If you haven't got up running and screaming reading this prose, I salute you because most customers would have sent me packing already. For those in the technical part of it, hopefully it helps or at least gives you reason to laugh. Either way, mission accomplished.
So the refrigerant, coolant, freon, etc is low. We can either add leak sealer and refrigerant and hope it stops the leak, or find and fix it. I'm not a big fan of leak sealers myself, but for a customer contemplating ruining a vacation or trying to defer the expense until next season, it's an alternative worth considering. Dump it in and pray that it hold is all I can say. Easy Seal brand seems to work the best for this, but I've also encountered several systems where the leak was too large.
The first thing to do is look for the obvious. Are the Schrader valves loose or damaged? There's usually two in the condensing unit and one in the indoor coil; these are common sources of leaks. Usually, you will hear the leaks or find them with bubbles at the the condensing unit. This is because hooking up and removing the hoses will result in a false positive with an electronic device. If you can't fix it tightening the cores, use a core removal tool that lets you replace them without recovering the charge and vacuuming the system. The one inside the indoor coil will need an electronic leak finder, such as the Bacharach Informant 2 to find as bubbles won't be very practical there. This is also good for finding smaller leaks anyway.
Another way to find leaks is visually and this means looking for oil on fittings or where someone didn't join two pieces correctly. Grab a couple wrenches and tighten all the fittings on mini splits and many indoor coils with compression fittings. Most of the time, these will cure a leak without having to take too much time and effort. However, if involves a poor joint, crack or other breach in the system, you will have to recover the refrigerant, fix the leak, charge it with nitrogen, vacuum and recharge.
Most of the time this involves using a torch and there's no substitute for an Oxy-Acetylene outfit. Propane and MAPP Gas will not get the fittings or filler metal hot enough to fill the joints and make the repair. I've had some success with low temperature brazing rod such as Harris' Blockade, but this stuff has a tendency to bubble when you try and heat it with a MAPP gas torch and has some issues with flowing. It is cheaper to use at about $15 a pack as opposed to $120 for silver brazing rod, but refrigerant is also pricey and most jobs only need less than one stick of the good stuff anyway. Bite the bullet and use it, because callbacks are a pain. Just heat up the base metal without melting it and apply the brazing rod to fill the leaks. If there's plumbing solder on the joints, just heating this stuff will remove it and then apply the silver brazing rod to it. Once you've found and fixed the leaks, let the joint cool and charge the system with nitrogen. Usually not a bad idea to have a light charge of it while you fix the leaks, but this is your call. If the charge doesn't drop, you've fixed all the leaks for now. Vacuum the system down and either weigh in the charge or by superheat or subcooling with the proper refrigerant.
To the customer, this isn't a walk in the park and the items we use to do the repair properly are not cheap either. Refrigerant is crazy expensive as of this writing. R410 costs about $260 for a 25 pound jug wholesale and over $400 for 25 pounds of R22. The latter is only going up and we could face shortages of it by summer's end. Blame the Montreal Protocol for this one. Soon R410 will be replaced because of its "global warming" potential (I can't make this horse feathers up) with carbon dioxide or good old CO2. It's $37,000 per day per violation for allowing "ozone depleting" refrigerants into the air, so we can't legally just dump R22 into a system without fixing it. Some firms will keep doing this until this stuff gets out of this world on price, but not forever. I personally believe that "global warming" "climate change" and "ozone depletion" are bunk, as someone is getting filthy rich over this planned obsolescence. However, it isn't me or the business owner that is. Every time there's a change, we have to invest in new equipment, materials and tools. I've spent close to $6000 in the past 3 years upgrading my tools and training to stay current and compliant. This doesn't include buying and replacing tools necessary at any rate. My boss has also had to upgrade and shell out more money too. Because the cost of everything from refrigerant to copper and aluminum to steel had gone up, this is not a cost a business owner can afford to absorb and still stay in business. It hasn't resulted in his pay going up at all, and though I can't complain, it hasn't booted my pay either. This is much like the clerk facing numerous customer tirades after gasoline prices spike. These guys and gals aren't getting rich either and most are barely getting by. Please understand the cost of the effort and materials when getting a quote for a job. Sure it's expensive, but it's even more expensive to do the job wrong or illegally. You wouldn't want us to do that. Maranatha!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Leak Fix For Your Air Conditioner, Part 1 Theory
I apologize for the parts and length of this article, but I'm getting a bit frustrated after trying to explain why a leak search and repair is so expensive. Customers expect this to be done for under $300 and I have to quote closer to a grand. I've been on a few jobs and the one of the most frustrating and time consuming aspects of this job, (besides arguing with customers over our rates) is looking for a refrigerant leak on an air conditioning system. Usually, the the culprits are related to careless install practices or poor maintenance. This includes, but in no way limited to, clogged condensate drains, improperly placed distributor tubes (getting hung up in standing water) or sub par (I hate this word) joining methods. I've seen installers use plumbing solder and not tighten fittings correctly. I hate to say it but have also had customers and salespeople mess this up royally and install a 410 heat pump on a belt driven blower furnace. Since R410 or Puron works at a 1/3 higher pressures than R22 or Freon 22, these fittings will work loose. I went back to a job, three times on one of these. It made me look horrible and the boss wasn't impressed, but I didn't sell nor install it. I digress. Another very common problem on mini-splits (those cute little Mitsubishi and Daiken, etc) are improper flaring and tightening of fittings. R410 fittings require a special flare as the single flare for R22 will not hold up. Any job worth doing is worth doing well.
