1. Introduction
Some futurist interpretations identify the army in Revelation 9 with a future Chinese force of two hundred million soldiers and connect it with the gathering at Armageddon in Revelation 16. Neither passage names China. This lesson examines the Euphrates imagery within a first-century framework, considering its possible relationship to the Roman campaign against Jerusalem and Jesus’ warnings of coming judgment. We will distinguish the wording of the biblical text from proposed historical fulfilments.
A. Building on the Previous Lessons
- When was the Great Tribulation?
- What was the Abomination of Desolation?
- Had the gospel been preached to all nations before the Great Tribulation?
- Why does Revelation equate Jerusalem to Sodom and Egypt?
- Who was Josephus, and is he a credible historian?
- What are the Seven Seals?
- How did the seals relate to the Great Tribulation?
- Was one quarter of the population killed, as Revelation says?
- Who were the 144,000? When did this number stop counting?
- Understanding the various calendars of the Great Tribulation.
B. The Focus of This Lesson
This lesson examines the Euphrates passages in Revelation 9 and 16. Who are the four angels? What does the Greek text say about the number of horsemen? How might these visions relate to the Roman armies involved in destroying Jerusalem?
C. Looking Ahead
The following lessons will examine further details of the Great Tribulation, bringing together the biblical prophecies and the historical events proposed as their fulfilment.
2. Armies Cross the Euphrates
A. Scripture References
Revelation addresses seven churches living in the first century. Our lesson “Introduction to Revelation” adopts an early date for its composition, before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and considers its visions within the setting of the Jewish War.
Before the revolt, Nero had shown a willingness to accommodate Jewish religious concerns, notably by granting an appeal concerning the Temple at Poppaea’s request (Antiquities 20.8.11). Josephus also records that Florus deliberately provoked rebellion because he feared that, while peace continued, the Jews would accuse him before Nero. War would divert attention from his misconduct (Josephus, Jewish War 2.14.3; 3.1.1–3). Together, these accounts suggest Nero preferred to keep Judea under Roman rule peacefully. After the defeat of Cestius Gallus in late 66 CE, however, Nero appointed Vespasian to suppress the rebellion and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring nations. Vespasian’s campaign began in 67 CE, and his son Titus subsequently commanded the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Two passages in Revelation associate the Euphrates with the release or preparation of forces for judgment. Revelation 9 describes four angels bound at the river and a mounted army. Revelation 16 describes the river drying up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. Within the interpretation developed in this lesson, these visions are considered in relation to the judgment that overtook Jerusalem.
saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 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. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
Revelation 9:14-16 NKJV
The second passage appears in Revelation 16:
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.
Revelation 16:12
B. Futurist False Teaching On Euphrates Crossing
Some futurist interpreters understand Revelation 9:16 as predicting a literal army of two hundred million soldiers, sometimes identified with China. They connect this army with the drying of the Euphrates and the kings from the east in Revelation 16:12.
However, neither passage names China. Revelation 9 describes a mounted army associated with the release of four angels at the Euphrates, while Revelation 16 describes the preparation of a route for eastern kings. Identifying these as the same army is an interpretive conclusion rather than an explicit statement in the text.
The central question is whether John’s vision describes a literal military headcount or uses symbolic language to portray an overwhelming force of judgment. This must be considered within Revelation’s biblical imagery and historical setting.
C. Could China Soon Field an Army of 200 Million?
Some futurist teachers identify the army of two hundred million with China while also proclaiming that Christ’s return is imminent. This combination invites a practical question: how could China mobilise, equip, feed and transport such an enormous force in the near future?
For those who also place Christ’s return at the completion of six thousand years of human history, their proposed timetable further restricts the time available. An imminent fulfilment requires an explanation of how this unprecedented mobilisation could occur within that period. Identifying China as the army’s source does not, by itself, provide that explanation.
3. Four Angels
The Greek word translated “angel” is ἄγγελος (angelos), meaning “messenger.” Scripture uses it for both heavenly beings and human messengers. For example, Luke 7:24 uses this word for the messengers sent by John the Baptist. The context therefore determines who is intended.
Revelation 9:14–15 describes four angels bound at the Euphrates and released at an appointed time to bring judgment. Identifying them requires more than the word’s meaning alone. This lesson considers whether they represent spiritual powers operating through the Roman forces involved in the judgment on Jerusalem.
A. Angel in Heaven, Demons on Earth
The word “angel” does not necessarily describe a holy angel; Scripture also speaks of the devil and his angels. The four angels at the Euphrates are bound until their appointed release. This restraint suggests fallen angels, comparable to the confinement of sinful angels described in Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4. On this understanding, the sixth trumpet announces the release of evil spiritual powers whose destructive activity serves God’s appointed judgment.
