Is the Drying Up of the Euphrates River a Fulfillment of Bible Prophecy? By: Jeffery Kolling, Pastor. In northeastern Syria, the Euphrates’ water level is so low that five million people risk being left without drinking water…There was a time when the strip of land between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, in the Middle East, was so lush as to earn itself the nickname of “fertile crescent”. Now, however, desertification is advancing, putting whole communities in danger. The Euphrates River is drying up, so much so that at its current pace, it will be a humanitarian crisis for those who rely on it as a water source in Syria. Looking at this from a surface level, it speaks of the ongoing birth pangs we see around the world. However, this news has also garnered attention from many Christians familiar with bible prophecy for other legitimate reasons as the Euphrates River will play an important role during the tribulation. With this being said, some are saying that the current drying of the Euphrates River is fulfilling bible prophecy, but is this truly the case? What they primarily point to make this case is Revelation 16:12, a description of the sixth bowl judgment. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. ‘Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.’ And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12-16) Although Revelation 16:12 does indeed talk about the drying up of the Euphrates it elaborates this to us in a specific context. First, it takes place during the tribulation period and more specifically towards the end as it’s the second to last bowl judgment. Second, we see that the drying up of the Euphrates at this point in time isn’t caused by natural means such as a rise in temperature or an increase in severity of droughts as. It also won’t be due to an intentional diminishing of water as some believe may be occurring currently (Life gate). What scripture elaborates to us is that this will be done via the means of a supernatural source – the sixth bowl judgment poured out on the river by an angel, which is ultimately an expression of God’s wrath (Revelation 16:1, 5-7, 9-10). Third, the Bible not only provides the context as to when this will happen but why this happens, “so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared” (Revelation 16:12). The following verses then detail to us the gathering of the kings of the whole earth to the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16). Essentially, what this shows us is that the drying up of the Euphrates is connected to the armies of the world readying for this battle (which isn’t a “battle” in any sense of the word). It’s one judgment which sets up another judgment rendered by Christ in-person to overwhelmingly defeat these armies, known as the winepress of the wrath of God (Revelation 19:15, 17-21). So is what’s currently occurring to the Euphrates River a fulfilment of the sixth bowl judgment in Revelation 16? No. To say that would not only mean we’re currently in the tribulation, but that all of the seal, trumpet, and majority of bowl judgments have been poured out on mankind, and that 3 demonic spirits have gone out to the “kings of the earth and of the whole world” to the battle of Armageddon in anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming (Revelation 16:13-14, 16). This simply isn’t the case scripturally nor is it an accurate reflection of what’s currently going on in the world. Many of us understand this, but regardless, this view is cropping up here and there and due to that, I believe it’s important to address to prevent confusion. Does this mean that the drying up of the Euphrates River as we’re currently witnessing it has no significance? Not at all. What we’re witnessing now, along with a plethora of other signs, is a shadow of what’s to come during the tribulation. Aside from Revelation 16, we also see the significance of the Euphrates River during the tribulation in Revelation 9 with the sixth trumpet judgment which I elaborate on in this article. Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So, the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. (Revelation 9:13-19) What we see from scripture starting in Genesis is a focus on the Middle East in the beginning and in Revelation the focus is brought right back to that region of the earth. It’s clear to us that the Euphrates River is significant due to the yet to be fulfilled prophecies concerning it so it’s not necessary to force a fulfillment upon it. There’s a specific context in which it will eventually take place, but it’s not now. What this should show us instead is that when we consider this along with the many prophetic signs converging on our time, it acts as a marker of where we are prophetically which should strengthen our faith in God’s Word and excite us as our blessed hope draws near. A humanitarian crisis is likely as the “fertile crescent” becomes arid Life gate: “It’s like being in the desert,” says Khaled al-Khamees, standing on parched ground in a place where, last year, the Euphrates River flowed through Syria. The 50-year-old farmer told French agency AFP that he and his family are thinking of leaving because there’s no more water. The river used to provide water for his olive grove, which is now scorched. There was a time when the strip of land between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, in the Middle East, was so lush as to earn itself the nickname of “fertile crescent”. Now, however, desertification is advancing, putting whole communities in danger. Humanitarian organizations fear an imminent catastrophe in northeastern Syria, where the Euphrates’ flow rate has been raising concerns since January. This situation threatens to hinder the functioning of two of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the region, located at Tishrin and Tabqa, drastically reducing the already-lacking supply of electricity and clean water. “I have never witnessed such a situation since the dam was completed in 1999,” says Tishrin’s director Hammoud al-Hadiyya. Since the start of 2021, water levels have fallen by five meters. Just a few more centimeters and the turbines will stop producing electricity. In all of northeastern Syria, electrical production has already fallen by 70 per cent compared to last year, states Welat Darwish, the head of the energy authority. These power stations provide energy to the homes of some three million citizens. They also ensure access to drinking water to five million people who, to avoid dying of thirst, risk contracting illnesses from alternative, contaminated water sources. The Euphrates, which is 2,800 kilometers long, flows from Turkey into Syria and Iraq. Some Kurdish-Syrian organizations have accused the Turkish government of exploiting water as a weapon of war, intentionally diminishing the flow into regions of Syria under Kurdish control. In fact, a decrease in the amount of water that Turkey is legally required to let flow from its borders into Syria – based on an agreement signed in 1987 – has been recorded over the past few months. The amount fell from 500 to 200 cubic meters per second. Other Prophecy Questions:
In Revelation 19:10 we’re told that the essence of bible prophecy is Jesus, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” My purpose in writing these articles in relation to Bible prophecy is to express this truth to ultimately point you to Christ. Bible prophecy is not meant to scare but to prepare. These things were revealed to us so that we have confidence in God’s word and believe in Jesus (John 13:19). If you have not placed your faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, I implore you to do so today (2 Corinthians 6:2)! The Bible makes it clear that our life is like a vapor so tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone (James 4:13-14). We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23) and due to this there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves or somehow work our way to heaven (Isaiah 64:6). Because God is holy, He must judge sin. The penalty of this sin is death and ultimately the Lake of fire (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:11-15). But God, in His love has provided a way to escape His wrath through Christ (John 3:16-18, John 14:6). Jesus paid for our sin penalty by taking God’s wrath in our stead on the cross (Romans 5:8). He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). Although God offers humanity the gift of eternal life through the shed blood of His son, it’s our choice to either reject this gift and pay for the penalty of our sin ourselves or accept it by placing our trust in the one who’s already paid it all in full (Acts 16:30-31, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). Make sure you’ve made the right decision about Jesus today! It will be the most important decision of your life, for eternal life. Have a blessed day. (Image by Nasa via Unsplash)
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