People online worry that the Euphrates River drying up could signal the end of times(Image: Esri)
The water levels of the Euphrates River, located in the so-called "cradle of civilisation", are dropping at a worrying pace. This worrying drought has sparked fears that a Biblical end-times prophecy may be unfolding.
The shrinking Euphrates - Western Asia's longest river, which flows through Turkey, Syria and Iraq - cuts through oneof the Bible's most important regions, the Fertile Crescent. The waterway plays a crucial role in the Book of Revelation - and a prophecy linked to its role has generated significant anxiety online, as it predicts the end times and Christ's Second Coming.
Revelation 16:12 reads: "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." Many believe this serves as a warning that once the Euphrates runs dry, a massive army from the East will advance across the riverbed towards theBattle of Armageddon. This verse represents the second Biblical prophecy regarding the Euphrates drying up, with the first found in Jeremiah 50:38, where God proclaimed: "A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror."
The bible is quite explicit in its prophecy concerning the Euphrates(Image: D-Keine via Getty Images)
What is the Biblical 'second prophecy' The second prophecy in Revelation, part of the seven bowl judgements symbolising the end of the seven-year tribulation, is so devastating that "no human being would be saved." The dwindling state of the river has left end-times believers increasingly unsettled, with many convinced this ancient prophecy is unfolding before our eyes, reportsthe Express.
A 2013 NASA report revealed that both the Tigris and Euphrates river basins - the waters of Babylon - lost a staggering 117 million acre feet (34 cubic miles) of freshwater between 2003 and 2009. This volume of water loss is roughly on par with that of the Dead Sea, with the lion's share (60%) due to groundwater being extracted from underground reservoirs.
In bygone times, these two formidable rivers allowed farming communities to flourish, but today they are gradually drying up amid an escalating crisis. For those who steadfastly believe in Biblical end-times prophecy, such a development could see the prophecy come to pass within the next few decades.
A report estimated that the Euphrates River will dry up by 2040(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources has warned that without immediate action, the Euphrates River could completely dry up by 2040, with falling water levels further exacerbated by droughts driven by climate change.
Source: Drudge Report
