The Third Angel and Wormwood

A closer look at one of the prophecies from the Bible and its interpretation
Pablo C. Agsalud Jr.
[Revision 1]

Foreword
I have wandered across several books, searching for mysteries and looking for answers. I have wasted my time reading and pondering. And yet, I have only found myself sinking down into the world of the occult and worldly knowledge. All are but senseless principles, ideals, and beliefs. Nothing in it where your soul can benefit from. This is my version of the Great Mystery as an opposing book for the occult Mysterium Magnum. Though we all see the world in a perspective different from everyone else, I hope that we could all find a way to reveal what God had hidden from us, what are too vague to understand, and what really matters the most, because the future path that our souls would take depends on it. I will put these revelations into words that everyone could understand, but with a fair warning: that my own words DOES NOT count as the word of God, and that my insights are based on my own understanding, what appears on my mind, and what I think the abstract picture represents in reality. Furthermore, it is not my intention to judge or criticize any institution, or state, or race, but to show that some of the most perplexing riddles of the Bible make sense in OUR time. God bless!

(Jeremiah 26:3) Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways

Parallelism
Parallelism is used all throughout this book to reveal the meaning of the hidden messages of the Bible. Though some have already uncovered some of the mysteries of the Old and the New Testament, based on History, there are still a lot more left to be analyzed, interpreted, and revealed. It is true that the Bible alone can interpret itself. A verse might speak, describe, and conceal things into figurative words, but somewhere within the Bible, another verse will come to interpret it.

Why were the prophecies expressed in parables? A prophecy came to Isaiah: Isaiah 6 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me! 9 He said, Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. 11 Then I said, For how long, Lord? And he answered: Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land. Jesus mentioned this to his disciples: Matthew 13 10 The disciples came to him and asked, Why do you speak to the people in parables? 11 He replied, The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Those who have will be given more, and they will have an abundance. As for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this peoples heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

Paul discussed them and said: 2 Corinthians 3 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Corinthians 4 2 On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyones conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. People came to love the world and had turned away from God to satisfy their worldly desires. Because people had done this, it had aroused Gods anger and he hid himself from us. The prophecies were told in parables so that the wicked may not understand, because they are intended for the fire or destruction: Psalm 49 12 Human beings, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. 13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. 14 They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. For if the wicked hear the word, understand, but do not turn from their evil ways, they will be worse than they were before: 2 Peter 2 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit, and, A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.

What is the purpose of all these revelations? Luke 2 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed . And a sword will pierce your own soul too. Colossians 2 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, a God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Hebrews 3 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways. 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, They shall never enter my rest. Like the Bible, in general, these revelations were written To reveal the purpose of the Lord and his lasting promise To help us discern what is right from what is wrong To remind us the law and the covenant made by God with man To pierce our hearts and make us turn away from our sinful ways To give hope and deliverance

How are the meanings revealed?

When an object is placed to represent a word figuratively, the meaning or synonym usually follows. For instance: Jeremiah 12:12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.

The sword, a figurative object used to represent a word for comparison, was used here to describe famine and plague. Example I will bless them with gold, wheat and barley. Based on the example above, the author doesnt mean gold to be a literally real object, but implies gold as wheat and barley as its literal meanings, because gold is the color of the field during the time of harvest. Now that we

know that gold refers to wheat and barley, the thought of the entire statement can be expressed as a good harvest, food sufficiency, or prosperity. Heres another example how a sword is equated to famine. Take note of the word or used to connect it to its meaning: Jeremiah 14:13 But I said, Ah, Sovereign LORD, the prophets keep telling them, You will not see the sword OR suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.

Sometimes, two separate verses mean the same thing, like for instance: Genesis 3 17 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. through painful toil all the days of your life = = sweat of your brow until you return to the ground

When a simple thought is expressed in a verse, another verse somewhere within the inclusive text, usually succeeding it, will come to mean the same thing. Otherwise, a verse from a different book within the Bible would present itself as a parallel verse with one or more figurative words or metaphors.

Which interpretation is trust-worthy?

