Armageddon Revelation 19:17 – 21
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Many people in the world suspect a great conflict will occur in the future that will seriously affect life on earth. Bible students recognize this approaching battle as the Battle of Armageddon described in Revelation 16:16 and in this passage of text from chapter 19. While the people of the world often do not discern or refuse to acknowledge many truths concerning this struggle, Bible believers rejoice in the victory of the King of kings associated with the engagement described here.
Christians who have suffered at the hands of Satan and his forces also rejoice to read the divine prophecy and its assurance of their victory and Satan’s defeat. The beast and the false prophet, we recall, will persecute all who are godly while seeking to be recognized as gods themselves. The rectification of these conditions on earth will be glorifying to God and pleasing to His people who have cried for vengeance as recorded in Revelation 6:10: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”
The Angel’s Invitation (Revelation 19:17)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
The Angel
John saw what he referred to as “an” angel, or from the Greek text “allon” or “one” angel. Although John wrote of many angels he seldom used this type of singular designation. Perhaps he wanted to emphasize that it was a single and specific angel, thereby giving the reader a more distinct mental image of the “standing in the sun” in this scene. However, to conclude that John meant more than to emphasize singularity is only speculation because there is no indication that this particular angel is more or less than a messenger or angel of God. Therefore the greater emphasis should not be placed on the angel but on the One he represented.
As John looked to the sky he saw this angel in a standing posture. The Bible reveals angels descending from Heaven, sitting on a surface in Matthew 28:2, and flying in Isaiah 6:6 but John saw this angel standing as if on a solid surface, although none is mentioned here.
This angel was “standing in the sun.” This is a significant position in that it reveals his relationship to God. He was not standing on the sun or behind the sun or below the sun or beside the sun. This angel, according to John’s view, stood in front of the sun, thus allowing the burning brilliant body of the sun to engulf him. As the messenger of Christ, the angel was surrounded with the glory of the sun. Because it is the source of all physical light experienced by man, the sun holds a position of extreme power in the physical world we occupy. Men have described its brilliance as glorious. The sun may also be associated with the glory of Jesus Christ. Often, the sun is used as a type of Christ in the sense of power, glory, and light. The angel standing “in the sun” thus stands in the authority and majesty of the victorious Christ whom he represents.
Standing in the sun would give this angel the most advantaged position before the great Battle of Armageddon. He was as one who could see all, but from John’s viewpoint and perhaps here representing the view of those in the battle, he was not well seen, the brilliance of the sun shadowing the view of those looking toward the angel.
The Angel’s Cry
Being a representative of the King of kings, this angel has the power to fill the heavens with his voice. He cried with a voice loud enough to reverberate through the atmosphere of earth and to be heard by all. Every creature, whether man or beast, hears the angel’s cry. From our consideration of the armies gathered against God it appears that more people will die in the Battle of Armageddon than can reasonably be buried; thus the calling of the birds to dispose of the bodies is of significant note.
The angel’s cry is for vengeance upon the wicked of the earth who have persecuted the godly. His cry is righteous, for the wicked are defeated and the holy One reigns as King of kings. His cry is one of victory because the pomp and pride of the wicked have failed them in their rebellion against God.
The Fowls
The Biblical record is not clear as to the specific identification of the fowls by species but does speak of fowls or birds in a general sense. Two limitations, however, do exist as to the identification of these birds. First, they are fowls that fly in the atmosphere of earth; second, they are meat-eating birds or birds of carrion. Perhaps the one type of bird best fitting this description is the vulture and its various biological relatives. The vulture flies for long periods of time in the “midst of heaven” or in the atmosphere around the earth, almost as though it is his abode. He welcomes the opportunity to feast on dead bodies and would therefore find the massive piles of carcasses at the battle of Armageddon very inviting.
The number of birds the angel calls is simply stated as “all” and the angel’s “voice” is heard by them all as he invites them to “the supper of the great God.” It seems unlikely that the number of birds available to attend this “supper” will be reduced by the catastrophic events in earth, as all the birds will be needed to rid the earth of such a large number of corpses. Revelation 19:21 states the vast number will be “filled with their flesh.”
The Invitation
The angel instructs the fowls “Come and gather yourselves together.” The Greek word for “come,” (deute, hither) implies a specific location to which the birds are called. He does not merely intend to attract the birds’ attention or to make a noise but commands them to come to the battleground of Armageddon specifically, where they will find the essence of the feast of blood.
