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Revelation 8:9
ESV A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
NIV a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
NASB and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
CSB a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
NLT one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed.
KJV 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.

What does Revelation 8:9 mean?

Even without reading the terrible events of Revelation, we can understand the danger of polluting earth's waters. Environmentalists and marine biologists often warn about pollution and its hazards to aquatic life. It is estimated that every year, billions of pounds of plastic end up in the ocean. Seals are caught in discarded fishing gear and die trying to free themselves. Dolphins mistake plastic bags for their next meal and die eating them. Fish ingest deflated balloons and choke to death. What's described in Revelation is something worse—something beyond man's ability or capacity.

Given such clear, current examples, it is not hard to imagine the devasting consequences that result from the second trumpet judgment. When the object like a burning mountain crashes into the sea, a third of the sea's marine life dies. Perhaps the phenomenon of the water turning to blood—which may be a poetic description of some chemical or mineral effect—destroys the oxygen that the fish need. Further, the event destroys a third of the ships. This suggests a physical or weather-related consequence. Perhaps the weight of the falling object the size of a mountain sucks many ships into the water's depth or the object causes tidal waves to capsize the ships. At any rate, the impact of the fishing and shipping industries will be catastrophic.
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