Unraveling Revelation

Verses Twelve through Sixteen – The sixth angel pours out his bowl on the river Euphrates both as a plague and as a matter of preparation for a future battle. “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. ‘Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.’ And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”

There are several things that we need to consider about the information given in this passage. The first is the drying up of the river Euphrates. This river, as we have seen before, has some distinction as a border between the homeland of Israel and the pagan nations of the world. (See discussion on Revelation 9:14.) The drying up of this river is seen as an assault or act of aggression on all of those who align themselves with the unholy trinity of Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet. But this act of aggression is not by Israel and Christians but by God Himself. However the anger of this unholy trinity and the pagan nations who have come to follow them is toward God and those who follow Him. We see here the preparation for a final showdown between God and Satan and the battle we have come to know as the battle of Armageddon. Some scholars have tied this drying up of the Euphrates with the blowing of the sixth trumpet judgement in Revelation nine. There are similarities but there are enough differences that cause us to conclude these are two different events. The largest of these differences is that the four angels which are released in chapter nine (See Revelation 9:13-21.) raise up an army to persecute Israel and their allies during the tribulation period. Here it is the rising up of nations in preparing for a war with God Himself. While Babylon is not specifically mentioned here it can surly be inferred because Babylon sits directly on the Euphrates River and has always been an enemy of Israel and the people of God. Here and in chapters to come we will see Babylon is the seat of this conflict on earth between God and Satan, good and evil; therefore we should assume this drying up of the Euphrates takes place at Babylon. We must not miss the information that this is all done as a matter of preparation. That preparation, as we learn in verse sixteen is for the battle of Armageddon.