Matthew 24 4 Jesus answered: Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Messiah, and will deceive many. 2 Peter 2 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravityfor people are slaves to whatever has mastered them. Many have claimed to be Christ or vicars of Christ, and some people follow them. They deceive those who lack understanding of the Scriptures and publicly hauling money in exchange for indulgences and spiritual reservations. There are many teachers out there, as much as religions. And yet, not all religions agree on the same teaching, nor do two pastors give the same opinion on a single subject. Almost all would probably give you answers derived from learned experiences, collective knowledge, teachings and traditions. Colossians 2 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such people also go into great detail about what they have seen, and their unspiritual minds puff them up with idle notions. 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

So, who will we trust? Id say no one. The only thing we can rely on is the Bible. Hebrews 10 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. Matthew 24 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Bible is the only book that has been thoroughly read and studied by most people for the last 2,000 years. It has been written, rewritten, compiled, translated, and criticized for many generations, but has still lived up to its good name. It has survived countless wars and scores of resistance. Yet, it continually proves itself to be, without a doubt, the best-selling book of all time.

The Seven Angels with Trumpets

Signs and Wonders Deuteronomy 28 45 All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. 46 They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever. Luke 11 29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Matthew 16 2 He replied, a When evening comes, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red, 3 and in the morning, Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Many will be asking for a sign but will not be given any. Some will see signs but will wonder what it means. And some signs will appear but no one will notice them. How can we tell the signs of the end of times? All these things that shall come to pass will be fulfilled through a certain sign. Although these things manifests into real physical objects, this medium is not a physical object, but an intangible obstacle that man would struggle from: Ephesians 6 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. People will become slaves to these mediums that have prevailed over them: 2 Peter 2 19 for people are slaves to whatever has mastered them. The key to understanding these signs is to look back in history, back in the Old Testament, and look for clues there.

The Trumpets Numbers 10 1 The LORD said to Moses: 2 Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. 3 When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 4 If only one is sounded, the leadersthe heads of the clans of Israelare to assemble before you. 5 When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. The blowing of the trumpet (or horns, in some texts) symbolizes the issuance of a warning. The Angels What are these seven angels about to deliver on people? Keep in mind that these things these revelations are referring to are not the physical objects that these things manifest themselves from. In the book of Romans, Paul identified seven things: Romans 8 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

The Third Angel Revelation 8 10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky 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 turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. Wormwood The term wormwood is used several times in the King James Version [KJV] Bible to stand for bitter food: Jeremiah 9 [KJV] 15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. Jeremiah 9 [NIV] 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water.

But, why did God use the term wormwood?

Eating and Drinking Jeremiah 9 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: See, I will make this people eat bitter food [wormwood, in KJV] and drink poisoned water. In the last days, people will be spending days merry-making and they will be eating and drinking before the day of calamity: Matthew 24 37 "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man" 38 "For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage" There are many instances in the Bible that warns people about the effects of drinking: Ephesians 5 15 Be very careful, then, how you livenot as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lords will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

A Strong Drink The book of Isaiah identified this bitter substance as a strong drink: Isaiah 24 [KJV] 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

Vermouth Vermouth is an aromatized fortified wine flavored with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, spices). The name "vermouth" comes from the German word Wermut for wormwood that has been used as an ingredient in the drink over its history. Fortified wines containing wormwood as a principal ingredient existed in Germany around the 16th century. At about this time an Italian merchant named D'Alessio began producing a similar product in Piedmont as a "wormwood wine". By the mid-17th century, the drink was popular in England under the name "vermouth" which has been the common name for the beverage until the present day.

The popularity of vermouth as a medicinal liquor waned by end of the 19th century, but the advent of cocktails found a new use for the drink. People found that vermouth was the ideal mixer for many cocktails, including the martini (beginning in the 1860s) and the Manhattan (beginning around 1874). In addition, the popular Vermouth Cocktail, first appearing in 1869, consisted of chilled vermouth and a twist of lemon peel with the occasional addition of small amounts of bitters or maraschino. The popularity of vermouth-heavy cocktails in America, often using twice as much vermouth as gin or whiskey, continued through the 1880s and 1890s. Although the amount of vermouth used in cocktail recipes has somewhat declined, it is still used today as an ingredient in many popular cocktails, and for that reason demand for the beverage has remained fairly steady through the 20th and into the 21st centuries.

