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After the fifth trumpet of Revelation, an angel pronounces that there are two more woes to follow. The sixth trumpet is about to sound, and something else is about to be set free to destroy a third of mankind.
Revelation 9:13-15
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And 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.
The locusts of the fifth trumpet were bound in the bottomless pit. Here, we see another four angels bound in the river Euphrates.
Naturally, the question arises: who are the four angels bound in the river Euphrates?
There isn’t much said about these angels. All we know is that they have been bound, so they must be fallen angels. They are also intended to be used to execute God’s wrath and kill a third of mankind.
The Bible doesn’t give us information about their names, why they were bound, or when they were bound. It simply tells us that they are there. Obviously, this extra information is not important—it wouldn’t change what they are prepared for or when they will be loosed.
Don’t Go Beyond What Is Written
They say curiosity killed the cat. Sometimes the Bible doesn’t give us the information we are curious about, so we need to be careful how we handle those situations.
It may be tempting to seek answers to our curiosities outside of the Bible. The identity of these four angels is one example, especially since there are disputed books outside the Bible that were not included in the canon. One of these books even mentions these four angels.
The Book of Enoch is part of what is called the Apocrypha. It is a book that some have suggested belongs in the Bible, but there are many reasons it is not.
Enoch lived before Noah, yet there was no Book of Enoch known throughout history until around 200–100 BC. That means the author was obviously not Enoch, even though the book claims to be. While some early Christians respected and even quoted Enoch, most church leaders did not treat it as Scripture.
It’s a mistake to think that a quote is an endorsement. Paul quotes pagan poets as well, without making them Scripture.
Enoch also contains a large amount of content not found anywhere else in the Bible. It essentially stands alone. Since Scripture is not of private interpretation, this creates serious issues. Many teachings in the book are also contrary to other parts of Scripture.
So the facts that it was never recognized as canon, was not written by the claimed author, appeared relatively late (around 200–100 BC), and contradicts other Scripture are all reasons it was rejected. Yet some Bibles still include it—but in a separate section, distinct from the rest of Scripture.
The Apocrypha can be useful for understanding Jewish thought at the time, but it cannot be used as authoritative Scripture for doctrine.
If we let our curiosity get the better of us, we may be tempted to turn to any book that can satisfy that desire to know. But in doing so, we run the risk of being drawn into false doctrine.
If it is going to be studied, it is my opinion that the Apocrypha should only be approached by seasoned Christians who know what they are doing. Newer believers may not be prepared for the challenge of distinguishing Scripture from commentary or fan fiction that presents itself as Scripture.
So if the Bible isn’t clear, and there are no other credible sources, we must learn to be content with not knowing everything. We don’t need to know the identity of these four angels.
Speculation Is Not Wrong
With all of that said, there is nothing wrong with speculation—as long as it remains speculation rather than becoming dogmatic doctrine. It does not add to or take away from Scripture, which is solid truth, because it is not being presented as such.
I try very hard not to share my speculations, because I don’t want people to think I am teaching something as if it were unquestionable truth. I have to be careful because of the position God has placed me in as a teacher.
Nevertheless, there are times when I will share my own thoughts if I believe they are worth considering. Some aspects of the sixth trumpet seem to fall into that category for me, so I am going to share some speculation shortly.
I will make it clear when I do, just to remind you that I am not presenting it as truth, but as opinion.
A Sudden Change Of Topic In The Sixth Trumpet
After we are told about the four angels being loosed from the river, the text almost makes a complete shift in topic. It is abrupt and jarring, because we go from talking about these four angels to 200,000,000 horsemen.
Revelation 9:16
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
We are not told where these horsemen come from, or even if the four angels lead them. They simply appear in the text as though they have always been there.
Revelation 9:17-19
17 And 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. 18 By 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. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
Horses do not have the heads of lions, nor do they breathe fire, smoke, and brimstone. They certainly do not have serpents for tails. These facts, along with the fact that this is a vision, indicate that this should be understood symbolically. So we need to determine what it means.
Horses under the command of God are often symbolic of spiritual beings:
2 Kings 2:11-12
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
2 Kings 6:16-17
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Isaiah 31:3
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Zechariah 6:2-5
2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? 5 And the angel answered me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
The angels who took Elijah were seen as horses. The angels protecting Elisha were seen as horsemen. God contrasts Egypt’s horses of flesh with His horses of spirit. And the horses in Zechariah are explicitly identified as spirits.
Psalm 104:4
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
There is more than enough to suggest that the 200,000,000 horses in Revelation represent angels. In Revelation 9:17–19, we see these beings killing men with fire, smoke, and brimstone. These are the same kinds of elements the two angels used against Sodom and Gomorrah in the book of Genesis.
A third of mankind is killed in this way. But this raises an important question: are these angels fallen or not?
My Speculation
Everything I’m about to share is my own speculation. I believe it makes sense when everything is considered together, but do not take this as me claiming that the following is definitively true.
I believe these are fallen angels. I also believe they are the same fallen angels we saw in the fifth trumpet as locusts.
There are several reasons for this. The first is how suddenly they are introduced. As I mentioned before, it is as if they were already present. That would make sense if John expected the reader to recognize them from the fifth trumpet.
After the five months of torment in the fifth trumpet, we should ask: where did those “locusts” go? We are not told they were imprisoned again. So what happened to them? Where are they now? What are they going to do?
Those fallen angels were commanded not to kill people. They were described as having tails like scorpions. But here, we see tails like serpents. Why describe them in two different ways if they are the same army?
The answer may be that they have been given a new command. Scorpion stings are painful, but rarely deadly. Snake bites, on the other hand, can be lethal. Previously, they were told not to kill; now, they are commanded to kill. Their function has changed, so their description changes as well.
Now they have serpents instead of scorpions because they kill. Now they have faces like lions instead of men because they no longer need to restrain themselves—they can act with full force.
I believe John does not tell us where this 200,000,000 army comes from because he has already told us—it comes from the bottomless pit. In the fifth trumpet, they have a king named Abaddon over them, but now they may also be organized under four angels who have just been released.
This is my interpretation. It is speculation. But I believe it is a reasonable theory.
What we can say with certainty is that this is not a 200,000,000-man army. These are angels. They kill a third of mankind with fire, smoke, and brimstone. And they carry this out over an hour, a day, a month, and a year.
Revelation 9:20-21
20 And 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: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Even after enduring months of torment in the fifth trumpet—and then seeing a third of mankind killed in the sixth—people still do not repent.
Death was the final plague in Egypt. It is the final warning before the seventh trumpet. Yet even death does not persuade people to repent. There is nothing left to move them. All that remains is the final judgment.
Before we move on to the seventh and final trumpet, there is something else we need to consider. If all of this takes place after the tribulation, as discussed in a previous study, then what is happening with the government of the Antichrist during this time? That will be addressed in the next study.
Continue To Unit 7:28 – The Last Trumpet: Resurrection, Reaping, and the Bowls of Wrath OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 7 – The Latter Days – A Detailed Look