Destruction of the Beast and False Prophet
SYNOPSIS – Next, the Rider on a White Horse destroys the “Beast from the sea” and the “False Prophet” – Revelation 19:17-21.
The final paragraph of Chapter 19 details the destruction of the “Beast from the sea” along with the “False Prophet,” the latter called elsewhere the “Beast from the earth.” The passage does not state where this “war” will occur other than on the earth. What is in focus is the destruction of the “Beast” and the “False Prophet,” and their destruction in the “Lake of Fire.”
The passage is part of the third main
division of the book of Revelation that began with Chapter 17 when John
was “carried away in spirit” into the “wilderness” where he saw
the “Great Whore, Babylon” - (Revelation 13:11-13, 17:1-5).
This third literary division is a
detailed picture of the results of the “seven bowls of wrath” in which
the “wrath of God was finished.” In the second division, the
reader was introduced to the main cosmic enemies of the “Lamb” and his followers:
- The Dragon.
- The Beast from the Abyss/Sea.
- The Beast from the earth/False Prophet.
- The Great Whore, end-time Babylon.
Now, the adversaries of the Lamb are
judged and destroyed, however, in reverse order from their introduction,
beginning with “Babylon,” then the “Beast” and the “False
Prophet,” and finally, the “Dragon.” The language used is derived primarily
from the prophecy of an invasion by “Gog and Magog”
found in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of the book of Ezekiel.
“Great Supper of God”
- (Revelation 19:17-18) – “And I saw one messenger standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, unto all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, — Hither! be gathered together unto the great supper of God, — 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 who sit upon them, and the flesh of all, both free and bond, and small and great” – (The Emphasized Bible).
“I saw an angel standing in the sun.”
This is not the same angel as the one who showed John the vision of the “Great
Whore in the wilderness.” The
description parallels the introduction of the destruction of “Babylon”
at the start of the previous chapter - (Revelation
18:1).
“He
cried to all the birds that fly in
mid-heaven.” Although the summons to the birds is drawn from the book
of Ezekiel – the book of Revelation has changed the original “birds
of every sort and the beasts of the field” to the “birds that fly in
mid-heaven.” This provides a verbal link to two previous passages in Revelation,
namely:
- (Revelation 14:6) – “And I saw another angel fly in the mid-heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto the inhabitants of the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”
- (Revelation 8:13) – “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the mid-heaven saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”
In Chapter 8, the “angel” or “eagle”
flying in mid-heaven announced the three final “woes” about to
befall the “inhabitants of the earth” - (Several important Greek
manuscripts read “eagle,” not “angel”).
The “first woe” or “fifth trumpet” unleashed
a demonic horde from the “Abyss” that tormented men. In Revelation,
the “Abyss”
is a place ruled by the “angel of the Abyss - Abaddon
and Apollyon - (Meaning, “Destruction” and “Destroyer,”
respectively).
In turn, the “second woe” or “sixth trumpet” released
a massive army from beyond the Euphrates River that was “prepared
for the hour and day and month and year” to kill a third of
humanity. This description parallels the “kings of the east”
unleashed by the “sixth bowl of wrath” that were gathered by the “Beast” and
the “False Prophet” to the final battle - “Armageddon” - (Revelation
9:1-12, 9:13-21, 16:12-16).
The “third woe” or “seventh trumpet” produced
the final victory of the kingdom of God, the vindication of the righteous dead,
and the judgment of “those who are destroying the earth,” all on the Day
of the Lord - (Revelation 11:15-19).
In the passage from Chapter 14, the “angel flying in mid-heaven”
proclaimed the “everlasting gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and
people…because the hour of judgment is come.”
Anyone who gave allegiance to the “Beast” would drink the wrath of God
and be “tormented with fire and brimstone.”
In Chapter 19, the “birds that fly in mid-heaven” are summoned
to the “great supper of God” that is here described with language from the
prophecy of an invasion of ancient Israel by a force identified with “Gog and Magog”:
- (Ezekiel 39:17-20) - “Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field, Gather together and come, gather from all sides to the sacrificial feast which I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast upon the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And you shall eat fat till you are filled and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast which I am preparing for you. And you shall be filled at my table with horses and riders, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors, says the Lord Yahweh.”
The “Great Supper of God”
corresponds to the “Great day of the wrath” of the Lamb and of God
in the “sixth seal” opening, and to the “great day of God the
Almighty” that culminated in the battle at “Armageddon” when the
angel emptied the contents of the “sixth bowl of wrath.” It is
conceptually parallel to the “sacrificial feast which
I am preparing for you” described in the prophecy of Ezekiel – (Ezekiel
39:17-20, Revelation 6:12-17, 16:12-16).
The birds were
summoned to eat the “flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, and… the flesh of
all men, free and bond, small and great.” Similarly, when the “sixth seal” was opened men from every level of society attempted to
hide from the “wrath of the Lamb.” This suggests divine justice since the
“False Prophet” had caused men and women from every societal class to
render homage to the “Beast from the Sea” - The men “slain
with the sword” in order to feed the “birds flying in mid-heaven”
represent the judgment of the same group of unrepentant humanity, the “inhabitants
of the earth” - (Revelation 13:17-18).
Armageddon and the “Lake of Fire”
- (Revelation 19:19-21) – “And I saw the wild-beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together — to make war with him who was sitting upon the horse, and with his army. And the wild-beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who wrought the signs before him, whereby he deceived them who received the mark of the wild-beast and them who were doing homage unto his image, — alive were they two cast into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone. And the rest were slain with the sword of him that was sitting upon the horse, which went forth out of his mouth, and all the birds were filled with their flesh” – (The Emphasized Bible).
