Who are the Kings of the East Mentioned in Revelation 16:12?

This is the continuation of the series, Antichrist And His Ten Kingdoms – By Albert Close and the previous post in the series, The Final Revelation to Men by Jesus Christ: The Apocalypse.

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.

Little doubt the Kings of the East are the independent Kingdoms or Republics which have arisen out of the ruins of the Eastern Roman Empire, and of the Turkish Empire, during the last 140 years (up to 1944), due to the steady drying up of that great Empire symbolized in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation) as the Great River Euphrates. The following are their names, with the dates when each broke from Turkey: GREECE 1820; EGYPT 1840; BULGARIA 1877; ROMANIA 1878; LEVANT 1867; CYRENACIA 1912; PALESTINE 1917; ALBANIA 1919; YUGOSLAVIA 1919; IRAQ 1923; HEJAZ (a region in the west of Saudi Arabia, containing Mecca and Medina) 1926; YEMEN 1927; PERSIA 1923. All of these Kings of the East have ceased during the last century and a quarter to own submission to the Sultan of Turkey at Constantinople. All of these 12 kingdoms belonged to the Mohammedan Eastern Roman Empire, which has now dried up.

The Turkish Empire dried up at the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, when she was completely stripped of all these countries at the close of the 1914-18 War.

The Pope’s Temporal Power over the Ten Kingdoms of the Western Empire dried up also in 1870, when the Temporal Power fell. Today (1944) the Pope rules over the Vatican City only, of 800 people and 108 acres of territory; but he rules spiritually as the False Prophet over 300,000,000 (now 1.2 billion) worshippers. Herein lies his world-wide power through his 500,000 (now decreased to 407,872 according to https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-10/fides-catholic-church-statistics-world-mission-sunday.html) Latin Priests.

A false prophet is one who proclaims as Divine Truth a false Gospel in Christ’s Name. See Revelation 17 and 18.

GROWTH IN INTERPRETATION OF SYMBOLS.

As already stated, if we translate the symbolic scenes in the book of Revelation into plain non-figurative ones, by comparing them with the symbols and emblems of other Scriptures, and also with the symbols and emblems employed by the nations and great religions which have arisen and played their part in the history of the last 1900 years within the bounds of the Roman Empire, they become the religious and political history of that great period, so far as it affects the Church of Christ.

Papal Rome corrupted for centuries the Western Roman Empire, whilst the Mohammedan religion corrupted the Eastern Empire. Both as political and religious powers are now nearing their end.

The Napoleonic Wars of 1789—1815, and the Great War of 1914—19, are both regarded by expositors as having been fulfilled as Divine retribution on Papal and Mohammedan Europe and Asia, within the area of the Roman Empire. Revelation 16:1-11.

Both have been equally important as it is shown on the Map of the World, when read in conjunction with the history of the past 140 years. Both religions have been cruel persecutors of God’s people.

The world-wide preaching of the Gospel by the Missionary Societies was in 1,053 languages as contrasted with only 71 languages in 1800 A.D.

(Matthew 24:14) “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The drying up of the Euphrates in Revelation 16:12 symbolized the drying up of the Turkish Empire, by the loss of 14 Provinces, thus leaving Turkey with a population of 16,000,000 and a loss of 95,000,000 since 1820.

Revelation 16:12 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.

In Revelation 16:13,14, the three unclean Spirits of Devils, the Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet acting through their human agents, gather the nations of the whole world to battle as never before in all history. These three may prefigure the Nazi, Fascist and Papal Powers at War today. They are all against Christ.

(Note: I believe today an alternate interpretation could be Papal, Fascism (extreme right) and Communism / Socialism (extreme left). The common denominator of all three is totalitarianism. The Devil is a control freak and denies us any independent thought or action outside of his governance. But an even simpler interpretation would be, the Dragon is Satan, the Beast is Satan’s kingdom on earth, and the False Prophet is Satan’s spokesperson, aka the Pope and his priests.)

In 1922 Mussolini founded the Fascist Movement and became Dictator of Italy. In 1929 by the Lateran Treaty, he made the Pope a Temporal Sovereign over the Vatican City and grounds, with a population of about 450 and a territory of 108 acres! Mussolini then voted the sum of £19,000,000 in settlement of the Roman dispute since 1870, when the Pope was dethroned as a Temporal Sovereign. Mussolini then made the Pope a puppet Sovereign.

In 1934 Hitler met Mussolini in Venice, and on Aug. 2nd, 1934, Hitler succeeded Hindenburg as President. These three Evil Spirits then entered on a European career of conquest and invasion, with the Jesuits in the background.

