Why the Euphrates dries for the Kings from the East

Purpose

Why must the Euphrates dry up to prepare the way for the Kings from the East?

In the first verse of the sixth plague, the Euphrates River dries up to prepare the way for the Kings from the East (Rev 16:12). In Old Testament times, the Euphrates flowed through the ancient city of Babylon, supporting life in the city. As discussed in previous articles, Revelation uses Babylon and her river as symbols:

Old Testament Babylon becomes the harlot (Rev 17:2), symbolizing the false religious system(s) that has corrupted humanity for thousands of years. In the End Times, Babylon wears a Christian mask (See here).

The Euphrates symbolizes the people’s support for Babylon (cf. Rev 17:1, 15). In the End Time, the Euphrates represents support for false Christianity. (See here)

The Kings from the East symbolize Christ and His angels at His return (cf. Rev 19:16). (See here)

So, the question becomes: 

Why must support for false Christianity dry up before Christ may return?

One option is that this is simply a leftover of what happened historically, when the literal Euphrates literally dried up to allow literal kings from the East (Cyrus and his troops) to conquer ancient literal Babylon, and that we do not have to read anything more into it.

On the other hand, since the following verses state that demon spirits gather the kings for “the great day,” an alternative interpretation is that,

1) Until the Euphrates (Babylon’s support) has dried up, the demon spirits cannot go out to gather the kings, and

2) Until the kings are gathered, the kings from the East cannot arrive.

This could be explained as follows:

(a) Demon spirits have taken over God’s church. The Beast of Revelation is the Church of the Middle Ages (see here), which burned its opponents alive at the stake. Babylon, the driving force behind God’s enemies (Rev 17:3, 6), is described as “fallen” and as “a dwelling place of demons” (Rev 14:8; 18:2), but it is currently hidden in a Christian cloak.

(b) The drying up of the Euphrates is when God’s true people leave her when they realize, through the Loud Cry of the angel of Revelation 18 (see here), that Spiritual Babylon has become a place where demons dwell. 

(c) When that Christian cloak is ripped off, Babylon (false Christianity) will reveal its true Satanic nature. Then Babylon will be able to gather the kings with explicit demonic powers and miracles, which the kings of the world will gladly accept because that is also the source of their power.

(d) Jesus Christ can only return after the true nature of the Church has been revealed. God has been delaying Christ’s return and the execution of His judgments until all understand that His judgments are perfect. When the true nature of mainstream Christianity has been revealed, Christ may return to execute God’s judgments. [Show More]

Babylon is the driving force behind the Beast.

This explanation uses the terms ‘Babylon’ and ‘the Beast’ more or less as synonyms, but there are two distinct concepts:

The Beast of Revelation 13 is a specific organization, originating at a specific time in history, namely, the Church of the Middle Ages. However, ‘the Beast’ is a much wider concept. The Beast of Rev 13 is one of the seven heads (phases or manifestations) of ‘the Beast.’ Each of the seven heads is one specific organization of a series of organizations over time. (See here)

Babylon, on the other hand, is the false religion that exists in all ages and is the driving force behind the Beast.  

End-time Persecution

The plagues begin to fall while the end-time persecution of Revelation 13:15-16 still rages. To understand the drying up requires an understanding of that crisis:

The Sea Beast is the Church of the Middle Ages

The Beast of Revelation is not directly involved in the end-time crisis. But it gives power to the Land Beast, which gives life to the Image of the Beast, which persecutes God’s end-time people (Rev 13:11-15) and puts the Mark of the Beast on its followers (Rev 13:16-17).

The Beast (from the sea – Rev 13:1) is the Church of the Middle Ages (See here). This is a foundational concept. Unless accepted, very little else in the article will make sense. [Show More]

The Land Beast is end-time false Christianity

That persecution begins when a second beast comes “up out of the earth” (Rev 13:11). It “had two horns like a lamb” (v11), meaning it appears Christ-like. Therefore, the Land Beast is a Christian religious organization. [Show More]

But it “spoke as a dragon” (Rev 13:11), which is a symbol for Satan (Rev 12:9). Furthermore, it receives its authority from the Beast (Rev 13:12) and “deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform” (Rev 13:14). For these reasons, it is also called “the false prophet” (compare with Rev 16:13; 19:20). Therefore, the Land Beast symbolizes end-time false Christianity.

