The First Horseman had a Bow which is “Toxon” in Greek (Part 2 of 4)

Toxin-like Peptides, Scythicon, Asclepius, Medusa, pharmakon, Toxic Shock Syndrome, COVID-19

Continuation from: The First Horseman and parallels with the Healthcare Crisis (Part 1 of 4)

Part 2: Let’s continue the analysis of the white horse:

v2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow (Greek: toxon); and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2, NASB1995)

The white horseman has a bow which in Greek is the word toxon¹, τόξον (Ancient Greek). John uses this word only once in the book of Revelation. Furthermore, toxon is not used again in the entire Bible.

Toxikon Pharmakon

In the Greek Reporter, toxic was Oxford’s 2018 word of the year, and here is its historical derivation:

…it has its origins in the Greek “toxikon pharmakon” – the lethal poison that the ancient Greeks would smear on the points of their arrows.²

Wordsense.EU also highlights toxon, τόξον (Ancient Greek) under toxic and neurotoxin:

toxic: …("poison for use on arrows"), from τοξικός‎ ("pertaining to arrows or archery"), from τόξον‎ ("bow").

neurotoxin: …on arrows"), from τοξικός (toksikos, "pertaining to arrows or archery"), from τόξον (tokson, "bow"). Noun neurotoxin (pl. neurotoxins) neuroscience -…³

The English words for toxic and neurotoxin, are derived from the Greek word τόξον, “bow”.

Wikitionary.com also defines toxic:

from Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón) [φάρμακον (phármakon)] ("poison for use on arrows"), from τοξικός (toxikós, “pertaining to arrows or archery”), from τόξον (tóxon, “bow”).⁴

Also “toxikon pharmakon” has origins in snake venom-tipped arrows. Pharmakon, in Greek, can mean drug, medicine, and poison.⁵ The ancients used snake venom as a drug and a poison.

“Toxin-like” Peptides

A controversial documentary was released in the spring of 2022 regarding snake venom by Dr. Ardis (On SPN, Rumble)⁶. Though this documentary was criticized and of course fact-checked to debunk the findings, there is validity in the scientific research and it warrants further study.

Specifically, we should look closely at a peer-reviewed paper from a group of doctors that found “toxin-like” peptides, discovered in COVID-19 patients. These “toxin-like” peptides were similar to the following animals:

(source: Wikipedia, Public Domain, and Creative Commons)⁷

Shown are various snakes including the king cobra, Chinese cobra, coastal taipan, banded krait, and Australian eastern brown. Their venom, a neurotoxin, can cause inflammation, pain, paralysis, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, heart arrhythmia, and various other symptoms.

European scientists, Carlo Brogna, and his team published in a peer-reviewed 2021 paper,

We found toxin-like peptides in plasma, urine, and faecal samples from COVID-19 patients, but not in control samples.⁸

The scientists used mass spectrometry to analyze all samples for the presence of proteins with potentially toxic effects. To identify gene families for the toxic proteins they used a search tool called BLAST.

The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) finds regions of local similarity between sequences. The program compares nucleotide or protein sequences to sequence databases and calculates the statistical significance of matches. BLAST can be used to infer functional and evolutionary relationships between sequences as well as help identify members of gene families.⁹

The results are listed in Table 1. Overview of candidate proteins on which toxin-like peptides have been mapped. Please note the column on the far right which lists the organism’s common name(s) including but not limited to the krait, cobra, taipan, pitviper, mocassin, habu, starfish, and cone (sea snail).

(source: Toxin-like peptides in plasma, urine, and faecal samples from COVID-19 patients [version 2; peer review: 2 approved])¹⁰

Thirty-six candidate protein sequences on which the identified toxin-like peptides have been mapped are here reported… The table is split in three sections according to the phylum of the reported species: Chordata (green), Echinodermata (pink), Mollusca (azure).¹¹

So the question is how did these toxin-like peptides get into the bodies of COVID patients? Further scientific research is required which we may cover in the future.

Animal toxins have been used through the ages for medicine and biowarfare. These toxins could be collected from animals, produced in the body through bacteriophage (virus replication in bacteria-producing toxins), and/or created synthetically in vitro or in vivo (i.e.: outside or inside a living organism).

Let’s dig into the history of snake venom in Greek and Scythian history.

