Scientific Scenario Of A Comet's Impact And The Wormwood Star Prophecy by Marshall Beeber

Scientific Scenario Of A Comet's Impact With Earth And The "Wormwood Star" Prophecy

In the First Century AD, the Apostle John wrote an apocalyptic book called "Revelation" in which he described among many "end-time" events the collision of a star called Wormwood with Earth. Revelation states:

Rev. 8:10-11: 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-- 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 is a botanical herb commonly known for its bitterness. See Botanical.com. It was used a pesticide, medicinal tonic and liqueur ingredient. The term "wormwood" was often used to describe "extreme bitterness".

Let us consider the possibility of a "star" turning the waters bitter on Earth. The term "star" in classical terminology lacks the modern astronomical sense. It could have been referring to a comet, asteroid, "sun-like" star or planet. Since the possibility of a planet or sun colliding with earth is infinitesimal, we will eliminate this possibility.

The Wormwood prophecy cites a "great star, blazing like a torch". Comets are well known for their blazing tails, due to ionization of their gases by the Sun. Either an asteroid or comet could manifest a blazing tail on their entry into Earth's atmosphere. With respect to a comet's impact with a planet, astronomers have recently tracked the collision of the "Shoemaker-Levy 9" comet with the planet Jupiter and were able to confirm many of their theories.

Various scientific scenarios have been theorized on the effects of an asteroid or comet's collision with Earth. An applicable scenario theorizes a chemical change in the atmosphere due to "heat shock" during entry and/or impact of a large asteroid or comet, reacting Oxygen and Nitrogen in the atmosphere to produce Nitric Acid rain. The bitterness produced by the Wormwood Star upon a third of the Earth's potable waters could be the Biblical prediction of "acid rain" from the "heat shock" of a large comet or asteroid's impact with Earth.

The Hooper Natural Science Museum in Ottawa, Canada cites a scientific theory that postulates "atmospheric chemical changes" from the impact of an asteroid or comet with the Earth. See the statement below:

When an asteroid enters earth's atmosphere there are two occurrences of extreme shock. The first occurs as the asteroid enters the atmosphere. The second, more important one, occurs when the ejecta plume (the ejected debris caused by an impact) enters the atmosphere (Zahnle, 1990). This shock causes the breakdown of the oxygen (O2) and the nitrogen (N2) molecules found in our atmosphere. Through a series of chemical reactions the dissociation of the nitrogen and oxygen forms NO which is then converted into NO2. These two molecules can produce acid rain (HNO3) (Prinn and Fegley, 1987). In 1987 Prinn and Fegley determined the atmospheric consequences of a "large" comet impact versus a "small" comet impact. They assumed the "large" impact comet had a mass of 1.25 x 1016 Kg traveling at a velocity of 65 Km/s. As for the "small" impact asteroid, they assumed it had a mass of 5 x 1014 Kg traveling at a velocity of 20 Km/s. It is important to note that these two objects are possible bolides that hit the earth 65 million years ago.

If the comet scenario occurred, 7 x 1040 molecules of NO would have been produced and subsequently converted into acid rain. (See chemical reactions) This would have caused a global dispersal of acid rain with a pH of 0-1.5. On the continents the acid rain would have weathered the soil removing many of the insoluble elements ( for e.g. Be+2, Al+3, Hg+2, Cu+, Fe+2, Fe+3, Ti+3, Pb+2, Cd+2, Mn+2, Sr+2). These elements would end up in soil water, streams, rivers, lakes, etc., causing a problem as some of these elements are known for their toxicity towards plants and animals (e.g. Al, Be, Ti, Hg). As for the oceans, the global acid rain would lower the pH of the mixed layer (the top 75 M of the ocean) to a pH of 7.8, breaking down the calcareous shells of organisms that thrive in the mixing zone.

If the "small" asteroid scenario were to occur, the amount of acid rain produced would be similar to the "large" comet scenario but only near the impact site. The global pH change would be rather insignificant.

In conclusion, the scientific scenario theorizing "acid rain" following a large comet or asteroid impact with Earth is the best explanation for the "Wormwood Star" prophecy existing today. Such information enhances the credibility of the "Wormwood Star" prophecy and New Testament writings with scientific theory.

Below are various links discussing asteroids and comets. I have focused particularly on the scientific scenarios of a comet or asteroid colliding with Earth, causing chemical changes in the atmosphere.