The Mark of the Beast is an orthodox doctrine.

The Mark of the Beast is some unbiblical (blasphemous) doctrine or practice for which the Beast (the Church of the Middle Ages) is particularly known but which is still used today by false Christianity as boundary marker to identify and persecute heretics. It is not something that will be developed in the end-time. (See here)

Therefore, the end-time persecution of Rev 13:11-18 is persecution by false Christianity of Christians who protest and preach against this orthodox but unscriptural doctrine of the church.

The Image of the Beast is the State. 

The Image of the Beast is a replica of the Beast, namely of the system during the Middle Ages when the Church dominated civil government and persecuted “heretics” through the strong arm of the state (Rev 13:15; 14:13). (See here)

Seven Last Plagues

The following describes the events in the plagues before the Euphrates dries up:

The plagues begin when all people are marked. 

Revelation 15 represents a critical point in human history during that end-time persecution, when all people have made their decisions and all people have received either the Mark of the Beast or the Seal of God (Rev 7:1-3; 14:1). In other words, the eternal destiny of every person has been fixed. From this point forward, nobody will change sides (cf. Rev 16:9, 11). But, Christ still does not return. Instead, the plagues begin to fall, but only on the people with the Mark of the Beast (Rev 16:2, 10). (See here)

The Fifth Plague exposes false Christianity. 

The Fifth Plague falls on “the throne of the beast” (Rev 16:10), a symbol of the Beast’s authority, which is Christian religious authority. (See hereThe darkness in the Beast’s kingdom (Rev 16:10), meaning that it suffers humiliation before the people of the world, will be caused by the Loud Cry of Rev 18 (See here), which will make everybody aware that false Christianity “HAS BECOME a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit” (Rev 18:1-2). .

Therefore, God’s people will come out of Babylon. 

The Loud Cry calls God’s people, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues” (Rev 18:4). Consequently, at the beginning of the sixth plague, God’s people come out of the organizations of false Christianity, symbolized as the drying up of the Euphrates (Rev 6:12). [Show More]

But those with the Mark of the Beast refuse to repent

The fifth plague concludes with the words:

“They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds” (Rev 16:11, cf. 16:9).

Previously, the Christians with the Mark of the Beast believed that the Beast spoke for God. Now, they realize that they oppose God. But still, many do not come out of Babylon. They refuse to repent and continue to blaspheme God. They are hardened beyond repentance,

The Church partners with Spiritualism

In the sixth plague, after the waters of the Euphrates dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the east (Rev 6:12), “spirits of demons” come from the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet (Rev 16:13). This will be a turning point in human history. Due to the onslaught of the first five plagues, the kingdom of false Christianity (the mainstream denominations) was darkened, and the Euphrates dried up, meaning that it has lost much influence and many supporters. But now the Church has received renewed power in the form of “spirits of demons, performing signs” (Rev 16:14), implying that God allows Satan direct control over the false Christianity. It has now joined forces with spiritualism.

The Church prepares the World to appose Christ when He returns. 

The demons out of the mouths of the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet, performing signs, go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. They gathered them together at Har-Magedon. (Rev 16:13, 14, 16) In other words, the mainstream church gathers the civil authorities of the World through Satanic miracles. The Beast-powers realize that Christ will return imminently, and they prepare the world to war against Him when He comes (Rev 16:16; 19:19). Armageddon is Christ’s return.

The Cosmic Crisis

Why the support for false Christianity must dry up before Christ may return must be understood in the cosmic context:

The War on Earth was caused by the War in Heaven. 

The rebellion against God, which we experience on earth, actually began in heaven when a vast number of God’s holy angels joined Satan’s revolt against God (Gen 3:1, read with Rev 20:2; Rev 12:4, 7; Dan 10:13; Job 1:6). In other words, the war on earth is the outflow of a war between the angels of heaven (Rev 12:7). (See here)

Satan argues convincingly that God judges unfairly. 

God condemned Satan and his angels to the pool of fire. To defend himself, Satan accused God of unfair judgment (cf. Rev 12:10). Due to Satan’s enormous intellect and knowledge of the evil committed by each and every person, he is able to show the horrible sins of God’s elect, like David who killed the husband of the woman he had an affair with.

