“And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the
great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the
way of the kings of the east might be prepared” (Rev. 16:12).
As we approach the cataclysmic events set forth in the
remaining verses of chapter sixteen of the Revelation I pray that we all
can open wide the eyes of our spiritual understanding, for where we
are in the spirit determines how we see the unfolding
episodes of this book. A dear brother has spoken of this in a little
tract he sent me some time ago and I find his words so beautifully
instructive that I am compelled to share them with my readers.
He wrote: “When I was about six years old and started to
school, I was told to learn my ABC’s. I was told that there were
twenty-six of these letters to learn and that I was to learn them in
rotation as they were written down. So I finally learned to say them in
that order, and I learned to know each letter by itself or I could pick
out a particular letter when they were scrambled. Then, one day the
teacher gave me a piece of paper which had some writing on it, and asked
what it said. I told her that it said ABC’s. So she asked me to read
what I saw. I began to pronounce each letter in each word; but I had no
idea what the letters spelled, nor could I tell her what the letters
meant — yet I could tell her what each letter was in each word. I did
not know what the words said, or meant. So she informed me that each
word meant something else, besides ABC’s.
“Well, of course, I wanted to know what she was talking
about, so I set my mind to learn what these letters meant besides
ABC’s. Now, this is a pretty basic parable, but I think it should get
my point across. It seems to me that this is the way most people have
started out to learn the teachings of Jesus Christ! Most people, when
they are taught to read the “letter” of the word, suppose that the
“letters” (ABC’s) are the complete knowledge of the truth. And the
whole church system is still teaching only the letter. Now, as we said,
it is right and good to learn the letter or letters, but if that is all
we ever learn, we will never discover the riches that we could get out
of those letters. If they could only read what the “letters” really say
and mean when arranged in the right manner by the Spirit of God, they
would mean something else far greater than just the ABC’s of the word!
Yet in their own Bible it tells them that the letter kills, but the
spirit makes alive. Now, how does the letter kill? Not literally, but
it kills you spiritually.
“Now it is necessary and good to know the letter or
letters, but that is like starting out to follow the word made flesh,
but never follow it to the death, burial, and resurrection. You see,
there is no spiritual life in the flesh. It only leads to death. The
life is in the resurrection! When you see only the outer, the word made
flesh, you are seeing the child when he has learned all the twenty-six
letters of our alphabet and is taught that those are all the letters we
use. There are no more letters to learn, which is right so far, but
yet he cannot use those letters. They have something to tell him, but
he cannot read the message. And that is true of the fleshly or
literal understanding of the scriptures! The literal is only the means
to assist us in understanding what the teachings of God really say.
Yet the whole world says and thinks that they understand the literal
teachings of the Bible. But there is more!” — end quote.
The river Euphrates is mentioned twice in the book of
Revelation — here, and in chapter nine, verse fourteen. The epithet
“great” is used in both instances: “the great river Euphrates.” The
literal Euphrates river begins in the Armenian Mountains and is about
1780 miles in length, by far the longest and most important river of
western Asia. It is famous in Bible history and prophecy. This region
was the site of the inception of human sin; here the first lie was told,
the first effort of man’s own “religious works” was performed, the first
murder committed, the first grave was dug, and the first confederacy for
the purpose of war was assembled. It was here the vast system of
Babylonian idolatry originated. Israel’s great progenitor, Abram, came
from its other side into the land of Canaan. The rivers Nile and
Euphrates are prophetically designated as the southern and northern
boundaries of the promised land (Gen. 15:18). The region of Euphrates
was the scene of the long years in which the children of Israel (both
the house of Israel and the house of Judah) dragged out the wearisome
days of their Assyrian and Babylonian captivities.
The Euphrates river bordered Babylon and was that which had
to be crossed either to enter Babylon or to leave Babylon in the
direction of Canaan. Sometimes it stood for Babylon itself, sometimes
for the land of Canaan, but most often as a border or separation between
the two. The prophet Jeremiah revealed how the Euphrates represents
Babylon when he said, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls
of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned
with fire; and the people shall labor in vain…and they shall be weary.
The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah…when he went with
Zedekiah the king of Judah into (captivity in) Babylon in the fourth
year of his reign. So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should
come upon Babylon, even all these words which are written against
Babylon. And Jeremiah said unto Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon,
and shalt see, and shalt read all these words; thou shalt say, O Lord,
Thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, and none shall
remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for
ever. And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book,
that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of
Euphrates; and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon
sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon
her” (Jer. 51:58-64).
That the river of Egypt, the Nile, and the river of
Babylon, the Euphrates, were the divinely determined boundaries of the
land of Canaan is stated plainly by the Lord when He gave Abraham the
promise, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of
Egypt (the Nile)unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen.
15:18). And again in Deuteronomy 1:7 we read that the children of
Israel received the command: “Turn you, and take your journey, and go
to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in
the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the
sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto…the great river,
the river Euphrates.” The same we read in Deuteronomy 11:24 and
Joshua 1:4. We find that the promise was realized in a literal way in
the time of Solomon, for of him we read that he ruled over all the
kingdoms from the river (that is, Euphrates) unto the land of the
Philistines (I Kings 4:21). A number of other passages allude to this
river as the boundary of the land of promise, and therefore I find that
in its spiritual sense the river Euphrates represents the ideal and real
boundary line between the spiritual and heavenly kingdom of God and the
carnal and earthly kingdom of religious Babylon. That is the mystery!
