Revelation 8:10-13 (NKJV)
Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck
Then 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 water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck
12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
V10 “Then 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 water.” Star refers to something very bright. The Greek word for “star” is (G792) ἀστήρ astḗr, which means a star or a luminous body (Word Study Dictionary). It is used differently depending on the context–Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:13 (meteors ?); Jude 1:13 (false teachers); Revelation 1:16 (the angels or messengers of the 7 churches); Revelation 8:12 (stars of the universe); Revelation 9:1 (angel); Revelation 12:1 (shining decorations or possibly lights); and Revelation 22:16 (Jesus in a Messianic sense of light to the world). Exactly which of these is used here is unknown. Most likely, it is something from the universe (meteor perhaps) that disintegrates and is poisonous.
V11 “The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.” It is wormwood because of its effect on drinking water. Wormwood is (Apple Dictionary) “a woody shrub with a bitter aromatic taste, used as an ingredient of vermouth and absinthe and in medicine.”
V12 “Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.” This is referring to the sun of our solar system, the earth’s moon, and the stars of the universe. God dims the light. Dr Henry Morris writing in the Defender’s Study Bible states: “While the earth’s evolutionary scientists may be able to devise naturalistic explanations for the phenomena following the first three trumpet judgments, this temporary reduction of the sun’s light (as well as its reflected light from the moon and planets) must surely convince them that these plagues are from God, just as the two witnesses will have been proclaiming (Rev 11:3). Furthermore, the repeated impact of the plagues on “the third part” of everything from the trees to the ships to the sun will obviously be impossible to explain except by intelligent ordering of worldwide phenomena. The great men of the earth will be forced to realize that the real nature of what is happening involves the age-long conflict between God and Satan.”
The darkness may be similar to Exodus 10:21-23. Compare Amos 5:18, Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:2, and Mark 13:24. How long the darkness lasted is not known. This darkness is also a warning, a taste, of the eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire (2 Peter 2:17). Compare the blessings of believing and trusting in Jesus alone (John 12:46).
V13 “And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” What has happened thus far is comparatively mild. One would think that this warning would cause all to repent and trust in Jesus, but it does not. Sadly, pride is destructive (Proverbs 16:18 and 1 Peter 5:5-6). Some translations have an eagle flying through heaven. If this is correct, it is a cherub. See Ezekiel 1:10, Ezekiel 10:14, Revelation 4:7. Wilbur Pickering PhD writes:”Over 2/3 of the Greek manuscripts, including the best group, read “eagle” rather than ‘angel’. Since the fourth living being is similar to a flying eagle, the idea here is not new.”
We learn:
- God hates sin
- God punishes sin
- Tribulation judgments are terrifying