v.15-18 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
In one final desperate attempt to retain the world by preventing our Lord’s Coming, Satan will cause the armies of the world to do battle against the Lord. Unbeknownst to them, however, they will be gathering themselves together to receive the great judgment of God; not even aware that the fowls of heaven have been called by God to indulge themselves on the soon-to-be exposed flesh.
v.19-20 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
The reality of Armageddon is that man’s war against God never takes place, and only God battles. It’s even doubtful the armies of Antichrist ever see Jesus because most are crushed under one hundred pound hailstones unleashed in the aftermath of the seventh bowl judgment (Rev.16:17-21) even before He appears. Moreover, those who aren’t crushed are mysteriously “dissolved.” Listen to the Bible:
“And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths” (Zech.14:12)
The Antichrist and False Prophet are rendered helpless by the breath of our Lord’s mouth and the brightness of His Coming (2Thess.2:8) and then thrown “alive” into the lake of fire (see also—Dan.7:11).
Satan is cast into the bottomless pit (Rev.20:1-3) where he remains bound for one thousand years. At which time he will again be released (Rev.20:7) and then subsequently, he too, will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev.20:10).
One final thought, dear ones.
It should be noted that the armies know they have gathered to fight Jesus. How they come to accept the idea they must fight Christ isn’t explained, though the Bible does speak of a strong “delusion” God permits the world to fall under therein causing the world to believe the “lie” of Antichrist (2Thess.2:11).
It’s probably safe to say that they come to believe the lie that Satan is God. But what I find interesting is what lie they come to believe about Jesus Christ. For they seem to be totally aware that He exists and is coming. My own thought is that the world will be conditioned during the Tribulation to believe that Jehovah God is an extra-terrestrial enemy whose power they must resist (check also—Ps.2:1-3). It seems strange to us now, but those will be dark and sinister times unlike any other we have ever known.