# **The Third Trumpet: The Fall of the Holy Roman Empire (Revelation 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."** *(Revelation 8:10–11, NIV)*
The **Third Trumpet** represents a **catastrophic judgment upon the Papal system and its European strongholds**, leading to widespread political and religious upheaval. Just as the **falling star Wormwood poisons the waters**, so too did the Napoleonic Wars **bring chaos and bitterness to Catholic Europe**, particularly in regions dominated by the Papacy.
## **Napoleon: The Star That Fell from Heaven**
The **falling star** in Revelation 8:10 is a **symbol of a powerful leader** whose impact **brings turmoil and destruction**. Napoleon Bonaparte, rising from obscurity to become Emperor of France, fits this description perfectly.
- Like a **blazing torch**, Napoleon **rose to prominence**, reshaping Europe through war and conquest.
- His **campaigns in Italy, Germany, and Austria** led to the downfall of monarchies **aligned with the Papal system**.
- The collapse of the **Holy Roman Empire in 1806** was a direct result of Napoleon’s wars, fulfilling the imagery of **a great star falling and corrupting the waters**—the political and religious landscape of Catholic Europe.
### Day for a year prophecy fulfillment
The day-for-a-year prophecy in Revelation 13:5 states that the Papacy would have power to "make war with the saints" for 1260 prophetic days (years). This period began in 533–538 AD, when Justinian proclaimed the supremacy of the Pope. Counting 1260 years forward, we reach 1793–1798, when the French Revolution and Napoleon's rise led to the downfall of Papal authority. In 1798, Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner by the French, marking the end of the Papacy's temporal power. However Pope Pius VII, arrested and held captive by Napoleon, was restored to Rome in 1814 after Napoleon's abdication, with the help of the Coalition forces, and the Congress of Vienna later restored the Papal States.
Another significant 1260-year period is calculated from 800 AD, when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, strengthening Papal dominance. Counting 1260 years from 800 AD, we reach 2060, which Sir Isaac Newton identified as the time of the Papacy’s final destruction. According to this interpretation, the Papacy will be destroyed by an earthquake and a volcanic eruption, fulfilling Revelation’s prophecy of divine judgment.
## **The Judgment Upon the Papal System**
### **The Rhine, Danube, and the Italian Campaigns**
Revelation 8:10 states that the **star fell upon rivers and springs of water**, symbolizing **judgment upon key regions of Catholic power**. Napoleon’s **Italian campaigns** targeted the Papal States, bringing divine judgment upon the **persecutors of the Waldenses, Hussites, and other Protestant groups**.
- In **1798, Pope Pius VI was deposed and taken prisoner by the French**, marking the first time in over a thousand years that the Papacy lost its temporal power.
- Napoleon’s **wars raged through the Rhine, Danube, and Italian territories**, the very regions where the Papacy once held supreme authority.
> **"They shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."** *(Revelation 16:6, NIV)*
This judgment avenged the **centuries of bloodshed** caused by the Papacy’s persecution of the faithful. Just as the Papacy had oppressed the **true followers of Christ**, so now **judgment was poured out upon its strongholds**.
### **The Collapse of the Holy Roman Empire (1806)**
The **sun symbolizes rulers and emperors**, and its **darkening** represents their **downfall**. Napoleon’s campaigns **dismantled the Holy Roman Empire**, which had served as the secular arm of the Papacy for centuries.
- In **1805, Napoleon defeated Austria and took Vienna**, shattering the empire’s stability.
- In **1806, Emperor Francis II was forced to abdicate**, bringing **an end to the Holy Roman Empire**—the very institution that had enforced Papal rule over Europe.
- This was **the eclipse of the Papal system’s political power**, as Napoleon **unmade kings and emperors** at will.
Napoleon’s **victories over Catholic monarchies** demonstrated **God’s judgment upon a corrupt system that had long opposed His truth**.
## **The Poisoned Waters: Bitterness and Desolation**
The **name of the fallen star is Wormwood**, signifying **bitterness and affliction**. The **political and religious waters of Europe became poisoned** through the destruction wrought by war, leading to **economic collapse, famine, and turmoil**.
- The Papal States, once a **center of Catholic dominance, were reduced to insignificance**.
- The loss of **the Papacy’s political power created a crisis of faith**, as many questioned the authority of a system that **claimed divine backing but had suffered humiliating defeat**.
> **"I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head. I will make it like mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day."** *(Amos 8:10, NIV)*
The **bitterness** of Wormwood reflected **the disillusionment of those who had trusted in the Papal system**, only to see it **crumble under Napoleon’s conquests**.
## **Napoleon: A Type of Christ’s Judgment**
In many ways, **Napoleon prefigured the final judgment that Christ will bring upon corrupt systems** in the last days.
- Just as **Napoleon dismantled the Papal power**, so too will Christ **destroy the final manifestation of the Beast**.
- The **Papal system, once believed to be invincible, was humbled**, foreshadowing the coming **destruction of Babylon the Great** in Revelation 17–18.
> **"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit."** *(Revelation 18:2, NIV)*
The **Third Trumpet**, therefore, serves as **both a historical fulfillment and a prophetic warning**. Napoleon’s **rise and fall** demonstrated that **no empire, no religious system, and no worldly power can stand against the decrees of the Almighty**.
## **Conclusion: The Judgment of Wormwood**
The **Third Trumpet** sounded the **downfall of Catholic Europe**, particularly through the **fall of the Holy Roman Empire and the Papal States**. Napoleon, **the blazing star**, was used to **punish and humble the Papacy**, much like the **Assyrians and Babylonians were used to judge Israel**.
The **waters poisoned by Wormwood** symbolize **the disillusionment and chaos** that followed, as centuries of Papal authority **crumbled in the face of divine judgment**.
> **"The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."** *(Psalm 33:10–11, NIV)*
Just as God judged **the corrupt Papal system in the past**, He will **judge all who oppose His truth in the future**. The **Third Trumpet serves as a warning** that those who trust in **worldly power and false religion** will ultimately face divine reckoning.
