ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 180

“Armageddon: A Military Conflict or a Battle for the Mind?”

Jon Paulien, Ph. D., Dean, School of Religion

Loma Linda University

INDEX OF TOPICS OF THIS NEWSLETTER

* How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe

* A New Outreach Book: Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical?

* A New DVD Album: Abundant Life Seminar

“Armageddon: A Military Conflict or a Battle for the Mind?”

(The Essay of this Newsletter)

ANNOUNCEMENT OF SERVICES & PRODUCTS

* Special offer on the Package of 10 DVD/CD albums,

containing all the recordings of Prof. Jon Paulien,

Prof, Graeme Bradford, and Prof. Bacchiocchi.

The package includes also the newly released DVD

Abundant Life Seminar.

* Introductory offer on Prof. Jon Paulien’s DVD album

on Simply Revelation

* Special offer on the new edition of Prof. Bradford

More than a Prophet, together with a free DVD album.

* Upcoming seminars for August, and September

* Incredible Offer on the new Hitachi 3000 Lumens Projector

Only $1395.00

* The Smallest and most Powerful Remote Presenter

* Does your church or School Need a Screen?

* Bed and Breakfast in London, England

* TAGNET new Web-hosting offer

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NEW OUTREACH BOOK:

POPULAR BELIEFS: ARE THEY BIBLICAL?

In the last two newsletter no. 178 and 179, I mentioned the encouragement I received from several subscribers to publish a book that examines popular beliefs from a biblical perspective. The support I received for this project is truly overwhelming. Many Adventists feel that there is an urgent need for a witnessing book to help our Catholic and Protestant friends understand why some of their cherished beliefs are unbiblical.

The title is under constant revision. My initial proposal was Popular Heresies. The general reaction was that this title would be too confrontational. I have received a host of suggested titles. In this moment I am attracted by the title Popular Beliefs: Are the Biblical? This title was proposed to me by a gracious Adventist sister, who is currently developing a library for the Loma Linda University Church. Chances are that by the time the manuscript is completed, a more attractive title will emerge.

The ultimate goat of the book is not merely to expose the flaws of some popular beliefs, but to help people appreciate the biblical validity and timeliness of our Adventist beliefs. To my knowledge our Adventist church has never published a substantive book that helps people to understand the difference between our Adventist beliefs and those Catholic/Protestant churches. We can hardly expect people to accept our Adventist beliefs, if we do not show them first why their beliefs are unbiblical.

The book Seventh-day Adventist Believe . . . was warmly received by our church at large. I was invited to contribute to a chapter to the book. In my view the book makes a significant contribution, but it is too limited in scope. It simply presents the Adventist beliefs, without comparing or contrasting them with the beliefs of other churches. Uninformed readers may feel that Adventists beliefs are not much different from their own beliefs. The new book Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? will leave no room for this uncertainty. It will clearly show the difference between the Adventists beliefs and some popular Catholic and Protestant beliefs. In other words, it will give to people a choice between biblical and unbiblical beliefs.

The sponsors of this project are willing to cover most of the expenses for researching and printing 100,000 copies of Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? The idea is to offer the book to churches at a minimum cost of only $2.00 or 3.00 a copy, primarily to cover the mailing expenses. The regular price for this 320 pages book would be $25.00.

What do you think of this project? Do you feel that we badly need such a book for our witnessing outreach? Are you willing to pass out this book to your friends? Would you consider contributing financially to the realization of this project? Your input is greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think.

In order to complete this project by the end of February 2008, I need to re-prioritize my schedule. This will entail cutting down on speaking-engagements, posting the Endtime Issues Newsletters only once a month, and spending less time answering messages and speaking on the phone.

To benefit from the constructive criticism of our subscribers, I plan to post most of the chapters as soon as the first draft is completed. For example, in about 10 days, I plan to post the draft of the first chapter entitled: BIBLICAL ERRANCY AND INERRANCY.

This is a foundational chapter which examines two contrasting false views of the Bible. On the one hand, the liberal critics reduce the Bible to a strictly human, error-ridden book, devoid of supernatural revelations and miraculous manifestations. They treat the Bible strictly as a human literary production.

On the other hand, some conservative evangelicals elevate the Bible to such a divine level that they overlook the human dimension of Scripture. They affirm that the Bible is absolutely without error in all its references to history, geography, chronology, cosmology, science, and so forth.