Scythian Warfare with Scythicon

Ancient venom-based biowarfare was used across nearly every continent yet the Scythians were terrifying to opponents. The Scythians were nomadic people that lived in modern-day Ukraine and southern Russia.¹² Warriors carried ~75 arrows on horseback and could fire ~12 arrows a minute. If the arrows did not mortally wound the targets,

the poison the Scythians dipped them in would finish the job. Scythicon was reputed to consist of a mixture of snake venom, decomposed snake flesh, and human serum. Arrow points dipped in this lethal concoction could, as Renate Rolle states, "cause the slightest wound to be fatal"¹³¹⁴

Greek historian, Herodotus (~484-425BC), also described Scythian archers with poison-tipped arrows made from a concoction of bacteria-fermented snake venom and human blood.¹⁵

With even a superficial wound from a scythicon-treated arrow, the toxins would begin taking effect within an hour. Envenomation would be compounded by shock, and necrosis and suppuration would be followed by gangrene and tetanus. Scythicon ensured an agonizing death.¹⁶

Scythicon was literally an ancient concoction of manufactured toxins by using natural organic components and time for putrification to create toxins. Ancient translators may then have associated the bow, toxon, with the toxic poison as the instrument which shoots the poison-tipped arrows.

Is there further historical context of snake venom and the period in which John is writing Revelation?

Asclepius and Snake Venom

Let’s step back in time and put ourselves in John’s sandals for historical context. John was the last apostle, and where was he before he was banished to the Island of Patmos? John lived in Ephesus and was surrounded by temples of Roman and Greek pagan gods including Asclepius, the god of medicine. We covered Asclepius in a previous article and will provide some more background to the serpent’s venom.

(source: WorldHistory.org, Statue of Asklepios, Nina Aladin Thune, CC BY-SA)¹⁷

Asclepius' healing powers were so formidable that he could even raise the dead (for which, in another medical association with snakes, he used the blood of Medusa given to him by Athena)¹⁸

Medusa an ancient Greek monster figure which had venomous snakes for hair is shown below.

(source: Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, Medusa, 1638-1648, image courtesy of Christie’s)¹⁹

Asclepius was the serpent holder and he was supposedly given healing power from a serpent. Some even worshiped the serpent over Asclepius who was merely the holder of the serpent.²⁰ The serpent snake thus became venerated as the source of healing and snake venom was also imbibed into the stomach vs injected into the bloodstream to cure various ills by the ancient Greeks.²¹²²

So Apostle John was surrounded by the pagan worship of snakes and their belief that snakes as well as snake venom could be used as pharmakon (a drug or poison).

Modern uses of Snake Venom in Pharmakon

Snake venom has been used in medicine for centuries, especially in Chinese medicine and today used in developing new BigPharma drugs as shown in the report below published in 2019.

“Peptide toxins isolated from animal venoms target mainly ion channels, member receptors and components of the hemostatic system with high selectivity and affinity… Consequently, snake venoms can be considered as mini-drug libraries in which each drug is pharmacologically active.”²³

(source: PubMed Central, Snake Venoms in Drug Discovery: Valuable Therapeutic Tools for Life Saving)²⁴

Additional research on snake venom can be found here:

• Oliveira AL, Viegas MF, da Silva SL, Soares AM, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. The chemistry of snake venom and its medicinal potential. Nat Rev Chem. 2022.²⁵

• Suryamohan, K., Krishnankutty, S.P., Guillory, J. et al. The Indian cobra reference genome and transcriptome enables comprehensive identification of venom toxins. Nat Genet 52, 106–117 (2020).²⁶

(source: Nature.com)²⁷

Figure 6 above from the study shows the various 19 Venom Specific Toxins (VSTs) and Accessory Venom Proteins are shown.

In the National Library of Medicine, there are over 15k research papers when searching “snake venom”.

SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Toxic Shock Syndrome

In June 2020, a group of scientists from the School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA reported a hyperinflammatory syndrome reminiscent of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) observed in severe COVID-19 patients.²⁸ Below they modeled the SARS-CoV Spike protein sequences and found a similar pattern to neurotoxins.

(source: PNAS.org)²⁹

Note Letter D in the diagram above where SARS-CoV-2 Protein (674-685) is found similar to:

…those of neurotoxins from Ophiophagus [cobra; Naja naja: Indian Cobra; Naja Kaouthia: Monocled cobra] and Bungarus genera [krait], as well as the neurotoxin-like regions from three RABV strains [Rabies Virus] (20) (Fig. 2D). We further noticed that the same segment bears close similarity to the HIV-1 glycoprotein gp120 SAg motif F164 to V174.³⁰

In Conclusion

Was John describing a bow for warfare and/or a pharmakon (drug or poison) “bioweapon” that the white horseman used to conquer and to conquer?

Let’s summarize the key takeaways for the 1st horseman,

• John writes about a white horse and in the previous analysis we looked at modern-day parallels with the global health crisis and medical lab coats/suits enforcing the Zero COVID Policies in China.

• The white horse has a horseman that has a bow, which is the word toxon that has historical roots with Greek “toxikon pharmakon – the lethal poison that the ancient Greeks would smear on the points of their arrows”³¹

• John was surrounded by pagan Asclepius serpent worship where snake venom was used for healing by Greeks and Romans.

• Pharmakon in Greek has become modern-day BigPharma where there are thousands of research papers on snake venom pharmacology studies.

