The Sixth Bowl — The Euphrates Dried Up
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.
13 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.
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.
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.”
16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
The Euphrates River Today
“The water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”
The Euphrates has been experiencing a major decline in water flow for more than 50 years. Large dams and increased water use began reducing its flow in the 1970s, and repeated droughts have made the situation worse.
Timeline
1970s: Large dams begin significantly reducing the Euphrates' flow.
1980–2000: Water reaching Iraq continues to decline.
Late 1990s–Present: Repeated droughts, declining rainfall, and rising temperatures further reduce the river.
2020s: During severe droughts, some sections in Iraq became extremely shallow or dried up, with people able to cross some areas on foot.
By 2040, significant portions of the Euphrates River—specifically its southern reaches in Iraq—are projected to completely dry up or reduce to an unusable series of stagnant, disconnected pools.
What follows the 6th Bowl? The 7th Bowl.
Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
I ask you to consider, could it be possible that the judgment of God on this world is closer than men realize? Could it be that people will go on with their lives, up to the very end, without realizing what season they are living in?
International Patent 060606
Microsoft patent application whose international publication number is WO2020060606A1, became widely discussed because the number contains “060606,” which people connected with 666 and Revelation 13.
What does it actually cover?
The application is titled “Cryptocurrency System Using Body Activity Data.” It describes a system in which a person's body activity is detected by sensors, and that activity can be used as a basis for cryptocurrency-related tasks or rewards.
17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has [g]the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Perhaps you should consider that the technology that would be necessary for the mark of the beast to occur is not far off, but is actually here right now.
The Gospel Preached in all the World
The gospel has now been proclaimed in virtually every country and region of the world. Christianity has also been translated into thousands of languages, and modern communications allow the gospel to reach people who would have been extremely difficult to reach in previous generations.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Increase in Knowledge
4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
Knowledge has increased dramatically in the past 200 years. The world that we live in now would almost look like another planet to someone from times before that.
A few examples:
· 1820s: No modern germ theory, no antibiotics, no understanding of DNA, no computers, no modern aviation.
· 1900s: Quantum physics and relativity transformed our understanding of matter, energy, space and time.
· 1940s–50s: Nuclear physics, antibiotics, electronic computers, and modern molecular biology rapidly advanced.
· 1953: The structure of DNA was described.
· 1960s–70s: Humans reached the Moon; satellites and global telecommunications became possible.
· 1990s: The internet became publicly transformative.
· 2000s–2020s: Smartphones, massive digital databases, artificial intelligence, genomics and instant global communication.
The amount of recorded scientific and technical information has exploded.
Transportation: 1826 – Present Time
· ~1826 Walking, horses, horse-drawn carriages, sailing ships
· 1830s–40s Railroads begin expanding rapidly
· Late 1800s Steamships and extensive railway networks
· Early 1900s Automobiles become practical and widespread
· 1914–1918 Aviation develops rapidly
· 1930s–40s Commercial air travel expands
· 1950s–60s Jet aircraft make international travel dramatically faster
· 1969 Humans travel to the Moon
· Today there are computerized cars, high-speed trains, commercial jets, massive container ships, spacecraft, and global transportation networks
The contrast is remarkable.
A person in 1826 could theoretically travel across continents, but doing so was generally slow, expensive, uncomfortable, and dangerous.
Today, someone can travel from:
Philadelphia → London: roughly 7 hours
Philadelphia → Tokyo: roughly 14 hours
Philadelphia → virtually anywhere: usually within a day or two.
And millions of people travel internationally every day.
So, beyond a shadow of a doubt knowledge has certainly increased and many do run to and fro, especially to obtain knowledge, which has become so much easier to do in our times.
The Return of Jesus
We are approaching approximately 2,000 years since the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We are literally just a few years away from that measurement. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the central theme of the Gospel. The cross and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice and victory are key to the gospel. I invite you to reason with me. With all the significant measurements in the Bible, for example the time that Isreal was in Egypt, the time they wondered in the wilderness, measurements in Daniel and revelation, just to name a few, do you not think there will be a significant measurement from the cross? The Bible says that no man can know the day or the hour, but it does indicate that we can know the season. I ask you, what season are we living in?
Matthew 24
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that [e]it is near—at the doors!
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [f]heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what [g]hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [i]in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying [j]his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
“10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be [d]burned up.
2 For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.