Ultimately both the errancy and inerrancy positions undermine the authority of the Bible by making it either too-human or too-divine. The solution to these extreme positions is to be found in the key word balance—a balance that recognizes both the divine and human character of the Bible. Our Seventh-day Adventist Church upholds this balance view, largely as a result of the guidance provided by Ellen White. We believe that the Bible is the product of a mysterious blending of divine and human participation. The source is divine, the writers are human, and the writings contain divine thoughts in human language. I look forward to post this chapter for your evaluation in a few days.

NEWLY RELEASED DVD ALBUM CALLED

ABUNDANT LIFE SEMINAR

At the request of the World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union, a special video taping was professionally done at Andrews University last August 8, 2007, of my powerpoint lecture on The Christian and Alcoholic Beverages. The lecture summarizes the highlights of my book Wine in the Bible. With the help of 125 powerpoint slides, I share the findings of my research which shows that the Bible clearly teaches total abstinence, and not moderation.

This lecture will be delivered live at the International Convention of the World Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WWCTU)–an organization which Ellen White actively supported. The President, Sarah Ward, has already invited me on two previous occasions. This year the International WWCTU is held in Indianapolis from September 14-16, 2007, and brings together Temperance Leaders from different parts of the world.

The delegates are eager to obtain the live video recording of my lecture on The Christian and Alcoholic Beverages, in order for them to share it with their congregations back home. For the benefit of our subscribers who will not be able to attend the convention, I posted in the last newsletter No. 179, a transcript of the lecture.

If you live in Indianapolis, you are welcomed to attend the convention. I am scheduled to deliver my lecture The Christian and Alcoholic Beverages on Sabbath morning, September 15, at 10:00 a. m. The convention is held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel, 2544 Executive Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46241. The hotel phone number is: (317) 248-2481. For directions and further detailed information, contact Sarah R. Ward, WWCTU President, at (765) 345-2306

In order to make full use of the DVD disk, we video taped on the same evening also a second powerpoint lecture entitled How to Build a Happy and Lasting Marriage. This is one of my favorite sermon where I share the highlights of my book The Marriage Covenant, by presenting 10 biblical principles for building a happy and lasting marriage. I use 100 powerpoint slides to deliver this practical lecture, which has been warmly received by congregations in different parts of the world.

At this time you can order this DVD album, called ABUNDANT LIFE SEMINAR, at the special introductory offer of only $50.00, instead of the regular price of $100.00. The price includes the AIRMAILING to any foreign country.

You can order the ABUNDANT LIFE DVD album online or by phone. To order online simply click at this link: http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/cart/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=102 To order by phone, call us at (269) 471-2915.

Introduction to Prof. Jon Paulien’s Essay

“Armageddon: A Military Conflict or a Battle for the Mind?”

By Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph.D.,

Retired Professor of Church History, Andrews University

The author of this newsletter, Prof. Jon Paulien, Ph. D., is well-known to our subscribers, having contributed several perceptive articles. He is one of the most respected Adventist scholars, and he is rightly regarded as a leading Adventist authority on the book of Revelation which he has taught at the Andrews University Theological Seminary for the past 25 years, while serving as the chairman of the New Testament Department.

Few weeks ago (July 2007), Prof. Paulien and his family moved to Loma Linda University, where he will serve as the Dean of the School of Religion. Besides researching, writings, and teaching, he lectures extensively in many parts of the world.

My admiration for Prof. Paulien’s publications dealing with the relevance of the book of Revelation for today, led me to encourage him to produce a live video recording of a mini Revelation Seminar. To facilitate the realization of this project, I offered to sponsor it financially. I feel that our Adventist church at large will be richly blessed by Prof. Paulien’s fresh insights into the book of Revelation. He chose to call the seminar Simply Revelation,  because its aim is to simply to bring out the message of Revelation—not to read into Revelation sensational, but senseless views.

The Simply Revelation seminar consists of four one-hour live video lectures, which have just been recorded in the studio of Andrews University. An impressive virtual studio provides the background of the lectures. Each lecture is delivered with about 50 powerpoint slides.

Pastors who have shown Simply Revelation to their congregations have expressed their deep appreciation for the fresh insights into the Book of Revelation. You can order online Simply Revelation by clicking at this link: http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/revelation/ or by calling us at (269) 471-2915.