In this interpretation, the sixth trumpet and sixth bowl describe corresponding aspects of the same judgment. The trumpet signifies a declaration in heaven, while the bowl shows its effect poured out on the earth. The sixth angel is clearly in heaven, but this does not necessarily apply to the four angels on earth.
B. Angels as Leaders
The Greek word ἄγγελος (angelos) can refer to a human messenger or a spiritual being. In the letters to the seven churches, Jesus addresses each church’s “angel.” These messengers may be understood as the leaders responsible for receiving and communicating His words to their congregations.
“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
Revelation 2:1
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
This provides a basis for considering whether the four angels at the Euphrates are associated with leadership. Within the interpretation presented here, they are understood as evil spiritual powers operating through the commanders of the Roman armies. The distinction is between the spiritual powers and the human leaders through whom they act.
C. Euphrates Dries Up
i) Preparing the Way
Revelation 16:12 describes the water of the Euphrates being dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. The Greek verb ξηραίνω (xērainō) means “to dry up” or “to wither,” depending on its context. Here, it describes the river’s water. The emphasis is on preparing a passage; the verse does not specify the permanent disappearance of the entire river from its source to its mouth.
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.
Revelation 16:12
ii) Bridges Across the Euphrates
Ancient armies were not dependent solely on fords. Strabo records a bridge over the Euphrates in his description of Commagene, demonstrating that a bridge crossing existed well before the siege of Jerusalem. (Strabo, Geography 16.2.1–3)
Tacitus supplies more detailed evidence from Nero’s reign. During the Armenian campaign of 62 CE, Paetus led the Fourth and Twelfth Legions across the Euphrates by a bridge. Tacitus also describes Corbulo constructing a pontoon bridge, using vessels equipped with artillery to drive back the opposing forces. Once the bridge was completed, Roman troops established positions on the opposite side. (Tacitus, Annals 15.7 and 15.9) These accounts show that crossing the Euphrates was an established military undertaking in the years preceding the Jewish War.
iii) The Armies and the Euphrates
Josephus directly connects the forces at Jerusalem with the Euphrates region. After the city’s destruction, Titus retained the Tenth Legion in Jerusalem rather than sending it back beyond the Euphrates, where it had previously been stationed. Josephus also records that three thousand soldiers drawn from the Euphrates guards joined Titus’s army. (Josephus, Jewish War 7.1.3 and 5.1.6). These statements provide a historical basis for examining Revelation’s Euphrates imagery in relation to the Roman campaign.
iv) Famine and Reduced Water Levels
Acts 11:28 records Agabus’s prediction of a great famine during Claudius’s reign. Josephus independently describes a severe famine in Judea, during which many died, and Queen Helena arranged relief supplies from Egypt and Cyprus. (Josephus, Antiquities 20.2.5)
Severe drought could have lowered the Euphrates sufficiently to facilitate passage at suitable locations. The documented famine provides a possible background for investigating this explanation, although it does not establish the river’s water level when the Roman troops crossed. Bridges provided another means of passage, but their existence alone does not explain the drying John described.
The historical connection between Roman forces and the Euphrates is therefore clear. Within the first-century interpretation proposed here, reduced river levels remain a possible physical explanation of the preparation described in Revelation 16:12.
Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Acts 11:28
4. Understanding the Number of Horsemen
A. The Greek Expression
In the Textus Receptus, Revelation 9:16 uses the expression δύο μυριάδες μυριάδων, meaning “two myriads of myriads.” A myriad is ten thousand, giving the numerical translation “two hundred million,” as found in the NKJV. The question is how this number relates to the historical fulfilment of John’s vision.
The term “myriad” can also convey an immense or countless multitude. This raises the question of whether John’s numerical expression functions symbolically within the vision rather than as a literal military census.
B. The First-Century Framework
Our lesson “Introduction to Revelation” argues that the book was written to believers living in the first century and concerned events approaching in their own time. In “Jesus’ Last Days Prophecy,” we understand Jesus’ reference to “this generation” as placing the Great Tribulation within approximately forty years of His prophecy.
Within this framework, the Euphrates army should be examined in relation to the forces involved in the Jewish War. The interpretation developed here therefore looks for a first-century correspondence between John’s vision and the Roman campaign against Jerusalem.
C. Numbers with an Encoded Meaning
In our lesson “Antichrist,” we identify the number 666 with Nero Caesar through the numerical values of his name. On that understanding, Revelation uses a number to communicate an identity that its readers could recognise.
