The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

"What then so signal a removal of obstructions to the Christianization of a great part of the
East as the drying up of the flood of the Turkman host and power? What so notable a
preparation of the way for princes and peoples from the East, like the Magi from the
sunrising of old, to come to the Christian temple [Church] and enter, and worship?"
Mr. Barnes, in summing up his conclusions concerning this matter expresses a similar
thought:
"All that is fairly implied in the language used here is, that the kings of the east would be
converted to the true religion, or that they were at the time referred to in a state of
readiness to be converted if there were no hindrance or obstruction. There was some
hindrance or obstruction to their conversion; that is, as explained, from the Turkish power;
in other words they would be converted to the true faith if it were not for the influence of
that power."
Those who see that the fulfillment of these plagues must occur in connection with the very
closing events of the Age, and that they portray the judgments on those powers that stand
in the way of the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ and His saints, have no difficulty
in identifying these kings from the sunrising as the glorified kings and priests who are to
reign with Christ in the great work of blessing all nations--all the peoples of the earth.
Thus Mr. Russell sets forth the matter:
"'The drying up' is 'to prepare the way of the kings from the sunrising.' These kings we
understand to be the saints--those who, with Christ, will be 'kings and priests' to reign
over the earth. (Rev. 5:10.) They come, not to the sunrising, but from the sunrising. They
come bringing light with them. This is a beautiful symbol of how 'the righteous shall shine
forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.' They bring with them light, liberty, and
joy to the groaning creation, for 'the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His
wings [beams].' The object of all these changes is to prepare mankind for the rule of
righteousness--the Kingdom really of God's appointment, which is to take the place of
these which Antichrist has attempted to authorize."
Bearing in mind that this heavenly Kingdom is to have an earthly phase, may it not be
proper to apply the symbol to this aspect of the Kingdom also? The earthly or human
aspect of the Kingdom for the blessing of all the families of the earth, we understand, will
be made up of the Old Testament saints, worthy ones, who will be raised from the dead.
The place from which they will exert their influence will be Jerusalem and the land of
Palestine, which until quite recently has been in possession of the Turkish-Ottoman
Empire.
Understanding these kings from the sunrising to represent the two classes of the Kingdom,
we ask, Is it not reasonable to apply the symbol of the drying up of the great river
Euphrates, to the removal of those powers and influences that obstruct or hinder the
establishment of the Kingdom of God in both its heavenly, and its earthly aspects? A
careful examination of the Scriptures in which the great river Euphrates is used as a
symbol gives support to this double application. In Isa. 8:7, the Euphrates is used as a