He calls for the fowls to gather themselves. The inference of “gather” (Greek sunagesthe, be ye being led together) is not unlike the membership of a church gathering or assembling together (see Matthew 18:20). The angel desires that the birds flock together as one great army of carrion-consuming carnivores prepared to remove the mass of carcasses.
Then the angel invites the fowls to partake of “the supper of the great God.” Like a guest has a reserved place at a banquet, so the fowls have a divinely appointed place at the supper of the “great” God. Some commentaries state that the adjective “great” (Greek megalou) describes the supper and not God, a proposition based on a difference in the more modern Greek version by Westcott and Hort. The Greek Textus Receptus from which the King James Version of the Bible was translated agrees in its wording that the adjective for “great” describes God rather than the supper, as some Greek versions imply. Certainly the carnage and resultant feast for the fowls will be great in quantity, but the description of God in the King James Version as being “great” is intentional and correct according to the cited Greek Textus Receptus. It is the power and ability of the omnipotent God that is emphasized here, for only He could bring about such destruction of evil with only the breath of his mouth. Only a “great” and matchless God could execute such judgment on the multitude of the wicked and prepare such a supper as is described here.
The Feast of Fowls (Revelation 19:18)
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
The Greek word sarkas (or flesh) in verse 18 is mentioned five times as that which will be consumed by the fowls. Certainly no “flesh” can please God, and man’s attempt to do so in his flesh is futile. Rebellious man considers his flesh to be something righteous but God condemns sin in the flesh (Romans 3:20; 5:12; 7:18; 1 Corinthians 1:29 and Galatians 2:16).
The Flesh of Men
This text identifies the kinds of men who shall meet their destruction at Armageddon. They will be “kings” and “captains” and “mighty men” of influence, the leaders of the nations that will gather at Armageddon along with their warriors or strong men. They will gather with pride, considering themselves and their leader to be invincible; the Lord, however, will defeat them. One may recall that John saw a vision of their panic under the judgment of the Lamb of God in Revelation 6:12 – 17, where he saw them run from the face of the Lamb, crying for the mountains to fall on them and hide them but they will never, to their distress, be able to hide. The Lamb will defeat them with the “sword of His mouth” and the “flesh” of these proud men will suffer a humiliating end, to be eaten by vultures.
The Flesh of Horses
It is not unusual for God, in His execution of judgment, to destroy all that belongs to the ones who are rebellious. Perhaps it is to remove all memory of the rebellious and their influence. We recall that the earthly armies at Armageddon are revealed to John as riding horses. Bible students can only speculate as to whether the horses are symbolic of modern means of conveyance, and if so, what type. Whatever the vehicle for transporting the armies of the nations, such as horses, they will be made to become as dead horses, and the fowls are invited to come and eat them. If the eating of human flesh by the fowls is to be taken literally, then it is difficult to interpret this passage as being otherwise: “and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”
The horses, whether literal or not, do represent military power and resources. The proud men of the nations have confidence in their “horses” to help them win a victory, but as with their own flesh, the flesh of their horses will suffer a humiliating end, thus demonstrating the futility of man’s weaponry against the returning King of kings.
The Flesh of All
As if the Revelation has not fully disclosed a graphic enough picture of the destruction at Armageddon, the text reassures that “the flesh of all” will suffer the same fate, becoming a feast for the fowls. No one will escape the judgment of the Lamb. Whether men are “free” or “bond,” whether they volunteered or were conscripted for the armies of the conflict they will be killed and devoured. Whether men are “small” or “great” in the social classes, wealthy or poor, they will fall. Acts 10:34 points out that God is not a respecter of persons.
As the Lamb appears in His glory, the Jezreel valley will contain a scene of confusion, panic and fear unprecedented in all of history (Revelation 6). With the breath of His mouth Jesus will turn this valley of arrogant men into a winepress of bodily pulp and bloody liquid (Revelation 14:17 – 20). God is merciful to any and all who will call upon His name, but in that day mercy will be suspended, and for the wicked it will be too late – they will be destroyed in a moment.
The Beast Makes War (Revelation 19:19)
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
As John began in verse 17 with “and I saw…” he again begins his statement in verse 19 with “And I saw…” The reiteration of this phrase shows us a change in the vision, the focus of which now changes from the angel inviting the vultures to come to the feast to a view of the battle and the armies.
