As the star enters our atmosphere, it begins to burn, to
break up, affecting a very large area of land and especially
the lakes, rivers and streams. This will cause a chemical
change making the waters bitter. The star is called
“wormwood.” Wormwood was a type of wood growing in the
Middle East that had a very strong and bitter taste. The
star is called wormwood because of the affect the star has
on the water. It makes the water like wormwood, bitter, but
it appears that while the wormwood is not poisonous, this
star will poison the water because those who drink this
water die. Thus one-third of the fresh water supply of the
Earth is made unfit for human consumption.
The reference to wormwood seems to draw the parallel of the
experience of the children of Israel at the waters of Mariah
(Exodus 15:23-25). There the tree cast into the bitter
waters made them sweet. Here the wormwood cast into the
sweet water made it bitter. Such also is the contrast
between Christ on the cross atoning for sin and making that,
which is bitter sweet, and Christ coming in judgment which
turns the vain hopes and ambitions of men into bitterness
and despair.
