And the sixth one poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, in order that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. And I saw coming from the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole inhabited world to gather them for the battle of the great day of God the Almighty. “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his garments so that he does not walk naked and they see his shame.” And he gathered them to the place which is called in Hebrew “Armageddon.” Revelation 16: 12-16
It is mystical, end-time Babylon (an apostate religious system led by the unholy trinity), that is the major force opposing God’s end-time people. As such, John borrows imagery from ancient Babylon to describe end-time Babylon’s fate. As the drying up of the literal Euphrates served as preparation for ancient Babylon’s collapse, so does the symbolic drying up of “the great river Euphrates” serve as a precursor to the fall of end-time Babylon.
End-time Babylon is portrayed in Revelation in a figurative sense. So it stands to reason that John speaks of the Euphrates in the same figurative fashion. It’s clear that the river is a metaphor by John’s explanation in Rev. 17: 15. He says that the waters on which the harlot (Babylon) sits is representative of people of all nations. That Babylon sits on them means that the nation’s people support the religious authority of end-time Babylon. Therefore, what is dried up is the nations’ support for Babylon’s religious system.
The nations’ secular and political powers will withdraw their support after realizing they have been deceived by Babylon’s promises of safety and security; this after witnessing Babylon’s impotence against the plagues. Consequently, the nations will turn against Babylon and contribute to its downfall (Rev. 17: 16).
Now who are the kings from the east? I believe they are the Father and Son of heaven. They are called kings from the east because scripture tells us that is the direction from which heavenly beings approach the earth. For example, Ezekiel 43: 2- “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east;” Revelation 7: 2- “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God;” and Matthew 24: 27- “For as the lightening comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man.”
It is the Father as king because in Dan. 7:9, 13, He is described as the Ancient of Days who sits on a throne upon which the Son of Man approaches. The Father is also referenced as king in Rev. 3: 21; 4: 2, 3. It is the Son as king as is described in Isa. 9: 6; Matt. 28: 18; Rev. 17:14; 19:16.
When the nations’ support of Babylon is dried up, the way is then prepared for the way of the Kings (Father and Son)’s battle plan (Rev. 17: 17) to be implemented; a plan that begins in the eastern sky. Of course, only Jesus will literally come, accompanied by His angels (Matt. 25: 31). The angels’ job, riding on white horses, is to gather the elect (Matt. 24: 31). Therefore, it is Jesus and the angels that will stand in opposition to the kings of earth’s army.