In our previous episode, we began exploring Revelation 19:11-21 under the title, “The Great Day of God Almighty.” I invite you to follow along as I read these God-breathed words.

¹¹ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

¹⁵ 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.

¹⁶ And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

¹⁷ 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,

¹⁸ 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.”

¹⁹ 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.

²⁰ 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.

²¹ 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.

This text reveals several DETAILS that should fuel our anticipation as we await the Great Day of God Almighty. In the earlier episode, we considered the first detail: “our glorious conqueror.” We spent the entire time looking at the awesome description of Jesus Christ as revealed to John through the opened heavens. In this episode, we will look at the 3 additional details that should fuel our anticipation as we await this great day of God Almighty.  

The Next DETAIL is,

The Heavenly Army

I introduce this detail with some words from the Book of Jude. “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these [wicked] men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him’” (Jude 14-15). Isn’t it amazing that this was prophesied before the flood of Noah’s day? 

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, He doesn’t return alone. He comes with the armies of heaven, including His Bride, the Church, and most likely a host of angels (2 Thessalonians 1:3-9). The grammar indicates progression, i.e., the hosts of heaven are “following.” Note the plural use of the word armies.

From the beginning, the promise was that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. Here it is emphasized that “He himself treads the winepress of the wine of the anger of the wrath of Almighty God.” As “Jehovah Sabaoth,” He is the God of the armies of Heaven with myriads under his command. The armies of the sky are his, and he brings them with him, even “the called and chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14.)

The King of Kings is mounted, and so are His followers. He comes as the Warrior, Judge, and King. They are warrior judges and kings with him. In Revelation 9:7-11, we learned about demonic cavalry, spirit horses from the abyss; why not celestial horses also? Horses and chariots of fire took Elijah to heaven (2 Kings 2) and protected Elisha from the Syrians at Dothan (2 Kings 6). Similarly, heavenly horses bring the saints from heaven with Christ for the final subjugation of the world. Revelation 14:20 says these horses and their riders will face rivers of blood that reach the horses’ bridles. These horses are all white, like the one the Great Captain rides.

Are these literal horses, or symbolic ones, like those in chapter nine that arose from the abyss? Seiss points out that power is an abstract quality, incapable of being seen with the eye. It must be given shape to become visible. It is best shown in living forms. John wrote what he saw!

The character of the revelation differs here from that in chapter nine. This opening of heaven, the coming forth of Christ with his heavenly armies into the ensuing battle, the destruction wrought, and the victory won. The kingdom set-up is so essentially literal in each particular that it is hard to find room in the record for any other conclusion than that the horses are as literal as their riders. They are at least pictures of holy power, carrying the King and his hosts to battle and victory over literal armies.[1]

Further, the riders on the horses are “clothed in [pure] linen, white and clean.” We learned earlier in this chapter, verse 8, that these white robes represent “the righteous acts of the saints.” 

Another significant detail is that this heavenly army wears no armor and carries no weapons. This is Christ’s personal victory, in accordance with 1 John 3:8: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that HE might destroy the works of the Devil.” He bears the only sword, and he alone uses it. He treads the winepress alone.

Those who accompany him in the scene of conflict are immortal, and therefore need no weapons. The great Captain’s sword is enough. Their defense is in him, and their victory is in him. They follow up the achievements of his sword. They ride through the blood it causes to flow. They “wash their feet in” it (Psalm 58:10), for it is up to the horses’ bridles. But what armies are encountered? That leads us to the next detail.

The Next DETAIL is,

The Gathered Enemy

There is no uncertainty about who the enemy armies are. “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.” Revelation 17:12-14 further defines this army. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Revelation 16:12-14 tells us how these armies are gathered. “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

We may wonder how rational men could impulsively rush into such an absurd attempt. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 explains, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” ‘The lie’ is that the Antichrist is invincible. Revelation 13:3-4 proclaims him as such.

These deluded mortals are persuaded, and march their armies to that field of blood from which there is no more return. “The heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:” (Psalm 2:1-5.)