Of course, there's always vandalism and equipment failure. Someone will try and cut a condensing unit loose for scrap or deliberately sabotage a system. Fan blades will break off and mangle a condenser coil or a compressor will call it quits and spring a leak. Sometimes vibration on thin copper or aluminum tubing will cause it to fatigue and break. As always, these will be in the worst possible spots to get a torch or replace a part or they'll be on a roof or in a crawl space.
Another obvious cause of leaks is just age. Even though a homeowner will call a 12 year old system "new" and a 6 year old car "old," the truth is that most air conditioning systems last between 12 and 18 years before they get a leak. Improper maintenance or poor installation may reduce this by half. Accidents also happen and these would require a small encyclopedia to list. I will say most aren't really accidents at all, but the result of carelessness or poor planning. Had a customer complain bitterly to me recently about corrosion on an outdoor (condenser) coil a few weeks ago and even turned it in to their insurance. It wasn't the fault of the manufacturer, nor the installer. However, animal urine and some lawn treatments can destroy a condenser coil. It was the latter in this case and now a 7 year old unit could have a leak in the near future.
An air-conditioner is just a way of removing heat from one place and transferring it to another. It's not unlike bailing water out a leaky boat. The indoor coil absorbs the heat and the outdoor coil gets rid of it. In a heat pump, it harvests the heat from the outside and the indoor coil puts in the house. The refrigerant (customers call it "coolant") is just a heat sponge for the system; as it boils and evaporates it soaks up the heat and at it becomes a liquid cools off and gets rid of the heat. What a leak does is reduce the size of that heat sponge to the point the air-conditioner is no longer effective. In part 2, I'll go more into finding and fixing a leak, the right way. Maranatha!
Of course, there's always vandalism and equipment failure. Someone will try and cut a condensing unit loose for scrap or deliberately sabotage a system. Fan blades will break off and mangle a condenser coil or a compressor will call it quits and spring a leak. Sometimes vibration on thin copper or aluminum tubing will cause it to fatigue and break. As always, these will be in the worst possible spots to get a torch or replace a part or they'll be on a roof or in a crawl space.
Another obvious cause of leaks is just age. Even though a homeowner will call a 12 year old system "new" and a 6 year old car "old," the truth is that most air conditioning systems last between 12 and 18 years before they get a leak. Improper maintenance or poor installation may reduce this by half. Accidents also happen and these would require a small encyclopedia to list. I will say most aren't really accidents at all, but the result of carelessness or poor planning. Had a customer complain bitterly to me recently about corrosion on an outdoor (condenser) coil a few weeks ago and even turned it in to their insurance. It wasn't the fault of the manufacturer, nor the installer. However, animal urine and some lawn treatments can destroy a condenser coil. It was the latter in this case and now a 7 year old unit could have a leak in the near future.
An air-conditioner is just a way of removing heat from one place and transferring it to another. It's not unlike bailing water out a leaky boat. The indoor coil absorbs the heat and the outdoor coil gets rid of it. In a heat pump, it harvests the heat from the outside and the indoor coil puts in the house. The refrigerant (customers call it "coolant") is just a heat sponge for the system; as it boils and evaporates it soaks up the heat and at it becomes a liquid cools off and gets rid of the heat. What a leak does is reduce the size of that heat sponge to the point the air-conditioner is no longer effective. In part 2, I'll go more into finding and fixing a leak, the right way. Maranatha!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Beretta PX4 Storm Compact Review, Part Tre The Aftermath.
