Genesis 2:10-14 tells us about the river Euphrates. “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.” The word Euphrates is a translation of the word "Gush forth" or "break forth".
The river is approximately 2,780 kilometers long and rises in the Armenian highlands of today's eastern Turkey north of Erzurum, and the Murat and flows from an area southwest of Mount Ararat, north of Lake Van. The upper reaches of the Euphrates flow through steep canyons and gorges, southeast across Syria and through Iraq. The Euphrates is only navigable by very shallow-draft boats, which can reach as far as the Iraqi city of Hit, located 1,930 kilometers upstream and which is only 53 meters above sea level. Its annual inundation, caused by snowmelt in the mountains of northeast Turkey, has been partly checked by new dams and reservoirs in the upper reaches. An 885-kilometer canal links the Euphrates to the Tigris to serve as a route for river barges.
In the Book of Revelation, it is prophesied that the Euphrates will dry up in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon. Revelation 16:12-14 “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. 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. 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.”
Images captured on the banks of the Euphrates reveal that a large part of the Euphrates River has dried up. Over the past decades, the flow in the Euphrates-Tigris River system has decreased to almost half of the average annual flow during dry years. The water levels in the Euphrates are currently at one of their lowest points in recorded history and are fast receding. When will it become totally arid and dry, we do not know, but that is not very far away. Waters in the Scriptures refer to people, nations, and tongues. River by implication would refer to a smaller region, a nation, or a country through which it flows. The drying up of the Euphrates may have wider connotations, which time may unfold.
The prophies are fulfilling before our eyes. It is for the believer to behold and believe. As the prophecies one by one fulfill, the coming of the Lord is very near. In the chronology of the last days’ events, the world will witness a great time of trouble. It is also referred to as Jacob’s trouble. Prior to the second advent of the Lord, we shall witness the seven last plagues. In the seven last plagues mentioned in the book of Revelation, the sixth plague mentioned is the drying of the Euphrates River. During this period and the seventh plague, when the world will witness rampant hail, earthquake, and fire, Armageddon would be imminent at any moment. It is for all of us to be prepared to receive the Lord when He comes. The Lord is already on the threshold, and at any moment the all-time event discussed through the centuries will be fulfilled.
Dr. Ashwin Drummond