Three: the number used by the inspired John to denote the devil’s irreverent mockery of the Godhead, by forming his own unholy trinity. Unclean spirits: the adjective used by the beloved apostle to inform his readers of the evil (foul/unclean) influence (breath/spirit) Satan uses to spread his false doctrine by mimicking God’s action of inspiring (breathe life into) His Word. Armageddon: an emotionally charged location where several memorable battles were fought between the people of God and their enemies. Thus, it is used by John as an allusion to illuminate the internal struggle taking place in the minds of men between God’s law (truth) and the law of sin (error). There is no question that the apostle’s inspired use of coded language becomes comprehensive when it is thoroughly examined with the entirety of God’s unsoiled word. Due to the immaculate harmony that is consistent in all sixty-six inspired books, the Bible has the incredible ability to explain itself. For this to be achieved, one must approach the Scriptures “prudently…and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil” (Ecclesiastes 5:1, emphasis added). Therefore, as we continue to discover the meaning of the symbols chosen by the Holy Spirit in our selected passage from the book of Revelation, we have arrived to the emblem of the frog. Like the number three, the description of unclean spirits, and reference to the plain of Esdraelon, John’s selection of the frog is neither random nor literal. Similar to Megiddo, John is once more sending his reader’s minds to an unforgettable event in Biblical history where this creature played a valuable role. The Psalmist, several years later, reminds his Israelite brethren of “when He worked His signs in Egypt…He sent swarms of flies among them which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them” (Psalm 78:43a, 45, emphasis added). Remember that the symbolic tone of this book resembles several examples from the Old Testament. In the mind of a converted Jew, the frog would at once be linked to plagues; specifically the ten plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7:14-12:30). Holy Writ details how it was through these ten plagues that the awesome power of God freed Israel from their bondage in Egypt. Curiously, four of the ten plagues involved specific animals that are small in size but have the fearful ability to create great chaos to any land when they arrive in abundance. The frog was the first of these four creatures sent by God to punish Pharaoh and Egypt for their rejection of God’s commandment (Exodus 8:1-15). Historians speak of the type of frog that proceeded from the banks of the Nile as a disgusting reptile that annoyingly croaks without ceasing, and due to its unclean nature brings forth a very potent stench to the land after it dies. Moses verifies this fact for he writes that when “the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields…they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank” (Exodus 8:13-14, emphasis added). Thus, this event involving the immense multitudes of these filthy creatures to the extent that they were found “even in the chambers of their kings” could not easily be forgotten by a believing Jew, but was clearly understood (Psalm 105:30b). Once again, the imagery used by the beloved apostle contains a spiritual lesson and is not solely a reminder of historical events. Observe that the plagues were a result of Pharaoh’s obdurate refusal to comply with God’s commandment. Biblical erudites concur that Jehovah’s selection of each plague was in association with Egyptian idols. When Moses was receiving his instructions from the Lord, it is revealed to him that “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them” (Exodus 7:4-5, emphasis added). For this reason, it must not be ignored that Jehovah God was proving beyond a shadow of a doubt to Egyptians, Israelites, and everyone who was aware of this marvelous event, that there is no other God outside of Him. He, too, proved that it was Pharaoh’s persistent refusal to accept His will that brought upon him those catastrophic plagues. Thus, the link between the actual events at Egypt and John’s allegorical allusion in Revelation is the tragic result of repeatedly rejecting the will of God. This stubborn persistence is illustrated by the inspired scribe in the form of the unclean frog; the animal understood by Hebrew scholars to represent plagues, pestilence, and vain babbling. The ceaseless and empty croak of the frog is certainly in the mind of the apostle since with it he is highlighting the unfruitfulness of false doctrine. Notice that these three unclean frogs “are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:14, emphasis added). This passage reveals the power of their influence, the extent of their influence, and the objective of their influence symbolized in the frog. John accomplishes this objective (inspired by the Holy Spirit) since the frog has a potent stench that is nauseating (the power of their influence), the ability to rapidly multiply and fill the land (the extent of their influence), and a loud and obnoxious croak that only succeeds in distracting anyone who is hypnotized by the loquacious sound (their objective). When we link John’s description in revealed form, the lesson materialized is the following: Satan and his allies are mocking the Godhead (the number three) by influencing man to reject God’s Holy Word (the unclean spirits) and convincing him to replace it with a fruitless doctrine (the frogs). The reality that the “three unclean spirits like frogs” exposes the dangerous nature of false doctrine also enlightens the tragic end of all who willingly embrace it. Solomon said it best: “There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12, emphasis added). Thus, it is undeniable that Armageddon decoded is both a promise and a wise warning. To be continued…