As a means of preparation for the battle at Armageddon the
beloved John records, “And the sixth angel poured out his bowl
upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was
dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be
prepared.” It is important to God’s elect in this hour that the
Spirit of God would grant a clear understanding of what is here meant by
the drying up of the great river Euphrates. The capital city of ancient
Babylon was built on either side of the Euphrates. The river was also
the source of water supplying a fortifying mote about the city. Its
waters, from ten to thirty feet deep and from 900 to 3500 feet wide,
made an obstruction that in ancient times was passable only under the
greatest difficulty. Imagine the fearful state of such a great and
secure city when the waters of its mighty defense are dried up! So
because the Babylonians were the first to build on the banks of the
Euphrates, in the book of Revelation the Spirit of God employs this term
as a type of “the waters…where the whore (Mystery Babylon) sitteth”
(Rev. 17:2,15). The ancient city of Babylon has not existed for long
centuries, just as the word of the Lord prophesied, but there is surely
that in the earth today which is characterized by the spirit and nature
of the Babylon of old which sat upon, and was fortified and defended by,
the waters of the great Euphrates. There is especially a repetition
today of the conditions essentially characterizing ancient Babylon in
its connection with God’s people — for Israel was in BONDAGE IN
BABYLON. Consequently, their captivity in Babylon, the type, must find
its parallel in Babylon of today, the antitype. Certainly great numbers
of the Lord’s people are today in captivity to the modern spiritual
Babylon!
What the pouring out of the sixth bowl discloses
prophetically is the present (in God’s elect) and coming (in all the
Lord’s people) destruction of MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT!
What the apostle John records in chapter sixteen of the Revelation does
not give the complete story of how this great religious Babylon is
destroyed. There are further wonderful details revealed to him and
recorded in chapters seventeen and eighteen. The plague of the seventh
bowl brings the conclusion of the judgments upon religious Babylon, the
carnal church systems of man, both within the Lord’s people and upon the
external systems. Indeed, the events recorded in chapters seventeen and
eighteen are the continuation of the plague of the seventh bowl! The
fact that all seven plagues have as their great purpose the destruction
of Mystery Babylon is plainly stated in the call for God’s people to
“come out of her…that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of HER PLAGUES” (Rev. 18:4). Oh, yes, the
plagues — all seven of them — are HERS! Can you not see the
mystery? As John was set to wondering at the particulars of the
continuing prophetic vision, so are we today as we see taking place in
these eventful times the very things foretold to take place in
connection with the pouring out of divine judgment upon that world
empire of Babylonish religion. I am assured that in this very hour
God’s chosen and separated elect is invited by the Spirit of God to come
and actually behold these wondrous things, just the same as John was
invited to see a preview of them in the spirit and by the spirit.
If we have considered the matter as we ought, we will
surely have realized that not only are the plagues sent to destroy
Babylon, but they are also for the deliverance, correction,
purification, and perfection of God’s people held in captivity within
the Babylonian system. This holy understanding will give much greater
meaning to the fact that it is one of the seven angels which had poured
out the seven last plagues of God’s passion, who afterward comes to John
and shows him what God has made out of His precious people who formerly
dwelt in Babylon. “And there came unto me one of the seven angels
which had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and talked
with me, saying, Come hither, and I will show thee the bride, the
Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and
high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her
light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone,
clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:9-11).
Thus God’s wrath or His passion does not
stand in conflict with His love, but it is paired most intimately
with it in Godly harmony. His wrath He pours out upon the false
teachings and treacherous systems which hold His people in error and
bind them in captivity; however, His love He sheds upon His people which
collectively He calls His own, His beloved, His bride! Once the Lord’s
people are cleansed from their idols and defilement, they will be in a
position to shine as His glorious light upon the nations and bring
deliverance to a sin-sick and judgment-weary world, when “the knowledge
of the Lord shall cover the earth as the water covers the sea” (Isa.
11:9). What a detriment the carnal programs of the church systems and
the false doctrines of condemnation, judgment, and eternal damnation
have been to the cause of Christ!
Only when God’s people are cleansed from their carnality
and shame can they ever hope to bring deliverance to the world! And
that deliverance has to come. It will come through those who have given
up their all, those who have lost everything to be joined only to their
Lord, and who henceforth live only unto Him. This being accomplished,
the pure river of the water of life must flow from the glorious city of
God to bring life and healing to the nations. But before God’s people
can have any part or lot in this great work, they must forsake all and
follow the Lamb alone. No one can deliver men from the lies of the
antichrist by continuing to embrace and declare those lies himself.
This world worships her idols of false religion, materialism, and the
flesh. To deliver this world the Lord’s people must first get rid of
their own golden calves. Jesus must be LORD! And then, “the loftiness
of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made
low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And THE IDOLS
SHALL HE UTTERLY ABOLISH” (Isa. 2:17-18). That very work is the great
purpose of the seven angels with the seven last plagues! Aren’t you
glad!
