By Dr Neville van Eerten
Introduction
Futurists try to sell the idea that there will be a Chinese army of two hundred million that will cross the Euphrates to come to Armageddon. In this lesson, we will demonstrate that this constitutes poor exegesis and occurred during the Great Tribulation.
So far in this series, we have answered the following questions:
1. When was the Great Tribulation?
2. What was the Abomination of Desolation?
3. Had the gospel been preached to all nations before the Great Tribulation?
4. Why does Revelation equate Jerusalem to Sodom and Egypt?
5. Who was Josephus, and is he a credible historian?
6. What are the Seven Seals?
7. How did the seals relate to the Great Tribulation?
8. Was one quarter of the population killed, as Revelation says?
9. Who were the 144,000? When did this number stop counting?
10. Understanding the various calendars of the Great Tribulation.
In this lesson, we will answer these questions:
1. Who were the armies crossing the Euphrates in Revelation?
2. Why did Jesus say His return would be like lightning from the east to the west?
Then, in the upcoming lessons, we will address these questions:
1. How long was the Great Tribulation -seven years or 2300 days?
2. When did the Great Tribulation begin?
3. When did it end?
4. When did the Christians flee Jerusalem?
5. How many people were killed during the Great Tribulation?
6. Why was there thirty minutes of silence in heaven?
7. When was the forty-two-month prophecy of Revelation?
8. What is the significance of the five-month prophecy in Revelation 9?
9. What was Daniel’s 1290 and 1335-day prophecy about?
10. What is the importance of Antioch in the prophetic calendar?
11. What was the blessing to those who lasted 1336 days?
Armies Cross the Euphrates
Scripture References
In the Introduction to Revelation, we notice that this book was written for people alive at that time, not for those who lived two thousand years later. It was just a few years before a Roman army from the Euphrates showed strength against Jerusalem. They were defeated by the Jews in late 66 AD, which made Nero change his mind and order the capture of Jerusalem, starting the Great Tribulation. Then, four and a half years later, two armies of 10,000 men from the Euphrates took Jerusalem after a five-month siege.
The Book of Revelation mentions twice an attack on Jerusalem from across the Euphrates. The first mention appears in Revelation 9, in relation to the five-month siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
REVELATION 9:14-16 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.
And chapter 16, which is also linked to the destruction of Jerusalem.
REVELATION 16:12 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.
Futurist False Teaching on Euphrates Crossing
Futurists suggest that these verses refer to the Euphrates drying up, enabling an army of two hundred million men—probably from China—to cross and attack Jerusalem. We will see that the Greek translation confirms these are two armies of 10,000 soldiers each. However, this is impossible as China’s population is declining rapidly, and its army has only about two million personnel. The total number of soldiers worldwide is less than 30 million, including reservists, which is less than 15 per cent of 200 million. Furthermore, if drying up is meant figuratively as the ability to cross, then by 24 CE, Vitellius had built a bridge across the Euphrates.
To explain why 200 million isn’t feasible, remember that Russia’s population is 140 million. Their maximum military size is 1.5 million, and they’re currently fighting against Ukraine. Economically, they can’t support more than that. China’s population has been revised downward from 1.4 billion to between 550 million and 1.050 billion, and it’s decreasing. Just as Russia’s economy can’t sustain an army of 1.5 million, China’s economy cannot support an army of 200 million.
Four Angels
Angels in the Bible don’t always specifically refer to angelic beings. The Greek word means “messenger” and can refer to angels, evil spirits, or leaders. The Greek word for angel is
ἄγγελος aggelos, defined as a messenger; especially an “angel”; by implication, a pastor: — angel, messenger.
For example, in the letters to the churches, Jesus addresses the leaders of each local church.
REVELATION 2:1 “TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS WRITE, ‘THESE THINGS SAYS HE WHO HOLDS THE SEVEN STARS IN HIS RIGHT HAND, WHO WALKS IN THE MIDST OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS:
You will notice that both Revelation 9 and 16 in section two above mention a heavenly sixth angel, while the four angels in Revelation 9 are restrained at the Euphrates.
REVELATION 9:14-16 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. And REVELATION 16:12 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.
This is because the trumpets and bowls depict the same event. The trumpet is a declaration in heaven, while the bowl represents 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.
Therefore, it is equally plausible that the four angels responsible for killing one-third of the Jewish population are military leaders commanding the four armies. On 14th April 70 AD, Vespasian’s son Titus laid siege to Jerusalem on the first day of Passover with four armies. In accordance with Revelation 9:15, one-third of all Jews will perish.
Two Hundred Million or Twenty Thousand?
Myriads
Let’s carefully examine Revelation 9:16 in its original Greek. It looks like this:
The two words in blue are the Greek word μυρίας myrias, a ten-thousand; by extension, “myriad” or an indefinite number: ten thousand.
This is literally “a myriad, myriad”, which means two armies of a myriad each, made up of ten thousand soldiers.
There is nothing in the Greek that demands it be a double ten-thousand times ten thousand, totalling two hundred million men.
This is historically accurate because Josephus teaches us that two legions from the Euphrates laid siege to Jerusalem in 70 AD. According to Josephus, Titus’ legions crossing from the Euphrates were two armies of ten thousand each.