The Beast
John recorded that he saw “the beast.” The article the emphasizes that the one John saw was not just any beast but the man of sin as he leads his armies. While the beast of Revelation 13:1 pictures the man of sin and his political kingdom, the beast in this text points directly to the man of sin as an individual who leads in the rebellion against God. The beast of Revelation 16:13, as one of the evil trinity, can best be associated with this beast. He is the same one who deceives the Jewish nation at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation and the one who turns against them at the middle of that period. He also is the same one who exalts himself as a god with the help of the false prophet of Revelation 13:15.
The Allies of the Beast
The beast is not alone at Armageddon. The false prophet is apparently there as well (Revelation 19:20), as are “the kings of the earth, and their armies.” These kings are the ten horns or ten kings mentioned in Revelation 17:12 – 17 and are in league with the beast. They are the ones who also turned against Babylon, destroying it, and gave themselves completely over in loyalty to the beast.
The Gathering
In the valley near Megiddo the beast will rally his followers and the nations of the world will gather to determine who will rule the Middle East, especially Jerusalem. Some teach that the eastern armies will be there in opposition to the beast and his armies (see Revelation 9: 16 and 16:12).
This gathering of the nations has been encouraged by three unclean spirits. John wrote they were “like frogs come out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet…which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:13, 14). However, this gathering is not completely the work of evil spirits; God is ultimately responsible for gathering these nations in accordance with His will and plan as we recall from Revelation 16:16, so this assembly of nations is also for the purpose of their righteous judgment (see Matthew 25:31 – 33).
The Purpose of the Gathering
In direct rebellion against God, the beast has purposed in his heart to make himself god of the whole earth. To accomplish his desire he must thwart the effort of the eastern army to control the Middle East, destroy any hope of Jewish revival in the land and withstand the God of Heaven. We’ll examine this more closely in a following section.
While the eastern army and the Jewish remnant are threats to his throne, they are secondary problems for the man of sin; his greatest challenge by far is the God of Heaven. While the earth staggers in its own struggle, the real battle is for who will be God of creation. Lucifer, or the dragon personified in the person of the man of sin, desires to make himself god of the creation. He desires to destroy the One whom the heavenly Father has decreed to sit in that position (Matthew 22:44 and John 5:22) and is there “to make war.” Compare this passage to Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 13:13, 14; Ezekiel 28:14 – 19; Revelation 12:4 and 19:11. In order to accomplish his will the beast must “make war” with the One who sits on the white horse, Jesus Christ, and with his army of saints. The result will be his undoing.
The Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet (Revelation 19:20)
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The Beast Taken
Like a criminal, “the beast” is arrested against his will (taken, Greek epiasthe, apprehended). He indeed is a transgressor and a lawbreaker. His crime is against the righteous God of Heaven, and that same God has judged Him guilty.
Our text does not identify the agent or agents of God that take the beast into custody. The agent could be an angel more powerful than Lucifer, such as Michael, the same one who defeated the dragon in the war in Heaven as we saw in Revelation 12:7. It may be Christ Himself, certainly more powerful than the beast. Whoever the agent is, he is very capable to arrest the beast, restrain him and to cast him “alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” According to Matthew 13:49 it is an angel, or angels, that “sever” the wicked from the righteous in such cases as this.
The False Prophet Taken
Along with the beast, “the false prophet” is taken. This is the false prophet of Revelation 16:13, part of the unholy trinity. He also is the central person associated with the beast in Revelation 13:1 who comes out of the earth and when he, like the beast, is arrested as a common criminal he is shamed before the world. If he thought that his allegiance with the beast might afford him super-powers sufficient to defeat the King of kings the false prophet was sorely mistaken, as neither the beast nor his trickery will protect the false prophet from the Almighty judge.
The False Prophet Judged
The guilt of the beast is established from before the creation of man, as we are told in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28; his fate is therefore sealed. The false prophet who came from among men, however, is to be accused and judged. This passage of text, therefore, reveals his guilt. He is guilty of working deception, or lies, for the purpose of deceiving men (consider Exodus 20:16). He is guilty of leading others to false worship or idolatry in that he leads them to worship the image of the beast. Examine Exodus 20:1 – 5 within this context. The false prophet is guilty of murder, for he caused those who would not receive the mark of the beast to be killed (Genesis 3:15; Exodus 20:13). Although the false prophet has much religious pride and pomp he will be exposed as the enemy of God and as the abomination he truly is.
The Doom of the Beast and False Prophet (Revelation 19:20)
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Their Common Doom
Because of their mutual alliance the beast and the false prophet share a common guilt. Together they have rebelled against the God of Heaven and the One who sits on the white horse. Therefore, they share a common doom. John wrote, “These both,” meaning together in guilt and judgment, received their common doom.
