If the trumpets and vials move in tandem, and if the Islamic State (IS) represent the locusts of the fifth trumpet; then it corresponds with the fifth vial which is darkness and gnawing tongues (a symptom of dehydration; article) over the beast's kingdom (Sunni Islam; aka Babylon).  Thus the sixth trumpet and vial would commence after the five months of locusts end.

The last five years of drought in the Middle East have beaten records over 100 years old. article
 
"12One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. 13And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like to serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:12-21)

"10And the fifth angel poured out his vial on the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. 12And the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Revelation 16:10-16)

The sixth trumpet and the sixth vial are the only two passages in the New Testament which mention the Euphrates River.  The news portrayed the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River as very poorly built and difficult to maintain.  What if there were FOUR key dams on the Euphrates River which God graciously sent angels to protect?  Will they soon be relieved of duty so that IS can completely restrict the flow of water in order to control the people, thus enabling an army of 200,000,000 to cross it?

The IS has threatened Turkey to give them control of a dam, and IS now has 49 Turks from Mosul to bargain with. article

"Since January 2014, the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq has succeeded in taking control of several dams. To date, the group controls the Haditha Dam (the second-largest in the country), the Samarra Barrage and the Nuaimiyah Dam. Between January and April, the IS also controlled the strategic Fallujah Dam.
The dams are an essential element of the group’s military strategy. The IS has already proved its determination to use the dams as a weapon by deliberately drowning government forces around the Nuaimiyah Dam. When in control of the Fallujah Dam, the group closed eight of the ten doors of the dam, reducing water levels in the south and flooding land upstream." article

"In April 2014, fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria captured the Nuaimiyah Dam in western Iraq, despite earlier efforts to defend the site. They then overflowed it to dislodge Iraqi soldiers dug in upstream of the site—and to deny drinking water to civilians downstream." article

"The [Haditha] dam, which regulates the waters of the River Euphrates, is located north of the city of Haditha, approximately 150 miles (240 km) northwest of Baghdad. It is a major source of hydroelectricity for Iraq’s national grid behind Mosul Dam, which was recaptured by Kurdish and Iraqi forces backed by US air power on Monday." article

It would be an interesting twist if the red, yellow and blue uniformed army gathered in the Jezreel Valley was actually invited by Israel to use that area as a base from which to launch a campaign against IS.  Then if Israel launched rockets against Iran's nuclear facilities, this coalition army turned and attacked Israel instead.  There are so many ways this could play out, and several have nothing to do with prophecy.
I'm just continuing to watch for my Lord's return.

My Prophetic Outlook of 2012

The date of April 6, 2009 was found counting 1260 (3.5 X 360) days back from the Feast of Trumpets in 2012. Paul gave us Feast of Trumpets (I Thess. 4-5) for Christ's return, and Daniel (12:10-12) gave us the year which is 45 years after Jerusalem was retaken by Jews in 1967. All other dates are merely my conjecture. For how my post-trib view of the fulfillments of the seals, trumpets, and vials, read the 2011 booklet on my site at http://www.kneelingmedia.org/AwakeBride/.

On April 6, 2009, President Obama began his 3.5 years as the “little horn” by announcing in Turkey that “The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam.” In the first three months of 2011, President Obama systematically removed three of the ten horns of the Sunni beast: Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. President Obama has not attempted to remove the two horns of the Shia beast: Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi army in Iraq; and Ahmadenijad, the dictator of Iran (Persia). The Sunni and Shia hate the idolatrous Wahhabi of Saudi Arabia (whore of Babylon).

In October 2011, the US uncovered an Iranain plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador in DC. The Saudis are afraid the Iranians will attack them on their own soil. Al-Qaeda's attempts to blow-up the Kaaba in Mecca failed, but the Sunni beast will destroy the Jeddah-Mecca area (possibly with a little help from Shia Iran). The port of Jeddah sends out oil tankers throughout the world. The Saudis have had the US and other countries wrapped around their little oily fingers for generations.