On the other hand, the people with the Mark of the Beast are conservative Christians who persecute other Christians. They are Bible-believing, well-dressed, respectable, refined, and educated church-going Christians. They aim to live according to the Law of God. They struggle to put to death the deeds of the body (Rom 8:13). Still, God rejects them and sentences them to “the second death, the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14). [Show More]

This enables Satan to question God’s judgment (Rev 12:10), for it appears as if some of God’s elect, as identified in the Book of Life (Rev 13:8), have committed worse sins than some of the people with the Mark of the Beast.  

Even God’s loyal angels are not sure that God judges perfectly. 

Many even sinless heavenly beings are not sure whether God’s judgments are always perfect! God is able to see what is really in the heart of every person, but His intelligent creatures are not. For them, it is very difficult, sometimes impossible, to distinguish God’s people from other people, particularly considering Satan’s brilliant presentation of the sins of God’s elect. [Show More]

God wants all to trust His judgments. 

God wants all intelligent beings to trust Him fully. By faith, we live today; by faith, we will live in eternity. In particular, He wants all intelligent beings to trust His judgments perfectly. Therefore, He will allow this world to continue, even after the eternal destiny for each and every person has been decided, to show the universe that His judgments are perfect.

The Purpose of the Plagues is to show that God’s judgments are perfect

The purpose of the plagues is to reveal what created beings are unable to see beneath the Christian façade: the true nature of the end-time Pharisees. Through the plagues, He will show God’s intelligent creatures throughout the universe that the people with the Mark of the Beast are truly set against God’s principles. [Show More]

The Church had adopted doctrines that reflect the views of man, not of God. 

The religious leaders of Christ’s day were zealous for “the traditions of the elders” (Mark 7:3, cf. 8). These traditions were intended to prevent people from sinning but put the focus on outward behavior and ignore the more important matters of love, faith, and trust. These burdensome requirements reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men, rather than the character of the loving heavenly Father, and represented God as a tyrant. The traditions enabled the Pharises to judge other people according to their norms and, eventually, served to separate man from God.

The same applies to the church today. Consistent with the principles that govern their lives, the “Pharisees” of the church create a view of God as cruel, controlling, severe, and quick to judge. Based on this view of God, over many centuries, the church has developed doctrines that align more with our fallen nature than the character of the loving heavenly Father, such as:

God decides who must go to hell, irrespective of what people are or do.

Those whom He has condemned to hell, He will torment for all eternity.

Christ had to suffer to save others because God’s righteousness demands that somebody must suffer. Or worse, that Christ’s suffering appeased the wrath of God.

Like the Pharisees in Christ’s time, end-time Christian leaders will regard the orthodox church doctrines above the Bible, rule the church by fear, and condemn, marginalize, and persecute people who teach anything contrary to the orthodox teachings.

 

The mainstream Church of today is the continuation of the ancient heathen religion. It had adopted a Christian face, but its real nature is revealed by the doctrines it received from its mother, such as that man has an immortal soul. 

The Plagues reveal their true nature.

The plagues will reveal the true nature of the people God has condemned to the second death, for, when the first five plagues show them that they really do not serve God, but Satan, and that they are persecuting God’s true people, they refuse to humble themselves and repent (Rev 16:9, 11).

On the contrary, when Satan sends “spirits of demons, performing signs” to gather the kings (Rev 16:14), due to their pride and the hardness of their hearts, they accept this new power with the full knowledge that this power is from Satan. They allow the miracle-working demon spirits to lead them against God. In this way, the plagues will show that they, similar to “the elders and the chief priests and the scribes” in Christ’s time, are fully committed to the principles of the god of this world (cf. 2 Cor 4:4). They “outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly … are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt 23:27-28).

This will confirm God’s judgment of them. It will show that the end-time Pharisees have opened themselves to the powers of darkness to such a degree that the enemy could use them and they would think that they were being used by God.

This is the final test that is required before Jesus may return to the world He created. Jesus’ death was also a test.  Lot’s torment was a test. Everything is tested because the crisis in the universe is about whether the judgments of the Almighty can be fully trusted.

The end-time plagues serve as a test and confirmation of God’s judgments in all ages. On Judgment Day, there will be many who have died in previous centuries who died in the same spiritual condition and demand:

“Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name?” (Matt 7:22)

And Jesus would answer:

“I never knew you; depart from me” (Matt 7:23).

In conclusion, the purpose of the plagues is to prove to all of God’s intelligent creatures throughout the universe that God’s judgment is right and perfect and that we, therefore, can look forward to spending eternity knowing that we can rely 100% on the Almighty.