Got the gun home, after hunting for shell casings for nearly an hour in the grass. I field stripped it by pulling down on the catch forward of the trigger and removed the central block, recoil spring and barrel from the slide. As I wrote before, this gun is nearly impossible to put together wrong, and despite my reservations about part of the central block being plastic, it's in a position that shouldn't pose a problem with durability. One concern of mine was due to the rotating barrel and the need for a feed ramp as a part of the frame. Since the frame is a fiberglass composite, it bears mention that the ramp is also composite. However, there is a metal insert inside the ramp that in theory protects this part from wear as cartridges are fed into the barrel. There was virtually no wear on mine after firing 150 rounds through it, and it should never be an issue.
I just wouldn't use steel case ammo, but this is more preference than actual study. Federal rounds at Walmart (if you can get them) are about $12 for 50 for 9mm and TulAmmo (made in Russia) are steel case and about $10 for 50. The latter are steel case and burn a lot dirtier than the former. Considering the price of solvents to clean this garbage out of your gun, I would rather use the more expensive ammo myself. Another tip to get the barrel and the rest of the gun clean: Use brake cleaner rather than solvent as it's a lot less expensive than solvents meant for guns. Unless you use unjacketed rounds for practice, there's simply no need for the expense. Some have recommended Ballistol or Rem Oil as a good all purpose solvent and for the most part I agree. Since I can't get Ballistol locally, Rem Oil is my lubricant of choice along with a toothbrush and the brushes that came with the gun. Gun grease is also a good idea the wear surfaces. As for cleaning patches, just save your old socks and same some more money. Unless you have a penchant for spending money, a starter kit for cleaning this gun should cost you less than $15.
The magazine springs have also loosened up to the point that I can even load them without the plastic loader. Don't get me wrong, as it's still faster to use the tool. Nevertheless, it's comforting to know you don't have to spend time looking for a misplaced loader if you need to load the magazines.
Speaking of loading, nearly any ball round with a full metal jacket and a brass case will load and feed, but hollow points seem to be a little more finicky. Remington makes good products, and their ball ammo is pretty accurate and easy to feed for the price, but the HD Ultimate Home Defense is bit tricky, at least for this writer to load into the magazines. Hornady Critical Defense, or their less expensive but equal Zombie Max rounds load in almost as easily as ball ammo does. The real reason is likely the round is 1/8 an inch longer than the latter as well as the raw edges of the bullet on the Remington.
This writer can't imagine they would cause a problem in actual use as I haven't fired any of them yet, but ease of loading is a consideration. At nearly a dollar a round, these aren't really meant to be used for practice other than proving they work in a particular gun. If you have extra money, I'd recommend trying different kinds and once you find one that works stick with it. In my neck of the woods, the Zombie Max is $20 for 25 rounds and the HD is about $28 for 25 rounds.
Although I'm still a little miffed about Beretta eliminating the Tritium sights from this otherwise well made gun, I did have to reverse the magazine release because I'm left eye dominant and going to try and shoot left handed for more accuracy. Although the instructions say to use a center punch, I did fine with a large darning needle and a padlock to tap the needle down. Now the gun is ready for use as a lefty. I look forward to more practice with this gun, although I hope to never have to use it in a defensive situation. I never meant to have this blog to review guns, but in a few weeks I'll have the opportunity to review a blast from the past; pun intended. Maranatha!
I just wouldn't use steel case ammo, but this is more preference than actual study. Federal rounds at Walmart (if you can get them) are about $12 for 50 for 9mm and TulAmmo (made in Russia) are steel case and about $10 for 50. The latter are steel case and burn a lot dirtier than the former. Considering the price of solvents to clean this garbage out of your gun, I would rather use the more expensive ammo myself. Another tip to get the barrel and the rest of the gun clean: Use brake cleaner rather than solvent as it's a lot less expensive than solvents meant for guns. Unless you use unjacketed rounds for practice, there's simply no need for the expense. Some have recommended Ballistol or Rem Oil as a good all purpose solvent and for the most part I agree. Since I can't get Ballistol locally, Rem Oil is my lubricant of choice along with a toothbrush and the brushes that came with the gun. Gun grease is also a good idea the wear surfaces. As for cleaning patches, just save your old socks and same some more money. Unless you have a penchant for spending money, a starter kit for cleaning this gun should cost you less than $15.
The magazine springs have also loosened up to the point that I can even load them without the plastic loader. Don't get me wrong, as it's still faster to use the tool. Nevertheless, it's comforting to know you don't have to spend time looking for a misplaced loader if you need to load the magazines.