Alcohol In general, this wormwood or bitter substance may pertain to alcohol (wines and spirits) or any drink mixed with alcohol, including beer: Isaiah 24 [NIV] 9 No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers. An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. Alcohol is a psychoactive drug that has a depressant effect. A high blood alcohol content is usually considered to be legal drunkenness because it reduces attention and slows reaction speed. Alcohol can be addictive and addiction to alcohol is known as alcoholism. A Third Portion Beer Beer is one of the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverages, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches which are mainly derived from cereal grains most commonly malted barley although wheat, maize (corn), and rice are also used. The alcoholic strength of beer is usually 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV), but it may be less than 2% or greater than 25%. Beers having an ABV of 60% (120 proof) have been produced by freezing brewed beer and removing water in the form of ice, a process referred to as "ice distilling". Wine Wine is produced from grapes, and from fruits such as plums, cherries, or apples. Wine involves a longer fermentation process than beer and also a long aging process (months or years), resulting in an alcohol content of 9%16% ABV. Sparkling wine can be made by means of a secondary fermentation. Fortified wine is wine (such as port or sherry), to which a distilled beverage (usually brandy) has been added. Spirits Unsweetened, distilled, alcoholic beverages that have an alcohol content of at least 20% ABV are called spirits. Spirits are produced by the distillation of a fermented base product. Distilling concentrates the alcohol and eliminates some of the congeners. For the most common distilled beverages, such as whiskey and vodka, the alcohol content is around 40%.

Revelation 8 11 A third of the waters turned bitter Proverbs 31 6 Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish!

A third means that a significant portion of these drinks makes it bitter or poisonous. We all know that all these alcoholic beverages have an undesirable bad effect on our health. And without alcohol in this portion of our drinks, we wont have to worry about its side effects.

Effects of Alcohol on Health Revelation 8 11 and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. Proverbs 23 30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. 31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! 32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. 34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. 35 They hit me, you will say, but Im not hurt! They beat me, but I dont feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink? Short-term effects of alcohol consumption include intoxication and dehydration. Long-term effects of alcohol include changes in the metabolism of the liver and brain and alcoholism (addiction to alcohol). Alcohol intoxication affects the brain, causing slurred speech, clumsiness, and delayed reflexes. Alcohol stimulates insulin production, which speeds up glucose metabolism and can result in low blood sugar, causing irritability and (for diabetics) possible death. Severe alcohol poisoning can be fatal. A blood alcohol content of .45% in test animals results in a median lethal dose of LD 50. This means that .45% is the concentration of blood alcohol that is fatal in 50% of the test subjects. That is about six times the level of ordinary intoxication (0.08%), but vomiting or unconsciousness may occur much sooner in people who have a low tolerance for alcohol. The high tolerance of chronic heavy drinkers may allow some of them to remain conscious at levels above .40%, although serious health dangers are incurred at this level. Alcohol also limits the production of vasopressin (ADH) from the hypothalamus and the secretion of this hormone from the posterior pituitary gland. This is what causes severe dehydration when large amounts of alcohol are drunk. It also causes a high concentration of water in the urine and vomit and the intense thirst that goes along with a hangover. Stress, hangovers and oral contraceptive pill may increase the desire for alcohol because these things will lower the level of testosterone and alcohol will acutely elevate it. Tobacco has the same effect of increasing the craving for alcohol. Alcoholism or alcohol addiction can lead to death. Furthermore, drunkenness is one of the leading causes of vehicular accidents and street violence.

Dementia Excessive drinking has been linked to dementia; it is estimated that 10% to 24% of dementia cases are caused by alcohol consumption, with women being at greater risk than men. Alcoholism is associated with a type of dementia called Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome, which is caused by a deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1).

