Bill Kochman, Tuesday, 7 October 1997 22:38:37 Wormwood! . ======================================================== . COMET HALE-BOPP AND THE DEATHSTAR WORMWOOD . Not A Question Of IF, But Rather Of WHEN And HOW! . . . Some time ago I read a file regarding an ex-Vatican priest who claimed to have accidentally broken into a computer terminal located at the Vatican. According to the letter purportedly written by this priest, the Vatican has a direct link to the Hubble Space Telescope. This priest further claimed that the HST was pointed directly at the comet Hale-Bopp. Upon doing further investigation into his amazing discovery, the file states that he found that the Vatican was questioning whether or not Hale-Bopp might be the star known as Wormwood in the book of Revelation. While I don't place a lot of credibility in the Art Bell show, which is where this file originated, this story does have some elements of truth to it which are worth mentioning. For those of you who are not familiar with the Bible, consider the following verses which identify Wormwood, and describe what it will do to the Earth at the time of its arrival: . "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) . These verses are followed by another one which describe other celestial events which will occur after the arrival of the deathstar known as Wormwood. In Revelation we continue reading: . "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 8:12) . As stated in some of my other Endtime articles, if interpretted in an astronomical sense, this verse may possibly be referring to solar and lunar eclipses, and meteor showers. However, I have never known an eclipse to last for eight hours, a third of a day, have you? From an astronomical point of view, it does not appear that the comet Hale-Bopp was the infamous Wormwood. After all, it didn't even come close to the Earth, much less crash into it; and it has been gone for months now. Some have suggested that the real danger might lie when the Earth passes through the orbit of Hale-Bopp in November 1997, which is next month as I write this. There is concern that because of its great size, perhaps it may have knocked a few asteroids or other small celestial bodies out of order. There is some speculation that we may experience some unexpected meteor showers as well. I am not an astronomer, so I cannot say how much this information should be believed. . One thing I do know is that, as Christians, we should not doubt that in God's perfect time, this star of death WILL arrive; if it hasn't come already. Allow me to explain why I say this. If you are one who has a problem with accepting the validity of the Bible as the inspired Word of God, perhaps it might interest you to know that some time ago I came across some information regarding the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. According to what I read, the Ukrainian word for Wormwood just so happens to be 'Chernobyl'; or Chornobyl, depending upon which spelling you prefer. Being as I am not Russian, and do not speak Russian, neither do I know anyone of Russian, or more specifically, of Ukrainian descent, I have not been able to confirm if this is truly what Chernobyl means. In looking in my Greek lexicon, I discovered that 'Wormwood' is derived from the Greek word 'apsinthos'. Other than saying that it is translated into English as 'Wormwood', there is absolutely no other information available on it. In the Old Testament Hebrew, the root word is 'laanah' which is translated seven times as 'wormwood', and once as 'hemlock'. This is the only information I have been able to find on the meaning of this word; thus, it remains a mystery. . If 'Chernobyl' does in fact translate into 'wormwood' in English, one can only wonder if it is simply a matter of coincidence that the Russian nuclear reactor bears the same name as this star. Considering how most countries tightly control their mass media, could it be that there was actually more longterm damage than what was officially reported by the Soviet government? Could it be that many more people died, and that the water sources of Russia and Europe were contaminated with a much higher level of radiation than anyone has been willing to admit? Depending on the degree of exposure, be it from direct radiation, or from poisonous fallout or isotopes contained in the drinking water, it could take literally years for everyone to die who has been affected by it. Outside of a trained eye, it might go by un noticed by most folks; especially due to the control of the mass media. . My major problem with accepting the above interpretation of Wormwood is partially due to the timing of the event. According to the Book of Revelation, Wormwood is the third of seven trumpets; the final one being the Coming of the Lord and the Rapture of the Saints. While I believe we are definitely near the end of this current worldly system, based on my own understanding of Endtime Scriptures, I do not see how we can possibly be that far along. Chernobyl was eleven years ago as I write this. Where would that place us now in the timeline of the Seven Trumpets? Furthermore, where is the Seven-Year Middle East peace treaty? Where is the Anti-Christ/Beast and the False Prophet? Where is the Mark of the Beast? Where is the invasion of Jerusalem? Accepting Chernobyl as Wormwood simply leaves me with too many unanswered questions; thus, I am quite hesitant to accept it. . On the other hand, as others have suggested, should we really interpret the Wormwood of Revelation in a purely symbolic manner? One person I have conversed with in the past is convinced that the great star falling from Heaven is not referring to an asteroid, comet or meteor, but rather to an angel or demon which caused the Chernobyl disaster of eleven years ago. In other articles I have shown that there is scriptural support for interpretting stars in the Bible as spiritual beings. For example, in the Book of Job where the Patriarch is discussing how the Lord created the world, he mentions how the sons of God, the morning stars, were present at that time: . "Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:6-7) . We also know that in the mysterious prophecy of Isaiah concerning the fall of Satan, the name 'Lucifer' is derived from the Hebrew word 'heylel' which means 'light-bearer', and is translated as shining one, morning star and Lucifer: . "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!" (Isaiah 14:12) . The Apostel Paul also made mention of how Satan can deceptively appear as an angel of light to the unwary: . "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14) . As pointed out in the article 'The Children Of Light: Are You One Of Us?', there are quite a few Scriptures found throughout the Bible which compare God and His children to celestial lights. Paul also used astronomical bodies to explain the coming rewards of the righteous. Consider a few example verses: . "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3) . "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17) . "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:39-44) . In Revelation chapter twelve we find the great battle in the heavenlies in which Michael and the Heavenly Host cast Satan and the rebellious angels down to the Earth. Satan and his demonic horde are represented by a Red Dragon and a third of the stars of heaven: . "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born...And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9) . Thus we see that there is ample scriptural evidence for applying a spiritual interpretation to Wormwood. If there is any truth to this, then perhaps the poisoning of the waters could also be interpretted in a spiritual sense as well; after all, in Revelation chapter seventeen, we are told that the waters upon which Babylon the Whore sits represent the people of the world: . "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." (Revelation 17:15) . If we wish to attempt to apply a strictly spiritual interpretation to Wormwood, perhaps it represents the demonic influence upon the Earth by the worldwide commercial and false religious systems which are currently poisoning the hearts, minds and spirits of men so that they become bitter against God and reject The Truth of His Word. Remember, Wormwood makes the waters bitter. Because of their rejection of The Truth, these people who are deceived by the lies of Satan and his minions will suffer spiritual death, the Second Death, in the Lake of Fire, unless they repent of their unbelief. Thus we see that there is a very fitting spiritual interpretation as well, if we wish to look for one. . On the other hand, should we look forward to an actual meteor, asteroid, or cometary tail wreaking havoc on the Earth's water supply? While a large part of the book of Revelation is written in a symbolic context, it is a reflection of actual events which will happen on the Earth sometime in the near future. Some of these will be political and/or military in nature, others of an economic nature, and still others of a religious nature; but, some will also affect the Earth physically as in our weather, astronomical events, etc. While some may consider such movies as 'Asteroid,' 'Meteor', etc. as mere money-makers for Hollywood and the cinemagraphic industry, perhaps they are also a warning of things to come. As the prophet Job said during the time he was tested by Satan: . "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me." (Job 3:25) . End