Have you ever considered that the huge army spoken of might not be China as previously thought? What other group mentioned often in the scriptures might fit that bill? Just asking!
If this analysis is correct, and so far all the applicable (Old and New Testament, major and minor prophets) et-qes or teleosis (end-time) accounts seem to fit within a single model, then there is a relation between the loosening of the four angels with the sixth trumpet and the paving of the way for the Kings of the East with the sixth bowl (the bowl judgments I have surmised represent the third woe -showing the depth of God's wrath and being last would belong to the seventh trumpet which as the third woe is not revealed in the Seal chronology of chapters 6-11) John omitted entirely when asked just to seal up what the seventh trumpet angel said.
From the Seals, a parallel account within the book of Revelation spanning chapters 6 through 11, the sixth trumpet loosens four angels kept for that very hour. Associated with the killing is an army of two hundred million. John says he heard the number in reciting his vision. You get the idea that relating this vision is not a complete picture, there are other aspects that are not related to the reader. To some, this omission may offend them, however, there are enough of the pieces left to form a general picture.
In the parallel account of Rev 13-16, which I think describes the actual seventieth 'seven' of Daniel 9:27, in preparation of the final battle of Armageddon, a way is made for the Kings of the East. This then leads to the final battle of all the world against God, specifically Jesus and the 144,000. The details of this battle can be read from another parallel account from the heavenly perspective on the end of the seventieth 'seven' and advancing the timeline through the millennial period contained in chapters 19-22, specifically in verse 19:11 to the end of that chapter.
Previously, the world geopolitics has been locked in a East/West struggle between Capitalism and Communism. For years, I could not fathom how such a North/South displacement of power would become a reality because of my American Cold War perspective. However, now as events have developed, the iron curtain crumbled with nary a shot taken, and what was a large part of the second world, or Communism, has been assimilated into the West. What was the Soviet Union, has just become Russia. Russia is experiencing a difficult transition from Marxist economics to Adam Smith's as it adopts capitalism. (Even China has adopted Capitalism for its economics so that I look at Capitalism as having conquered the world without firing a shot -reminiscent of the first horseman having a bow to project his power but no arrows or sword.) As such, Russia has become aligned with its ancient Romanesque roots which permeated northward centuries ago from the eastern half of the Roman Empire dating from the fourth century.
Currently, there is unprecedented cooperation between former enemies in the East/West struggle over a new enemy: terrorism. This is contained within the Muslim world as a splinter of Islam which focuses on Jihad. Looking at the globe, if you view America, Europe and Russia, you will see that physically they comprise a nearly complete band of nations in the northern half of the Northern Hemisphere. Directly below them in another band for most of the world's landmass are Muslim countries. And more than coincidently in my opinion, in between is Jerusalem.
After the Cold War, I think the War on Terror may be the basis for this North/South conflict. Bernard Lewis writes extensively on Islam and views it as being on a collision course with the "West," technology, and our general (Greek/Roman) way of life. When President Bush used words like "Peace and Safety" repeated as he did in his State of the Union address of a year and a half ago, I took note. This present time is not in the end-times proper, but it is certainly setting the stage for the imposition of power by the King of the North in Daniel chapters 11 from verse 36-45. I view Daniel 11:31 as acting like a lens of dual focus whereby the atrocities committed by Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century B.C. -which is during the 62 weeks- as being a springboard for a more cataclysmic but similar event further out in time, specifically the Antichrist leading up to his placing the Abomination in the Temple. I would ask the reader to compare the events taking place in Daniel 11:45 to another multiple account of what I think is the same event in Luke 21:20.
The Bible certainly seems centered on Rome. I think this is because of the powerful influence the Roman world, and in my opinion that we as the "West" have inherited as a mantle of being Roman, has had and continues to have on the state of Israel. It must be remembered that when Rome was at its height during the time of the Caesars, there was a similarly large and powerful Han dynasty in China. However, because of geography and people, it has been Europe and not China that has played the major role in world events. I think this is why Paul was diverted from his initial inclination to go east and was sent into modern day Turkey, Greece and Italy. Europe would be the nursery for Christianity and the vehicle to spread it through the world. Far from being a European religion though, the greatest number of Christian converts and believers are now in the second and third worlds as great strides are being made in Africa and Asia.
In one respect, China is not forgotten by God. This huge nation which has conspicuously absent from Biblical events can be shown in these two instances of prophecy, being the only nation large enough to boast of such an army, which it has, and being situated in the East -to be a key player right at the end of this present age.
Likewise, I also see modern day America, Russia and European Union as being represented in Daniel's first three of four beasts. I view the fourth beast as being an amalgamation of the these three in federation (having a ruling council of ten kings -for one hour acting as kings) and more importantly from John's description of the terrible beast as being the combination of parts of Daniel's beasts (in inverse fashion which also gives some clue as the part each will play). This combination of present day nations is supported in Daniel's text such that when the fourth beast is destroyed, the previous three beasts are still alive and allowed to exist for a short time (Daniel 7:12). What is broken with the terrible beast then is the combined nation, the power structure that holds it together and wielded its combined might.