Heart disease Daily intake of one or two units of alcohol (a half or full standard glass of wine) is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease in men over 40, and in women who have been through menopause. However, getting drunk one or more times per month put women at a significantly increased risk of heart attack, negating alcohol's potential protective effect.

Cancer Alcohol consumption has been linked with seven types of cancer: mouth cancer, pharyngeal cancer, oesophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, breast cancer, bowel cancer and liver cancer. Heavy drinkers are more likely to develop liver cancer due to cirrhosis of the liver. The risk of developing cancer increases even with consumption of as little as three units of alcohol (one pint of lager or a large glass of wine) a day. A global study found that 3.6% of all cancer cases worldwide are caused by drinking alcohol, resulting in 3.5% of all global cancer deaths. A study in the United Kingdom found that alcohol causes about 6% of cancer deaths in the UK (9,000 deaths per year). A study in China found that alcohol causes about 4.40% of all cancer deaths and 3.63% of all cancer incidences. For both men and women, the consumption of two or more drinks daily increases the risk of pancreatic cancer by 22%. Women who regularly consume low to moderate amounts of alcohol have an increased risk of cancer of the upper digestive tract, rectum, liver, and breast. Red wine contains resveratrol, which has some anti-cancer effect. However, based on studies done so far, there is no strong evidence that red wine protects against cancer in humans. Recent studies indicate that Asian populations are particularly prone to carcinogenic effects of alcohol. It's been noted that ethanol's byproducts in metabolism results in acetaldehyde. In non-Asian populations, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase that quickly converts acetaldehyde into acetate. Asian populations have a variant form of alcohol dehydrogenase which prevents conversion of the acetaldehyde. This substance has been indicated to have strong interactions with DNA and thereby causing carinogenic effects.

Diabetes Daily consumption of a small amount of pure alcohol by older women may slow or prevent the onset of diabetes by lowering the level of blood glucose. However, the researchers caution that the study used pure alcohol and that alcoholic beverages contain additives, including sugar, which would negate this effect. People with diabetes should avoid sugary drinks such as dessert wines and liqueurs.

Stroke A study found that lifelong abstainers were 2.36 times more likely to suffer a stroke than those who regularly drank a moderate amount of alcohol beverages. Heavy drinkers were 2.88 times more likely to suffer a stroke than moderate drinkers.

Obesity Alcohol may contribute to obesity. A study found frequent, light drinkers (three to seven drinking days per week, one drink per drinking day) had lower BMIs than infrequent, but heavier drinkers. Although calories in liquids containing ethanol may fail to trigger the physiologic mechanism that produces the feeling of fullness in the short term; long-term, frequent drinkers may compensate for energy derived from ethanol by eating less.

Bitter for Sweet The book of Isaiah also mentioned that people would turn bitter into something sweet and the sweet things bitter: Isaiah 5 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Judges 13 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. This is true for the case of wine and other fermented drinks. Sweet grapes are turned into wine by adding yeast as a fermenting agent. This is also true for the case of chocolate and coffee. People turn coffee and chocolate sweet by adding sugar into it.

Poisoned Water Jeremiah 9 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: See, I will make this people eat bitter food [wormwood, in KJV] and drink poisoned water. A Poisonous Drink Poisoned water refers to wine or mixed wine, in the sense that it poisons the mind of its drinkers: Proverbs 23 30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. 31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! 32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. 34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. 35 They hit me, you will say, but Im not hurt! They beat me, but I dont feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink? Drinking Water Poisoned water, in the literal sense, also refers to drinking water or chlorinated water: Chlorine is a greenish-yellow, incombustible, poisonous, gaseous element that is highly irritating to the respiratory organs. It is used in making bleaching powder and for water purification. Revelation 8 11 and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. Chlorinated water is safe to drink. But how safe is safe? Our body can convert food into energy by breaking down the food components into protein or carbohydrates. What if the same process could break down chlorinated water into byproducts that could result to traces of chlorine compounds which could be harmful to the body?