“And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Rev. 17:12-18)

This destruction will be quick and devastating, and the smoke will be visible for miles.

“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall mourn her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is your judgment come.” (Rev. 18:8-10)

That sounds like a conventional bomb. This is “mystery Babylon” not the city in Iraq. Babylon was the religious center of its time, today all Muslims pray facing Mecca.

The book of Esther is read during Israel's holiday of Purim. Purim is March 8, 2012 this year. In Persia, Haman cast lots (purim) for the best day to annihilate the Jews, and arrived with the 13th of Adar (Esther 3:13), which is the twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar. Because Esther fasted and prayed and boldly pleaded to the king for her people, the Jews were granted authrority to kill their persecutors on that day instead. Though Leon Panetta suggested Israel may attack Iran in April, May or June, I think March 8th would be poetic justice for the modern-day Haman.

Today on The 700 Club, Erick Stakelbeck stated that war against Israel would occur this year. He also suggested Isaiah 17:1 might be fulfilled soon.

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1)

For more of Stakelbeck's amazing indepth reporting, check out his “Stakelbeck on Terror” at
http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror and don't be alarmed if his site is under attack and difficult to view. Though Tiglath-Pileser beseiged Damascus for three years, the Assyrians did not leave it as a heap of ruins.

This April 6, 2012 will be the evening prior to Passover commemorating Yahweh's deliverance of the Jews from Egypt. Egyptians might seek some poetic justice of their own in attacking Israel that day or during the following week of Unleavened Bread.

On the day of Messiah's return, September 16, 2012, some country is going to use chemical and/or nuclear bombs according to Zechariah, or the LORD will simulate something like it.

“And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.” (Zechariah 14:12-15)

Stay close to the LORD Jesus in prayer, and obey what His Holy Spirit tells you to do, because the coming days will be very perilous. 2011 saw the most earthquakes of any single year, and had ten different billion dollar disasters in the US alone. Jesus told us of the increase of quakes and signs in the sky (Matthew 24). I pray you are prepared.

Apostasy and Perdition

"Now we beseech you, brothers, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together to him, That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?"
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-5)

Christ's second coming and our gathering together to him will not occur until after a "falling away" and the revealing of the "son of perdition". This “man of sin” won't declare himself to be deity until after a "falling away" (646 apostasia); a defection from truth, an apostasy. The word is used one other time in Acts 21:21 to "forsake" Moses. It is akin to 647 apostasion, a separation or divorce. This refers to Christians abandoning their love and faith in Christ (1 Timothy 4:1). Though several denominations have ordained homosexual leaders in recent decades, I think churches who recently removed their crosses and embraced Chrislam have fulfilled “falling away”, since they have accepted a false god, Allah, as being equal to Yahweh who gave us His Son Yeshua. Allah has no son. Islam denies the Father and the Son, and is antichirst (I John 2:22-23). Paul is very clear that “the son of perdition” is revealed after the “falling away” and before “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
One of the reasons the pre-trib rapture theory came into being was because people kept calling the pope the son of perdition or the antichrist. The new doctrine placed the revealing of the son of perdition after Christians had been raptured away, and so the pope could be as corrupt as he desired without constant accusation. Though Catholics hold to some unbiblical doctrines, they have not denied the Father and His Son Jesus, so they are not antichrist.
Judas is the other person called a “son of perdition” (John 17:12), though he was one of the Twelve. So a “son of perdition” is a professed follower of Jesus who then denies Christ. To be an “antichrist” he will follow a religion that denies the Father and the Son, like Islam. He will exalt himself as God in a shrine/naos of God/theos (which could mean magistrate), not the Hebrew Temple (so it doesn't have to be rebuilt before Christ's return); possibly the White House. Yes, I'm alluding to President Obama.
I consider President Obama to be the “son of perdition” here and the “little horn” of Daniel 7.

Daniel 7:8 “. . . there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Beasts are empires, and horns are kings."