This raises the question of whether the immense number in Revelation 9 also carries symbolic meaning. The particular symbolism must be examined on its own terms, but a numerical expression need not function solely as a literal count of soldiers.
D. Four Angels and Four Roman Armies
Revelation 9:14–15 describes four angels released to bring judgment.
saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 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.
Revelation 9:14-15
Josephus identifies four Roman legions participating in the campaign against Jerusalem: the Fifth, Tenth, Twelfth and Fifteenth. I propose that these four legionary forces correspond to the four angels, understood here as spiritual powers operating through their commanders.
Including supporting auxiliary infantry and cavalry, I propose forces of approximately ten thousand men each. This is a historical reconstruction associated with the vision’s symbolism, rather than a literal translation of “two myriads of myriads.” Section 5 examines these forces in greater detail.
E. The Euphrates Connection
As established in section 3C, Josephus connects the Tenth Legion with an earlier posting beyond the Euphrates and records three thousand additional soldiers drawn from the river’s guards. These details provide a historical setting for considering the Euphrates imagery in relation to the Roman campaign against Jerusalem.
F. John Heard the Number
John explicitly states that he heard the number of the mounted army:
I heard the number of them.
Revelation 9:16
The Greek word ἀριθμός (arithmos) means “number” and is related to our English word “arithmetic.” John therefore reports a number communicated to him, rather than estimating the army’s size from the sound of its approach.
This establishes how John received the number, while leaving its significance to be interpreted within the vision. A number communicated in a prophetic revelation may carry symbolic meaning. Within the first-century framework developed in this lesson, I propose that the numerical imagery represents the Roman forces involved in Jerusalem’s destruction.
G. A Symbolic Number and Its Historical Application
John heard a definite numerical expression, but that does not rule out symbolic significance. An approximate count and a symbolic number are different things. The Greek word ὡς (hōs, “about”) can mark an approximation, as in Acts 4:4, but its absence does not establish that a number must represent a literal military headcount.
However, many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about ( ὡς hōs; ) five thousand.
Acts 4:4
The interpretation proposed here retains “two myriads of myriads” as the wording of the vision while seeking its historical application within the first century. I propose that the four angels correspond to the four Roman legionary forces involved in Jerusalem’s destruction, with approximately ten thousand men associated with each force when supporting auxiliaries are included.
The numerical expression does not itself specify this fourfold division. The proposal rests on the correspondence between the four angels, the four Roman forces, and the historical setting developed throughout this lesson.
Having considered the numerical imagery, we now turn to the composition and historical connections of the four Roman forces
5. Four Armies
Following Nero’s death in June 68 CE and the ensuing struggle for imperial power, Vespasian was proclaimed emperor in 69 CE. His son Titus subsequently commanded the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Josephus identifies four legions participating in the campaign. These formed the principal Roman military forces, supported by auxiliary infantry, cavalry and troops supplied by allied kings.
- Legio V Macedonica—the Fifth Legion. Titus instructed this legion to approach Jerusalem through Emmaus.
- Legio X Fretensis—the Tenth Legion. This legion approached through Jericho and established its camp on the Mount of Olives. Josephus records that it had previously been stationed beyond the Euphrates. (Josephus, Jewish War 5.2.3 and 7.1.3)
- Legio XII Fulminata—the Twelfth Legion. Having suffered defeat with Cestius Gallus in 66 CE, it returned to the campaign eager to avenge the humiliation. (Josephus, Jewish War 5.1.6)
- Legio XV Apollinaris—the Fifteenth Legion. This legion had served in Vespasian’s campaign and was one of the four legions assembled for the siege under Titus.
Legionaries and Supporting Forces
The strength of each legion must be distinguished from that of the larger military force associated with it. A legion of approximately five thousand men could be accompanied by a comparable number of auxiliary troops, including cavalry and specialist infantry. Together, the legion and its supporting auxiliaries could therefore constitute a field force of approximately ten thousand men or more. This provides a historical basis for considering the legionary forces in this lesson as larger than the legions alone. (https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-roman-army-in-the-first-century)
Josephus describes Titus’s army as containing both legionaries and substantial supporting contingents. These included troops supplied by allied kings, reinforcements from Syria, 2,000 men from the armies at Alexandria, and 3,000 drawn from the Euphrates guards. ( Josephus, Jewish War 5.1.6)
In this interpretation, each legion and its associated supporting troops are treated as a force of about ten thousand men. This estimate reflects the combined strength of legionaries and auxiliaries; Josephus does not give an exact allocation of ten thousand to each of the four forces at Jerusalem. These totals include supporting troops.
