I do not see myself a Christians who attributes every occurrence in the world to the end times and the Book of Revelation. At the same time it is a mistake to leave Father God out and credit all to mother nature and the expected course of the universe. Ultimately, mother nature is subjected to the control of Father God.
Once in a while, something jumps out from the book of Revelation. It is significant enough that I deliberate if maybe, just maybe, this thing could be what John saw on the Island of Patmos sixty years after the death of Christ.
This morning a story from the Business Insider, regarding the nuclear tragedy in Japan caught my eye. TEPCO is the Japanese power company which owns and operates the stricken nuclear plant.
“While TEPCO tries to stop the leak, strangely they are also trying to dispose of less radioactive water. TEPCO said Monday it will release approximately 11,500 tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean in an effort to clean out the plants, according to WSJ.com.
The material is being let into the ocean because TEPCO needs to move even more toxic material from the turbine room of the plant, into the processing facility.
This news comes just a day after the government announced it could take months to stabilize the situation at Fukushima, and TEPCO released an image of radioactive water flowing into the ocean.”
Today, I also recalled a conversation with Pastor Ralph Gomez who told me that Chernobyl is a translation for “wormwood” in Russian.
Chernobyl was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. Wikipedia describes Chernobyl.
“The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it is the only one classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.”
I then did a Bible word search on wormwood and found it in Revelations 8:11.
Re 8:11 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.
So what is wormwood?
The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia on the etymology of the word.
“Artemisia (pronounced /ˌɑrtɨˈmiːziə/)[2] is a large, diverse genus of plants with between 200 to 400 species belonging to the daisy family Asteraceae. It comprises hardyherbs and shrubs known for their volatile oils. They grow in temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, usually in dry or semi-dry habitats. The fern-like leaves of many species are covered with white hairs. Some botanists split the genus into several genera, but DNA analysis[3] does not support the maintenance of the genera Crossostephium, Filifolium, Neopallasia, Seriphidium, and Sphaeromeria; three other segregate genera Stilnolepis, Elachanthemum, andKaschgaria are maintained by this evidence.
Common names used for several species include mugwort sagebrush, sagewort, and wormwood, while a few species have unique names, notably Tarragon (A. dracunculus) and Southernwood (A. abrotanum). Occasionally some of the species are called sages, causing confusion with the Salvia sages in the family Lamiaceae.
Wormwood is a plant, one of the species of the large genus of plants termed Artemisia. We note from this article that mugwort is also another species from the genus Artemisia, just as is wormwood.
Wikipedia has this to say about mugwort.
“Mugwort is called chornobylnik in Ukrainian, and has given its name to the abandoned city of Chernobyl (Chornobyl in Ukrainian). The name chornobyl has an interesting history, meaning "place where mugwort grows" in the related Indo-European languages.”
Re 8:11 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.
Is John telling us that the one third of the oceans will become radioactive? Is the wormwood of this verse a connection to the Ukranian word for Chernobyl? I don’t know. I get the feeling that TEPCO @ Fukushima will be forced to dump more radioactive water into the ocean after its initial dump tomorrow of 11,500 tons. Could I be wrong? Absolutely. I will not blind my eyes though, and dismiss and downplay all warning signs as “things that just happen”. The book of Revelations, is unfolding itself before our eyes. Keeping a healthy balance of God in our daily events is most important, since all comes from Him, goes through Him, and the end of time, will go back to Him.
I find the connection between Revelations 8:11, Fukushima, mugwort, wormwood and Chernobyl thought-provoking , to say the least. This is something that I will watch.
Now more than ever as sin increases, and darkness with it, and as man gropes in its blindness, we need to turn back to God. Only He, is our source of bright light and protection. If we are entering into Revelations 8:11, may I suggest to you that your remedy is found in Psalms 91.
Psa 91:1 You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection.
Psa 91:2 I say to the LORD, "You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you."
Psa 91:3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases.
Psa 91:4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.
Psa 91:5 You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day.
Psa 91:6 You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terrible suffering that comes at noon.
Psa 91:7 A thousand people may fall dead at your side or ten thousand right beside you, but nothing bad will happen to you!
Psa 91:8 All you will have to do is watch, and you will see that the wicked are punished.
Psa 91:9 You trust in the LORD for protection. You have made God Most High your place of safety.
Psa 91:10 So nothing bad will happen to you. No diseases will come near your home.
Psa 91:11 He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go.
Psa 91:12 Their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.
Psa 91:13 You will have power to trample on lions and poisonous snakes.
Psa 91:14 The Lord says, "If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help.
Psa 91:15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them.
Psa 91:16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save."
