Is China in Bible Prophecy?

Two passages in the book of Revelation are said to be possible references to China. The first is Revelation 9:14–16. A voice from the altar before God in heaven speaks “to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.”

Because of the vast size of this army, some believe China is the only country that would be able to field a force that large. And yet, even though China’s army “is the largest standing ground force in the world,”[1] its overall size is just over three million. This is far short of the total number mentioned in Revelation 9.

A second problem is that the passage goes on to describe these “invaders” in a way that makes it more likely they are a demonic force rather than a human army. “And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For 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 do harm” (9:17–19). While some try to find in John’s vision an ancient description of modern military equipment, that causes even greater difficulty, because it would require not just two hundred million soldiers but also two hundred million tanks, planes, helicopters, or other military hardware.

Within the context of Revelation 9 this invading force makes more sense if it is a demonic army. When the fifth trumpet is sounded in verses 1–12 a demonic horde with the power to torment humanity for five months was released (v. 5). And then when the sixth trumpet sounds, an even greater judgment occurs. Angelic forces release a demonic army that has the power to kill a third of the world’s population (vv. 15, 18).

The second possible passage linking China to end-time events is found in Revelation 16:12. “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.” This event immediately precedes the gathering of the “kings of the entire world” at Armageddon (16:14–16). It’s possible that China is included in this gathering of nations, assuming that China hasn’t been destroyed up to this point in the tribulation. The passage suggests that all remaining world leaders will move their armies toward Israel for a final climactic battle. But no specific countries, including China, are identified by name.

[1] “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” Department of Defense Annual Report to Congress, 2020, vii.