The Bible Study you are about to read on “Armageddon: A Military Conflict or a Battle for the Mind?” offers you a sample of Prof. Paulien’s way to interpret Revelation. You will soon appreciate his painstaking efforts to interpret the most difficult texts of Revelation regarding Armageddon, the fall of Babylon, and the drying up of the river Euphrates, not on the basis of current history, but on the foundation of OT sacred history. He traces the origin of Revelation’s images in messages of OT prophets with whom John the Revelator was well familiar. This kind of faithful interpretation of Revelation, has long been needed in our Adventist Church.

Before expressing judgements on Prof. Paulien’s interpretation of Armageddon, take time to read thoughtfully the whole essay. By the time you reach the end, most likely you will accept his conclusion as biblical sound and will appreciate the relevance of Armageddon for your personal life today. Feel free to email your comments or questions directly to Prof. Jon Paulien. His email address is: <jonp@andrews.edu>

“Armageddon: A Military Conflict or a Battle for the Mind?”

Jon Paulien, Ph. D., Dean, School of Religion

Loma Linda University

Studying the New Testament is a lot like traveling through a beautiful picturesque country. There are many beautiful things to see and yet there is the sense that the best is yet to come. Every so often you catch a brief glimpse of something way in the future. 2 Thessalonians 2 is one of those places. Some people call it The Little Apocalypse, because so much information about the end of the world is stuffed into such a small space (we visited there briefly in Chapter Five).

While Revelation gives us the big picture, there is so much fascinating detail that we may miss the forest for the trees. So before we explore the Battle of Armageddon, let’s catch a glimpse of the big picture by reading 2 Thess 2:7-8 (ESV): “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming” (2 Thess 2:7-8, ESV).

This text tells us that there are two basic types of knowing in the time between the first and second advents of Jesus. And these two types of knowing come one after the other, in two historical phases. First of all there is the present time, which is a time of mystery, a time of restraint, in other words, a time of ambiguity. Things are not as clear as we would like. In the words of Paul, “We know in part. . . We prophesy in part. . . We see through a glass darkly” (based on 1 Cor 13:9-12).

A Time of Ambiguity

During this time of ambiguity, there is no clear distinction, for example, between good and evil. There are good people who do bad things, often unintentionally. There are evil people who from time to time do things that are amazingly good or beneficial to many. And there is no ideal nation. While some nations may have a more positive influence than others, we discover a lot of ambiguity when we get away from the siren songs of blind patriotism.

Our present age is a time of mystery and ambiguity. During this time of ambiguity we need to avoid the temptation to believe that we have everything perfectly clear. A certain amount of humility is needed. But this can be difficult for many. Whenever I have question and answer sessions with church groups there are always people who want to know all about the difficult and obscure texts of the Bible. They want to know how to interpret the Seals and the Trumpets. They want clarity out of Daniel 11. And if I can’t provide clarity for them, they are determined to provide it for themselves. They ask questions like, “According to the Bible, the secrets things belong to God (Deut 29:29). What are those secret things?” What are they? I have no idea! That’s why the Bible calls them secret things! And I suspect that some of those secret things will always belong to God, simply because God is God and we are limited in the amount we can understand.

But there is some hope for curiosity seekers. According to 2 Thess 2:7-8 there is a time of revelation coming, a time when good and evil will be clearly distinguished. That is what the Battle of Armageddon is all about. Revelation 16-17 unpacks the time of “revelation” in 2 Thessalonians 2. It describes as clearly as we can understand ahead of time, just what the final events will be like. The drama of the Battle of Armageddon breaks through the ambiguity, it unpacks many of the secret things. To the degree that human beings can understand the future, the picture comes into focus in the chapters we are about to explore together.

Beginning with Revelation 16:12 we get into the heart of the end-time battle. We will gain a considerable amount of clarity regarding the consummation of all things. The purpose of these texts is to show how the powers that oppose God and His people at the end of time will meet their end. They also help us understand how to stay true to God in the final tests to come. In order to understand the battle of Armageddon we begin with the sixth angel in a pivotal verse (Revelation 16:12). That verse introduces a brief summary of Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-21) that is expanded by a more detailed elaboration in the chapters that follow (Revelation 17-19).

Before I begin, let me say a word about one of my favorite professors, Han LaRondelle. Dr. LaRondelle was the teacher who most strongly inspired me to study Revelation and to particularly investigate the role of the Old Testament in the study of the book. He also encouraged me to read the work of Louis Were, an Adventist evangelist and mentor of his. Although much of what follows in this chapter comes from my own textual work, I know that my debt to Dr. LaRondelle, in particular, is deep beyond measure. May he continue to live long and prosper!

