The Euphrates River in the Bible

Apocalyptic descriptions in the 6th Trumpet and Bowl

as a prelude of the Armageddon



The Euphrates river in Iraq has been often in the news last year because many acts of terrorism happened in its borders, including the macabre hanging of four American corpses in one its bridges to dishonor them brutally after death as a symbol to dishonor all Americans.

The same Euphrates river is mentioned by name in the first and last books of the Bible, Genesis 2:14 and Revelation 9 and 16. It is the river most mentioned in the Bible after the Jordan River.

In Revelation is mentioned twice as "the great river Euphrates", not because the river is large, but because great apocalyptic events will occur in its borders, nothing less than the preparation or prelude of the final battle of Armageddon in Rev.16:15-16.The only place in the Bible where the word "Armageddon" is mentioned by name. (Rev.16:16).

Description of the 6th Trumpet:
13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.

17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Rev.9:13-21).

Commentary of the 6th Trumpet:

Of course, some of these prophecies have not been fulfilled yet.

- 13The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God:
It is not just talking words, but "a voice", something loud, and coming directly from God in Heaven, from the very horns of the golden altar. The "word of God" is presented here as something very important and relevant for you and for me.

- 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. " 15And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.
There were four angels of destruction ready but bound at the river Euphrates, and now they are released to hurt humankind, even to kill a third of mankind.
Of course, this didn't happened yet, but this is the prophecy, and it is "the voice of God".
The four angels of destruction bound at the Euphrates river in Iraq may be some Muslim Countries plus other non- Muslims, bound not by land but by economic or social ties... and they had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year. A very specific time, the year, the month of the year, the day of that month, and even the hour of that day.
The power of the church's enemies is restrained till God gives the word to have them turned loose. When nations are ripe for punishment, those instruments of God's anger that were before restrained are let loose upon them. The instruments that God makes use of to punish a people may sometimes lie at a great distance from them, so that no danger may be apprehended from them. These four messengers of divine judgment lay bound in the river Euphrates in Iraq, a great way from the European, American and other Asian nations, but yet, to kill a third of mankind.
The river Euphrates is called "great", as already mentioned, not because the river is large, but because great apocalyptic events will occur in its borders, nothing less than the preparation or prelude of the final battle of Armageddon in Rev.16:15-16. Some scholars refer often to the Tigris river as the mystical Euphrates river. The Tigris passes through Baghdad, the old Babylon.

When I think in the actual "terrorism" in Iraq, Arabia, Afghanistan, America, Europe... I tend to believe that the prophecy may start to become a reality... to kill a third of mankind.

16The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number...
200 Million of war-makers and terrorists?... yes, it may become a reality in not a long time... there are many Muslim terrorists and many war-Christians who live and act as anti-Christians and Atheists...

17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

No, the 200 Million of war-makers and terrorists are not like the old fashion horses and riders, they remind me those war airplanes and helicopters throwing big bombs from the front and the tail... and all kind of terrorists, suicide bombers, even women tied to a great bomb to die while killing other innocent people.
Their weapons, by which they make such slaughter, to kill a third of mankind, are described by fire, smoke, and sulfur, issuing out of the mouths of their horses, and the stings that were in their tails, probably were first used by the Turks at the siege of Constantinople, and made a desolation in the Roman empire which at that time was filled with Christians who became anti-Christians.

their tails were like snakes:
There may be here also a spiritual meaning, as snakes, poisoning the minds of men with error and idolatry.

20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Poor God! His intentions with these severe punishments, to kill a third of mankind, is to lead the people, mainly the Christians, to repentance, but God failed!, 20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
We better start repentance now!
- Start now to live and act as Christians, adoring and praising and trusting only in Jesus Christ, not in the idols of money and personal honor and power.
- We better start now and repent, and stop the murders of abortion and terrorism and war...
- And stop now the demonic magic arts of Spiritism and witchcraft and Astrology and Divination and Wicca and Satanism... The Occult
- And stop now the sexual immorality of homosexuality and gay marriages and adultery and pornography, privately and in the media, TV, internet, newspapers, magazines...
- And stop our thefts, mainly paying right and honest salaries, but also stop the injustice of just one singer or one football player making more money than one thousand hard working persons or house wives.

Description of the 6th Bowl or Vial or Cup of the Wrath of God:
12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

15"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."

16Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

17The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. (Rev.16:12-20).

Poor God again! All God is trying with these severe punishments is repentance, and what H gets is they cursed God on account of the plague of hail.

Commentary of the 6th Bowl:

12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

- the great river Euphrates again, as in the 6th Trumpet.

and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
- The water of the Euphrates river has not dried up yet. However, in a figurative way, "to dry up" may mean an era of peace and prosperity in the boundaries of the Euphrates river which has not happened yet either.

If you look at the at the map, the countries east of Iraq are Iran, Afghanistan Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, some of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman, India, China and Russia Federation.
Europe, Africa and America are west of Iraq.

13Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
These three evil spirits are those of Revelation 13:
- The dragon is Satan.
- The beast is the first beast of Revelation 13:1-10. the secular power of the antichrist... a Muslim leader?
- The false prophet is the second beast of Revelation 13:11-18, the ecclesiastical power of the antichrist, qualified here as the false prophet... Islam? Revelation13

- 14They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
Islam do not believe in miracles, the only miracle it proclaims is the Koran. However, at the end of time, the traditions of the Islamic Messiah and Antichrist (Mahdi and Dajil) appear performing about the same miraculous signs of the Christian Antichrist in Revelation 13 of the Bible.
- the battle on the great day of God Almighty. This battle is "Armageddon", proclaimed with this name in the Sixth Bowel in Revelation 16:16.

- 15"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."
Probably this is the most important verse in all the apocalyptic descriptions of the end of times and the end of our lives in the Bible. Because Jesus will come like a thief!" , we don't know when, nor how, nor where, so the most important matter in these issues is to stay always ready, always clothed with Christ, believing in Him and practicing and living what He orders at all times..

16Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
This place, Armageddon, is not in Iraq but in Israel-Palestne. "Armageddon or Har-magedon"... "Har" means "mount"... "Mount-magedon". It is located in the cross roads of the North and South of Israel, I was there, and it is now just an elevation, a small mount, like the Mount of Beatitudes.
The city on the top of the Mount was destroyed over 20 times, more times that Jerusalem! (2K.9:27, 2329, Judg.5:19)... Now it is in ruins, with many archeological studies going on....it is the place where the enemies of Israel were routed led by Deborah (Judg.5:19), and in the valley of Megiddo Josiah was slain.
"Armageddon" was the proverbial place for "Battle" at the times of Jesus and John. Armageddon

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