The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet,"Release the four angels who are bound by the great river Euphrates." Rev. 9:13, 14
Our world is know as the blue planet, because of its extensive reserves of water. It covers three fourths of the earth's surface. Unfortunately, 98 percent of this surface water is in the oceans, with only 2 percent accessible as fresh water. To make matters worse, 90 percent of the fresh water supply is either at the poles or remains under the ground. So human beings have direct access to only a small fraction of 1 percent (.26) of the earth's water supply.
The availability of fresh water supplies is one of the defining keys to a nation's success. Most of the "developing nations" occupy the world's arid or semiarid regions. Europe, on the other hand, contains half the running surface water in the entire world. So it is no surprise that the region has played a dominant role in recent world affairs. As earth's population increases, wars over scarce water supplies will increasingly break out.
In the Bible lands fresh water has always been in short supply. In such a place the abundant fresh water of the Euphrates River guaranteed power and wealth for those who controlled it. In this passage the river symbolizes the great power and resources of the final opposition to God in this world. His people, in ancient times, lived in a land with only on major source of fresh water, the Sea of Galilee. They had to rely, therefore, on heaven to provide moisture when they needed it.
Strong parallels exist between the sixth trumpet and two other scenes in the book of Revelation. Revelation 7:1-4 has four angels, a form of restraint, and the comment "I heard the number." So the 200-million-strong army of Revelation 9:16, 17, stands in contrast with God's end-time people, the 144,000. Also we observe parallels to the sixth bowl, in which you also have the river Euphrates, military language, and a demonic hoard (Rev. 16:13-16 ). So the sixth trumpet portrays the gathering of Satan's end-time army for the battle of Armageddon.
The book of Revelation contains many scenes of war. But it is less interested in the affairs of nations than it is in the progress of the gospel on earth. The war that truly matters to God is the battle going on in our minds every day. As we approach the end, even the smallest decisions of life have eternal consequences.
Lord, I feel the power of the battle that rages in me. I have no strength to defeat the overwhelming power of the enemy. Help me today to trust completely in the power of the cross for victory.
Our world is know as the blue planet, because of its extensive reserves of water. It covers three fourths of the earth's surface. Unfortunately, 98 percent of this surface water is in the oceans, with only 2 percent accessible as fresh water. To make matters worse, 90 percent of the fresh water supply is either at the poles or remains under the ground. So human beings have direct access to only a small fraction of 1 percent (.26) of the earth's water supply.
The availability of fresh water supplies is one of the defining keys to a nation's success. Most of the "developing nations" occupy the world's arid or semiarid regions. Europe, on the other hand, contains half the running surface water in the entire world. So it is no surprise that the region has played a dominant role in recent world affairs. As earth's population increases, wars over scarce water supplies will increasingly break out.
In the Bible lands fresh water has always been in short supply. In such a place the abundant fresh water of the Euphrates River guaranteed power and wealth for those who controlled it. In this passage the river symbolizes the great power and resources of the final opposition to God in this world. His people, in ancient times, lived in a land with only on major source of fresh water, the Sea of Galilee. They had to rely, therefore, on heaven to provide moisture when they needed it.
Strong parallels exist between the sixth trumpet and two other scenes in the book of Revelation. Revelation 7:1-4 has four angels, a form of restraint, and the comment "I heard the number." So the 200-million-strong army of Revelation 9:16, 17, stands in contrast with God's end-time people, the 144,000. Also we observe parallels to the sixth bowl, in which you also have the river Euphrates, military language, and a demonic hoard (Rev. 16:13-16 ). So the sixth trumpet portrays the gathering of Satan's end-time army for the battle of Armageddon.
The book of Revelation contains many scenes of war. But it is less interested in the affairs of nations than it is in the progress of the gospel on earth. The war that truly matters to God is the battle going on in our minds every day. As we approach the end, even the smallest decisions of life have eternal consequences.
Lord, I feel the power of the battle that rages in me. I have no strength to defeat the overwhelming power of the enemy. Help me today to trust completely in the power of the cross for victory.
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