A. Correspondence with the Four Angels
I propose that these four Roman military forces correspond to the four angels released in Revelation 9:14–15. Within this interpretation, the angels are spiritual powers operating through the human commanders and their armies. The four legions provide the historical basis for this correspondence, while their supporting contingents form part of the proposed strength of each force.
Caesar’s celebrated Tenth Legion bore the title Equestris, associated with horsemen. The Tenth at Jerusalem was a different formation, Legio X Fretensis, whose number recalled Caesar’s legion. I consider this association potentially suggestive when examining Revelation’s mounted army, while recognising that Equestris was not the title of the legion that besieged Jerusalem.
B. The Twelfth Legion and the Euphrates
Legio XII Fulminata also had a documented connection with the Euphrates. Tacitus records that, during the Armenian campaign of 62 CE, the Twelfth and Fourth Legions crossed the river by a bridge under the command of Paetus. (Tacitus, Annals 15.7). This establishes an actual Euphrates crossing in the Twelfth Legion’s history before the Jewish War.
In 66 CE, the Twelfth participated in Cestius Gallus’s unsuccessful campaign against Jerusalem. Josephus subsequently describes its return under Titus in 70 CE, eager to avenge its earlier defeat. (Josephus, Jewish War 5.1.6)
After Jerusalem fell, Titus transferred the Twelfth from its former Syrian base at Raphanaea to Melitene, near the Euphrates on the border between Armenia and Cappadocia. (Josephus, Jewish War 7.1.3). This transfer occurred after the siege, not under Nero immediately after the defeat of Cestius.
Both the Tenth and Twelfth Legions therefore had historical connections with territory or campaigns beyond the Euphrates. These connections matter for the interpretation proposed here, though they do not show that the two legions crossed the river together immediately before marching on Jerusalem.
C. Rethinking Euphrates and the Great Tribulation
Let us consider this passage again:
Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 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. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
Revelation 9:14-16 NKJV
Revelation 9:14–16 describes four angels released at an appointed hour, day, month and year. This emphasises the timing of the judgment: their destructive activity occurs within a divinely appointed purpose.
Within the first-century framework developed in this lesson, I understand these four angels as spiritual powers operating through the commanders of the four Roman military forces involved in Jerusalem’s destruction. Their release marks the removal of restraint, allowing those forces to carry out the judgment Jesus had foretold.
The Euphrates connection has a historical foundation. The Tenth Legion had previously been stationed beyond the river, the Twelfth had crossed it during an earlier campaign, and soldiers drawn from the Euphrates guards joined Titus’s army. These connections place the river within the military world familiar to Revelation’s first readers.
I propose that the vision’s immense numerical expression symbolically portrays these forces, understood here as four military groupings of approximately ten thousand men, including supporting auxiliaries. This is the historical interpretation advanced in this lesson, rather than an alternative translation of John’s words.
The reference to “a third of mankind” should also be read in light of Revelation’s repeated use of thirds. In the preceding trumpet judgments, a third of the trees is burned, a third of the sea becomes blood, a third of the sea creatures die, and a third of the ships are destroyed. The same fraction appears in the judgments upon the rivers and heavenly lights (Revelation 8:7–12). This repeated pattern supports understanding the fraction as symbolic language expressing the extent and limits of judgment.
In this reading, “one-third” portrays destruction that is severe but partial. The judgment devastates a substantial portion, while others survive. Revelation 9:20–21 explicitly turns attention to those who remain alive, recording their continued refusal to repent.
I therefore understand the death of “a third of mankind” as a symbolic portrayal of the devastating loss of life associated with the judgment upon Jerusalem and Judea. The historical figures discussed in our lesson “Wars and Rumours of Wars” illustrate the scale of that catastrophe, but this interpretation does not depend upon demonstrating that precisely one-third of the Jewish population died.
D. Final Warning
Pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem from the Euphrates region and elsewhere, whether for Passover in 70 CE or earlier feasts, could have carried news of Roman military preparations and troop movements. Such gatherings provided opportunities for reports from distant regions to circulate among Jerusalem’s inhabitants. It is therefore reasonable to propose that some pilgrims helped spread awareness of the approaching Roman forces, including the legions discussed above. This is a historical inference, rather than an explicit statement by Josephus that particular pilgrims announced the arrival of the Tenth and Twelfth Legions.
Within the early-date interpretation adopted in this lesson, Revelation’s vision reinforced Jesus’ warning that judgment was approaching Jerusalem. Jesus had instructed those in Judea to flee when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, those within the city to depart, and those in the countryside to avoid entering it (Luke 21:20–21). Recognising the danger called for a practical response.
© Use by Permission Awakening Impact Ministries / Dr Neville Westerbeek van Eerten D.Miss, 2027
