Revelation 9 describes a moment of divine judgment—four angels bound at the Euphrates are released, leading to devastation upon the earth. Joel 2 echoes this theme, describing the fall of Eden into ruin, reinforcing the prophetic timeline.
The Significance of the Number 9 in History
The number 9 has long been associated with completion, judgment, and transformation across cultures and historical events:
Biblical Symbolism—Nine represents finality and divine judgment, as seen in Revelation 9.
Pregnancy and Birth Pains—A full-term pregnancy lasts nine months, symbolizing the culmination of creation and the intense labor pains preceding new life. This mirrors prophetic warnings of tribulation before renewal.
Historical Events—Major shifts have occurred in the ninth month, September, including 9/11, reinforcing its prophetic weight.
Numerical Properties—Nine holds unique mathematical properties, always returning to itself when multiplied (e.g., 9×3 = 27 → 2+7 = 9), symbolizing an unbreakable cycle.
The Garden of Eden and the Four Angels
The Garden of Eden represents divine order, abundance, and creation. In Joel 2:3, the contrast between Eden’s flourishing state and the wasteland left behind mirrors historical upheavals:
Before them, prosperity—A world of relative peace before 9/11.
Behind them, devastation—The wars, economic collapse, and global instability that followed.
Fire devours, a flame blazes—Symbolic of destruction, war, and judgment.
This fall from Eden aligns with Revelation 9’s four angels, who are released at the Euphrates to bring judgment. The Euphrates itself is one of the four rivers of Eden, reinforcing the connection between creation and destruction.
The Four Angels and the Rivers of Eden
The four angels released in Revelation 9:14 are tied to the four rivers of Eden, reinforcing their prophetic role:
Pishon—Associated with gold, wealth, and prosperity, now stripped from Babylon.
Gihon—Linked to the nations surrounding Cush, mirroring Middle Eastern conflicts.
Hiddekel—Moving toward Assyria, modern Iraq and Syria.
Euphrates—The exact location of prophetic fulfillment.
9/11: Judgment Upon the Great City
The events of September 11, 2001 align with Revelation’s numerical patterns:
Revelation 9:15 states: “So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.”
The ninth month, September, marks this event.
The 200 million troops encode 2001, the year of fulfillment.
Senate Resolution 666, passed prior to 9/11, identified Afghanistan and Iraq—nations through which the Euphrates River flows—leading to a military campaign that fulfilled Revelation 9:14: “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
COVID-19: The Prophetic Plague
Revelation 9:18 describes a plague that afflicts the earth: “A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.” The pandemic that shook the world—COVID-19, originating in Wuhan, China—mirrors this prophecy.
The Wuhan Connection
COVID-19’s origins remain debated, with theories ranging from natural transmission to a potential lab leak. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, located near the wet market where the first cases emerged, had been studying coronaviruses for over a decade. The World Health Organization launched investigations into its origins, but definitive answers remain elusive.
The Horses and Chinese Color Symbolism
Revelation 9:17 describes the horses and riders: “Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.”
These colors align with traditional Chinese symbolism, reinforcing the prophetic connection:
Fiery Red (Fire)—Symbolizes good fortune and joy in Chinese culture. It represents summer, guarded by a red sparrow, and its direction is south.
Greenish Blue (Wood)—Represents spring, vitality, and renewal. It is guarded by a green-blue dragon, and its direction is east.
Sulfur Yellow (Earth)—Symbolizes the center, neutrality, and imperial prestige. In China, yellow was the color of emperors, regarded as the most beautiful and powerful shade.
The lion-like heads of the horses evoke Chinese guardian lions, symbols of protection that—within this prophecy—bring devastation instead.
Joel 2 and the Army of Judgment
Joel 2 describes an army that marches in perfect order, bringing destruction:
They have the appearance of horses—Aligning with Revelation 9’s imagery.
They gallop like cavalry—Echoing the 200 million troops in Revelation.
They rush upon the city—A direct parallel to 9/11’s devastation.
Before them, the land is like Eden; behind them, a desert waste—A clear depiction of prosperity turning into ruin.
The Unfolding of Divine Judgment
The events of 9/11 and COVID-19 were not isolated crises but foretold moments of reckoning. The four angels of Revelation 9, bound at the Euphrates, were released, marking a shift in divine judgment. Joel 2 reinforces this timeline, describing the fall from Eden’s prosperity into destruction, culminating in global upheaval.
Estephan