Now let us return to our thought about the drying up of the
great river Euphrates. Some take it to mean that with the pouring out
of this sixth bowl the actual river Euphrates shall be literally dried
up, so that nations and armies may pass through it. We must continually
keep in mind that we are touching on spiritual realities. And
the absurdity of the literal interpretation of the vision is
found in the fact that if the nations wish to gather for a battle, any
river on earth would certainly not keep them from doing it, even if it
is never dried up! In this day of helicopters, airplanes, rockets, and
missiles a river serves absolutely no significance as a barrier against
invasion. And therefore, the drying up of the river refers to the
removal of all the obstacles and powers that hold God’s people in
bondage to SPIRITUAL BABYLON! Taken in context that is the subject
surrounding the vision under consideration. It signifies that God is
now ready to move to break the strength of Babylon’s defenses and by a
mighty hand and outstretched arm to lead His redeemed people out
of Babylon! That is the mystery!
Stephen Jones expressed it so well when he wrote, “The
sixth bowl prepares the way for the events of the seventh — the battle
of Armageddon and the fall of Babylon. In that way, the two are closely
linked, and the one becomes the direct cause of the other. While this
may not be clear by reading Revelation 16, it is certainly very clear
when we see the historical precedent on which this prophecy is based.
That precedent is the fall of Babylon during the days of Daniel, when
the kings of the east (King Cyrus of Persia and King Darius of Media)
diverted the water from the river Euphrates to conquer Babylon. Thus,
the drying up of the river Euphrates was the final prophetic act that
led to the conquest of ancient Babylon. So also is this being repeated
on a higher level in Revelation 16! One cannot truly understand
the events of the sixth and seventh bowls in Revelation 16 without
knowing some of the history of ancient Babylon and how it fell in the
days of Daniel.”
Let me give you the background. The great kingdom or
empire of Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) was made up of smaller kingdoms that
he had conquered. As long as he lived his kingdom was strong; but as
soon as he died, it began to fall apart. His son became king in his
place, but was soon slain; and one king followed another quickly for
some years. The last king was named Nabonidus. He made his son
Belshazzar king with himself, and left Belshazzar to rule in the capital
city of Babylon, while he was caring for the more distant parts of the
kingdom. At that strategic point a new nation was rising to power. Far
to the east were the kingdoms of Media and Persia. These two peoples
had become one, and were at war with Babylon, under their great leader
Cyrus. While Belshazzar was ruling in the city of Babylon, Cyrus and
his Persian soldiers approached the outside of the city, around the
tremendous walls, and began trying to take the city. These walls were
so great and high and wide that the Persian soldiers could not break
through them nor scale their heights.
On that very night King Belshazzar was holding in the
palace a great feast in honor of his god. On the tables were the golden
cups and vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple of the
Lord at the time when he conquered the city of Jerusalem. Around the
tables were the king, his many wives, and a thousand of his princes and
nobles. They did not know that their city was soon to be taken and that
their enemies were at the very gates of the city. While they were all
drinking wine together, suddenly a strange thing was seen. On the wall
appeared a great hand writing letters and words in a language no one
could read. Every eye was drawn to the spot, and all saw the fingers
moving on the wall and the letters written. The king was filled with
fear. His face turned pale and his knees shook. He called for the wise
men of Babylon, who were with him in the palace, to tell what the
writing meant. He said, “Whoever can read the words on the wall shall
be dressed in a purple robe and shall have a chain of gold around his
neck, and he shall rank next to King Belshazzar as the third ruler in
the kingdom.”
But not one of the wise men could read it. At last the
queen of Babylon said to Belshazzar, “O king, may you live forever!
There is one man who can read this writing, a man in whom is the spirit
of the holy gods, a man whom Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made master of
all the wise men. His name is Daniel. Send for him, and he will tell
you what these words are and what they mean.” Daniel was now an old
man; and since the time when Nebuchadnezzar died, he had been no longer
in his high place as ruler and chief adviser of the king. They sent for
Daniel, and he came. The king said to him, “Are you that Daniel that
was brought many years ago by my father to this city? I have heard of
you, that the spirit of the holy gods is upon you and that you possess
wisdom and knowledge. If you can read this writing upon the wall and
tell me what it means, I will give you a purple robe and a gold chain
and a place next to myself as the third ruler in the kingdom.”
Daniel answered the king. “You may keep your rewards
yourself and may give your gifts to whom you please, for I do not want
them; but I will read to you the writing. O king, the Most High God
gave to Nebuchadnezzar this kingdom and great power and glory. But when
Nebuchadnezzar became proud and boasted of his greatness, then the Lord
took from him his crown and his throne and let him live among the beasts
of the field until he knew that the Most High God rules over the
kingdoms of men. O Belshazzar, you knew all this, yet you have not been
humble in heart. You have risen up against the Lord, you have taken the
sacred vessels of His house, and have drunk wine in them in honor of
your own gods of wood and stone; but you have not praised the Lord God
who has given to you your kingdom and your power. For this reason the
Most High God has sent this hand to write these words upon the wall.