Four Major Steps to Interpret the Symbolic Visions of Revelation

But while the Battle of Armageddon chapters are designed to bring a basic clarity to the mysteries of the End, the truths do not lie on the surface. These are extremely challenging texts that have been subject to a wide variety of interpretations in the past. So before we get deeply into these texts it would be helpful to quickly review the basic steps of interpretation that were laid out in the opening book of this series, The Deep Things of God. If you have not read this book, you will want to do so. It provides, in considerable detail, the tools and processes that allow the teachings of Revelation to emerge naturally from the text. The goal is to understand God’s intent for the book rather than read our own ideas and concerns into the puzzling imagery of the text. I will summarize the interpretive strategy of the book briefly here.

There are four major steps involved in unpacking the symbolic visions of the Apocalypse. The first is like the strategy used in any other passage of the New Testament. I called it “basic exegesis.” That means to carefully examine the words, the phrases, the grammar and the syntax of every verse in which you are interested. You use dictionaries, concordances and commentaries to assemble as much information as you can about the text in its original setting. These are all carefully compared with what can be learned about the history, culture and setting of first century Asia Minor, the place to which the book was written.

But in Revelation you can understand perfectly well what the text is saying and still have no idea what the text means. For example, it is clear that the first trumpet (Rev 8:7) portrays an angel in heaven blowing a trumpet with the consequence that hail and fire, mixed with blood, are thrown to the earth, burning up a third of the earth, a third of the trees and all the green grass. There is no question as to what the text is saying. The issue is, what does the text mean?

That is where careful study of Revelation has exposed three further strategies for understanding texts like the first trumpet. You examine the text in light of the overall structure of the book, you examine the allusions and echos to the Old Testament in the text, and you discover the impact that the gospel has had in transforming Old Testament images in the light of what Christ has done for us. All three of these extended strategies will be needed in order to understand what is going on in Rev 16:12 (my translation): “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared.”

The Euphrates River

As with the first trumpet, the images are fairly plain on the surface. It is not hard to understand what the text says, but it is much more difficult to know what the text means. So we need to apply the more extensive four-step method summarized above.

As we have seen in the previous chapter, the “bowl” in this text is probably a sanctuary image drawn from the Old Testament. But while this image is drawn from the sanctuary, in Revelation the bowls cause major destruction to the earth and its people: sores, water turning to blood, rivers and springs turning to blood, and the sun scorching people with intense heat. By comparison with the previous plagues, the sixth plague seems like nothing. It is merely the drying up of one of the world’s thousands of rivers. Not only so, the Euphrates River historically has been something of a seasonal river that dries up from time to time. But first impressions in Revelation are often far from the mark. There is much more below the surface of this text.

One of the distinguishing marks of the Euphrates River in ancient times was that it passed right through the center of Babylon, an ancient city that was the capital of an ancient empire. Babylon was something like Kansas City. There are two cities in two different states, divided only by the Missouri River. Although divided by the river and political barriers, Kansas City is one unified city for all practical purposes. So the mention of the Euphrates River in this text probably sets the table for the many mentions of Babylon in the passages to follow (Rev 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21). And whatever the Euphrates River means in this verse, its drying up prepares the way for the kings who come from the rising of the sun, whoever they are.

What is the Meaning of the Drying up of the Euphrates?

There are three crucial questions that come to mind as one strives to unpack the deeper meaning of Rev 16:12. First, what does the Euphrates River mean in this text? Is it literally the Euphrates River in ancient Mesopotamia? Or is it a symbol of something else? Second, what is the drying up all about? Is that literal or symbolic? Third, who are the kings from the rising of the sun? Are they specific world powers or something else?

We will be able to answer these three questions by applying the three extended strategies noted above.

(1) John explains the meaning of the Euphrates River in chapter 17, so the key to understand that image will be found by examining the larger context.

(2) The secret of its drying up emerges, however, only from a careful examination of the Old Testament tradition of Babylon’s fall in Jeremiah 50-51 and Isaiah 44-47. Understanding John’s allusions to the Old Testament are often critical to correct interpretation.

(3) The kings from the rising of the sun can be understood by examining the meaning of the “rising sun” elsewhere in the New Testament. Revelation is a New Testament book and many aspects of the book can only be understood with reference to the other 26 books of the New Testament.

