A Defiled Church

As we continue to examine the trumpets that parallel the seven churches and seals, we discover that the third trumpet brings us to the time when church and state were merged under Constantine.

Some have interpreted the “great star” that “fell from heaven” as attacks by Attila the Hun, who also created much grief for the collapsing Roman Empire in the fifth century. But a closer look at the pattern of repeating and expanding on truths found in the seven churches and seals points us to the beginnings of the church in Rome.

Revelation explains the meaning of stars. In chapter 1, Jesus is holding seven stars (v. 16), which “are the angels of the seven churches” (v. 20). Christ once said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). And Revelation tells us how the devil “drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth” (Revelation 12:4), meaning “he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (v. 9).

So, we know that Satan was cast out of heaven well before the fourth century. How could this passage apply to the devil? It was during this period that he caused great deceptions to come into the church, leading it into apostasy. Doctrines were corrupted by pagan deception, false teachings mingling with Bible truth to hide the truth about God.

The devil’s works “fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.” The judgment here affects only a third, meaning that it is a partial judgment. The “water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3) was not totally contaminated. Rather, the church at Rome became corrupt, and its now-bitter water began its menacing work of saturating the world.

Holy God, may I ever drink from the pure teachings of Your Word, keeping my mind and heart cleansed by the everlasting gospel.

For Further Study: Isaiah 14:12; Luke 10:18; Jude 1:13

Key Bible Texts

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; (Revelation 8:10 KJV)