This is the writing — MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. And this is the
meaning: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, Divided.
“MENE: God has counted the years of your kingdom and has
brought it to an end.
“TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances and have
been found wanting.
“UPHARSIN: Your kingdom is divided and taken from you, and
given to the Medes and Persians.”
King Belshazzar could scarcely believe what he heard; but
he commanded that the promised reward be given to Daniel. And almost
while he was speaking, his end came. For even as Daniel was speaking,
King Cyrus had devised a plan to capture the city of Babylon. The walls
of the city were too formidable and could not be overcome. But there
was a way, another way to gain entrance to the city! The hosts of
Cyrus, under cover of darkness, diverted the waters of the mighty
Euphrates, turning away the river from its course, leaving a dry
river-bed running under the walls of Babylon. In the stillness of the
night, almost before the last words of the prophet were spoken, the
hosts of Cyrus rushed through the dry river-bed and came upon the palace
and there Belshazzar was slain at the table where he had taken the cup
of the Lord and had made it the cup of devils!
Throughout the Old Testament the Euphrates river was known
as “the great river” (Gen. 15:18; Josh. 1:4). As we have seen, it
flowed through historical Babylon and was the life-blood of the city.
Even now in modern times rivers are still the life-force to many of the
great cities of the world. Spiritually speaking, religious people who
serve God out of human zeal, carnal understanding, and soulical power
have one river flowing through them, their spiritual head-waters and
life-flow — the Euphrates! The Euphrates bespeaks the great head or
stream of human reasoning, soulish sentimentality, and traditions and
philosophies of men. It has become the channel of the strength and
wealth of spiritual Babylon (confusion) in the earth. Just as the
rivers of earth have become polluted, so has the mind of man and the
religious systems of man. But when we are called out of Babylon, and
leave the precincts of the kingdom of Babylon, we are led by the spirit
of truth to the river of God’s great kingdom — the pure River of
Life! It is not far to find, for Jesus has told us where it can be
found. “He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his
innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” When that
which is flowing out of us is bringing death and bondage to the people
around us, we can be certain that it is not the river of life. If you
attend a church meeting and you leave without being quickened by divine
life, you can be certain that the river of life was not flowing there
for you. Both rivers — the Euphrates and the River of Life — flow from
out of our own heart and life. The head-waters of Euphrates flow, on
the one hand, out of the soul, the mind, the emotion,
and the desires of men. The head-waters of the River of Life
flow, on the other hand, out of the spirit, the very essence
of God dwelling in the deepest depths of the life. Oh, the mystery
of it!
The question follows — How will this Euphrates, the
religious river, be dried up? The answer is simple enough — a drought!
That is what “drying up” means. Water brings life and refreshment. The
lack of water brings misery and death. And turning from the pure water
of the River of Life to drink from the polluted waters of the Euphrates
also leads to weakness, disease, and death. The more submissive we are
to the Lord, the more sensitive to the spirit, the more the Euphrates of
our own carnal reasoning and religious inclination is diminished within
us. The opposite is true as well. When we fail to trust the spirit,
when we disobey the way of the spirit as it is revealed to us, the more
strength we give to the flesh to exert itself in the service of God and
the polluted waters of Euphrates are increased. As God’s elect we have
been enabled by the power of Christ to actively participate in the
“drying up” of the waters of Euphrates within ourselves. But for those
who are helpless captives in Babylon, God Himself is moving sovereignly
to dry up their waters!
Ah, even as the prophets of God are speaking in our day,
just as Daniel spoke to King Belshazzar in the Babylon of old, the river
of man is being diverted — the river that is being dried up is the flow
of “ministry” that is coming out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast,
and the false prophet. The “anointing” of Babylon is drying up, their
programs and methods are not working anymore, and God is causing a great
emptiness within them and is bringing them to the end of themselves.
When the river Euphrates that has nourished the Babylon church system
dries up, the way will be made for the kings of the east. But this time
it’s not just a horde pouring into the land to devastate and conquer it,
but now something is coming into the land to purge, purify, renew, and
transform it! Oh, yes!
God is even now in the process of “drying up the waters” of
the great Euphrates, the river of modern Babylon. God is calling out of
Babylon “His people” that have so long been held captive within her
walls, within her static creeds, her paganized doctrines, her empty
forms, her cold rituals, her lifeless ceremonies, her man-made laws and
commandments, her carnal programs, her un-spiritual methods, and her
un-scriptural institutions. The Spirit of God shall accomplish such a
thorough job of calling His people out “unto Himself,” unto a pure and
undefiled walk in the Spirit, under the absolute headship of Jesus
Christ, that John is able to write, “Rejoice over her (Babylon), thou
heaven (those seated with Christ in the heavenlies), and ye holy
apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And the voice
of harpers, and musicians, and pipers (spiritual praise and worship),
and trumpeters (ministries sounding forth a message from God), shall
be heard no more at all IN THEE; and the sound of a millstone (the
grinding of meal for bread, the living word) shall be heard no more
at all IN THEE; and the light of a candle (even the little light of
truth that is in Babylon) shall shine no more at all IN THEE; and
the voice of the bridegroom (Christ) and of the bride (God’s purged and
purified people) shall be heard no more at all IN THEE: for by
thy sorceries (deceptive doctrines and methods) were all nations
deceived” (Rev. 18:20-23). What a word!
