Why does Les connect Revelation 9:17 to modern warfare?
The verse’s imagery—breastplates of fire, brimstone, lion-like horse heads, and fire, smoke, and brimstone issuing from mouths—fits modern tank and artillery warfare, including nuclear shells. The ancient wording is treated as a possible description of modern weapons rather than merely literal horses, so the connection rests on similar destructive sights.
Les explains that Revelation 9:17’s language—breastplates of fire, brimstone, horse heads like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and brimstone coming from their mouths—has for 20 years led him to think it is ancient language for probably even tanks. He notes that modern warfare has nuclear shells for artillery and tank guns, so he does not think it is stretching the text to see this as an allusion to that kind of modern warfare. The following verses say the third part of men are killed by the fire, smoke, and brimstone issuing out of their mouths. Earlier he also allows that horse-like creatures or locusts may be the ancients’ way of picturing modern-day helicopters.
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.