Today we are going to unpack the sixth plague that we read about briefly in last week’s study. It is an important event and much description is given to it.

Revelation 16:12
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.

The drying up of the great river Euphrates is the event that caused Babylon to fall.

• Cyrus the Persian came and redirected the river, and his troops marched under the city walls and conquered Babylon.
• So when we read here that the river Euphrates is being dried up, it is a symbol that Babylon is coming to an end.
• This is the sixth plague. It is the second last plague before we see Jesus come for a second time.

Who are the kings of the east?

• It is Jesus and the Godhead. The Father and the Holy Spirit. It is announcing the coming of Christ.
• Isaiah 41:2
  Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings?…
• Revelation 7:2
  And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God…
  • Salvation comes from the east.
• And the east points to the second coming. Christ will come from the east.
  • Matthew 24:27
    For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
• And when Christ comes, He is coming as king!
  • Revelation 17:14
    These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
  • Revelation 19:16
    And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
• So clearly, the kings of the east is referring to the coming of Jesus.

So this plague is introduced with Babylon coming to an end and the announcement of Christ’s second coming.

What do we see next?

Revelation 16:13
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

The only place that we read about frogs in the Bible apart from here in this passage is the plagues that fell on Egypt. We are not given much clue as to why frogs are mentioned.

• However, what we do see here is that the frogs are unclean spirits. It is spiritualism.
• Revelation 16:14
  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
• They are the spirits of devils that will be at work at the end of time, and they will work through three powers.
  • The dragon.
  • The beast.
  • And the false prophet.

Though it seems like it is only at this time that these spirits are at work, they are actually at work long before any of the plagues fall and probation closes.

• They are at work even now and have been for a long time.
• Ephesians 6:12
  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
• The battle is not in the flesh. It is spiritual wickedness in high places.
• And especially at the end of time, they are working through the entities of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet.
• And we will see that it is working through these three powers long before probation even closes and any of the plagues fall. It is only at this time that we are given insight as to who is behind all of this.

Who is the dragon, the beast and the false prophet?

 

The Beast

Let’s start with the beast. This beast is fully described in Revelation 13. It is the beast with seven heads and 10 horns, which has the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear and the mouth of the lion.

• Who is this power? It is the Roman Catholic Church.
• Do you remember when we looked at the mark of the beast? Do you remember this picture? It seemed to indicate that the Catholic Church does not play a large role at the end of time. But it does. Even though it is on the sidelines, even then the spirit of demons will work through it to deceive God’s people and bring the whole world to its knees to worship him.
• He is like the master mind behind this whole issue of the mark of the beast.

Revelations from Revelation, Patrick M. Jones, 449

Not only does the Roman Catholic Church hold festivals to honour the departed spirits of loved one, but it claims to have within the church, members who claim to receive messages from the dead. Instead of calling this practice of the occult, necromancy, the Roman Catholic Church calls it mysticism. And instead of calling the people who perform this abomination (mediums), they are called ‘mystics.’

The Roman Catholic religion is actually not a Christian religion as we have discovered in the past when we studied Daniel 8 and 9 regarding the “daily.” It is a pagan religion that was baptized and brought into the church.

• The worship of Mary has no biblical basis.
• Apparent miracles have been shown through different pictures of Mary with blood coming down from the eyes and other sorts of apparitions and different miraculous events taking place around her.

Even though there is clear evidence to show that spiritualism is present in the Catholic Church today, the Bible also reveals that many of God’s people are still in this church and they will be called out at the end of time.

• Revelation 18:4
  And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
• There are still many that are just ignorant and haven’t received the light yet. But when the mark of the beast issue affects the whole world, and everyone will receive the light of the gospel from heaven, then many who have been deceived or held in darkness will come out and join hands with the faithful of God.

So the influence of evil spirits in the church of Rome is apparent even today and will become even more pronounced as time passes in the future.

 

The False Prophet

Who is the false prophet?

• Well, what is the role of a prophet? They are to be the mouthpiece of God.
• But this person leads away from God rather than towards God.

What did this false prophet do?

• Revelation 19:20
  Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
• The false prophet worked signs in the presence of the beast and was the principle person responsible for making people receive the mark of the beast.

Who worked these signs that we see in Revelation?

• Revelation 13:13
  He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
• Who was this that performed signs?
• Revelation 13:11
  Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
• This was the United States of America.

However, it cannot be the USA as a nation, as this is a religious entity. It is a false PROPHET.

• What religious body have we seen in the United States of America that is connected with the mark of the beast?
• It is the apostate Protestants in US.
• Those that once were faithful to the truth but have fallen away. They have become false mouthpieces for God.

Remember this entity brings down fire from heaven. What is the result of this fire? It deceives the people.

• Revelation 13:13-14
  13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do…

What sorts of false fire do we see today? False miracles?

• One of the more prominent signs that we see today is the adoption of many churches of speaking in tongues. Many people believe that that is a sign that they have the Holy Spirit.
• We don’t have the time to study into speaking in tongues tonight. But if you would like some good reading material that is Bible-based, please come and see me. The Bible is clear about what tongues is.
• But this is a clear evidence of spiritualism sweeping through the churches today.

What other sorts of fire do we see?

• Remember, the fire represents the Holy Spirit in scripture.
• Acts 2:3-4
  3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…
• I want to show to you a video from Little Light Studios about the type of fire that you see in Protestant churches today.
• Just look it up on Youtube. It is called “The future of America explained”.
• Start at 15:00 until 17:41.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9AiiVzw0Xw

We get counsel from the book Last Day Events regarding this which I think is quite important to take note.

