Revelation 19:11-21

This section details the final judgment of the beast and the false prophet, the beast from the earth. For the most part, it uses images we have already seen. Verses 11-16 identify the victorious Christ as the rider on the white horse who will make war on the dragon and his allies, which as we saw in chapter 16 had gathered for their final attempt to destroy God and His people. Notice His sword “coming out of His mouth” representing the Word of God.

The action begins in verse 17, when an angel cries out to all of the birds of the air to gather around to feast on the dead, reminiscent of Ez. 39:4-5, 17-22 (cf. Zeph. 1:7-6). On one side is the King of kings and His army, on the other side are the Beast and the armies of this world…

The Battle of Armageddon is at hand and it will be a short-lived affair that provides a whole different sort of banquet.

The two beasts are captured and tossed into the Lake of Fire, and the armies are destroyed by the Word of God: The birds have their feast and that is that: It’s all over.

Jesus does not defeat the forces of darkness by force of arms; instead the force He uses is the power of the Word of God. That may sound silly to some, but let’s remember that it is the power of the Word of God that created the universe itself, and everything in it. It is the Word of God that holds everything together; the Word of God is the ultimate power of life and of the entire creation. If there was ever a battle for Jesus to win physically, He won it in His death, burial and resurrection.

This is another important point; for once again, we must remember that we can’t adequately comprehend spiritual warfare by thinking in human terms. “War” is a metaphor, not a literal reality; if there was to be a literal clash of armies, do you really think the armies of the world would show up any time soon on horseback fighting with swords? Of course not! These are apocalyptic images to convey to us, in our own frames of reference what is going on in the spiritual realm; yes, there is certainly a battle between God and Satan and their respective allies, but it is spiritual not physical, literal human combat. In truth, it isn’t even a fair fight!

God created everything by His Word, including the Devil and his allies; why would anyone be surprised that when the time came for the final judgment, God wouldn’t say the Word and they would all go “poof” and be gone?

And so it will be.

Here is what John has shown us in this vision (Rev. 17-19): During this present age, we will deal with world systems that seek to pry us away from God by a variety of means. There will be persecution and martyrdom for many, but in the end, when God’s timing has come, God will end this age and consummate His Church. For us today, by applying the insights John has given us, our lives, our environment and the world around us should be a great deal easier to understand and deal with.