As God removes all this from the midst of Babylon, the
water of her river is dried up. All of the blessing of God, all of the
anointing of the Holy Spirit, all of the spiritual life and even the
effectiveness of her programs, liturgies, preaching, and organization is
all dried up, and there is naught but death within her. She is thus
left defenseless. Upon the prophetic page we may clearly read the doom
of Babylon. That her destruction shall be sudden, violent, and complete
is thus graphically stated: “And a mighty angel (messenger, message,
move of God) took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into
the sea, saying, Thus, with violence, shall that great city
Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all”
(Rev. 18:18,21). And yet that Babylon is also to undergo a gradual
consuming process is shown by the prophet Daniel: “But the judgment
(of the saints) shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to
consume and to destroy it unto the end” (Dan. 7:26. Therefore, be
it clearly seen that one of the great outcomes of “the battle of the
great day of God Almighty” is the total and utter destruction of
religious Babylon!
THE
KINGS OF THE EAST
“And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great
river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of
the kings of the east might be prepared” (Rev. 16:12).
Among the very instructive and deeply significant
illustrations given by the Holy Spirit in the visions of John we have
the beautiful presentation of the conquest of Babylon by the “kings of
the east.” The historical backdrop is, of course, the conquest of
ancient Babylon by the two kings from the east, Cyrus of Persia and
Darius of Media. In the book of Revelation we first meet these “kings
of the east” at the time of their anointing as kings in chapter seven.
“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners
of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should
not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw
another angel ascending from the east, having the seal
(kingly authority) of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to
the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have
sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads” (Rev.
7:2-3).
John is still wondering what the four angels holding the
four winds can mean when he sees the four mighty sentinels all at once
turn their eyes to the east. And behold, another messenger comes
ascending out of the east as the morning sun comes, announcing God’s
new day. He comes clothed with light as with a garment; the
widespread earth shines bright under his glory; and his voice is as the
sound of many waters. The ascending messenger holds in his hand the
seal of the living God! And, addressing himself to the four mighty
sentinels, he speaks to them with a voice that they hear above all the
commotions that arise from the earth, and the tempests that rage in the
sea, saying to them that they are commanded not to hurt the earth, nor
the sea, nor the trees, until “we” have sealed the servants of
our God in their foreheads.
There can be no doubt that the seal in the forehead of
God’s bondslaves is the mind of Christ. I have pointed out
previously in this series that no man is qualified to judge the
world, rule the world, or restore the world until he has
been sealed in his forehead with the mind of Christ. Only the
glorious mind of Christ brings the balance between mercy and judgment!
It was, then, of this Christ-mind that David prophesied when he said,
“Surely His salvation is nigh…mercy and truth
are met together; righteousness and peace
have kissed each other” (Ps. 85:9-10). Mercy and truth are met
together — praise God, what a summit meeting! These words are pregnant
with meaning. When one contemplates the impossibility of such a union,
it is an overwhelming thought that mercy and truth are met together.
Truth is harsh, demanding, unrelenting; mercy is lenient, forgiving,
lax. Truth condemns and devours; mercy covers and exonerates. Only
when one has intermingled the ministries of priest, king, and judge are
these incompatible forces MET TOGETHER!
Partakers with Christ in this heavenly calling, when one
actually becomes an ANOINTED JUDGE, he shares in that omniscient mind
that discerns the true nature of all things, and therefore judges
righteously. Partakers with Christ in this heavenly calling, when one
actually becomes an ANOINTED KING, he shares in that dominion, that
power that is in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Partakers with Christ in
this heavenly calling, when one actually becomes an ANOINTED PRIEST, he
shares that unlimited outflow of mercy, compassion, and unconditional
love that is derived from the heart of our great High Priest. Only one
possessed of this three-fold mind of Christ is qualified to control the
four winds of judgment that blow upon the earth, the sea, and the
trees! Only the sons of God sealed in their foreheads with the mind of
Christ will be able to judge the world in righteousness, rule
the world with a rod of iron, and at the same time reconcile
all things to God! All others would, if given a chance, pour out
unbridled vengeance, wrath, and damnation upon the rebellious. And in
connection with our present meditation upon the “kings of the east” who
come to judge Babylon, only the sons of God sealed in their foreheads
with the mind of Christ can separate between the system of
Babylon and the people held captive within that system, to
consume and destroy the system while at the same time bringing
deliverance, purging, purification, blessing, and glory upon the Lord’s
people within the system! What a marvelous thing!
Now, of this angel it does not say, “…descending
from the east,” but it says, “…ascending from the east.” In the
natural, it is the sun, the source of light and day, which
ascends out of the east. Some translations say, “ascending from the
sun rising.” This is a true translation. Ezekiel beheld the glory of
God coming from the east. “Afterwards he brought me to the gate, even
the gate that looketh toward the east: and, behold, the glory of the God
of Israel came from the way of the east: and His voice was like
the voice of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory” (Eze.
