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Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 61
The
King Coming from the East
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Let's ask for God's help:
Heavenly Father,
Your servants are presented under many identities in Your prophetic Word.
Among them is the King coming from the East. With Your assistance, we will be able to
discover who is this King.
We thank You in advance for hearing and answering our prayer. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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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.
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The sixth bowl, which will be the subject of a future lesson,
introduces the kings from the east, whose way is prepared by the drying up of the great
river Euphrates.
This symbolism directly refers to an Old Testament story, which will help us to discover
the identity of the King coming from the East.
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Jeremiah 51:11
Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised
up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, because it is the vengeance of the Lord,
the vengeance for His temple.
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As we have seen in Daniel's prophecies, the kingdom of Babylon,
in 604 B.C., invaded Jerusalem and took its inhabitants prisoners.
About 70 years later, God gave rise to the Medo-Persian Empire, led by Cyrus the Persian
and Darius the Mede, to bring about the fall of Babylon.
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Isaiah 44:24,27,28
I am the Lord, (...) who says to the deep, «Be dry! and I will dry up your rivers»; who says of Cyrus, «He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure.»
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Many years before, God had announced, through the prophet Isaiah,
the name of the king who would bring about the fall of Babylon: «Cyrus».
He had also foretold how Cyrus would manage to invade Babylon: «Be dry! and I will dry up
your rivers.»
In fact, the Medes and Persians diverted the course of the river Euphrates, and then used
the dried riverbed to enter and invade the city.
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Isaiah 41:2
Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings?
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Isaiah 46:11
[I called] a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My
counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it, I will also do
it.
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Now, King Cyrus and the Medo-Persian people were living east of
Babylon.
This is why God describes Cyrus, who brought about the fall of Babylon, as the one coming
from the east.
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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.
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The sixth bowl takes up the story of the fall of Babylon into the
hands of the kings of the east, that is, Cyrus and Darius leading the Medo-Persian people,
to illustrate symbolically the fall of spiritual Babylon.
In our lesson about the sixth bowl, we will study how the fall of spiritual Babylon will
actually take place.
For now, let's try to answer this question: Who are «the kings from the east»?
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Revelation 16:12,15
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. (...)
«Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest
he walk naked.»
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The «King from the east», the «Cyrus» who will put an end to
the reign of the great spiritual Babylon, is none other than Jesus Christ.
As if to confirm this conclusion, in the heart of the sixth bowl, Jesus Himself announces
that His return is imminent, and that we must stand ready.
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Isaiah 46:11-13
[I called] a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My
counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have
purposed it, I will also do it.
Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: I bring My
righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger.
And I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory.
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In the prophetic description of the work of King Cyrus, freeing
the people of Israel from Babylon's oppression, we can already recognize the work of
Jesus, who will free spiritual Israel from the oppression of spiritual Babylon.
Jesus is the One who will bring righteousness, salvation, and the glory of God.
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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.
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Revelation 19:16
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.
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The accurate symbolism of Cyrus' work is not the only feature
which identifies Jesus as the «King from the east». The title also designates Him.
First, Jesus is king. Furthermore, He is «King of kings».
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Matthew 2:2
Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.
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In addition to being king, Jesus is closely linked with «the
East».
At the time of His birth, the Wise Men recognized Him as the «King of the Jews», but
also as the One whose coming to earth was marked by «His star in the East».
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Matthew 24:27
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
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Furthermore, just as King Cyrus did, Jesus will also come from
the east when He returns.
Besides, if we carefully study the Word of God, we can find many passages pointing to this
great advent coming from the east, and putting an end to this world.
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Daniel 11:44,45
But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore
he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.
And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy
mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
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For example, a future lesson will present a persecuting power in
the last days, the «king of the north», who will be frightened by «news from the
east», announcing his destruction.
The «news from the east», in fact, sounds the return of Jesus, the King from the east.
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Psalm 48:4-8
For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together.
They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, they hastened away.
Fear took hold of them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail, as when You break the
ships of Tarshish with an east wind.
As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our
God: God will establish it forever.
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At the end of times, the nations of the earth will be destroyed by «an east wind».
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The «east wind» will bring about the fall of Babylon. Let's see:
«The east wind broke you
in the | «[Babylon] will be utterly burned
midst of the seas. (...) All the | with fire, for strong is
the Lord
pilots of the sea will (...) stand | God who judges her. (...) And every
on the shore. They will make their | shipmaster, all who travel by ship,
voice heard because of you; they | sailors, and as many as trade on the
will cry bitterly and cast dust on | sea, stood at a distance and cried
their heads; they will roll about | out when they saw the smoke of her
in ashes (...). They will take up | burning, saying, "What is like this
a lamentation, and lament for you, | great city?" And they threw dust on
"What city is like Tyre, destroyed | their heads and cried out, weeping
in the midst of the sea?"» | and
wailing.»