Hayden Planetarium website analysis of 1994 comet collision with the planet Jupiter.

Hooper Museum website article predicting "atmospheric chemical changes" with the impact of a comet.

Smithsonian/NASA article on possible "acid rain" effect of comet's collision with Earth.

"Univ. of Bristol, Bristol, UK" website article on impact geology, physics and chemistry of comets.

Hmmm, it seems that by ignoring the Bible and simply looking for a "plausible" scientific explanation you are missing the entire purpose of the vision.

Rather than speculate as to the meaning of the "star" or wormwood, why not just read the very next chapter of Revelation? It begins:

1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Here we have a vision of a star with a key. (The original Greek syntax shows that connection as well as the pattern established in the other trumpet visions.) That should be the first clue that perhaps "star" is not to be taken literally as some mere astronomical phenomena.

It might also be helpful to investigate the parallels in the Exodus story with the plagues in Revelation, in this particular case the plague upon the waters. In Exodus the waters of Egypt were turned to blood and rendered undrinkable. The entire Exodus story indicates this all happen miraculously and not by some natural cause.

Similarly, in Revelation we see the divine hand upon the land. Rev. 8:7 speaks of hail mixed with blood and v. 8 where we are told a third of the sea turn to blood. (The recapitulation of the vision is given as the third bowl in Rev. 16:3.)

Also, "stars" are often used to symbolize individual beings or unseen things. Jesus is called the "morning star". The brothers of Joseph are seen as stars in his vision (Gen. 37:9). In Daniel 8 we see a vision of stars identified with the hosts of heaven that were cast down to the earth.

So "stars" in Revelation are the personal agents of God sent to pour out His wrath on the disobedient.

With respect to wormwood, again, a careful study of the rest of the Bible will reveal the meaning of the vision. In places like Jeremiah 23:15, God says that He will feed them wormwood and make them drink the water of gall. Did God literally do this? Of course not. The image is meant to convey the bitterness of the people because they were forsaking the God of their fathers. It was a warning to turn from the false prophets and return to their one true God.

Careful examination of Scripture, not technology-inspired speculation, is what will help to understand the images and symbols in the book of Revelation. The parallels of the plagues in Revelation with the plagues in Exodus is a strong indicator that the judgments in Revelation were intended for the nation of Israel who apostatized for the covenant when they rejected Christ and turned Him over to the Romans for crucifixion. They killed the son of the Landowner, and God’s judgment was meted out against them.

36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; (Matt. 23)

In AD70, the armies of Rome marched against Jerusalem and its inhabitants, sacked the city and destroyed the temple so the words of Christ were fulfilled, "not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." (Matt. 24:2, cf Luke 21:20)

Black Moon
(Emerson/Lake/Palmer)

Everyday I see a new cloud coming
There’s one more hole in space
Everytime I walk across the street
I feel the gas blowing in my face
We never learn even deserts burn
And all politicians lie
They won’t do nothin’
‘Till we reach high noon
Black Moon

Ain’t nobody gonna walk on water
When it falls like acid rain
Nobody gonna fake you out
Every poison stains
We’re all stuck here
Right in the middle
We never call the tune
They won’t do nothin’
‘Till we reach high noon
Black Moon

In the night see the red sky burning
There’s fire on the mountain
Oil slicks on the sea
Black Moon is rising
How long will it be

Just take a look around the world
The future never waits
We’re skating on the thin ice
And we’re in the hands of fate
What we need’s a little re-direction
To find our blue lagoon
You know it wouldn’t come
A moment to soon
Black Moon’s
Fear is in their eyeblack moon

“Rev. 8:10-11: 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— the name of the star is Wormwood.”

This says nothing about a tail. It clearly refers to a “star”, which would certainly blaze. The smallest star we know of is thousands of times bigger than Earth and would destroy Earth even by coming close, yet this one hits Earth.

Only by adding a tail (which is not in the original) can we warp this around to “comet” so that it begins to fit our current world view and knowlege of the space around us.

A star falling from the sky fits the world view of when the book was written, though.

Acid rain comes from burning high-sulfur fuels and from volcanic gas containing lots of sulfur. There is no indication that a comet would have sulfur in it.

I’m going to stick to the original text, in which a star called Wormwood hits Earth, earth survives, and the waters become bitter for some reason not explained.

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