Their Casting Down
The beast and the false prophet possess human bodies and are therefore more than mere systems of government and religion or mere companies of men. They are super-human by virtue of their league with the devil but they are as surely men in flesh and bone as were Judas or Mahamet. Alive, they will be cast for eternity into the lake of fire. They are real persons, as real as any who receive the mark of the Beast and worship the beast’s image. Taken, or arrested in their bodies, they are cast “alive” (Greek zontes, living, possessing life given in their creation) to their doom. Despite all their power and deceptions and in fact because of them, these two can no more escape their just day of reckoning than can anyone else who denies Christ. They are forcibly taken and finally cast down. Unlike the unbreakable and eternal holy Trinity, the Lord breaks up the trinity of evil by casting the beast and false prophet forever into the hell of hells. Their deception then being concluded, God is forevermore finished with these evil entities.
Their Punishment
The righteous judge has planned for the punishment of the beast and false prophet. They are taken and cast into the lake of “fire burning with brimstone.” One likeness to the lake of fire is a lake of hot molten lava from a volcano; this lake of fire, however, is not from or part of a volcano. God has uniquely made this lake for judgment. It burns the body, yet the body remains intact to suffer in eternity and these persons – the beast and false prophet – will remain in the lake of fire in eternity without end. This passage should not be confused with the loosing of Satan in Revelation 20:7, about which we will study in a subsequent article.
The Remnant Slain (Revelation 19:21)
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The Remnant
Remnant (Greek loipoi, meaning remainder) in this text refers to the rest of the wicked, and is the same word used in Revelation 11:13 and 12:17. It should not be confused with the remnant in Romans 11:5 (Greek leimma, meaning a portion of the remnant) referring to the Jewish remnant. In our text the “remnant” of the wicked besides the beast and the false prophet is the group under consideration. It refers to the kings, captains, mighty men and their armies mentioned in verses 18 and 19.
The Remnant Slain
After the beast and false prophet were taken, the rest of those who opposed the white horse rider were slain. The One on the white horse slew them with the sword that proceeded from His mouth. This sword is the Word of God that proceeds from the mouth of the divine Son of God (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16; 2:16; 19:15 and 13:10), and with it He smites the remnant. He only needs to speak truth to judge the wicked. While certainly Jesus is powerful enough to accomplish this with a mere thought or intent, he speaks with the “sword (that) proceeded out of his mouth” leaving no doubt whatsoever that judgment has been pronounced. Their bodies are among those that will fill the valley before Megiddo.
The Remnant Consumed
As it was mentioned in our consideration of verse 18, the angel invites the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven to come to the supper of the great God. There is a sufficient number of vultures, yet there is also a sufficient number of bodies to fill all the birds. The Greek word for satisfied, (echortasthEsan) is used here, making it seem sure that not one carcass will remain after the vultures complete their gruesome task, for this is the supper of the “great” God who does everything perfectly.
While their bodies are consumed by vultures, as unbelievers their spirits go to hell like the spirit of the rich man in Luke 16 (see also John 3:16 – 18). They will not be cast into the lake of fire until after the final Great White Throne Judgment following the end of the millennial age, described and about which we will study in Revelation 20:11-15.
Summary (Revelation 19:17 – 21)
Perhaps best pictured in the beast and false prophet, the enemies of God will make their greatest attempt to rule the earth during the seven-year Tribulation. The man of sin will come as the peacemaker, thus setting the stage for his evil purposes. At the midst of the Tribulation he and his comrade, the false prophet, will declare rule in Jerusalem. The desire of the man of sin is to rule the whole earth and be as God. An eastern kingdom – possibly China along with other nations allied with her – will march across the Euphrates into the valley of Megiddo where they will challenge the rule of the man of sin. While that battle rages the King of kings will come and thwart their efforts by destroying them all with the sword of His mouth.
The beast and the false prophet are Satan’s joy; however, as Genesis 3:15 prophesied, the Seed of the woman, who is Christ, will bruise the head of the seed of the serpent. Christ will be victorious over the beast and false prophet, and their doom will be sealed in the lake of fire.
In the next article we’ll explore what life will be like after the great victory about which we’ve just studied as we consider the millennial reign of Jesus on earth. Rest assured, Jesus is King of all kings and Lord of all lords and He will reign upon the earth. The question then becomes quite personal at this point – are we – you and I, spiritually prepared through faith in Jesus to be His loyal subjects during His reign and in eternity?
Until next time, prosper and be blessed –
Tom