So let’s take a look first at how the larger structure of the book of Revelation clearly explains the significance of the Euphrates River in the text at hand. One of the seven bowl angels of Revelation 16 returns to explain something to John. “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters’” (Rev 17:1).

The Meaning of “Many Waters”

Clearly, this vision and what follows is intended to explain one of the seven bowl-plagues of chapter sixteen. But which one? Notice that the angel invites John to observe the punishment of “the great prostitute” who sits on many waters. So the bowl-plague being explained must have something to do with water. A quick survey of the seven last plagues in Revelation 16 reveals that three of the plagues have something to do with water. The second plague falls on the sea, the third plague falls on the rivers and springs of the earth, and the sixth plague falls on the Euphrates River. The crucial question is, which of those three plagues is in view here? Chapter 17 will be an elaboration of that plague.

It helps to notice that the concept of “many waters” didn’t come out of thin air. It is found in Jer 51:12-13 (NIV): “Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon. You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be cut off.” What are the many waters that Babylon lives near? The water of the Euphrates River! This is confirmed when we discover the identity of the great prostitute in Rev 17:4-5 (ESV): “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, . . . And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.’”

The great prostitute is none other than Babylon the Great, the twin city on both banks of the Euphrates River! The two halves of Babylon were each about a square mile. If the great prostitute is Babylon then the “many waters” of verse 1 must be the Euphrates River. So it should be fairly obvious by now that the angel who comes to John at the beginning of Revelation seventeen is the sixth angel who had poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates. This same angel has returned to elaborate on the sixth plague.

In many parts of the Middle East, rainfall in minimal or non-existent. A place that has an abundance of water is truly worthy of notice. One such place is Egypt, where the Nile River’s massive flow is fed by the snow-capped mountains of northeast central Africa. The other such place is Mesopotamia (which means “between the rivers”), where the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers flow from the snow-capped mountains of Turkey and Iran. Dry places can have lots of fresh water if the rivers that pass through them are fed from places where the rain and snow are abundant.

What Does the River Euphrates Represent?

But this still leaves open the question, What does the Euphrates River mean in this text? Is it literally the Euphrates River in ancient Mesopotamia? Or is it a symbol of something else? Interpreters have offered a number of different answers to these questions. Some have suggested that the Euphrates River represents. . . the Euphrates River! Duh! While this is certainly a possibility in any biblical text, I don’t think that is the correct interpretation here, as we will see.

Other interpreters have suggested that the Euphrates River represents the land or the territory through which the river flows. One problem with that view is that the territory through which the Euphrates River flows seems to have changed hands an awful lot in the course of history. In the nineteenth century the entire length of the Euphrates River flowed through Turkey. Today most of the Euphrates River flows through territory called Iraq. For a time, some interpreters thought the Euphrates River represented Saddam Hussein, but that interpretation looks a bit dated now. Still others have branched out even further and suggested that the Euphrates River represents Middle Eastern oil. The drying up of the river would then represent a shortage of oil supplies.

All of these interpretations have been convincing to some people at one time or another. But let me ask you a question. If John himself provides the meaning of the Euphrates River in his outline of the vision, does it make sense to pursue any other interpretation than the one that John himself gives us? I think the answer to that question is obvious. So let’s see what Revelation itself tells us about the Euphrates River.

The capstone of the angel’s instruction to John is found in verse 15 (ESV): “And the angel said to me, ‘The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, . . .” Where have we heard this language before? This is a reference back to verse one! There the angel told John he would be shown a great prostitute who sits on many waters. So now in verse 15 the angel is about to explain the meaning of the Euphrates River! The waters which John saw in verse one “are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.”

It is now clear that the Euphrates River does not represent itself. Neither does it represent a single nation or the leader of a nation, like Saddam Hussein. It also does not represent a substance like Middle Eastern oil. In the book of Revelation the Euphrates River is representative of the civil and secular powers of the entire world. All nations, all races, all ethnic groups, all language groups are represented. Euphrates River is a symbol of the political and military powers of the world that will give their support to end-time Babylon.

Babylon, by contrast, is something other than the political powers of this world. Prostitute Babylon is described in dress similar to that worn by the High Priest of Old Testament Israel (Rev 17:4-5; cf. Exod 28 and 39). She also suffers the fate of a priest’s daughter for her prostitution (Rev 17:16; cf. Lev 21:9). So Prostitute Babylon clearly represents a religious power at the End that is hostile to the Lamb and to those who are with him (17:14).