• The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, [These comments were made in connection with the “Holy Flesh” Movement at the Indiana camp meeting of 1900. For further details, see Selected Messages 2:31-39.] the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions…. LDE 159.1
• A bedlam of noise shocks the senses and perverts that which if conducted aright might be a blessing. The powers of satanic agencies blend with the din and noise to have a carnival, and this is termed the Holy Spirit’s working…. Those things which have been in the past will be in the future. Satan will make music a snare by the way in which it is conducted. LDE 159.2
• We see music sweeping through the churches today, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
• It has always been a point of contention. Satan continues to stir up the issue regarding this. We have to be so careful.

Satan is clearly at work today through this false prophet, the apostate protestants. This is going to be one of the major unions through which he will work to unite the whole world an bring it to the battle of Armageddon.

 

The Dragon

Who is the dragon? The dragon seems to be the most difficult to pin-point out of all of them as we have several applications of the dragon in the book of Revelation.

First, we see the dragon as the devil.

• Revelation 12:9
  So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan…
• But this dragon in Revelation 16 cannot be the devil as the unclean spirits coming out of the mouth of these three entities are evil spirits, which is the devil and all his host.

Next application of the dragon.

• Revelation 12:4
  …And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
• Who was it that was actually there to stand before Mary, ready to kill Jesus at His birth?
• That was fulfilled in Herod and the Roman empire.
• But this cannot be the dragon at the end of time because the Roman Empire as a world empire does not exist anymore.

Note though, it has to be a kingdom because a dragon is a beast and a beast in Bible prophecy represents a kingdom.

Here is another application of the dragon.

• Revelation 13:11
  Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
• This lamb-like beast speaks like a dragon, which means it has the heart of a dragon.
• This cannot be the dragon because we’ve already identified this to be the false prophet who works miracles.
• However, we are getting close.

I want to show you a detail of the dragon that is important for us to take note of back in Revelation 12.

• Revelation 12:3
  And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
• This dragon has ten horns on the top of its head as well, just like what we see in Revelation 13 and the beast which has the body of a leopard.
• Where else do we see ten horns in Revelation that apply to the very end of time?
• Revelation 17:12
  “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
• It is all the governments of the world united together. How are they united?
• Revelation 17:13
  These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
• They won’t necessarily be one kingdom, but they will have one mind. One mind to give their power to the beast to persecute.

So the dragon in Revelation 16, where it is united with the beast and the false prophet, the Catholic Church and the Apostate Protestants, represents the whole world, especially the political powers of the world, who will give their strength to these two religious bodies.

• It begins with the United States of America, the world super power.
• But it will be through that entity that the whole world will be convinced, forced, coaxed, to give their power to join with US in persecuting God’s people at the end of time.

 

So let’s recap:

• The beast – the Roman Catholic Church.
• The false prophet – the apostate protestants.
• The dragon – all the political powers of the world.

This unholy trinity will usher in the final conflict and will bring us to the battle of Armageddon.

 

The Battle of Armageddon

Revelation 16:14, 16
14 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. 16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

The last great battle between Christ and Satan will be called Armageddon. There will be a war between those that are Christ’s and those that are under Satan.

• There will only be 2 sides to this battle.
• One side is classified as worshipping the beast.
• Revelation 13:8
  All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
• The other is the saints who follow the Lamb wherever He goes and they keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Those that worship the beast and his image will be united to fight against God’s people.

• John 16:2
  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
• This is no doubt a physical war. An attempt to eradicate God’s people from off the earth.
• Satan’s hatred for God’s people is at a climax.

However, the battle that God’s people will fight will not be a military battle like the one that the wicked will come upon them with.

• Ephesians 6:10-12
  10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
  • We need to put on the armour of God in order to fight.
• 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
  3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
  • Our weapons are not carnal. They are not made from earthly means or human elements.

All we need to do is look in the book of Acts as to how God’s people fought against all the persecution that took place shortly after the ascension of Jesus.

• Though they were imprisoned, beaten, stoned and put to trial, they never retaliated.
• They were singing songs in prison and praying and praising God.
• They were ready to flee for their lives, but never retaliated to strike back.
• They had faces as angels that shone with a bright light when brought before their persecutors for trial.
• They would speak a word in season about Christ and their conversion stories whenever they were given an opportunity.

But the question that is really important to ask ourselves is: Does this battle only take place after probation has closed when the saints are not allowed to perish anymore?

• Definitely not.
• We are given an indication that there will be many that will perish before that.
• Revelation 13:15
  He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
  • There will be a death decree.
• Revelation 20:4
  …Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands…
  • There will be many who will be beheaded during the time of the mark of the beast.
  • This is before probation closes.

So this great final conflict between good and evil at the end of time actually begins before the seven last plagues, but will come to its climax at the sixth plague in Revelation 16.

There will be different stages of this great battle.

1. Satan’s attack on God’s people (he cannot attack God Himself anymore). This is called the Sunday law.
   1. There are stages of the Sunday law. It doesn’t begin with a death decree immediately.
   2. There will be fines and imprisonment.
   3. There will be inducements.
   4. And finally it will end with the death decree.
2. During this time, God’s people will fight back by preaching the gospel wherever they run.
   1. They will fight back by praying for their persecutors and enduring fire, sword and prison.
   2. They will fight back by being willing to lay down their lives so that others can have an opportunity to come to know of the true God and Saviour.
3. Then we will see how God will answer with the seven last plagues that He will pour on those on the earth.
4. And we will also see after that God will answer with the second coming and destroying all the wicked.
   1. Revelation 16:15
      “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.”
5. And finally the last of the battle between good and evil will take place at the end of the 1,000 years which we will study in the future where God will rain fire from heaven and consume all the wicked including Satan and his angels. This is what we call hellfire.

This is the battle of Armageddon.