43:1-2). Can you not see the mystery? Is this not a similar
description to the angel ascending from the east in the Revelation?
This is the Lord Himself arising in His elect! The star which heralded
His nativity when the firstborn Son of God came into the earth came from
the east! The wise men came from the east to worship the
infant Jesus. They were eminent in the science of astrology, which was
considered the greatest science of that day. The east, therefore, was
looked to for wise men. The Lord Jesus Himself is called, “the bright
and morning star.” The morning star is seen in the east. His
glorious appearing is referred to as the “bright shining which shines
from the east even unto the west.” This “angel” ascends from the
sun-rising, the quarter from whence proceeds the light of day which
gilds the loftiest mountain-tops and penetrates into the darkest
recesses of the valleys.
To the Hebrews the term “east” had a much more extensive
signification than with us, to whom its only distinction is that it is
the point of the sun’s rising. But beyond this, it was to the
Israelites the cardinal point of the compass to which they naturally
looked first. Their temple was built facing the east, its principle
entrance being in that direction. The most powerful and enlightened
kingdoms of the world lay to the east of Judea, and they included them
all under the general term, sons or children of the East (that is,
Orientals), and their kings were known as the kings of the East.
Travelers from these countries would all enter Judea from the east, as
did the wise men who came to see the newborn king of Israel. “The kings
of the east,” then, employed as a symbol under this sixth bowl, is not
intended to signify any persons literally from that quarter of the
earth. Forget Japan! Forget China! Such nations have nothing whatever
to do with “the revelation of Jesus Christ”! “The east” signifies a
spiritual condition and position. It represents the bringing in of
spiritual knowledge and understanding, with blessing, dominion, and
glory!
The kings of the east are the kings of “the rising of the
sun,” or the arising of spiritual illumination, power, and glory. Thank
God that we live in the time when the defenses of religious Babylon are
being broken through and when God is preparing to move in an
unprecedented way to reach the hearts of literally millions of redeemed
souls held in bondage there! And like the Israelites of old, when Cyrus
entered the ancient Babylon through the dry river-bed of the Euphrates,
they shall come out with rejoicing and make their way to Zion again!
That the spiritual downfall of Babylon will be a very real “plague” to
sectarians there can be no doubt, and it is plainly declared to be such
by the voice John heard out of heaven declaring, “Therefore shall
her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and
she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord who
judgeth her” (Rev. 18:8).
We see then that the sons of God, as the overcoming body of
Christ, are arising in splendor and glory over the earth. They speak
with the voice as the sound of many waters! God wants His sons to rise,
and we are beginning to rise as in and by the Spirit we ascend from one
glory to another in Him in this great day! Yet we also know by the
Spirit that our ministry to the earth-realm cannot break through
until we have been perfectly and completely sealed in our foreheads
with the mind of Christ! THIS IS TODAY A PROPHETIC WORD IN THE MOUTHS
OF GOD’S SONS! THIS IS THE WORD I PROCLAIM UNTO YOU!
Let us then consider that the drying up of the waters of
the Euphrates is for one purpose — that “the way of the
kings of the east might be prepared.” Ah, the “way” of
the kings, the road, the path, the highway, is being PREPARED. There is
a preparation! God is making ready a road, a way, a means for the
entrance into the earth of the kings of the east, the kings of the
sunrise, the kings bringing the dawning of a new day — the sons of God.
These sons are coming spiritually from the east — not out of eastern
mysticism or New Age philosophies — but right out of the shining glory
of the Lord! But notice what had to happen before they make their
appearance — a road must be prepared. The preparation of the road
indicates a clearing away of obstacles, rocks, trees, rubbish; the
raising up of low places, the cutting down of high places, so that the
way is made straight with no obstacles, barriers, hindrances, or
impediments of any kind. Can you, dear one, think of any obstructions
in your life that would hinder the manifestation of sonship in the
fullness of the glory of the Lord? Do you need encouragement, do you
need correction, do you need deliverance, do you need greater faith or
purity, do you need more perfecting, change, and transformation — the
faithful dealing of God in these areas bespeaks the preparation of the
“way” of the kings of the east! Let God have His way that you may have
part in this glorious manifestation of His sons!
Yet — before this work of the preparation of the road,
there is something else that has to happen, something has to “dry up.”
The river Euphrates is the stream, the flow, the current, the
“anointing” of Babylon! This stream has given life to the Babylonian
system in each and every facet of its expression. The Euphrates is the
life-flow of that which keeps God’s people in bondage! Don’t tell me
there is no life-flow, no spirit of Babylon, for there truly is.