Other Articles

  • I recommend Jon Paulien’s commentary on Revelation for further reading. For general theological discussions, I recommend Graham Maxwell, who you will find on the Pineknoll website.

Revelation 12: Why did God not make an end of evil after the Cross?

This is an article in the series on Revelation 12. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are from the NASB.

REJOICE, O HEAVENS

Lamb of GodBecause of the blood of the Lamb and because of the testimony of our brethren, Satan was driven out of heaven and thrown down on earth (Revelation 12:8-13).  A loud voice then announced:

Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, … For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them” (Revelation 12:10-12).

Events on earth made an end to the war in heaven.  Through Christ, God made peace with the “things in heaven” (Col 1:20).  This world became the testing ground for God’s righteousness, with huge implications for the entire cosmos.

WOE TO THE EARTH

But the voice continued:

Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath” (Rev 12:12).

The war continues on earth.  This planet is the only place in the universe where Satan still has power.

WHY DOES SIN CONTINUE?

Why did God not make an end to sin immediately after the Cross?  One seldom hears this topic discussed, probably because the standard theories of the atonement have no answer for that question.  In this theory, Jesus died to satisfy the wrath of an angry God.  Is God’s wrath then not yet fully satisfied?

Satan’s weapons in this war are deception and accusations.  God responds, not with violence or with force, but with the blood of the Lamb (Rev 5:9) and with the testimony of “our brethren” (Rev 12:11)  By these means, God provides the evidence required to refute Satan’s charges.  Since Satan attacks with accusations, and since God responds with evidence, the only possible conclusion is that sin continues because some evidence is still outstanding.

WHY IS EVIDENCE REQUIRED?

If we understand Revelation 12 correctly, the earth is the only place where the rebellion against God still rages, for Satan has been banished from the courts of heaven after Jesus’ ascension.  Therefore, to remove evil from this planet is to remove it entirely from God’s creation:

The creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption” (Rom 8:21).

Lake of FireEvil will be exterminated when “the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Rev 20:10), and with him, anyone whose “name was not found written in the book of life” (Rev 20:15).   After this event, we will hear God say, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).

The eradication of evil in Rev 20:13-15 is preceded immediately by the judgment before the great white throne (Rev 20:11-12).  The extermination of evil, therefore, is the consequence of this judgment.  The evidence is therefore required for the final judgment, in which “books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books” (Rev 20:12). 

In conclusion, the war still continues because there still is some evidence outstanding that is required for the final great judgment.  The extermination of evil, and with it all the people and angels that are permanently corrupted by it, will be a most traumatic event for all the universe, including for the people that are saved.  God wants to make sure that all of His intelligent creatures understand and agree with the decisions made in that judgment.

WHAT EVIDENCE IS STILL OUTSTANDING?

What and why evidence is required, we can see from the end-time events as described in the book of Revelation:

THE MARK OF THE BEAST

Jesus’ arrival on earth caused a major crisis. In a few short years, much was revealed both about God and about Satan.

Revelation predicts a similar crisis in the end time, when “the image of the beast would … cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Rev 13:15).  It will attempt to give all people “a mark on their right hand or on their forehead” (Rev 13:16).  People who refuse to receive this mark will not be allowed “to buy or to sell” (Rev 13:17).

What the mark of the beast is, requires a more in-depth study, but we can safely say that it will be that sin which people will be forced to commit, the modern equivalent to Nebuchadnezzar forcing all people to worship a statue, at the threat of death (Dan 3:5-6). The beast itself is an earthly power (cf. Rev 13:1-2; 17:9-10; 12). To worship it is to accept its authority.

At the same time, the truth will be preached with more power than ever before (Rev 14:6).  The evil one attempts to blur the distinctions between what is holy and what is common, but these distinctions will be made clear by God’s end-time messengers. All people will have to choose between the mark of the beast and “the seal of the living God” (Rev 7:2; cf. 14:1).  This will be the valley of decision for all people:

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near” (Joel 3:14).

God’s people will be “victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name” (Rev 15:2).  They “had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand” (Rev 20:4).

THE PLAGUES

There will come a turning point, during this final crisis, when “the temple was filled with smoke … and no one was able to enter the temple” (Rev 15:8).  After this, the plagues are poured out (Rev 16:1), but only “on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image” (Rev 16:2). This will give them clear evidence that they are persecuting God’s people, but “they did not repent” (Rev 16:9, 11).  They will continue to oppress God’s people.

