Does Revelation 9:17 describe tanks?
Revelation 9:17 may use ancient imagery to describe tanks. Its breastplates of fire, lion-like horse heads, and fire, smoke, and brimstone issuing from mouths are compared to modern tank guns and nuclear artillery. The interpretation is presented as a strong possibility, not an absolute certainty.
Les explains that verse 17's language—breastplates of fire, brimstone, heads of horses like lions, and fire, smoke, and brimstone coming out of their mouths—has always seemed to him to be the ancient way of describing probably even tanks. He connects this to modern warfare, noting that nuclear shells now exist for artillery and tank guns, so he does not think it is stretching the text too far to see it alluding to that kind of modern warfare. Earlier in the context, he also allows that the horse-like creatures or locusts may be the ancients' way of picturing modern-day helicopters. Then verse 18 says that by these three—fire, smoke, and brimstone—the third part of men is killed.
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.