1The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from the sky which had fallen to the earth. The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. 2He opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke from a burning furnace. The sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke from the pit. 3Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4They were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those people who don’t have God’s seal on their foreheads. 5They were given power, not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a person. 6In those days people will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like golden crowns, and their faces were like people’s faces. 8They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. 9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots and horses rushing to war. 10They have tails like those of scorpions, with stingers. In their tails they have power to harm men for five months. 11They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is “Abaddon”, but in Greek, he has the name “Apollyon”.
12The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.
13The sixth angel sounded. I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!”
15The four angels were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of mankind. 16The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number of them. 17Thus I saw the horses in the vision and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the horses’ heads resembled lions’ heads. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18By these three plagues, one third of mankind was killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, which proceeded out of their mouths. 19For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails are like serpents, and have heads; and with them they harm.
20The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn’t repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn’t worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood, which can’t see, hear, or walk. 21They didn’t repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
FROM NKJV STUDY BIBLE
9:14–16 The great river Euphrates is the eastern boundary of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants in Gen. 15:18 , as well as the geographic area from which powerful enemies like Assyria and Babylon came to invade Israel (see Is. 8:5–8). It may represent the seat of Satan’s former victory (in the Garden of Eden). The release of the four angels at the exact hour and day is in keeping with apocalyptic literature’s portrayal of God’s sovereign control of the timing of His plan (see Dan. 9:24–27 ). The army of XYZ two hundred million will kill a third of mankind, under the command or influence of the four angels who were released. A third of humankind could number in the billions. Coupled with the former destruction of one-fourth of humanity, over one-half of the world’s population will have been killed. Some hold that a third here is merely a stylistic feature of the trumpet judgments ( 8:7–12 ). Note also that widespread killing had already visited a fourth of the earth during the opening of the fourth seal ( 6:8 ), and many died during the catastrophes of the first three trumpets ( 8:7–11 ), further reducing the world population.
Nelson, Thomas. NKJV, The NKJV Study Bible, eBook (Kindle Locations 273634-273638). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.