But the river is polluted, contaminated, and corrupted. It bespeaks an
impure word, truth mixed with error, life mingled with death, anointing
and gifts corrupted by flesh. Oh, yes! Jesus is preached in Babylon,
people are saved in Babylon, many are even baptized in the Spirit in
Babylon, there are blessings and miracles and answers to prayer in
Babylon, but the anointing of the Spirit and the message of the Word of
God are so contaminated with error, fleshly means and methods, man’s
control and manipulation, that it is unsafe to drink the waters of this
river. Because of these polluted waters spiritual babies are born into
the kingdom of God with horrible birth defects, grotesquely deformed,
misshapen, gnarled, crippled, lame, bowlegged, and hunchback. The way
they view their Father’s heart, the way they perceive their Father’s
plan and purpose for humanity, the future they suppose their Father has
planned for them and for the rest of mankind is so grossly distorted
that it is obvious that they are either brainwashed by religion or
suffering from a spiritual mental illness. Growth in the life of Christ
is stunted, the saints are spiritually illiterate, spiritually sick, and
many die from the waters of Babylon.
THE SONS OF GOD CAN NEVER BE MANIFESTED IN BABYLON!
Something must happen so that the way of the kings of the east can be
prepared. The Lord must arise “from the east” upon His called and
chosen elect, and the great river Euphrates, the current that runs
through Babylon, must be completely dried up, for the “way” of the kings
can only begin to be prepared after the Euphrates has become a
sand box! There is the divine order!
Not only that — the drying up of the Euphrates signals the
end of Mystery Babylon the Great. In ancient Babylon in the days of
Daniel, it was right while the king of Babylon was desecrating the holy
vessels of God — that very night the Medes and the Persians came in and
conquered Babylon. How they did it is the wonder of the ages and
contains within it the seed-bed of the truth the Holy Spirit would now
reveal within our hearts. As we mentioned earlier, the armies of the
Medes and Persians diverted the flow of the river Euphrates and
dried it up! They then walked right into the city on the dry
river-bed and burst into the palace where the king and the whole
government of Babylon were feasting; they seized King Belshazzar and
killed him in the midst of his feast and overthrew the entire government
and kingdom of Babylon in one hour.
As with ancient Babylon, the type, so with the antitypical
Babylon of the Revelation. Hear the word of the Lord! “And the
kings of the earth (leaders of the carnal church systems of man), who
have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail
her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy
judgment come…for in one hour so great riches is come to nought…and
they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying,
Alas, alas that great city…for in one hour she is made desolate”
(Rev. 18:9-10,17,19). What a picture!
When the hour comes for the final overthrow of that great
city, the mystical Babylon, whether it be the Babylonian stronghold
within each of us, or the external systems of man, the mystical waters,
or what spiritual life and anointing there is within her which has
stayed the hand of God up until this time from judging her, are dried
up, to make way for the kings, “those who are of the rising of a sun”
(Literal Greek). Truly, these kings of the rising sun are those of whom
the prophet spoke, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the
glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but THE LORD SHALL ARISE
UPON THEE, and His glory shall be SEEN UPON THEE. And nations shall
come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Therefore
thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor
night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the nations, and that
their kings may be brought” (Isa. 60:1-3, 11-12). And speaking of
this great victory over Babylon that comes at the symbolic “battle at
Armageddon,” John wrote, “And these shall make war with the Lamb, and
the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King
of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and
faithful” (Rev. 17:14).
Cyrus, the commander of the Persians, eventually became the
king of the ancient kingdom of Babylon. It was through him that the
king of Babylon ceased to exist, God’s people Israel were restored to
their land, Jerusalem was raised up to glory, and the temple of Yahweh
was rebuilt and the priesthood restored. Concerning this great Cyrus,
hear the word of the Lord! And as you read these remarkable words think
of Israel as all the people of God; think of Jerusalem as the
bride of Christ; think of ancient Babylon as Mystery Babylon the Great;
and think of Cyrus and the armies with him as “the kings of the east” —
the manifest sons of God! For truly that is the spiritual meaning.
“Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts
of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and
every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified
Himself in Israel. Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and He that
formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that
stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth for
myself; that frustrateth the tokens of the liars, that maketh diviners
mad; that turneth wise men backward, that maketh their knowledge
foolish; that confirmeth the word of His servant, and performeth the
counsel of His messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be
inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will
raise up the decayed places thereof: that saith to the deep, Be dry,
and I will dry up thy rivers: that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd,
and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt
be built; and to the temple, Thy foundations shall be laid. Thus saith
the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to
subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open
before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will
go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in
pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I
will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret
places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy
name, am the God of Israel” (Isa. 44:23-28; 45:1-3).
The great soul-gripping truth is just this. Cyrus was
ordained of God as the type of Christ our Elder Brother, our Forerunner,
the Captain of our salvation, the Head of the Christ-body, the King of
kings and Lord of lords, the glorious One riding the white horse
followed by the armies that are in heaven! Just as Cyrus and his armies
diverted the waters of the great river Euphrates causing it to dry up,
so shall Christ and His armies, the manifest sons of God, by their word
and authority cut off the flow of the river of the mystical Babylon in
order to lay siege upon it and destroy it by the power of the Spirit.