Speaking of loading, nearly any ball round with a full metal jacket and a brass case will load and feed, but hollow points seem to be a little more finicky. Remington makes good products, and their ball ammo is pretty accurate and easy to feed for the price, but the HD Ultimate Home Defense is bit tricky, at least for this writer to load into the magazines. Hornady Critical Defense, or their less expensive but equal Zombie Max rounds load in almost as easily as ball ammo does. The real reason is likely the round is 1/8 an inch longer than the latter as well as the raw edges of the bullet on the Remington.
This writer can't imagine they would cause a problem in actual use as I haven't fired any of them yet, but ease of loading is a consideration. At nearly a dollar a round, these aren't really meant to be used for practice other than proving they work in a particular gun. If you have extra money, I'd recommend trying different kinds and once you find one that works stick with it. In my neck of the woods, the Zombie Max is $20 for 25 rounds and the HD is about $28 for 25 rounds.
Although I'm still a little miffed about Beretta eliminating the Tritium sights from this otherwise well made gun, I did have to reverse the magazine release because I'm left eye dominant and going to try and shoot left handed for more accuracy. Although the instructions say to use a center punch, I did fine with a large darning needle and a padlock to tap the needle down. Now the gun is ready for use as a lefty. I look forward to more practice with this gun, although I hope to never have to use it in a defensive situation. I never meant to have this blog to review guns, but in a few weeks I'll have the opportunity to review a blast from the past; pun intended. Maranatha!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Beretta PX4 Storm Compact Review, Part Due
Finally, I got to take the Beretta out shoot it. As with any polymer firearm, durability is always a concern. In fact the very gun I bought was spurned by a woman because it was "plastic." I immediately put it on layaway. Economy pistol or not, I like the feel and ease of use as well as the value. However, a gun can look great in the case and feel good in your hand, but as accurate as a salt shaker when you try to hit anything with it. It can jam, stovepipe and misfire like a wet firecracker as well. These are far more important than looks whether it comes to bragging rights (not that I'm into that at all) or defending your life with it. I'm all about function over form any day.
I put 150 rounds from three manufacturers through it, and it ate them all equally well; no jams, misfires or other tomfoolery. It fires the rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger. As this is a double/single action pistol, the trigger pull on the first round will be heavier than those of each subsequent round. Despite many reviews to the contrary, the first pull was very smooth and light and each additional pull was even more so. Even without firing a pistol in the past 20 years or so, this one was very easy to get a good grouping with at 21 feet or so (After all, this is a defense gun and not a competition shooter. A 3 1/2 inch barrel isn't going to be too accurate beyond that for most of us). I used the sights and they do a decent job, but adjustable ones would be better, but sacrificing some durability. As they are right now. you could use these against a door or tabletop to rack the slide in an emergency. This might not work so well with less solid sights.
When is comes to the hyperbole about accuracy, low recoil and easier follow up shots I was less inclined to believe it. When I pulled the trigger, recoil wasn't just light it was nearly a non issue. Rather than worrying about recoil, you can easily place follow up shots with maximum control. With as many rounds as I cycled through it, the slide only bit my hand once, but that was due to operator error when gripping it with both hands. I quickly learned to put my left thumb next to my right and out of the way of the slide. No harm done. Reloading is also very easy and the issue with the magazine release disappeared with practice.
One minor gripe I have with is loading the magazines as they are double stacked. Having a loader is mandatory and this requires moving this device down on a round while pushing the next one in and then getting the tooth of the loader back on each round. It takes practice to do smoothly and the manual is not clear at all on doing this. I've seen better loaders than the one Beretta supplied me with and intend to get one soon. I can't imagine the plastic tooth on this thing lasting more than a 1000 rounds or so. Regardless, it's good to have a spare. Without it, you will fight the spring after loading more than seven or eight of the 15 rounds. A part tre is coming. Maranatha!
I put 150 rounds from three manufacturers through it, and it ate them all equally well; no jams, misfires or other tomfoolery. It fires the rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger. As this is a double/single action pistol, the trigger pull on the first round will be heavier than those of each subsequent round. Despite many reviews to the contrary, the first pull was very smooth and light and each additional pull was even more so. Even without firing a pistol in the past 20 years or so, this one was very easy to get a good grouping with at 21 feet or so (After all, this is a defense gun and not a competition shooter. A 3 1/2 inch barrel isn't going to be too accurate beyond that for most of us). I used the sights and they do a decent job, but adjustable ones would be better, but sacrificing some durability. As they are right now. you could use these against a door or tabletop to rack the slide in an emergency. This might not work so well with less solid sights.