Are you beginning to see that the sixth plague must be more significant than it appeared at first glance? After all, if we are dealing with the drying up of a river that is often dry in the late summer, the plague doesn’t amount to much. But if the Euphrates River symbolizes the civil, secular and political powers of this world, the drying up of that Euphrates becomes a very major event in earth’s history. The procedure we have just followed shows that the book of Revelation often interprets its own symbols, if we are patient enough to search it with care.

When modern nations are working loosely together for a common cause we often call it an alliance (like N.A.T.O., for example). When a particular nation is powerful enough and determined enough to dominate others by force we call it an empire. At the end of time, the Euphrates River represents the power of many nations supporting the end-time empire of Babylon. What would the drying up of the Euphrates River mean then? Probably the nations’ withdrawal of support for end-time Babylon. When end-time Babylon loses its support system of nations it will fall. How Babylon falls at the end of time is clarified when we examine the Old Testament background the drying up of the Euphrates River.

The Drying Up of the Euphrates

Let me remind you, if you have read The Deep Things of God, that the Book of Revelation parallels the Old Testament in two different ways. They are called allusions and echos. The purpose of an allusion is to point the reader to a specific passage of the Old Testament and to apply its significance to Revelation. In an allusion John intends the reader to recognize the connection between texts and to be aware of the larger context in the Old Testament. The Old Testament context helps explain the meaning of Revelation. A word, a phrase, a symbol can become a picture that replaces a thousand words. Recognizing an allusion opens fresh windows into the author’s meaning. Missing the allusion leaves the author’s meaning in doubt.

An echo, on the other hand, is not based on conscious intention. John may use the language of the Old Testament without being consciously aware of where in the Old Testament that language came from. An echo is a usage that is “in the air,” people just pick it up from the environment in which they live. It would be particularly easy to echo the Old Testament if you grew up in a Jewish synagogue where you constantly heard the Old Testament quoted and referred to in various ways. It would be natural for you to use language from the Old Testament but you would not always be aware that the Old Testament was the source of the expressions you were using.

Old Testament Allusions to Babylon’s Fall

The point here is that when the author of Revelation alludes to the Old Testament, the purpose is for the reader to incorporate the whole context of that passage into the narrative at hand. The “drying up the River Euphrates” is about more than just a simple description of a river during dry season. That phrase connects us with an entire narrative background from the Old Testament. In order to understand John’s vision you have to understand the narrative world in which he lived. To miss that world is to misunderstand and misuse the text.

In Revelation 16-18 there are multiple allusions to the Old Testament’s description of Babylon’s fall. The Old Testament story can be found in three places: Jeremiah 50-51; Isaiah 44-47; and Daniel 5. I want to call your attention particularly to Jeremiah 50 and 51. We will begin with Jer 50:33-34 (NIV): “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go. Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon.”

This text makes it clear that Babylon’s fall was not an accident. It was part of the direct purpose of God. Babylon had become an oppressor of Israel and God desired to demonstrate His power to defend and deliver His people. At one time God had used Babylon to discipline and correct His people. But the Babylonians went too far in this role and became abusive. God may practice discipline but He does not approve of abuse and oppression.

When Israel’s time of discipline was up (70 years of captivity), God intended to free them even if the Babylonians wouldn’t. God continues His indictment of the Babylonians: “A sword against the Babylonians!” declares the LORD– “against those who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men! A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror” (Jer 50:35-36; NIV)

In this text the Lord declares an attack against the Babylonians. But He does not leave the language general, He specifically targets Babylon’s officials, her wise men, her false prophets and her warriors. What are we dealing with here? It is a listing of the people who make Babylon strong; her administrators, her thinkers, her religious leaders and her military personnel. A nation is no stronger than the quality of those who lead her and who fight for her. The prophecy continues: “A sword against her horses and chariots and all the foreigners in her ranks! They will become women. A sword against her treasures! They will be plundered” (Jer 50:37, NIV).

The Drying Up of the Euphrates

The previous verses talk about officials, wise men and warriors. Now this verse talks about horses and chariots, mercenary troops and treasures. What is this all about? Again this is a listing of the resources that make Babylon strong! Horses and chariots were like the tanks of the ancient world. Babylon’s financial resources were also significant in her defense. With lots of treasure she could rent or lease the armies of other nations to fight for her. Babylon is only as strong as the resources of people and treasures that defend her. But there is one more resource that has not yet been listed: “A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror” (Jer 50:38, NIV).

