, and the night likewise." (Revelation 8:7-12)
To
me, the imagery of "hail and fire mingled with blood" signifies that
the destruction will manifest in all its forms, ranging from hail and
storms to volcanoes and earthquakes to war and pestilence, that there
will be a lot of loss of life.
John uses the term "third part" in another place:
"...there appeared another wonder
in heaven; and behold a great red dragon... And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth..." (Revelation 12:3-4, emphasis added)
Latter-Day Saints recognize this as a recounting of the fall of Lucifer who became Satan and was cast out, taking "the third part" of the hosts of heaven with him. (see Moses 4:1-4, Abraham 3:26-28) Latter-Day Saints also recognize a division into three degrees of glory, the first being valiant in the testimony of Christ, the second not being valiant, and the third rebelling against God. (see Doctrine & Covenants 76:77-79) In other words, John's use of this "third part" terminology describes the wickedness and destruction of all who rebel against God, both in heaven before the world was and also in the beginning of the seventh thousand years. So great will be the destruction that it will affect plant life, animals, the earth, the sea - even our ability to see the sun, moon and stars.
Latter-Day Saints recognize this as a recounting of the fall of Lucifer who became Satan and was cast out, taking "the third part" of the hosts of heaven with him. (see Moses 4:1-4, Abraham 3:26-28) Latter-Day Saints also recognize a division into three degrees of glory, the first being valiant in the testimony of Christ, the second not being valiant, and the third rebelling against God. (see Doctrine & Covenants 76:77-79) In other words, John's use of this "third part" terminology describes the wickedness and destruction of all who rebel against God, both in heaven before the world was and also in the beginning of the seventh thousand years. So great will be the destruction that it will affect plant life, animals, the earth, the sea - even our ability to see the sun, moon and stars.
Wormwood
Wormwood is a desert herb related to sagebrush. Its bitter taste was often associated with emotional and spiritual bitterness or sorrow. This spiritual bitterness could be something felt by way of sorrow or regret, but it could also be the fruit or consequences of sinful choices. (see Deuteronomy 29:18, Jeremiah 9:15, Amos 5:7-8) Additionally, wormwood was considered to be of use as a medicine to treat intestinal parasites.
Wikipedia: Artemisia absinthium - wormood
Wikipedia: Vermouth - a wine with wormwood in it
Wikipedia: Anthelmintic - antiparasitic drugs - wormood
There have been many interpretations of John's prophecy concerning the falling of wormwood from heaven. Some believe it refers to a ballistic missile carrying a nuclear warhead. Others believe it is representative of the devil or the antichrist working evil in the last days. I believe it is meant to denote widespread wickedness and immorality in the last days, along with the emotional, social, political, and economic turmoil it would cause. For me, the fall from heaven to earth suggests that there will suddenly come a time when the Lord will no longer suffer the wicked to "have joy in their works" - a time when they begin to realize the consequences of their actions. They are "hewn down and cast into the fire". (see 3 Nephi 27:11) We've seen the world undergo massive changes in recent decades, and while people are generally more unhappy than they've ever been, they have not yet realized why. That day is coming.
Just as a lamp has a reservoir, even so, the wickedness of the world and the attendant suffering was said to burn endless and deep, as though from a bottomless pit.
The Savior expressed this same concept of wickedness causing misery in these words:
Our Heavenly Father Offers A Happier Way to Live!
John seems to be using the most flagrant imagery he can devise to show that the iniquity would be worse and far more widespread, more deeply embedded in society than it ever has been in the history of mankind - more so than the people of his time could have imagined, due to the role technology plays. Unfortunately, it seems the only thing that brings repentance is suffering, and so the Lord allows suffering for what amounts to spiritually medicinal purposes. As ever, we are punished more by our sins than for them. This widespread misery is the Lord's way of giving us one last chance to wonder if God doesn't have a better, happier way for us to live before the angels sound the trumpets that will bring even greater destruction.
Wormwood is a desert herb related to sagebrush. Its bitter taste was often associated with emotional and spiritual bitterness or sorrow. This spiritual bitterness could be something felt by way of sorrow or regret, but it could also be the fruit or consequences of sinful choices. (see Deuteronomy 29:18, Jeremiah 9:15, Amos 5:7-8) Additionally, wormwood was considered to be of use as a medicine to treat intestinal parasites.
Wikipedia: Artemisia absinthium - wormood
Wikipedia: Vermouth - a wine with wormwood in it
Wikipedia: Anthelmintic - antiparasitic drugs - wormood
There have been many interpretations of John's prophecy concerning the falling of wormwood from heaven. Some believe it refers to a ballistic missile carrying a nuclear warhead. Others believe it is representative of the devil or the antichrist working evil in the last days. I believe it is meant to denote widespread wickedness and immorality in the last days, along with the emotional, social, political, and economic turmoil it would cause. For me, the fall from heaven to earth suggests that there will suddenly come a time when the Lord will no longer suffer the wicked to "have joy in their works" - a time when they begin to realize the consequences of their actions. They are "hewn down and cast into the fire". (see 3 Nephi 27:11) We've seen the world undergo massive changes in recent decades, and while people are generally more unhappy than they've ever been, they have not yet realized why. That day is coming.
Just as a lamp has a reservoir, even so, the wickedness of the world and the attendant suffering was said to burn endless and deep, as though from a bottomless pit.
The Savior expressed this same concept of wickedness causing misery in these words:
"The [Lord] ...shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And
shall cut him asunder, and shall appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And thus cometh the end
of the wicked, according to the prophecy of Moses, saying: They shall
be cut off from among the people; but the end of the earth is not yet,
but by and by." (Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:53-55)
Our Heavenly Father Offers A Happier Way to Live!
John seems to be using the most flagrant imagery he can devise to show that the iniquity would be worse and far more widespread, more deeply embedded in society than it ever has been in the history of mankind - more so than the people of his time could have imagined, due to the role technology plays. Unfortunately, it seems the only thing that brings repentance is suffering, and so the Lord allows suffering for what amounts to spiritually medicinal purposes. As ever, we are punished more by our sins than for them. This widespread misery is the Lord's way of giving us one last chance to wonder if God doesn't have a better, happier way for us to live before the angels sound the trumpets that will bring even greater destruction.
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