When is comes to the hyperbole about accuracy, low recoil and easier follow up shots I was less inclined to believe it. When I pulled the trigger, recoil wasn't just light it was nearly a non issue. Rather than worrying about recoil, you can easily place follow up shots with maximum control. With as many rounds as I cycled through it, the slide only bit my hand once, but that was due to operator error when gripping it with both hands. I quickly learned to put my left thumb next to my right and out of the way of the slide. No harm done. Reloading is also very easy and the issue with the magazine release disappeared with practice.
One minor gripe I have with is loading the magazines as they are double stacked. Having a loader is mandatory and this requires moving this device down on a round while pushing the next one in and then getting the tooth of the loader back on each round. It takes practice to do smoothly and the manual is not clear at all on doing this. I've seen better loaders than the one Beretta supplied me with and intend to get one soon. I can't imagine the plastic tooth on this thing lasting more than a 1000 rounds or so. Regardless, it's good to have a spare. Without it, you will fight the spring after loading more than seven or eight of the 15 rounds. A part tre is coming. Maranatha!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Beretta PX4 Storm Compact 9mm Review, Part Uno
When I got it out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the case had a round plastic piece inside. This was because the case it came in is so thin that this was the only economical way to keep it from being crushed on the boat ride here (A new case can be had for less than $10 without this problem). Included as well as the gun were also a legal disclaimer (thank the Massachusetts attorney general), instructions, a cable lock (trigger locks don't work great on this gun, the cable lock is still a pain to lock though), an extra magazine and loader (a necessity as the springs are strong), two back straps (the third one is on the gun, as is a magazine) and a cleaning kit.
The first thing you have to appreciate (positive or not) is the mass of this gun. Loaded with 15 rounds of ammo, (Massachusetts has a 10 round limit on pistols as of this writing) it tips the scale at 2 pounds 2 ounces or 34 ounces. It's not a boat anchor, but this isn't a gun you want to wear on Sansabelt slacks or running shorts. It's also a bit thick for inside the waistband, but can be done with the right holster (try Uncle Mikes). Because of the size and mass, carrying in the pocket isn't an option. Better opt for a Nano if you want a Beretta in a 9mm as even the subcompact in this family is a bit meaty.
The balance is spot on, even with the magazine empty and a polymer frame. Removing the slide for field stripping doesn't require pulling the trigger as there is a catch just above the trigger guard. This is recessed to prevent the slide from separating from the frame during presentation, but deliberately removing same is still quick and easy. There are only three parts to remove once the slide is off and they're very intuitive getting them back together. You can't put anything in backwards and you don't even have to hold the slide upside-down to get it back together with the frame.
The trigger pull in double action is crisp, but heavier than in single action. This is to be expected with any gun of this construction and the PX4 doesn't disappoint. The trigger guard is large enough for even gloved hands and there's just enough grip to get all your digits on the frame. Originally, Beretta had Tritium (night) sights on this gun, but perversely, they switched to white dot sights. The picture is good, but this could be a challenge to use in low light. To switch to night sights on this gun, you will need a special tool to get them off and on, or take it to a gunsmith. The tool costs about $100 from Beretta and the sights are about $100 as well. This is a lot to spend on a gun that now retails for about $600 (I got it for substantially less than that). Personally, I'll go ahead and take this to a gunsmith if need be, or find a glow in the dark paint if this becomes an issue.
The slide lock is larger than on many guns this size and could be an issue with some holsters. However, this isn't an issue with mine as of yet. If you've owned a piece with a safety/decocker on the slide, this one could be confusing. The European guns I've fired and seen have the safety up for fire and down for "safe". This is backwards to the American gun that have the fire down. Not a deal breaker, but something to learn if you decide to carry it. The magazine release, as with everything else, is ambidextrous, but this needs to be switched from one side to the other. I haven't tried it, no need to as this is set for a right handed person. Southpaws can reset this with a small punch. Operating the release requires you to arch your thumb a bit. This can be a challenge for those with smaller hands. The positive side is that you won't be as likely to accidentally release the magazine in a fight. This is why you need to practice with ANY gun you intend to carry or use for home defense. Larger buttons for this, as well as smaller ones for the slide release can be had from Beretta. The present size is more than adequate for most shooters.