THE MILLENNIUM

Christ’s return will make an end to the persecution of God’s people, but only temporarily. At the end of the 1000 years, all people that opposed God, from all ages since the creation of the world, will “come to life” (Rev 20:5), and “Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations” (Rev 20:7-8).  “They … surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them” (Rev 20:9).  This, in a few words, describes the final and major battle between good and evil. It is described only briefly because we have no way to understand the circumstances or nature of that battle.

THE OUTSTANDING EVIDENCE

Why would God allow an end-time crisis in which His people are killed?  Why does God pour down horrible plagues on the earth when there is no possibility that sinners will repent?  And why would God bring the lost back to life, 1000 years after Christ’s return, only to consume them again by fire?

These are to provide the evidence required for the final great judgment.

GOD’S PEOPLE

God’s people will be “victorious over the beast.”  The evil one will take away from them all they have, but they will refuse to “worship the image of the beast” (Rev 13:15), “even when faced with death” (Rev 12:11).  This will reveal their faith: “They overcame him (the accuser) … because of the word of their testimony” (Rev 12:11). The Cross demonstrated God’s righteousness (Rom 3:25-26). God’s end-time people will similarly demonstrate, to the universe for all ages to come, the justness of God’s grace for His people.

GOD’S ENEMIES

The persecutors of God’s people “did not repent,” even when they have clear evidence that they are persecuting God’s people. This will reveal their true natures. They pretend to be Christians, but their actions will show that they are fundamentally opposed to God and to His principles, like the Pharisees of old, who opposed Jesus. This will confirm God’s condemnation of them.

CONCLUSIONS

All the seeds—both good and evil—that have been sown over the centuries, will come to maturity in this last battle.  Through this crisis, good and evil will both be fully revealed (cf. Rev 3:10).

God allows the human race—created in His own image—to show the nature and consequences of Satan’s principles.  The entire universe is watching events on this little planet with intense interest (e.g. Job):

The manifold wisdom of God (is) … made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places“ (Eph 3:10).

Various articles on the website are available with further information, for example, Purpose of the Plagues and Return of Christ in the book of Revelation.

THE DELAY

Why does God delay the end-time crisis?

First-century Christians expected Jesus to return in their time.  See The Lord is coming soon.  When He did not, they asked questions, and Peter explained:

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Over the centuries, God’s persecuted people complained about the delay:

How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev 6:10)

In Revelation 7:1-3, an angel ascends from the rising of the sun (the east), “having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads’.

God delays the final crisis because His people are not ready, and He is “not wishing for any to perish.”  He will only allow the end-time crisis when the 144000 are sealed.  The number 144000 is interpreted here not as a literal number, but as a symbol of the quality of their faith:

These are the ones who have not been defiled with women … who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. … And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless” (Rev 14:4-5).


SUMMARY OF THIS ARTICLE

Satan was driven out of heaven because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the testimony of our brethren. God made peace with the “things in heaven,” but the war continued on earth.

Why did God not make an end to sin immediately after the Cross?

Since Satan attacks with accusations, and since God responds with evidence, we assume that God allows sin to continue because some evidence is still outstanding.

For what purpose is evidence required? 

Earth is the only place where the rebellion against God still rages. To remove evil from this planet is to remove it entirely from the universe.  After the judgment before the great white throne, evil will be exterminated through the lake of fire. The war continues on earth to generate the evidence required in the final judgment.

The end-time events show what and why evidence is required.

By threats of violence and death, people will be forced to receive the mark of the beast, which is some sin that people will be forced to commit. But God’s people will be “victorious over the beast.”

At some point, during this final crisis, the plagues will start to fall, but only on the people who are persecuting God’s people. This will give them clear evidence that they are opposing God, but they will not repent.

Christ’s return will not be the final end of sin. At the end of the 1000 years, all people that opposed God, from all ages since the creation of the world, will “come to life” and continue their persecution of God’s people.

All of this is to provide the evidence required for the final great judgment.  These events will demonstrate the faith of God’s people, but will also show that the lost are fundamentally opposed to God and to His principles, thus confirming God’s judgments, for God wants us to trust Him fully.


ARTICLES IN THE SERIES ON REVELATION 12

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