False Wormwoods? Some people interpret the contents of the book of Revelation literally and view these forces of evil as tangible objects that they must look out from. But will it lead us to the right clue? Alcohol Alcohol expectations are beliefs and attitudes that people have about the effects they will experience when drinking alcoholic beverages. They are largely beliefs about alcohol's effects on a persons behaviors, abilities, and emotions. Some people believe that if alcohol expectations can be changed, then alcohol abuse might be reduced. The phenomenon of alcohol expectations recognizes that intoxication has real physiological consequences that alter a drinker's perception of space and time, reduce psychomotor skills, and disrupt equilibrium. The manner and degree to which alcohol expectations interact with the physiological short-term effects of alcohol, resulting in specific behaviors, is unclear. A single study found, if a society believes that intoxication leads to sexual behavior, rowdy behavior, or aggression, then people tend to act that way when intoxicated. But if a society believes that intoxication leads to relaxation and tranquil behavior, then it usually leads to those outcomes. Alcohol expectations vary within a society, so these outcomes are not certain. To sum it all up, the behavioral effects of alcohol depends upon the drinker and his or her perception about its effects. Drinking Water Chlorinated water could probably fit the description of poisoned water. Unfortunately, there havent been any studies or reports of the ill-effects of chlorinated water although it has been widely consumed before mineral water and purified water came along. Bitter foods Scientists have found a lot of beneficial uses for yeast and molds, which include products like antibiotics and cheese. In the same way, bitter foods like chocolate and coffee has long been part of the modern table and all have its own advantages and desirable effects on the body.

The Clean and Unclean Unfortunately, Jesus intentionally used figurative words and metaphors to keep everyone (especially, Judas) from understanding its meaning: John 13 10 Jesus answered, Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you. 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. Jesus said that all food is clean. This proves the fact that this wormwood does not refer to food: Mark 7 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15[16] Nothing outside you can defile you by going into you. Rather, it is what comes out of you that defiles you. 17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 Are you so dull? he asked. Dont you see that nothing that enters you from the outside can defile you? 19 For it doesnt go into your heart but into your stomach, and then out of your body. (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) 20 He went on: What comes out of you is what defiles you. 21 For from within, out of your hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile you.

Meteor Many people have been watching the skies and waiting for this colossal star or meteor to appear. But all heavenly bodies (stars, planets, comets, etc) are nameless until people who discovered them provide them with one. Chernobyl Chernobyl is an abandoned city in the restricted Chernobyl Exclusion Zone situated in northern Kiev Oblast, Ukraine near the border with Belarus. The city was evacuated in 1986 due to the Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) north-northwest. The city name is the same as a local Ukrainian name for Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort or common wormwood), which is also "chornobyl". An alternative etymology holds that it is a combination of the words chornyi, (black) and byllia (grass blades or stalks), hence it would literally mean black grass or black stalks. Most futurists refer to nuclear weapons as the wormwood of Revelation.

Spiritual, not Physical

These troubles that the book of Revelation is foretelling are not referring to tangible objects. If they are, people will find it easy to keep themselves from it. Revelation 3 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

Keep in mind that these signs will affect everyone just as the Bible said that the whole world will be enslaved by the god of the earth. These signs will appear right in front of the people but they wont even realize it or it would be too late when they do. Matthew 16 1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He replied, a When evening comes, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red, 3 and in the morning, Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. In these times, people will be looking for clues and praying for divine signs but they wont recognize the real thing. The Old Testament is all about physical well-being while the New Testament focuses on the spiritual aspects. There will be no more signs from now on, because God had hidden himself away from the people because of their wickedness and idolatry. The final physical sign was when Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus was the last human sign. And there will never be another after him. Luke 11 29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Bitterness

The Vengeance of God God will exact his vengeance towards the enemies of his servants in the same way they were treated: Deuteronomy 32 43 Rejoice, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people. Jeremiah 9 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: See, I will make this people eat bitter food [wormwood, in KJV] and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. Revelation 16 4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; 6 for they have shed the blood of your people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.

