Is There a Mystery Behind the Third Trumpet of Revelation?
What Happens When the Water Becomes Deadly?
The first trumpet scorched the earth. The second trumpet devastated the sea.
Now the third trumpet strikes the fresh water people depend upon to survive.
John sees something falling from heaven:
“A great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky.” (Revelation 8:10)
John calls the star Wormwood. Then something terrifying happens.
A third of the rivers and springs become bitter. And the water becomes so deadly that many people die from drinking it. This isn’t simply another environmental disaster.
It strikes one of humanity’s most basic needs: water.
And if the second trumpet shows us the destruction of the sea, the third trumpet brings the judgment onto land and into the water people drink.
The question isn’t simply, “What is Wormwood?” The bigger question is:
What happens to humanity when the water that sustains life becomes deadly?
📍Where Are We in Revelation?
Behind Us:
The Seal judgments are behind us. The first trumpet burns a third of the earth’s vegetation. The second trumpet devastates a third of the sea, killing sea life and destroying ships.
Where we are:
A blazing star falls from heaven. A third of the rivers and springs becomes bitter, and many people die from the poisoned water. Humanity is in the midst of “hell on earth.”
Ahead:
A third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck, plunging the earth into increasing darkness. Still four trumpet judgments remain. Then the ominous bowl judgments.
Key thought:
The judgment has moved from the land, to the sea, and now to the fresh water humanity needs to survive.
What is the Blazing Star Falling From the Sky? (Revelation 8:10)
Bible Study Guide
Keep in mind that John is doing his best to describe visions of future events from a first century perspective.
(Verse 10) As the the third trumpet sounds, John sees what looks like “a great star, blazing like a torch,” falling from the sky. Could John’s vision be showing him intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) reentering the atmosphere and descending upon their targets?
John doesn’t really know what he’s looking at but he does the best he can with what he sees.
An ICBM ascends into space to achieve the speeds it needs to arrive at the far destination it’s programmed to travel. It’s trajectory will take it through space. Once it approaches the target, it’ll reenter the atmosphere descending upon its preprogrammed mark.
These ICBM’s would appear to any reasonable person as a star looking like a blazing torch. Especially as it encounters the atmosphere on its way to earth. It’s likely given what we understand so far, John is witnessing mankind’s own destruction through nuclear capabilities. The same nuclear capabilities that have existed for decades but whose use has been held back by the restraining arm of God.
While the Bible is not clear what this symbolic imagery represents, this remains interpretation. What we know for certain is that the fresh water of the planet will be severly impacted according to the next verse.
What is Wormwood? (Revelation 8:11)
(Verse 11) In order to understand what wormwood is and how it relates to John’s vision, we need to look closely at this verse.
Wormwood is associated with bitterness.
The word “wormwood” is used nine times in the Bible. It’s only used once in the New Testament. The remainder are found in the Old Testament.
Wormwood is a bitter herb that was used in making medicine in ancient times. It was recognized by the Israelites as a bitter tasting substance. In all its uses throughout biblical times, it was used in reference to bitter water.
Notice closely what John records in this verse. The blazing star that he sees is called Wormwood. It doesn’t say that it’s going to contain wormwood. Just that it’s called Wormwood. What’s the difference?
In naming the star Wormwood, Jesus is giving John the ability to understand some of what he’s seeing. John, being an Israelite, would know what the word wormwood would mean. This would allow John to understand the next verse which describes the bitter water as a result of the star.
Jesus did the same exact thing with His disciples when He was with them. In his teachings to the disciples and His followers, He would often reference Galilean culture, tradition and practices in His teachings to help them understand some of what Christ was talking about.
These hints made sense to the people of Jesus’ day since he taught mostly to the Galileans in the region of Galilee.
To John, if wormwood means bitter water and the star is named Wormwood, then it makes sense that the fresh water of the earth will turn bitter in taste
The water will become deadly. This brings the possibility of radiation poisoning into the picture.
The Mystery Behind the Third Trumpet and the Bitter Water that Kills?
If we were to follow the logic that the third judgment of Revelation is revealing to us more evidence of nuclear warfare, then bitter water that kills begins to make sense.
