15Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."
19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Dig Deeper
The ancient world was full of rulers he wished to reign over the entire world. They raised massive armies and marched throughout the world known to them at the time demanding the submission and obedience of all. Those who submitted would be brought into their kingdom as subjects, while those who refused to give allegiance would be quickly brought low. From Agamemnon to Xerxes, Ramses II to Alexander the Great, the people of the ancient world were quite familiar with those motif. They knew well the impact of men who wished to rule the world for their own selfish gain.
John gives a picture that might appear similar but has significant differences. We see one who comes in great power, demanding the submission and obedience of all, rolling up and destroying all those who stand in opposition. That part of the picture is familiar but there are two major differences. The first difference is that Jesus will accomplish the quest that all of the pretenders to the title of world ruler had failed to complete. He actually will rule over the entire world one day, something they could only dream of. The other significant difference is that He is the rightful ruler of the world, not a pretender, and His rule is one of justice and righteousness, not finding its roots in selfish and sinful motivations.
19:15 - Out of the mouth of Jesus Christ, comes a sharp sword. John has already used this symbol (Rev. 1:16; 2:16); the sword, particularly when it comes from the mouth is a biblical symbol for the prophetic Word of God. The Word is is used in battle to defeat God's enemies (Eph. 6:17), but also in the life of the Christian, for our lives are sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1-2), and the Word of God is the instrument that Christ, our holy priest, uses to cut apart the sacrifice (Heb. 4:12-13) (See Isa. 49:1-2 and Hos. 6:5 for Old Testament equivalents to this). This helps us to see that this is not Christ's Second Coming, but is His the conquest of the nations by His word, as he promised in Matt. 24:29-31, when He said that after the destruction of Jerusalem, he would send his angel/ messengers to gather the elect. Once He conquers the nations, He will rule them with an iron scepter. This is always the order of the gospel: One must submit in obedience to the rule of Christ and then He will reign as the Lord of their life. This rule is the possession of the promise of Ps. 2:8-9, Dan. 7:13-14 for all things have been placed under His feet (Eph. 1:22). In His role as universal King, He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty (cf. Isa. 63:1-6; Rev. 14:19-20). The passage from Isa. 63 confirms that although Christ is accompanied by His armies, it is He alone that has achieved His victory.
19:16 - We finally are told the name that no one knows, or owns, except Christ, Himself: King of kings and Lord of lords. This is truly His title as He sets out to conquer the world with the Word of the gospel. This is assurance of the hope that one day the gospel can conquer the world. The message to the church throughout the Revelation has been to overcome (Rev. 2:7, 11, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21), now the Church is assured that despite the fierce persecution, they will be victorious over all enemies.
19:17-18 - This is the second of the final seven visions. John has already described the wedding supper of the Lamb, but now he tells us of a second great feast. He sees an angel standing in the sun (see Mal. 4:2) who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair. They have been invited to gather together for the great super of God. What is this great feast? They are to partake of the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great. David Chilton, author of Days of Vengeance, says "a basic curse of the covenant is that of being eaten by birds of prey (cf. Detu. 28:26, 49). Israel is now a sacrificial corpse (Matt. 24:28), and there is no longer anyone who can drive away the scavengers (cf. Gen. 15:11; Deut. 28:26)." John's language here comes from God's invitation, through Ezekiel, for the animals to eat up the corpses of His enemies (Ezek. 39:17-20). The meaning cannot be missed: The nations that refuse the lordship of Christ, as Psalm 2 declares, will be destroyed.
19:19-21 - The third vision begins as John sees the Beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. They could not prevail, however, as the Beast and the false prophet are defeated and were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The imagery here comes from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19) as well as from the account of the rebellious Korah (Num. 16:31-33). The point John is likely making here is not so much a personal eschatology of the Beast and False Prophet, for they are more symbolic characters, nor is he predicting the exact date of their downfall. His point is to demonstrate the complete destruction and defeat of God's enemies as they are thrown into Gehenna, the place that was made for Satan and his angels (Matt. 25:41). The followers of the Beast were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse. The nations will be conquered by the Word of God. Thus, insult is added to the injury of the Beast. Not only is he defeated, but many of those whom he led in battle against, God will eventually will be converted by the gospel.
Devotional Thought
The message of the Revelation is clear for the Church. The obedient Church will be the victorious Church. Do you have this same view? Do you believe that if the Church is truly obedient, we will overcome the world with the power of the gospel? What can you do to bring this kind of vision to the ministry of which you are a part? How would truly comprehending this principle transform your ministry group or church?
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