In 1935 Hitler and Mussolini united with General Franco, with the connivance of the Pope and the Jesuits in overthrowing the Democratic Government in Spain.

THAT GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY.

In Sept. 1943 Mussolini was deposed and his dream of a Revived Roman Empire came to an end.

Mussolini also attacked and overran Abyssinia with the most revolting cruelty. Here again the Pope and the Jesuits supported Mussolini in all these abominations. They also expelled all Protestant Missionaries.

Here we have the 3 Evil Spirits mentioned in Revelation which in 1939 drove Europe and the whole 5 other continents into this World War.

These three great World-disturbers have all originated within the realms of the old Roman Empire.

There can be no question that these three are world figures today and all are Roman Catholic. The False Prophet undoubtedly prefigures the Pope as a pseudo-Christian prophet or leader as distinct from the other two, who are purely wicked political imposters. Mussolini was a pseudo-Caesar, and Hitler worships the Nordic Pagan intuition cult. These three are all enemies of Christ.

Revelation 16:12-14, seem to be fulfilling before our very eyes. Are not the Kings of the whole world gathering to battle today as predicted in Revelation 16:12-14, led by three wicked Powers, which have already drawn in a total of 134 countries, large and small, embracing almost the entire globe. Verse 14 reads “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.”

Notice the sharp distinction between “the kings of the earth” and in the next sentence, “and of the whole world.” These clearly refer to two different groups of nations and spheres of action. The one refers to the kings within the bounds of the Roman Earth, or old Roman Empire, and the other to the whole of the nations of the entire globe which includes the Far East, India, Burma, China and Japan, etc.

This great World War is the first great war in which all six Continents have been involved at the same time. That seems to explain verse 14 exactly. Are not the kings or rulers of the whole world gathering to battle today, as predicted here, impelled by three wicked Powers, viz : the Nazi, Fascist and Papal. The Fascist was a Political party, the Papacy a combined Religious and Political
Power masquerading as Christian. These three Powers have undoubtedly caused this World War. Russia, it must not be forgotten, is a Power outside the Roman Empire. Russia is a Power belonging to the “WHOLE WORLD” Area as distinct from THE KINGS OF THE EARTH, ie., the Roman “Earth” of the Apocalypse.

When the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D. it was succeeded by the Western Papal Ten Kingdoms with the Pope at the head.

The Eastern Roman Empire fell at the storming of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 A.D. This was the complete end of the Roman Empire, both East and West, From 1453 to 1923 A.D. the Turkish or Mohammedan Power ruled most of the nations of the former Eastern Roman Empire—now the Kings of the East.

Today Turkey rules none but her own homeland. The Pope rules over 108 acres and about 450 subjects.

In the first verse of the Revelation St. John tells us the book is written in symbols, i.e.: in a language of signs.

Revelation 1:1: The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John.

Revelation 4:1: After this I looked and, behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice when I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

To signify is to show by signs, to intimate your meaning, not in plain literal words, but by signs and symbols.

Now in the language of signs and symbols, such for example as that employed by the Navy, Army or R.A.F., or by Merchant ships, when signaling at sea, each sign and symbol has a definite meaning, which can only be discerned and understood by translating it into ordinary language, by means of an explanatory key. In reading Daniel or the Revelation we are bound to do the same.

EACH NATION HAS ITS OWN SYMBOLS.

For example, the Sharp Sword proceeding out of the mouth of the King of Kings in Revelation 19:15, is not a sword of steel, but a symbol only. There is no such creature in nature as a Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns, as in Daniel and Revelation. Again they are symbols only.

As stated on page 4 of this book, we must translate the symbolic language into ordinary language, by comparing these symbols and emblems with the other Scriptures where the same are employed and explained. We must also be familiar with the symbols and emblems employed by the nations and religious systems which have arisen on the theater of the Roman world since the book of Revelation was written. The Roman Catholic and Mohammedan religions have unconsciously employed in their national and religious life and history, the very symbols and emblems used in Revelation to prefigure the events. Especially is this true of the Church of Rome and of the Papal nations of Western Europe, and also of the Mohammedans of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The Great Revealer foresaw the use of these national and religious symbols by these powers and revealed them to St. John, for the guidance and comfort of His people down the ages. See Papal and Mohammedan emblems, medals, coins, etc., in this book as evidence.

(Continued in The Revelation an Acted Prophecy – Western Europe and Asia the Stage. )