Verse 14
This angel instructed the angel who had blown the sixth trumpet to release the four angels who were bound at the Euphrates River. These are evidently four angels that John had not seen before. They must be fallen angels since good angels are not bound (cf. Revelation 20:1-3; 2 Peter 2:4; Judges 1:6). God had a purpose for them to fulfill and ordered their release to accomplish His will (cf. Revelation 9:1-11). Scripture does not record when or why God bound these angels, but evidently He restricted them as punishment. Perhaps He imprisoned them when Satan rebelled against Him. [Note: Cf. Smith, A Revelation . . ., p. 147.]
The Euphrates River undoubtedly refers to just that. This river, including the whole Mesopotamian region that it drains, had been the border between Israel and its enemies to the northeast, namely, Assyria and Babylonia. It was also the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in John’s day.
"In the first century people would have thought of the Parthians, the world’s most dreaded cavalry, for they came from this region and filled men with foreboding." [Note: Morris, p. 133. Cf. Swete, p. 121.]
The Parthians were the only warriors the Romans could not and did not defeat.
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