Dealing with "Bitter Waters" (Rev. 8:10-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 06/15/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Bitter Waters

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 8:10-11

 

            Message of the verse:  “10 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 waters.  11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.”  (NAS 95)

            This third trumpet judgment is upon the fresh waters of the earth as one third of them become undrinkable because of the “wormwood.”  As the second trumpet judgment was on the ocean waters this one is on the fresh waters of the earth and so now the earth has one third of its oceans and one third of its fresh water polluted so much that they only produce death and many will die because of these judgments.  The word wormwood is used a number of times in the OT and it means bitter.  When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt they came to a place where the water was bitter and he did a miracle so that the people could drink the water, but it is doubtful that this will happen now.  As far as how this judgment will take place, again it could be a star that will break up as it enters the earth’s atmosphere and land in the head waters of a third of the rivers or it could possibility be some dirty bombs that fall into these headwaters.  I lean more towards the star because God is the one doing the judgment and thought He can use the things that man has developed if you look back on how God destroyed Egypt He did it Himself.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as God is in control of all these judgments that He will bring upon the earth when His time is right He is also in control of the circumstances that surround my life, for He never wastes hardship and pain that He allows to come into a believer’s life.

 

The Word of God has been instructive to me as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  In spite of all of the major problems that I am going through I choose to still trust in the Lord.