In the same way the people had sinned and became a bitter sight in the eyes of God, God will make the ungodly people eat bitterness in the form of a sword that brings death: Jeremiah 23 13 Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. 14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none of them turn from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah. 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty says concerning the prophets: I will make them eat bitter food [wormwood, in KJV] and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land. Jeremiah 9 13 The LORD said, It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. 14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them. 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: See, I will make this people eat bitter food [wormwood, in KJV] and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. 20 Now, you women, hear the word of the LORD; open your ears to the words of his mouth. Teach your daughters how to wail; teach one another a lament. 21 Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has removed the children from the streets and the youths from the public squares.

The Reason for Gods Vengeance The Affliction of Gods Servant If we study the Bible, we will learn that things associated bitter food is considered unclean, like fermented wine and bread leavened with yeast. Judges 13 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. Jesus gave several teachings and parables regarding these unclean foods. However, bitter food played another intriguing part in Jesus life when the people of Jerusalem crucified him and fed him on the cross: Matthew 27 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. Psalm 69 [KJV] 21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. The people fed Jesus with vinegar mixed with gall (probably, bile), which Jesus refused. In the book of Lamentations, bitterness is equated with affliction: Lamentations 3 [NIV] 15 He has filled me with bitter herbs and sated me with gall. 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness [wormwood, in KJV] and the gall. This affliction is also associated with bread without yeast: Deuteronomy 16 3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in hasteso that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. 4 Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.

Injustice Amos 5 7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness [wormwood, in KJV] and cast righteousness to the ground. 12 For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. The culmination of the Revelations speaks about the Final Judgment, where God will rise up the dead and judge all those who lived on earth. The reason for this future event is to bring justice to all the oppressed and to finally rid the world of all evil: 2 Peter 2 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful natured and despise authority.

Idolatry Deuteronomy 29 18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison [wormwood, in KJV] . Worship is important to God because it is the first commanded he gave to Moses: Exodus 20 3 You shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The Sign Carried by the Second Angel Revelation 8 10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky 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 turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. The second angel bears the sign of bitterness: John 16 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. James 5 1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Isaiah 33 7 Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. God will hide his face from those who call on other gods so that they will become bitter because their prayers were never answered: Malachi 2 11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god. 13 Another thing you do: You flood the LORDs altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. In the book of Luke, Jesus probably meant that it will be more pitiful for the future generation because of the severity of the calamities, the crimes, and the struggles they will come to experience: Luke 23 28 Jesus turned and said to them, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed! 30 Then they will say to the mountains, Fall on us! and to the hills, Cover us! Jesus said that those without children are luckier, probably because they wont get to see their son or daughter to suffer. This might also mean that in those days people will probably wish they have never been born because the sufferings they will come to face will be so severe.

But what kind of bitterness will this star Wormwood bring that many people will die from it?

Bitter Waters Revelation 8 11 ... A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. What do the waters mean? Revelation 17 15 Then the angel said to me, The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.

The waters represent people and nations. It could mean the entire people living in the world. But what about the third portion of the water? What does it refer to? What do these three divisions mean? *Third World Countries In the world of economics, the world is divided into three. The wealthiest nations belong to the first world countries while the developing countries are considered as third world countries. *Poverty Revelation 8 11 ... A third of the waters turned bitter Wealth as streams: Job 20 4 Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since people were j placed on the earth, 5 that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment. 15 He will spit out the riches he swallowed; God will make his stomach vomit them up. 16 He will suck the poison of serpents; the fangs of an adder will kill him. 17 He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading. Isaiah 66 12 For this is what the LORD says: I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. 1 Samuel 2 7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

This means that the third world countries will be poverty-stricken.

The Waters *The Rivers False believers as rivers: Psalm 107 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own people, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. The Holy Spirit as rivers of living water: John 7 37 On the last and greatest day of the Festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Justice and righteousness as river and stream: Amos 5 24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Priests out of the Jordan river: Joshua 3 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the waters edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. Joshua 4 15 Then the LORD said to Joshua, 16 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan. 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, Come up out of the Jordan. 18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

*Streams Righteousness as streams of water: Psalm 1 1 Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but who delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on his law day and night. 3 They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not witherwhatever they do prospers. Psalm 42 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. People as streams: Ezekiel 29 8 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will bring a sword against you and kill your people and their animals. 9 Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said, The Nile is mine; I made it, 10 therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush.

