(2) Revelation 16:12-21

These verses show that when the sixth bowl is poured out, the Confederation of kings from the East (and North — see Note on p. will begin its advance toward the land of Israel (v. 12). This explains the movement of armies presented in point no. 2. As these confederated kings from the north and east of Israel are entering, the western armies, under the leadership of the Beast and the false prophet, will take new courage and unite their forces to enter the land (vv. 13,14). This is point no. 3. When the western armies enter the land of Israel, the Lord will descend from heaven as a thief (v. 15). He will judge the Western Confederation under the aegis of Babylon* (seventh bowl, vv. 17-21). This is point no. 4.

[ Note: *This is not the judgment of religious Babylon (the great harlot). The judgment of religious Babylon takes place earlier, at the middle of the week, when the political face of Babylon (the Beast) revolts against the religious power (the Woman) and destroys it (Rev. 17:16). Here it is the final judgment of Babylon in its political order under the leadership of the Beast. Wherever Babylon is described in Revelation as a "harlot", it refers to its religious side, but when Babylon is described as a "city", it is its civil or political side. (In Rev. 14:8, the "great city" appears not to be part of the original text, since that verse refers to religious Babylon. Compare with the Almeida translation, Revised Version). ] This outline covers only from point no. 2 to no. 4, but note that the order is maintained, although not all the battles of the summary are presented. Revelation, being in the New Testament, presents the prophecy from the western point of view, and so it interrupts the sequence of battles when the western armies are destroyed. Although Rev. 16:14 hints that more battles will take place (as the armies of the whole world are also being drawn to the land of Israel), such battles are not described because this is not the subject of the book of Revelation.