The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

The symbolism used in this third trumpet then is that of the fall of a great meteor into
earth's atmosphere, and its explosion, thus spreading its poisonous gases, etc., over the
rivers and their sources, causing those who drank of them to die.
While the Scriptures make no distinction between meteors and fixed stars, so far as the
word employed to designate them is concerned, yet in their use in symbolic language, we
find a wide difference. Stars usually represent teachers. We have this use in Rev. 1:20, and
it is so explained by Christ Himself: "The seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand
are the messengers (teachers) of the seven Churches." However, it is very necessary to
keep in mind that there are only twelve fixed stars (teachers) in the Church in the sense of
true, infallible guides of the Lord's people. These teachers (the twelve Apostles) were very
specially chosen and inspired of God, and their utterances are always to be final in settling
matters of doctrine, teaching. They are referred to in the vision of Rev. 12, which describes
the early Church: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with
the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars."--Rev.
12:1.
While other teachers are symbolized by stars, such are not fixed (infallible) stars; that is,
they are liable to err, and their teaching must be tested by the utterances of the twelve
fixed stars, the Apostles. Thus it has been pointed out that:
"God has recognized or appointed twelve apostolic stars for the Church. From these and
the moon and the sun all the enlightenment of the Church was to proceed. And from these
the true light, which has blessed the true Church, has proceeded. But Papacy, assuming
ecclesiastical lordship of earth, has placed or 'ordained' various stars, lights, 'authorities,'
'theologians,' in her firmament; and the various Protestant denominations have done
likewise, until the whole number is innumerable. But God, while providing helps,
evangelists and teachers to His true Church, has not ordained them with the authority of
lights or stars. On the contrary, all of His faithful followers are instructed to accept as light
only those rays of truth seen to proceed from the sun and moon and twelve stars ordained
for that purpose."
Stars are, however, used in the Scriptures to represent teachers, faithful and unfaithful,
true and false, who, if faithful and true, are upheld and commended by Christ, but if
unfaithful and false, are rebuked or condemned and cast off by Him. Compare Rev. 1:20;
2:8-10; 3:14-18. Whoever, outside of the twelve Apostles, may be represented by symbolic
stars, even though faithful, they must never be looked upon as inspired. In other words, it
is required that their teaching must be tested by the sun, moon, and the twelve specially
chosen inspired stars, the Apostles. The "star," or rather meteor, that fell from heaven in
the vision under consideration could not, we believe, represent a true teacher.
The falling star an apostate teacher
The "star," or meteor of the vision we are considering represents a false, apostate teacher,
and being specially designated as a "great" star, it must represent a very eminent one.
Further evidence of this will be seen as we consider the symbolical significance of