God is setting the stage in this new kingdom day for the appearance of
the kings of the east, He is removing the refuge of lies, and preparing
the way for a ministry from the arising of the sun of righteousness with
healing in His rays. If by the grace of God this true and holy vision
can burst upon your spiritual consciousness and settle and penetrate
deeply into your spiritual mind, you will then be able to clearly
understand the precise meaning of each of these significant words
penned by John on that long-ago Patmos, “And the sixth angel poured
out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was
dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”
Let me tell you something. THIS RIVER EUPHRATES IS ABOUT
TO DRY UP! Even now there is less and less reality or effectiveness in
any of the church systems of man! Who can deny it? And when the waters
do dry up the kings of the east are coming! Jesus is the King of
the east and the sons of God are the kings of the east! Jesus is
the dayspring or the dawn from on High, the bright and the morning
star. He is the sun of righteousness arising with healing in His rays.
He is the light of the world, the resurrection and the life. He is the
daystar that arises in our hearts — Christ in us the hope of glory. And
because of Him, and because of us, the river of Confusion is going to
dry up! Babylon is confusion. The river of Babylon is the flow, the
current, the force and power of all religious confusion!
Truer words have never been written than those penned by
the late George Hawtin when he wrote, “The church system of our day is
in a sorry state, and it with the world is rushing headlong for
judgment. Strong delusion has settled down upon the people
making them willing to believe a lie and grasp almost anything that will
attract a crowd, bring a measure of excitement, or add to prestige or
prominence. In all the vast church system today there is but a handful
of people whose hearts are crying out for the will of God. There
is but a tiny remnant who long to be filled with the wisdom of
God and who make the mind of Christ their daily, hourly
quest. Few there are who sigh and cry because of the abominations
and injustices everywhere and who wait with longing spirits for the
judgment of the Lord. But there is a tiny remnant, according to the
election of grace, who can say, ‘At night upon my bed I sought Him whom
my soul loveth.’ There are still a few who cry, ‘Let Him kiss me with
the kisses of His mouth, for Thy love is better than wine.’ There is
still a handful who pray, ‘Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where
Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flocks to rest at noon: for why
should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of Thy companions?’
(S. of S. 1:2,7,8).
“Not only has the spirit of delusion settled upon
the world, but the spirit of confusion is rampant everywhere,
manifesting itself in every aspect and walk of life. Confusion reigns
daily in the governments of the world. Confusion stalks like an evil
specter among the nations, disrupting all their international
agreements. Confusion and disorder reign in millions of homes where all
authority has gone from the parents and all respect has vanished from
the children. Art and music always reflect the temperament and
disposition of the people of the day. Certainly music has returned to
the jungle and art to the weird grotesqueness of the kindergarten.
Juvenile delinquency has attained such proportions that the
Attorney-General of the United States has declared that if it cannot be
beaten in ten years it will be unbeatable. Confusion reigns
among the races and colors of people, among the majorities and
minorities. It reigns between labor and management and between nations
that have and nations that have not. And by no means least is the
confusion that reigns in the church system, which is spiritual Babylon.
Babylon is confusion” — end quote.
The Lordship of Christ who is the truth must march
through our land, drying up the entire river of Babylon’s confusion!
Oh, yes! All must first become reality within us before
it can be expressed and ministered through us. The
spirit of the Babylonish church system has tarnished and dimmed our
vision so that many of us still do not see the whole truth. How proud
we have become of our deep revelation and our high calling and our vast
understanding in spiritual things when in reality we know nothing yet
as we ought to know! Oh, yes, we are going to destroy Babylon in
one divine hour, but first every last vestige of Babylon must be
destroyed in us. Before we ask God to do something through us
and outside of us, let us beseech Him to make the necessary changes
within us so that we can do it right! The sons
of God will get it right and keep it right — they are the final, only,
ultimate hope for the reconciliation, redemption, deliverance, and
transformation of all creation!
Let us return for a moment to the thought that to the
Hebrews the primary direction in spiritual things was the east. It is
an enlightening study just to look up the word east in the concordance
and follow through all the passages in the Bible that speak of the
east. No doubt we could spend the next five years just writing about
that! What happens when you face east? Eventually you will behold the
rising of the sun, the dawn of the morning, the glory of the new day!
That is the supreme idea that the east represents. I am reminded of the
young man in ancient days who wondered where the sun went after it set.
One night he sat up all night pondering this, trying to figure out where
the sun was — and finally it dawned on him. And that, my
beloved, is the revelation and the truth of the east!
At times we experience the setting of the sun in our
experience. At one time the Lord arose in our lives and revealed a
glory of Himself and blessed and anointed us, but when it had
accomplished its purpose and He was through with the revelation and
activity of that “day” the sun set. Every day has a morning and an
evening, a beginning and an end. Every revival and move of God in the
history of God’s dealings has been like that. And every time God gets
ready to bring in a new age and put a new revelation and order into
place the sun sets on the old. What was once illumination, blessing,
and glory becomes darkness, bondage, and death! That is how the walls
of Babylon are built — when men settle down around a revelation or an
experience after GOD HAS MOVED ON! But if we are watchful, in due time
His sun arises on the new! Paul said it this way, “Brethren, I count
not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things
which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). Those who
continually “follow on to know the Lord” are KINGS OF THE EAST!