• Toxin-like components potentially causing Toxic Shock Syndrome are found in COVID-19 patients as well as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein which is produced through mRNA injections.

• Are these toxin-like components naturally occurring or synthetically produced such as in a bio lab?

Prayer Request: That Jesus continues to give us wisdom as we battle Satan, the serpent, the dragon of old who deceives and battles the saints that hold to God’s commandments.

To be continued as we analyze the first horseman who is given a crown…

Part 3: The First Horseman was given a Crown, Wreath, or Garland

1. https://biblehub.com/greek/5115.htm

2. Kokkinidis. T. (2018). Greek Term ‘Toxic’ is Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2018 (video). GreekReporter. https://greekreporter.com/2018/11/19/greek-term-toxic-is-oxfords-word-of-the-year-for-2018video/

3. Editor. (2022). τόξον (Ancient Greek). Wordsense Dictionary. EU. https://www.wordsense.eu/%CF%84%CF%8C%CE%BE%CE%BF%CE%BD/

4. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/toxic

5. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CF%86%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%BC%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%BD

6. Ardis, B. (2022). [Video] World premiere: watch the water full movie. Stew Peters Network on Rumble. https://rumble.com/v10miez-world-premiere-watch-the-water.html

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cobra#/media/File:Naja_atra_(03).jpg; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banded_krait#/media/File:The_Banded_Krait.jpg; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_taipan#/media/File:Coastal-Taipan.jpg; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake#/media/File:Eastern_Brown_Snake_-_Kempsey_NSW.jpg; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cobra#/media/File:12_-_The_Mystical_King_Cobra_and_Coffee_Forests.jpg

8. Brogna, C. et. al. (2021). Toxin-like peptides in plasma, urine and faecal samples from COVID-19 patients [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]. F1000Research https://f1000research.com/articles/10-550

9. https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi

10. Brogna, C. et. al. (2021). Toxin-like peptides in plasma, urine and faecal samples from COVID-19 patients [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]. F1000Research https://f1000research.com/articles/10-550

11. Ibid.

12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians

13. Rolle, R. (1989). The World of the Scythians 1st Edition. University of California Press; 1st edition.

14. Smith, P. (2022). Scythian Warfare. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Scythian_Warfare/

15. Johnson, T. (2020). A History of Biological Warfare since Ancient Greece. Brewminate: A Bold Blend of News and Ideas. https://brewminate.com/a-history-of-biological-warfare-since-ancient-greece/

16. Mayor, A. (2019) Chapter 16 - Chemical and Biological Warfare in Antiquity. Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128153390000160

17. https://www.worldhistory.org/Asclepius/

18. Cartwright, M. (2013). Asclepius. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Asclepius/

19. https://www.thecollector.com/why-was-greek-god-asclepius-linked-with-snakes/

20. van de Kerkhof, M. (2022). Asclepius: Greek God of Medicine and the Rod of Asclepius. History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/asclepius-greek-god-of-medicine/

21. Wichmann, A. (2022). Snakes Were Used to Heal the Sick in Ancient Greece. Greek Reporter. https://greekreporter.com/2022/09/18/snakes-ancient-greece/

22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius#cite_note-10

23. El-Aziz, T., Soares, A., and Stockand, J. (2019). Snake Venoms in Drug Discovery: Valuable Therapeutic Tools for Life Saving. PMC PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6832721/

24. El-Aziz, T., Soares, A., and Stockand, J. (2019). Snake Venoms in Drug Discovery: Valuable Therapeutic Tools for Life Saving. PMC PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6832721/

25. Oliveira AL, Viegas MF, da Silva SL, Soares AM, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA. The chemistry of snake venom and its medicinal potential. Nat Rev Chem. 2022;6(7):451-469. doi: 10.1038/s41570-022-00393-7. Epub 2022 Jun 10. PMID: 35702592; PMCID: PMC9185726.

26. Suryamohan, K., Krishnankutty, S.P., Guillory, J. et al. The Indian cobra reference genome and transcriptome enables comprehensive identification of venom toxins. Nat Genet 52, 106–117 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0559-8

27.

28. Cheng, M., Zhang, S., Porritt, R., and Bahar, I. (2020). Superantigenic character of an insert unique to SARS-CoV-2 spike supported by skewed TCR repertoire in patients with hyperinflammation. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2010722117#fig02

29. Ibid.

30. Cheng, M., Zhang, S., Porritt, R., and Bahar, I. (2020). Superantigenic character of an insert unique to SARS-CoV-2 spike supported by skewed TCR repertoire in patients with hyperinflammation. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2010722117#fig02

31. Kokkinidis. T. (2018). Greek Term ‘Toxic’ is Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2018 (video). GreekReporter. https://greekreporter.com/2018/11/19/greek-term-toxic-is-oxfords-word-of-the-year-for-2018video/