Daniel 7:24-26 “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it to the end.”

President Obama applauded the Tunisian vendor who set himself on fire to contest his government. The Tunisian president was a peacemaker who protected Jews in his country and held talks with Israel. One horn down. Obama's administration worked behind the scenes and openly in Egypt to bring down its president who upheld his country's treaty with Israel. Two horns down. Obama used his power to start a war with Libya through the UN, and has continued to do so in violation of the U.S. Constitution. This third horn is not going down as easily.

II Thessalonians 2:8-12 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all delusion of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

I think the “strong delusions” came in the 1800's with uniformitarianism denying Noah's flood (II Peter 3:2-7) and the age of humanity on earth, and evolution which denied Elohim created man in His image (Romans 1:18-32), and then the pre-tribulation rapture theory gained ground in America to lull Christ's church to sleep. Lastly, from the 1880 to 1914, several thousand Muslims immigrated to the United States from the Ottoman Empire, and from parts of South Asia.

Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark on their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

The Muslims have been beheading people and making the videos available. They have been slaughtering Christians, Jews, and 'unworthy' Muslims by the thousands throughout the Middle East the last two decades. Their soldiers wear berets and armbands with the blasphemous name of Allah.

Revelation 18:22-23 “. . . for your merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain on the earth.” All the nations have been deceived that Islam was a 'religion of peace'.

Revelation 16:6 “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.”

Revelation 17:6 “And on her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.”

Obama is not the 8th head of the beast, which will be the last caliphate of Islam. The beast is the empire of moon worship, which began in Babylon with Nimrod, and “is[was] not” while John wrote. The leader of the 8th head is the Mahdi, who is likely Muqtada al-Sadr, who will revive the Ottoman empire which was the 7th head which received a mortal would at the end of WWI. And the “son of perdition” and the beast of Islam will go into perdition.

Revelation 17:11 “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.”

Revelation 20:11 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Three Angelic Announcements

And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:6-12)

The first angelic announcement is the everlasting gospel with a loud voice to the whole world from mid-air, imploring them to revere and glorify Creator God for His judgment is coming. Using a direct broadcast satellite, SkyAngel went on the air on December 10, 1996 with six television channels and three radio channels. God may have sent an angel, or earthly messengers called missionaries, to proclaim the gospel to those people groups which do not have radio and television.
The second angelic announcement is the fall of the great city Babylon. The capital city of Baghdad is located roughly fifty miles north of the ancient ruins of Babylon in Iraq. Saddam Hussein likened himself to Nebuchadnezzar, and had a desire to be the head of a new Babylonian empire. Training of the 9/11/01 Saudi hijackers was linked to Iraq. People from over 90 nations were killed in that attack. A coalition of nations led by the US attacked Iraq. With "shock and awe" from April 3-12, 2003, Baghdad was subdued.
The third angelic announcement is a warning against worshiping the beast or receiving the mark of the beast or its image. The beast is Islam; it's image is a crescent moon. The Antichrist will arise to lead the Muslims in their take-over of the world. He will declare himself to be god on the Temple Mount and cause many Jews and Christians to be killed. I suspect this will occur before the trumpets and vials.

Islam's Major Players in Great Tribulation

Babylon (Middle-east Islam)
The satanic system of Babylon in the last days in middle-eastern Islam. It is divided between the Sunnis (beast of the sea), the Shia (beast of the earth), and the Wahhabis (the whore that rides the beast of the sea).

The Wahhabis believe Allah has a physical body and sits on a throne, and is a unique unity. They insist on hatred and violence toward Muslims and non-Muslims who disagree with them. The House of Saud, which rules Saudi Arabia, funds the indoctrination of other Muslims into this sect. They would like to remain wealthy and in power, and do not ascribe to the end-time eschatology of the Shia. The bordering countries of Kuwait and United Arab Emirates are also Wahhabi.