In verse 19, the “Beast from the
sea” and the “kings of the earth” with their armies are “gathered”
to “make war with” (poiésai ton polemon meta)
the “Lamb” - (Note well
- It is “THE war,” not “a war”).
Previously, the “Beast ascended from the
Abyss to make war with” the “Two Witnesses,” the “Dragon made war with the seed
of the woman,” and the “Beast made war with the saints.” And when
the “sixth bowl of wrath” was emptied, demon spirits from the mouths of
the “Beast and the False Prophet” gathered the “kings
of the earth” to the battle of the “Great Day of God, the Almighty”
- (Revelation 11:7, 12:17, 13:7, 16:14-16).
In each of the preceding “wars,” “the
war” is referenced in the singular number and with a definite
article (“the”). Thus, the same conflict is
in view in each passage. In Chapter 19, the forces of the “Beast are gathered
to make war with” the “Lamb and his army.”
The references to “the war” launched against
the “saints” that is applied in all four passages in Revelation alludes
to Daniel 7:21, originally a description of the war against the “saints”
of Israel waged by the “little horn” of Daniel’s
“fourth beast.” The same imagery from Ezekiel’s attack by “Gog and
Magog” was used also in the “sixth bowl of wrath,” the
so-called ‘Battle of Armageddon’. Once more, the same final
battle or “war” is in view in each of the four passages.
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Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash |
The “Beast and the kings of the earth gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army.” Earthly forces cannot engage directly in battle with heavenly beings. Previously, the “saints” were called those who “tabernacle in heaven,” the same group against which the “Beast” was authorized to wage war, that is, the “saints,” and the same group now called the “army” that follows the “Rider on a White Horse” - (Revelation 13:5-7).
Note
well – The following passages use the
same or similar language to describe “the war,” singular, against
the followers of the “Lamb” – The “Two Witnesses,” the “Seed
of the Woman,” and the “saints”:
- (Revelation 11:7) – “When the two witnesses shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.”
- (Revelation 12:17) – “The dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus.”
- (Revelation 13:7) – “It was given to the Beast to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.”
- (Revelation 16:14-16) – “They are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty…And they gathered them together into the place which is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon.”
- (Revelation 20:8-9) – “And the Devil shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven and devoured them.”
In
the present vision, the armies of the “kings of the earth” are
destroyed, the “birds of the air” are summoned, and the “Beast and the
False Prophet” are “cast alive into the Lake of fire” that burns
with “brimstone.” Likewise, in the passage from Ezekiel, the
armies of “Gog and Magog” were destroyed on the “mountains
of Israel” when God rained “fire and brimstone” upon
them from heaven.
After
the lengthy introduction to set the stage, no description of the actual
conflict is provided. The “birds flying in mid-heave” are summoned, and
the “Beast” and its allies gather to fight against the “Rider on a
White Horse.” Next, the two are cast “alive” into the “Lake of
Fire.” Meanwhile, the “rest” of their armies are simply rendered
dead and fed to the “birds” – A perfunctory end to a long-anticipated
battle.
There
is a further allusion to Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 in verse 20. The
“Beast” and the “False Prophet” are cast into the “Lake of Fire” (puros)
that “burns with brimstone” (theiō). Likewise,
in Ezekiel 38:21-22, God destroys “Gog” and his armies when
he rains down “fire and brimstone”
on them - (pur kai theion –
Greek Septuagint).
“Alive
were they two cast into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone.”
The clause alludes also to the prophecy
of Daniel about the destruction
of the “little horn” and the four “beasts from the sea.” In his
vision, the “Ancient of Days” sat in judgment when the time arrived for
the destruction of the “little horn” and the fourth beast:
- (Daniel 7:9-22) - “I beheld even until the beast was slain and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire.” This is the same “beast” that “made war with the saints, and prevailed against them,” but only until the “ancient of days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most-High.” The last clause from Daniel alludes to in the next chapter of Revelation when John saw thrones, “and they sat upon them, and judgment was given for them,” that is, for the saints beheaded for their witness.
“The rest
were slain with the sword of him that was sitting upon the horse.” The “rest” or loipoi is the same group as
the “rest (loipoi) of the dead” that lived not until the
completion of the thousand years. The final fate of the “inhabitants of the
earth” that opposed the “Lamb” awaits the “Great White Throne of Judgment” when they, too, are “cast into the
Lake of fire,” however long or short the interim period is - (Revelation
20:5).
“The rest
were slain with the sword.” When
interpreting this image, it must be remembered that the “sword” wielded
by the “Rider on a White Horse” is the “word of God,” not a
literal sword manufactured from various metal alloys. This figure uses his “sword”
to “judge,” “make war,” and “shepherd” the nations of the earth.
The Old Testament background must be kept in
mind, and how Revelation reinterprets, expands, and universalizes these ancient
prophecies. For example, the force of “Gog and Magog” is no
longer limited to the regional enemies surrounding Palestine. Instead, it
consists of “all the kings of the earth and their armies.” Rather
than invade Palestine, this attack is global and waged against the “Lamb
and his army,” that is, the “saints.”
The men and women who comprise the “saints”
are not passive observers but human believers who “overcome” through
persecution and other trials, and by giving faithful testimony even when doing
so means a violent death. It is no coincidence that the one offensive “weapon” wielded
by the “Lamb” is a “great sword,” an image that represents the “word
of God” that is “proceeding from his mouth.”
Likewise, the victorious believers overcome
the “Beast,” “Babylon,” and the “Dragon” through the “word
of their testimony, and because they loved not their lives unto death.”
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