The Euphrates River drying up, a headline we’re seeing more frequently. Looking at this from a surface level, it speaks of the ongoing birth pangs we see around the world. However, this news has also garnered attention from many Christians familiar with bible prophecy for other legitimate reasons, as the Euphrates River will play an important role during the tribulation.
Some are saying that the current drying of the Euphrates River is fulfilling bible prophecy, but is this truly the case? What they primarily point to make this case is Revelation 16:12, a description of the sixth bowl judgment.
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. (Revelation 16:12-16)
Although Revelation 16:12 does indeed talk about the Euphrates River drying up, it elaborates this to us in a specific context. First, it takes place during the tribulation period and, more specifically, towards the end, as it’s the second to last bowl judgment. Second, we see that the drying up of the Euphrates at this point in time isn’t caused by natural means, such as a rise in temperature or an increase in severity of droughts.
What scripture elaborates to us is that this will be done via the means of a supernatural source – the sixth bowl judgment poured out on the river by an angel, which is ultimately an expression of God’s wrath (Revelation 16:1, 5-7, 9-10). Third, the Bible not only provides the context as to when this will happen but why this happens “so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared” (Revelation 16:12).
The following verses then detail to us the gathering of the kings of the whole earth to the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16). Essentially, what this shows us is that the drying up of the Euphrates is connected to the armies of the world readying for this battle (which isn’t a “battle” in any sense of the word). It’s one judgment which sets up another judgment rendered by Christ in-person to overwhelmingly defeat these armies, known as the winepress of the wrath of God (Revelation 19:15, 17-21).
A Proper Understanding of the Prophecy
So is what’s currently occurring to the Euphrates River a fulfillment of the sixth bowl judgment in Revelation 16? No. To say that would not only mean we’re currently in the tribulation but that all of the seal, trumpet, and majority of bowl judgments have been poured out on mankind and that three demonic spirits have gone out to the “kings of the earth and of the whole world” to the battle of Armageddon in anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming (Revelation 16:13-14, 16).
This simply isn’t the case scripturally, nor is it an accurate reflection of what’s currently going on in the world. Many of us understand this, but regardless, this view is cropping up here and there and due to that, I believe it’s important to address to prevent confusion.
Does this mean that the news concerning the Euphrates River drying up has no significance? Not at all. What we’re witnessing now, along with a plethora of other signs, is a shadow of what’s to come during the tribulation. Aside from Revelation 16, we also see the significance of the Euphrates River during the tribulation in Revelation 9 with the sixth trumpet judgment which I elaborate on in this article.
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. (Revelation 9:13-19)
What we see from scripture starting in Genesis is a focus on the Middle East in the beginning, and in Revelation, the focus is brought right back to that region of the earth. It’s clear to us that the Euphrates River drying up is significant due to the yet to be fulfilled prophecies concerning it, so it’s not necessary to force a fulfillment upon it. There’s a specific context in which it will eventually take place, but it’s not now.
What this should show us instead is that when we consider this along with the many prophetic signs converging on our time, it acts as a marker of where we are prophetically which should strengthen our faith in God’s Word and excite us as our blessed hope draws near.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Himitsu | End Times Study
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