Source of refuge as streams of water: Isaiah 32 1 See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. 2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Power (or glory) as streams: Isaiah 37 25 I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt. 27 Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up.

*The Springs of Water Water and streams as restored glory: Isaiah 35 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. Flowing springs and pools of water as restored glory: Psalm 107 33 He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. 39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; 40 he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. 42 The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. Fountain as wife: Proverbs 5 15 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. 16 Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? 17 Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. 18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 A loving doe, a graceful deermay her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love. 20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another mans wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman? Righteous-turned wicked as muddied spring: Proverbs 25 26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked. Head as a spring of water: Jeremiah 9 1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.

False prophets and false teachers as springs without water: 2 Peter 2 1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. God as the springs of living water: Revelation 7 17 For the Lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. [Isaiah 49:10] Jeremiah 2 13 My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. 14 Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth? Why then has he become plunder? An army blocking the sources of water: 2 Chronicles 32 4 A large force assembled and blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. Undependable brothers as intermittent streams: Job 6 14 Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. 15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow 16 when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow, 17 but that cease to flow in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels.

A Third for the Lord A third of wine as offering: Numbers 15 6 With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil, 7 and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 2 Chronicles 23 4 Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, 5 a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the LORD. A money offering worth a third of a shekel, for the house of the Lord: Nehemiah 10 32 We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God. In the Old Testament, a third portion was customarily given and offered to the Lord. This thirds occurring in several parts of the book of Revelation could mean that the Lord will come to take by force a third, which is rightfully his.

A Third Put to the Test A third allowed to live, yet pursued: 2 Samuel 8 2 David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute. Ezekiel 5 2 When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. 12 A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword. A third allowed were to live to be tested: Zechariah 13 8 In the whole land, declares the LORD, two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. 9 This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, They are my people, and they will say, The LORD is our God. Revelation 3 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. The thirds occurring in the book of Revelation may represent the descendants of the people the Lord did not strike down. God will put these people to the test and they will suffer greatly. God will do this so that people will know that he is their God.

*Depression

Revelation 8 10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water 11 ... A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. The waters or the rivers and springs of water, represents the prophets. This bitterness represents empty visions and unanswered prayers: Micah 3 6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them. 7 The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God. Luke 11 29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Prophets will come looking for signs but will not find any. And because there is no answer from God, people will sink down into helplessness and depression. Wisdom as a stream: Proverbs 18 4 The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. Proverbs 21 1 In the LORDs hand the kings heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him. Isaiah 44 25 who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, 27 who says to the watery deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your streams, The waters may also represent wisdom and this bitterness would mean the absence of it. Priests and holy leaders will come to preach words from their own minds and not from the Spirit of God. And with their teaching and blasphemy they will lead people astray.

Barrenness The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoahs wife and told her to keep herself from bitter drinks and unclean food because she will soon become the mother of Samson: Judges 13 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. 5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. In the days of Moses, women suspected of unfaithfulness were ordered to drink bitter water to test her truthfulness: Numbers 5 11 Then the LORD said to Moses, 12 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a mans wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), 14 and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impureor if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure 16 The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the LORD. 17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. 18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the LORD, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. 27 If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse. 28 If, however, the woman has not made herself impure, but is clean, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children. The bitter drink brings miscarriage, a curse that causes bitter suffering. This bitter suffering is barrenness or childlessness.

*Confusion Isaiah 28 7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. 8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth. 9 Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast? 10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that a; a little here, a little there. 11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, 12 to whom he said, This is the resting place, let the weary rest; and, This is the place of repose but they would not listen. 13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured. The priest and prophets will have false visions and false teachings: Isaiah 28 7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. Many will establish their own words by claiming to be the true church. The people are ensnared by their teachings and will fell deaf to Gods words: Isaiah 28 11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, 12 to whom he said, This is the resting place, let the weary rest; and, This is the place of repose but they would not listen. They will lure people to do senseless things and use the word of God to command them. Then, the commandments of God will be like a senseless tradition to them: Isaiah 28 13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.

