Revelation 8:8 And the second
angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into
the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which
were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were
destroyed.
Some say that if the volcano, Cumbre
Vieja on La Palma in the Canary Islands, collapses a tsunami could seriously
endanger the East Coast of the United States, though this would not cause
world-wide destruction.[1]
However, let’s look at whether or not this reference to the sea is a reference
to all seas or just the Mediterranean. This is a great mountain on fire that
causes a third part of the sea to become blood, killing a third of sea
creatures, and a third of ships. These are general number as we have seen that
numbers are not representing exact figures but general concepts of numbers.
A mega-tsunami hit the
Mediterranean Sea in the fourth century with great devastation.[2]
Volcanoes like Stromboli in that area
present a risk of a massive eruption at some future point. This scenario in
Revelation is understandable based on our present knowledge and experience.
There is clearly more to this than just one volcano erupting. For the waters to
congeal like blood a great many would have to go off at once, wouldn’t they,
with magma partially filling the sea? However, the text only mentions one being
cast into the sea.
We need to also remember that when
an ancient writer referred to the sea they typically were referring to the
Mediterranean unless they specified another. When they referred to the earth
they were referring to the earth they knew, the region around the sea, the
Roman Empire. They would have had no understanding of the Western Hemisphere.
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