The Shia, predominant in Iran with large populations in Iraq and Afghanistan, believe the descendants of Mohammed (religious leaders called Imams) have special political and religious power over the people. They believe they must create world-wide chaos before their savior, the Mahdi (12th Imam) will return to rule the world.

The Sunnis believe Mohammed's generals and their descendants power over the people. They also believe Allah does not resemble his creation in any way, and to imagine him in a form is idolatry. Yet they pray to saints to aid their prayers, which the Wahhabis consider idolatry. The Sunni sect is the largest with dozens of national adherents.
There are many other sects and beliefs, but these are the main sects of Islam.

Beast of the Sea (Sunni Confederation)
And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads the name of blasphemy. (Revelation 13:1)
Normal animals are usually called "beasts of the field". The phrase "sand of the sea" is used throughout the Bible to describe an innumerable multitude. This beast is comprised of people. It is very similar to the dragon described in the previous chapter, with a difference in the number of crowns. With the dragon, the crowns were worn by each empire. With the beast of the sea, the crowns equal the number of leaders (horns).

And the beast which I saw was like to a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(Revelation 13:2)
This particular beast is a Frankenstein of empires first introduced in Daniel 7. These empires persecuted the Jews prior to the rebirth of the nation of Israel: lion of England, bear of Russia, and the leopard (panther) of Germany. Each of these countries is still involved and aiding the Muslim Beast, and each has a large population of Muslims.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like to the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:3-8)
All Muslim countries have a large Sunni population except for Iran (Shia) and Saudi Arabia (Wahhabi). The "little horn" with the blasphemous mouth, arises from the large sea of Muslims.
Muqtada Al-Sadir from Iraq descended from Mohammad and leads the Mahdi Army of black flags while keeping connections with his father's social services network throughout Iraq; a combination of combat and compassion which has done well for Hezbollah and Hamas. He is currently a Shia cleric studying in Iran to become an ayatollah (which is usually a twelve year process). Osama ben Laden was/is a Sunni from Saudi Arabia who located his base, Al Qaeda, in Afghanistan. If he is still alive, he might be considered a candidate for Antichrist because he has great wealth and has had many victorious battles against infidels.

Beast of the Earth (Shia Confederation)
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. (Revelation 13:11)
Lamb is arnion meaning lambkin or young lamb or ram. The horn in Afghanistan was/is Osama ben Laden, though he is Sunni; it's possible a Shia could take his place. The horn in Iran is Achmajinedab.

And he excercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.(Revelation 13:12-14)
If the seventh head of the beast of the sea was the Ottoman empire which was dissected at the end of WWI, yet survived and revived; and this lamb-like beast with two horns comes afterward, it is within the ancient Ottoman empire. These Muslims would deceive with miracles and wonders and their "fire"-power (nukes) and make an image to the beast. They will initiate a new holocaust.

Revived Medes and Persians (Afghanistan and Iran)
The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.(Daniel 8:20)
Japheth's son, Madai (hence Medes), occupied the lands now known as Afghanistan. In the third and second centuries BC, the Parthians, a nomadic Iranian people, arrived in ancient Afghanistan. The Parthians established control in most of what is Iran as early as the middle of the 3rd century BC; about 100 years later another Indo-European group from the north - the Tocharian Kushans (a subgroup of the tribe called the Yuezhi by the Chinese) - entered the region that is now Afghanistan and established an empire lasting almost four centuries. There remains a strong Shia dominance in central Afghanistan, urban centers and the Herat province.
Iran has the largest Shia population. Central Afghanistan and eastern Iraq also have large Shia populations. The United Arab Emirates and Yemen have small Shia populations.

And he had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six. (Revelation 13:15-18)
Iran is working on creating a new Islamic currency.

The Whore (Wahhabi Confederation)
Countries with large Wahhabi populations are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates. The heart of Wahhabism is the Kaaba in Mecca, and its economic capital is the port city of Jeddah 45 miles away. Together, Mecca and Jeddah and the house of Saud are well described in Revelation 18.

For more info go to www.KneelingMedia.org/AwakeBride