It’s estimated of all the water that covers the earth, 2.5% or less represents fresh water. As of January 2025, the world population stands somewhere around 8.2 billion people. It’s easy to see according to today’s standards that water is indeed a precious resource.
The slightest disruption in access to fresh water can be debilitating to any society. This is something we are already witnessing today across the globe. It’s a growing concern as access continues to diminish and supply drops.
Enter in a nuclear war and the radiation dispersed from the detonation, then suddenly a third of the planet’s water is bitter and undrinkable. This becomes the making of an apocalyptic scene of epic proportions.
There are wilderness guides today that teach on the “rule of 3.” The human body can survive three hours without air, three weeks without food, and three days without water.
After the detonation of a nuclear weapon and the poisoning of the surrounding fresh water, people would last three days without alternative access to fresh water.
Thirst would become so great that drinking the poisoned water could be the only possibility but will lead to death.
Is It God’s Wrath or Man Made Self Destruction?
In light of what we’ve learned, how should we look at this devastation that is to come? First and most deservedly, we can give thanks and praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For this period of seven years (Tribulation), ordained by God in the book of Daniel, has not been assigned to those believers in Jesus Christ as their Blessed Hope and Deliverer of salvation.
Should we look at these events as the wrath of God upon mankind or man-made’s own wrath brought upon itself? Remember, God is still in control. Either way, He allows events to occur as He sees fit according to His will.
So the question becomes, is God bringing this wrath upon mankind through supernatural events? Or is God removing His restraining power over humanity in order to allow it to destroy itself?
A Time of Distress that Needs to be Shortened
Many scholars believe that God has kept His restraining power upon mankind and his desire to use nuclear weapons against its enemies. If this is the case, is John looking at the removal of that restraint to allow humanity to bring on its own wrath?
The answer to this question can be found in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew’s gospel.
“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)
In this passage, Jesus is teaching on the events of the Tribulation. It’s going to be a time of great distress. A time that cannot be equaled to any other time in the history of our planet. So great will this distress be that the time period had to be shortened, otherwise no one would survive.
Daniel’s 70th Week is the 7 year time period ordained by God called the Tribulation. The Tribulation will produce supernatural powers of wrath along with humanities own self produced wrath.
There’s no doubt based on the description of the detonation of a nuclear bomb in the previous verses that mankind has the ability to wipe itself from the face of the earth. These trumpet judgments make it sound like a real possibility. Except, as Jesus just explained, this period of wrath has been destined for seven years and no longer. Otherwise, the remaining inhabitants of the planet would completely destroy themselves.
In this case, it appears that God continues to intervene in the affairs of mankind. This time by restraining the time allowed for them to destroy themselves.
This makes the first three trumpets of Revelation a much closer reality to the use of atomic bombs.
Does the Third Trumpet of Revelation Reveal Man’s Perfected Self Destruction?
The third trumpet of Revelation reveals a great deal of man’s own nuclear destruction.
At best, humanity has a dismal if not failing record of predicting future events, especially as it relates to mankind or nature. But there is one thing it has succeeded in accomplishing.
Century after century and generation after generation, from the beginning, mankind has continued to do what mankind has always done best. It has managed to continually destroy itself through pride in its self and spiritual rot, separating itself from the one true God that created it. Allowing the desires of the flesh to rule it’s life.
It’s only when the Lord removes (rapture) those who love Him and His Son that the worse of sinners, those who reject God are left behind (Tribulation) to continue their rampage of self destruction. Could this possibly be what John is witnessing as he records the events of the first four trumpet judgments? Is God removing His powerful restraining hand from the desires of a sin filled world?
The Old Testament Psalmist writes.
“The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.” (Psalm 14:1-3)
Paul echoes these same words in his letter to the Romans.
“As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.’” (Romans 3:10-12)
The third trumpet of Revelation along with the first two lead us to the strong possibility that John sees the making of a nuclear war. Is it possible the mystery of the fourth trumpet will lead us in the same direction?
Continue Studying: Book of Revelation Chapters 1–11 Study Guides
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