Famine Isaiah 15 9 In that day, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. 11 The days are coming, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I will send a famine through the land not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. Micah 3 4 Then they will cry out to the LORD, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done. 5 This is what the LORD says: As for the prophets who lead my people astray, if you feed them, they proclaim peace; if you do not, they prepare to wage war against you. 6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them. 7 The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God. People will go back and forth to find answers, to seek knowledge, and find God. But they will not find it. Because people are confused of which religion or teaching is right, they will come looking for the word of God and the truth. But God will not answer because of what they have done. Prophets will come looking for signs but will not find any. If they do, they will fail to understand it or its meaning: Isaiah 6 9 He said, Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.

Salvation
Why do you worry about your life? God knows man more than he understands himself. He knows that man is sinful by nature and so he had put everything under a test. For what purpose is preparing the whole earth for if not for himself and the last of His creations? And arent we all here on earth to learn something before we transcend into what God has prepared for us? Luke 12 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Dont be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe youyou of little faith! The Covenant Deuteronomy 7 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Hebrews 10 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. 17 Then he adds: Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. Romans 5 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from Gods wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were Gods enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! John 3 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of Gods one and only Son.

Through Faith Those who believe in the Lord are justified by their faith and are saved through their righteousness: Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. Acts 15 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Romans 3 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Romans 4 5 However, to anyone who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed are those whose sin the Lord will never count against them.

Through Hope We consider ourselves bound to the Old Law by tradition, thus, we believe that by observing it, through works, we will be saved. However, because man is sinful by nature and falls short of the Law, the Law has been fulfilled ultimately in Christ. Hebrews 10 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. There is nothing in this world that does not belong to God. So, what good is offering him what is already his in the first place? Colossians 1 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. So, what does God wants us to do? Consider what Jesus said about these works: John 6 28 Then they asked him, What must we do to do the works God requires? 29 Jesus answered, The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. Matthew 19 16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? 17 Why do you ask me about what is good? Jesus replied. There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments. 18 Which ones? he inquired. Jesus replied, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. 20 All these I have kept, the young man said. What do I still lack? 21 Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. Therefore, we are to put our hope in Christ and believe in him, as it was written: Matthew 12 21 In his name the nations will put their hope.

Read your Bible and find out more about Christs teachings and commandments. Jesus gave some decrees for people to follow, including: Matthew 7 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. In the book of Romans, Paul sums it up as: Romans 13 9 The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Furthermore, those who walk the path of righteousness must not boast, for Jesus had not come to save the righteous but the sinners: Matthew 9 13 But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

Through Love Isaiah 1 11 The multitude of your sacrificeswhat are they to me? says the LORD. I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. Isaiah 66 3 But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a human being, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dogs neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pigs blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. Why has God stopped people from presenting burnt offerings and sacrifices? God saw that people had began offering the same sacrifices to their own gods and man-made idols, and this aroused his anger: 2 Kings 17 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the LORDs anger. And knowing that all people have departed from the law and turned to sin, he gave his own son as the ultimate sacrifice that will make up for the sins of the whole world: Romans 8 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful humanity to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in human flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Why? It is probably because he saw that no one on earth can live a perfectly righteous life, or a life without sin. Everyone is in danger of sinning and falling for it: James 2 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. So God saved us, not because we keep his laws or work out our own salvation but because he loves us deeply: Ephesians 2 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressionsit is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

To the Lord, every sinner is a lost sheep: Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Everyone is entitled for salvation. Take a lesson from the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard: Matthew 20 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right. 5 So they went. He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing? 7 Because no one has hired us, they answered. He said to them, You also go and work in my vineyard. 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his supervisor, Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first. 9 The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 These men who were hired last worked only one hour, they said, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didnt you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Dont I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous? 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last. But, dont think that you could just repent at the last minute. We will be judged according to what we have done and reap what we have sown: Romans 6 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.