Posted by Elana Janson on January 13, 2005 at 04:50:29:
In Reply to: PLANET X NIBIRU - WORMWOOD posted by Immanuel van der Merwe on December 12, 2004 at 00:02:19:
Planet X Nibiru - Wormwood
I am not an astronomer, but from information on the internet, scientists discussed the discovery of a tenth planet, Planet X, in the year 2000 and the possibility of the gravitational pull of this planet disturbing the earth from the time 2003.
According to my understanding of Revelation, the year 2000 and the five months August to December 2003, are of significance. This has been explained on this Forum. It seems that the signs of the end are apparent in the time 2003 and 2004.
We know from Luke 21:25 “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.”
I am not in a position to know if a tenth planet has contributed to what is taking place on earth in 2003 and 2004, for example, the changing of weather patterns, and the two major earthquakes of 2003 (in Bam in Iraq) and 2004 (Indian Ocean near Sumatra). I do however know through the time measures of Revelation that strong winds will blow in the far reaches of the earth and that these two earthquakes are predicted in Revelation and are signs of the coming to the end of the times of the Gentiles. Therefore any disturbances on planet earth at this time is not just an inter-planetary phenomena, but occurrences that are in the full control of Almighty God.
Because the book Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Christians do not have to fear the roar of the seas at this time. For if their fellow Christians should have died in the waters, they have the assurance that these things were predicted and will happen, but that they will arise to everlasting life in Jesus Christ.
Wormwood
From my understanding of Revelation the meaning of “wormwood” as used in Rev 8:10-11 is derived from the knowledge that in Biblical times “wormwood” was a tree found in the Far East and therefore indicates the Far East section of the earth, when Revelation divides the earth into “thirds”. It also has the metaphorical meaning of the word in Scripture, that it denotes a time of hard and distressing circumstances. The word “wormwood” appears in Deut 29:18 “Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood:” In this verse adverse circumstances (gall and wormwood) will come upon the nations that turn away from God. Proverbs 5:4 “her end is bitter as wormwood”. In Jeremiah 9:15 and 23:15, “wormwood” indicates hard times and suffering. In Lamentations 3:19 “Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.” In Amos 5:7 the word “wormwood” is linked to “judgement”: “You who turn judgement to wormwood.”
Two time measures
The word “wormwood” is used twice in Revelation 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.” This repetition indicates two time measures. It relates to the time that the third angel “prepared” to sound (the time of the twentieth century) and the time of the actual sounding of the trumpet at the end time.
Name
In Scripture the word “name” is used to designate the entire person, his individuality and his power. Therefore, the words of Rev 8:11 “the name of the star is wormwood” relates not only to the time of a star, but also all the misery, agony, bitterness and distress that is experienced at that time. Distress that is caused by the nations that turned away from God.
The destruction of the typhoon and hurricane season of 2004 as well as the tsunamis of the Asian Earthquake are “bitter” and distressing times. The suddenness of the deaths in the Asian Quake seem to confirm the time of Rev 16:15 “Behold I come as a thief, Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walks naked and they see his shame.”