Speaking of hand size, those back straps are there to adjust for same. The one already on the frame will according to Beretta, fit 80% of shooters. Thus far, as I haven't fired it yet, and that one fits fine. The larger or smaller ones should help those with larger or smaller mitts get a grip. I've read some reviews of people tearing their fingers trying to operate the safety/decocker. The only conclusion I can come to is that they may have a defective gun because the control doesn't have any sharp edges to speak of. Flipping it up for "fire" is easy, but putting it into "safe" requires extending your thumb slightly or using your other hand. My first impression of the PX4 Storm Compact is positive to say the least, but the proof is at the range. As soon a I get some rounds through it, Lord willing, I'll follow up. Maranatha!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Revelation Commentary, From A Handyman? Part 12
Writing about this isn't fun. Living through it won't be a garden party either.
Revelation 9
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (drug use), nor of their fornication (sexual sin), nor of their thefts.
The "star" IS in this context referring to an angel and this is consistent throughout the Bible. Angels are made out of the same material that stars are, as opposed to human being made from material from the earth. I would hazard a guess that the "star" could be Satan himself being allowed to let out his buddies, but this and the means to deliver this "woe" is open to conjecture. Any way you slice this, it will be horrible. I'll give you my take. I live a in trailer park next to a National Guard base and there are countless helicopter flights over same. There's nothing quiet about a chopper flight and these do look and fly a lot like grasshoppers. This goes double to a man in the first century who had never seen a chopper fly before. These things still get me up and I've been in one. Just take a look at some helicopters, especially the Apache Longbow and the description given. Nerve gases can cause severe agony described in this chapter as well. Google Sarin, Phosgene or Mustard Gas (a blistering agent) and see what I mean.
The same could be said for the devices that kill one third of the remaining population. Sure, there could very well be demons and other entities that could do everything described in this chapter, but hear me out. With all of the alien abductions and the technology they have to bear, there's no reason why the evil one couldn't use this same technology to torture and kill. To add to this, these very weapons are being brought to bear RIGHT NOW. I don't see how this game plan is going to change much. Either way, I'd rather not be here to find out.
Revelation Commentary, From A Handyman? Part 11
Okay God, I'm listening. Back to work...
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
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.
10 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;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
For one thing, anyone who believes that the time in Heaven and the time on Earth are different, in the words of Bill Engval, "here's your sign." There is no difference in time from the Creator of same and all else. The opening of the Seventh Seal Judgement brings on another seven judgements. As redundant as this all seems, God is doing everything short of lobotomizing the rank and file to turn to Christ and away from sin. This is also the means in which He's reclaiming the earth and His creation. All through the Bible in the Talmud (the Old Testement) incense is offered to symbolize the prayers of the people. In this case it's the saints (probably those raptured and definitely those martyred up to this time) and this is to bring judgement. Back in the day, God sent prophets to Israel and they also prayed for judgement and repentance on an unbelieving people. It would be really easy to give God all the credit for this, because He could use His infinite power. However, much of the judgements up to this point are more likely the result of man's desire to do thinks "my way." The four horsemen are a huge example of this. Most of the events described in this chapter could be the direct result of a limited nuclear war darkening the skies, poisoning the water and shaking the earth if warheads hit a fault line. Need I remind anyone that Chernobyl is "Wormwood" in Russian? Truth is stranger than fiction. Maranatha!
Revelation 8
1And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
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.
10 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;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
For one thing, anyone who believes that the time in Heaven and the time on Earth are different, in the words of Bill Engval, "here's your sign." There is no difference in time from the Creator of same and all else. The opening of the Seventh Seal Judgement brings on another seven judgements. As redundant as this all seems, God is doing everything short of lobotomizing the rank and file to turn to Christ and away from sin. This is also the means in which He's reclaiming the earth and His creation. All through the Bible in the Talmud (the Old Testement) incense is offered to symbolize the prayers of the people. In this case it's the saints (probably those raptured and definitely those martyred up to this time) and this is to bring judgement. Back in the day, God sent prophets to Israel and they also prayed for judgement and repentance on an unbelieving people. It would be really easy to give God all the credit for this, because He could use His infinite power. However, much of the judgements up to this point are more likely the result of man's desire to do thinks "my way." The four horsemen are a huge example of this. Most of the events described in this chapter could be the direct result of a limited nuclear war darkening the skies, poisoning the water and shaking the earth if warheads hit a fault line. Need I remind anyone that Chernobyl is "Wormwood" in Russian? Truth is stranger than fiction. Maranatha!
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