What are the waters being dried up here? The waters of Babylon, the Euphrates River! You see, the Euphrates River was part of the defenses of ancient Babylon. It provided a moat around the city that made an attack against the walls almost impossible to carry out. But the Euphrates River was even more than this in Jer 50:38. It had become a symbol of all the resources that supported ancient Babylon. The Euphrates River not only represented the physical moat around the city, but all the warriors and officials and treasures that made Babylon strong. To dry up the Euphrates River meant Babylon’s loss of all the resources that she needed to survive.

God’s judgment on Babylon was repeated in Jer 51:36-37; NIV): “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry. Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives.”

Once again we see that the drying up of the Euphrates River is the triggering event that results in the destruction of ancient Babylon. When we remember the drying up of the Euphrates in Rev 16:12, we now realize that there is a whole narrative history lying behind that simple statement. When Revelation 17:15 interprets the Euphrates River as a symbol of the civil and secular powers of this world in support of end-time Babylon, it is using the Euphrates River in a way consistent with its usage in the Old Testament. Readers familiar with the Old Testament would find the interpretation of the Euphrates in Revelation quite consistent with its meaning in the past.

The Prophetic Significance of the Drying Up of the Euphrates

But there are a few more things to learn about the drying up of the Euphrates River and the fall of Babylon in the Old Testament. For these we turn to Isaiah 44, another great fall of Babylon text. “This is what the LORD says–your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, . . . who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be built,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,’ who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid’” (Isa 44:24-28; NIV).

The words “watery deep” and “I will dry up your streams” are further references to the drying up of the Euphrates River. So Isaiah 44 introduces another fall of Babylon passage. But there are two additional elements here that we did not find in Jeremiah 50-51. There is a mention of Cyrus, the king of Persia who would actually accomplish the conquest of Babylon. There is also a mention of the rebuilding of Jerusalem, God’s ultimate purpose for Babylon’s fall. Prophecy predicted both the fall of Babylon and the restoration of Jerusalem. These things happened in history because God said they would.

This mention of Jerusalem shows that prophecy has a spiritual purpose. The Bible does not depict God as particularly interested in the rise and fall of the nations as such. The ebb and flow of politics come into scriptural play only when the people of God and the cause of God are somehow affected. Babylon’s fate becomes important when she hinders the work that God is trying to accomplish on this earth.

God’s Call of Cyrus to Accomplish His Purpose

Prophecies are given, not to satisfy our curiosity about political events, but to describe a just and caring God who delivers His oppressed people and rebuilds the places that matter to them. And He summons Cyrus to be His agent on earth. “This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut. . .” (Isa 45:1; NIV).

There are a couple of things I want you to notice about this verse. First of all, it tells us that the Lord Himself will see that the gates of Babylon are open when the armies of Cyrus arrive. While Cyrus may use engineering skills to divert the flow of the river so that his soldiers can march on the dry river bed, it still won’t gain him entrance into the city unless the gates along the river bank are open. So a hundred years before it happens, God assures Cyrus that He is in control of the one part of the situation Cyrus can’t control.

The other thing I want you to notice is that God calls Cyrus His “anointed.” The Hebrew word for “anointed” is meshiach, from which we get the English word “Messiah.” There are only two places in the Old Testament where the word “Messiah” is used for a future deliverer. One of these is generally understood as a prophecy of Jesus (Dan 9:25). The other is found here, a reference to Cyrus. God calls Cyrus, a pagan king, Messiah! This is truly amazing when you read up to verse 4 in the same chapter (NIV): “For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.” Messiah Cyrus is not a believer, yet God graces him with a title of honor.

What is this title of honor that God bestows on Cyrus? It is clearly the term “Messiah” in verse one. God summons Cyrus by name a hundred years in advance and calls him Messiah, even though Cyrus does not acknowledge Him. He is a pagan king. He is an unbeliever. Yet God calls Cyrus Messiah. God is more open-minded than we are! If you and I were consulted about this decision we would object. God has no business using such a term with regard to an unbeliever! But He did! Why? Because Cyrus was the one He would use to deliver His people: “For the sake of Jacob my servant and Israel my chosen.”

The title was appropriate because Cyrus would function as a type of the Messiah who would one day deliver God’s people from the bondage of this bleak existence. And let me just note in anticipation, Cyrus came to Babylon from the east! He came from Persia, modern-day Iran, which lies to the east of Iraq, the loca