[§266] Rev 16:12: The Kings of the East Prepare for Battle

This podcast explains the symbolism used by John to describe the sixth Vial Plague of the Third Woe in Revelation 12:16, which states: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” In this verse, the kings of the east prepare for Spiritual Armageddon. The kings of the east are the 144,000 servants who will stand with Jesus Christ (the Lamb) on Mount Zion in Revelation 14:1. They are a heavenly host of exalted and exaltation-worthy saints who will accompany Jesus Christ at his second coming, which shall be as the rising sun in the east. These kings of the east are subordinate kings to the "king of Kings." During the sixth Vial Plague, the great river Euphrates symbolically dries up to indicate that these heavenly kings of the east shall face no impediment in their battle against the hosts of hell during the spiritual battle of Armageddon. The hosts of hell consist of both disembodied and unembodied spirit sons of perdition who will be defeated during seventh Vial Plague in Revelation 19:19-20, and Revelation 20:1-3, respectively. John identifies the great river Euphrates because it was the historical boundary between the promised lands given to Abraham on the west side of the river. The kings of the east will symbolically cross the Euphrates River on a dried riverbed to symbolize their easy defeat of Satan’s hosts of hell. This spiritual reality is foreshadowed by the experience of Joshua when he led 600,000 Israelites across the Jordan river into the promised land to battle against the indigenous peoples in Canaan. On that occasion, the waters of the Jordan River dried up so the Israelites faced no impediment when they conquered the promised land.