Did John Hear the Sound of the Army, or Their Number?
The Greek word for number is:
‘ἀριθμός (arithmos)’, It is the origin of the word arithmetic and refers to the act of counting a specific number.
John says he heard the number of them, not their sound, as the Greek English Interlinear correctly translates it.
Now, let us translate the Greek into English more accurately.
REVELATION 9:16 NOW THE NUMBER OF THE ARMY OF THE HORSEMEN WAS MYRIAD, MYRIAD; I HEARD THE NUMBER OF THEM.
Ten Thousand or a Myriad?
We now understand that it was a number, not the noise of the armies, but was it the number ten thousand, as one definition of ‘myrias’ suggests, or is it an approximate ‘myriad’ of men? If it was an estimate, there would have been the addition of a Greek word. When it is an indefinite number, the Greek word
ὡς hōs, or about, we see this word used in this scripture:
ACTS 4:4 HOWEVER, MANY OF THOSE WHO HEARD THE WORD BELIEVED, AND THE NUMBER OF THE MEN CAME TO BE ABOUT ( ὩΣ HŌS; ) FIVE THOUSAND.
ὡς hōs; is not used in Revelation 9:16.
So now, let’s provide an alternative and precise translation of this verse.
Now the number of the army of the horsemen was ten thousand, and a second army of ten thousand. I heard the number of them. Revelation 9:16
Is there historical evidence to support this view?
Four Armies
As noted, the term for angels also means leaders. Nero died in June 68 AD, and Vespasian was declared emperor after a year of chaos and four emperors. He sent his son Titus to lead the attack on Jerusalem in 70 AD, with four armies as follows:
The Xth Legio Equestris, based along the Euphrates, was tasked with sending 10,000 men to assault Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.
The XIIth Fulminata Legion, responsible for guarding the Euphrates crossings and consisting of 10,000 men, is preparing to attack Jerusalem from the west.
Two legions, Legio V Macedonica and Legio XV Apollinaris, totalling 20,000 men, with Titus from Egypt, were to attack Jerusalem from the west.
20,000 auxiliaries, composed of men captured from the nations conquered by Vespasian and Titus.
Mercenaries at the rear to prevent the auxiliaries from retreating.
These four armies, each commanded by a leader, were the four messengers of God who guided them to attack Jerusalem in 70 AD, not at some future time.
Ten-Thousand-Horsemen Army
The Xth Legion was called Legio X Equestris, meaning “Tenth Mounted Legion” or “Tenth Horseman.” This legion was based on the east bank of the Euphrates River in present-day Syria. It is literally the ten thousand horsemen from across the Euphrates mentioned in Revelation 9:16. Later in Revelation, there is a second mention of the Euphrates.
The Euphrates Dries Up
Futurists emphasize that the Euphrates will dry up by 2040 due to climate change and suggest that Armageddon is near. However, the Euphrates River in Syria has dried up regularly throughout history. Between 40 and 54 AD, a famine was prophesied by Agabus. It was so severe that it extended from Rome to India, which would have caused the Turkish and Syrian Euphrates to dry up. The famine was so intense that it took Babylon 100 years to rebuild its population to previous levels. Although the Syrian Euphrates has regularly dried up over the centuries, it likely struggled to recover after prolonged periods of high temperatures, which delayed snowfall in the Turkish mountains and sustained the river’s flow. Therefore, it’s possible that the Euphrates dried just before the crossing to surround Jerusalem.
The Second Ten-Thousand-Man Army.
The XII Fulminata Legion was one of the most renowned Roman legions. However, the legion’s defeat and the loss of their standard and aquila to the Jews on 25 November 66 AD led to its banishment by Nero to oversee the Euphrates crossings at Militene. Josephus states that the XII legion returned to the Euphrates crossings after the destruction of Jerusalem, indicating they came from Jerusalem in 66 or 67 AD following their defeat by the Jews. As a result, they sought to redeem themselves by attacking Jerusalem in 70 AD. The XII Legion was responsible for overseeing the crossings of the Euphrates River, including facilitating the crossing of the Xth Legion from the east side of the Euphrates.
Therefore, we can confidently state that Josephus’ account of two legions of ten thousand men accurately reflects what Jesus said to John.
Rethinking Euphrates and the Great Tribulation
Now, let’s look at this scripture again;
REVELATION 9:14-16 NKJV 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.
Based on what we’ve learned, we can now interpret this as:
“Release the four demons controlling the commanders, who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So, the four demons, who had been prepared for the (midday) hour and (14th) day and month (April) and year (70 AD), were released to kill a third of the Jews. The number of the army of horsemen (Xth Legion Equestris) was ten thousand, and a second army (XIIth legion), ten thousand; I heard the number of them (20,000).
These two armies then joined with the other two legions from Egypt. We note that they are united at the Euphrates, suggesting they are evil spirits guiding the four armies.
Final Warning
To the Christians still in Jerusalem, this was their final warning. They knew the Romans were closing in. Josephus reports that Jews from the Euphrates region arrived in Jerusalem around 70 AD to celebrate Passover. They would have warned the Jews in Jerusalem and nearby towns about the advancing armies. That’s why they weren’t caught off guard by Titus’ arrival and bravely fought them off from the city walls