13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of humankind. 16 The number of the troops of cavalry was two hundred million; I heard their number. 17 And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur; the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of humankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they inflict harm.
In a post on Revelation 9:14, bibleref.org suggests that the reference to four angels bound at the Euphrates river is a reference to demons, noting that fallen angels are bound whereas God's angels are depicted as free.Verse 15 of this chapter reiterates that God is in control of this process and that these forces have been held in waiting to unleash these events.
Joseph Benson's commentary on biblehub.com proclaims that "the four angels are the four sultanies, or four leaders of the Turks and Othmans. For there were four principal sultanies, or kingdoms of the Turks, bordering upon the river Euphrates...(mid-page)." This is an interesting theory, that seems to be popular with writers of that time period (the 18th and 19th centuries), to stretch these events over history from the time of the writer John of Patmos to now.
I just watched a streaming show on Amazon Prime called "History's Greatest Mysteries: Secrets of the Seven Seals" (S1 E9) that gives a much more contemporaneous interpretation of events. This show notes that Chairman Mao once boasted he could field an army of 200 million men, the number given for the number of troops in verse 16.
Verse 18 suggests the horses in the troops of cavalry may be metaphorical as they kill a third of humanity with the 'fire and smoke and sulfur' that comes out of their mouths. The writer at studylight.org suggests that their ability to kill with the power in their mouths referenced in verse 19 may be a reference to 'evil propaganda': "Evil propaganda is clearly suggested by this. It is the flood of wicked, irresponsible, inflammatory, deceitful, and violence-oriented rhetoric of all kinds of Pied Pipers screaming for people to follow them which is evident here."
If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:
A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:
Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.
A more detailed step by step process:
https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life