Never was there a more wicked or more disastrous madness. But when men cut loose from the bonds of obligation to their Creator, there is no limit to the delusions to which they expose themselves, and no enormity of daring or wickedness into which they are not liable to be betrayed, thinking it the true wisdom. And thus the kings of the earth and their armies gather toward Jerusalem, to conquer the Son of God, and to crush out his rule and Kingdom forever.[2]

Why is there a war? It is to settle for all time the question, “Who will reign supreme: Christ or Antichrist?” The answer is not long in coming, and it leads us to the final detail of the great day of God Almighty.

The Final DETAIL is,

The Total Victory

As John viewed this unfolding scene, his attention was drawn to an angel standing in the sun. The image is one of brilliant light speaking of the glory of God. The angel John sees cries out in a loud voice, signifying something important, as we’ve witnessed numerous times in our study of Revelation.

His loud cry invites the birds of the heavens to “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.” This invitation predicts what follows: total defeat for the forces arrayed against Christ and His heavenly armies!

Interestingly, a contrast appears in 19:9, where the saints, other than the church, are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The word for “supper,” meaning the principal meal of the day, is the same in both verses, but the events stand in stark contrast! One is eternal life, and the other is eternal death. This is a graphic picture of the battlefield after the Messiah’s victory: a sacrificial feast spread on God’s table for all the vultures of the sky. Jesus spoke of this very event in His powerful Olivet discourse (Matthew 24:26-28).

As John continues watching, what the angel predicted comes to pass. Before the battle even begins, “The beast [Antichrist] 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 rider on the white horse strikes the head and leader first. This was a common military tactic. He is not a system; or he would not fall till the myriads of his supporters fall. He is a person, as truly as his Captor is a person. He is distinct from his armies, as Christ is distinct from his; or he could not be taken before his armies. He is a supernatural being, a man resurrected from the dead by the Devil’s power, and seemingly incapable of bodily death; for he is not killed.

No sword stroke kills him. He does not die. In contrast with everyone, except his companion, the False Prophet, it is specifically stated that he is “taken alive,” and “cast alive into the lake of fire.” His worshippers held him to be invincible. But, without the striking of a blow, and with all his worshippers in arms around him, he is “taken,” much like a lion seizes his prey, dragged away from the field as a helpless prisoner. With all his supposed power, greatness, resurrection-vigor, and immunity from death, he is “taken alive.”

With greater ease than the Jewish mob took the unresisting Jesus, the Rider on the white horse catches him away from the very center of his hosts. All the resistance he makes is futile. He cannot help himself, and none of his armies can help him. He must go where his mighty Captor takes him. He sinks into the lake of fire to rise no more.

Note that two beings are taken alive. They are the two chief conspirators who have repeatedly appeared in this book—the beast and the false prophet, the civil and religious leaders of the final “united nations,” which will be Satan-inspired and Satan-directed until the end. These two are “cast alive into the lake burning with fire and brimstone,” where, a thousand years later, they are still said to be “suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Revelation 20:10). This proves that the lake of fire is not annihilation, and it is not purgatory either. It does not annihilate or purify these two demonic foes of God and man after a thousand years under judgment.[3]

And what is the fate of the followers of these deceivers? 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.” Evidently, the wicked dead were not immediately cast into the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet; that awaits the final judgment.

Zechariah 14 adds more details to this frightening scene: “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.

In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one…

Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. On that day, a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; they will seize one another’s hand, and one hand will be lifted against another.

I do not want to be among the enemies of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and neither do you! If you have not yet surrendered your life to Christ, I urge you to repent. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). If you are a Christ-follower, let these words challenge and change you. “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh regarding its lusts” (Rom. 13:12–14).

[1] Seiss, Joseph, Lectures on Revelation, p. 438

[2] Seiss, Joseph, Lectures on Revelation, p. 440

[3] Ironsides, H.A. Lectures on the Book of Revelation, pp. 326-27