(EZEKIEL 27:26,29,30,32) |
(REVELATION
18:8,17-19)
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The coming of the east wind coincides with the resurrection of the righteous:
«I will ransom them from
the power | «For this corruptible must put
of the grave; I will redeem them | on incorruption,
and this mortal
from death. O Death, I will be your | must put on immortality. So when
plagues! O Grave, I will be your | this corruptible
has put on in-
destruction! Pity is hidden from My | corruption, and this mortal
has
eyes. Though he is fruitful among his | put on immortality, then shall be
brethren, an east wind shall come; | brought to pass the
saying that
the wind of the Lord shall come up | is written: "Death
is swallowed
from the wilderness. Then his spring | up in victory. O Death, where is
shall become dry, and his fountain | your sting? O
Hades, where is
shall be dried up.»
| your victory?"»
(HOSEA 13:14,15) | (1 CORINTHIANS
15:53-55)
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Exodus 10:13
So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the
Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night.
And when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
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Job 38:22-24
Have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have reserved for the
time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?
By what way is light diffused, or the east wind scattered over the earth?
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The same east wind which brought the plagues upon Egypt will also bring the last plagues, at the end of times.
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Exodus 14:21,22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord
caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry
land, and the waters were divided.
So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters
were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
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In Moses' time, God saved His people with the east wind, after
this wind had brought plagues upon Egypt.
Likewise, at the end of times, God will save His people with this same east wind, after
this wind has brought the last plagues on the earth.
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Matthew 24:27
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
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Isaiah 45:6
That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.
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In some passages pointing to this great advent coming from the east, the Word of God uses the expression «rising of the sun», as a replacement for the word «east».
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Psalm 50:1-5
The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth
from the rising of the sun to its going down.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall
not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all
around Him.
He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people:
«Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.
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Jesus' return, «as the lightning comes from the east and flashes
to the west» (Matthew 24:27), is here announced with the words «from the rising of the
sun to its going down».
His angels will then «gather His saints together to Him, those who have made a covenant
with Him by sacrifice», that is, His expiatory death on the cross.
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Revelation 7:2,3
Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal
of the living God.
And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth
and the sea, saying,
«Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God
on their foreheads.»
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Interestingly, the angel putting the seal of God on the faithful
believers' foreheads will also come «from the east».
This seal will be affixed on God's people shortly before the return of the King from the
east, Jesus Christ, who will come to gather them home.
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Genesis 2:8
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
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Genesis 3:24
So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
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In addition to being linked with the time of the end and Jesus' return, the east also calls to mind the Garden of Eden and the kingdom of God.
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Exodus 26:26,27
And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward.
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Just as the entrance to the Garden of Eden was placed eastward, so the entrance to the earthly sanctuary was also placed eastward, that is, the only side which was not closed with five bars of acacia wood.
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The entrance to the earthly sanctuary was placed eastward:
«Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate,
was over the freewill offerings to God, to distribute the offerings of the Lord and the
most holy things.» (2 CHRONICLES 31:14)
«And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they
went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the
Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.» (EZEKIEL 10:19)
«Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lord's house, which
faces eastward.» (EZEKIEL 11:1)
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Ezekiel, in his visions, saw the Lord's house with its gate to the east:
«At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one
goes into them from the outer court.» (EZEKIEL 42:9)
«Now when he had finished measuring the inner temple, he brought me out through the
gateway that faces toward the east.» (EZEKIEL 42:15)
«Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. And behold,
the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound
of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. (...) And I fell on my face. And the
glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The
Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord
filled the temple.» (EZEKIEL 43:1-5)
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Ezekiel 44:1,2
Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which
faces toward the east, but it was shut.
And the Lord said to me, «This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man
shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it.»
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Revelation 3:7,11
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
«These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who
opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. (...) Behold, I come quickly!»
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The eastern gate also calls to mind the announcement of Jesus' imminent return.
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Psalm 103:11,12
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
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And finally, by placing the east in opposition to the west, the Word of God calls to mind God's forgiveness which takes our sins away from us.
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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.
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Before closing this lesson, let's try to understand why the
prophecy does not present only one King from the east, but rather many kings.
Who are these kings who will accompany Jesus, the King from the east, when He returns to
gather His people?
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Ephesians 4:8
Therefore He says: «When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.»
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Isaiah 24:23
The Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously.
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In our lesson «The 24 Elders
and the Four Living Creatures», we have seen that, when Jesus ascended to heaven, He
took some of His people with Him.
This group makes up the first part of the 24 elders, representing the people of God under
the Old Covenant.
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Luke 22:28-30
But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.
And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may
(...) sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
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Matthew 19:28
You who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
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The second group of elders is made up of the twelve apostles, judging Israel, and representing the people of God under the New Covenant.
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Revelation 5:9,10
And they sang a new song, saying:
«You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have
redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and
have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.»
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By His victory, Jesus made these 24 elders «kings» who will
reign on the earth. He will also make all His people «kings», at the time of His return.
So these 24 elders are the kings from the east who will accompany Jesus, the King of
kings, when He returns.
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Jesus' salvation makes us kings, and we will reign with God:
«Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My
covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth
is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.» (EXODUS 19:5,6)
«(...) Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler
over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen.» (REVELATION 1:5,6)
«Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second
death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with
Him a thousand years.» (REVELATION 20:6)
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Let's pray together:
Our Lord God,
By announcing the coming of the kings from the east, Your Son gives us this message:
«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.» (Revelation 16:15)
Please help us to always follow this valuable advice, so that we may soon join the kings
from the east, as kings who will also reign with You and worship You forever.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 61 is waiting for you!