Book 3 of Musings The Coming Kings

The Lord Jesus Christ has purchased with His blood, from all nations, men for God.

They compose the Kingdom of God, the royal priesthood, and they will govern the people of the earth.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. (Rev 16:12)

Did you ever give thought to the above verse? I have.

I have not read the commentaries concerning this passage, so I don't know what the prevailing thought is.

My own opinion is that it refers to the coming of the Lord and His armies. Don't forget, the Battle of Armageddon will be fought by Antichrist and his armies on the ground, north of Jerusalem, and by the Lord Jesus and His saints descending from Heaven in a great cavalry charge.

The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (Rev 19:14)

I believe further that the Euphrates River will be dried up so the descending saints will have a staging area in preparation for their charge against the forces of the wicked.

"Kings from the East" means kings from the rising of the sun. I think "the East" is symbolic of the morning of the Day of the Lord.

I don't know why our role in the Battle of Armageddon is not preached more often. We hear a lot about believers going to their mansion in Heaven, which the Bible does not describe. But hear little about the army of the Lord invading the earth, which is mentioned several times in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. Selah. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. (Habakkuk 3:12-15)

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power On the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones To judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 1:14-15)

In fact, I find it hard to believe we will recline in mansions and then suddenly be called to return to earth and face the armies of the wicked, and the very persons of Antichrist and the False Prophet.

It makes more sense to me that the trumpet call, given in the fourth chapter of First Thessalonians, is announcing the Battle of Armageddon. The saints are raised from the dead, caught up into the air, mounted on the war stallions, and then descend with Jesus Christ to drive the wicked from the earth.

This makes perfect sense and fits perfectly the prophecies concerning the army of the Lord found in the Old and New Testaments.

But who are these kings-the kings from the East?

Stop and think! How often do Christians speak of ruling with Christ? Don't you find this to be a fairly common saying among the believers.

Now, what do they mean by this? Over whom are they going to rule? When are they going to rule? How does the idea of ruling tie in with going to a mansion in Heaven? Have you ever thought about this?

Do you believe you are going to rule with Christ?

If your answer is yes, whom are you going to rule?

When are you going to rule?

Where are you going to rule?

Are you going to rule over other saints in Heaven? Probably not.

Are you going to rule the angels in Heaven, while you are lying on your couch in your mansion?

Does this make sense?

Yet you claim you are going to rule with Christ?

Where is Christ going to rule? I think the Bible teaches He is going to govern the earth from Jerusalem. Are you going to govern the earth from Jerusalem?

Christ is going to govern the nations of the earth. Are you going to govern the nations of the earth? How are you going to do this from your mansion?

Does the Bible teach that you are going to return with Christ and rule the nations with a rod of iron? Yes, it most certainly does state this-provided you have lived in victory over sin. You have to be an overcomer to rule with Christ.

So you will rule on the earth over the nations.

When will this take place? It will take place when the Lord returns.

Now, think about this. The Bible says you are going to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Does this or does this not make you a king?

The kings from the East. The saints who are returning with Christ, ready to attack the forces of wickedness in the earth.

Kind of makes sense, doesn't it?

And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." (Rev 5:9-10)