The Coming War

At the end of the age, Satan will wage his final war on the saints, the followers of the Lamb. 

The Book of Revelation portrays the ongoing Cosmic War between the “Dragon” and the “Lamb.” It is being waged on the Earth as Satan’s servants, both human and nonhuman, seek to destroy the followers of Jesus. The conclusion of this war will affect the entire Cosmos. Following the Lamb’s final victory over his enemies, life will be changed forever throughout the Universe, and death and evil will be no more.

We obtain a localized view of this war as we read of the struggles of the “Seven Churches of Asia” in chapters two and three of Revelation. They experience occasional persecution from local authorities, but more often, their struggles are with deceivers, the “false prophets,” “Nicolaitans,” “doctrines of Balaam,” and the intrigues of “that prophetess, Jezebel.” The cosmic war manifests itself in the daily struggles of individual congregations and their members.

[Toy Soldiers - Photo by Jemima Whyles (Chelmsford, Essex) on Unsplash]

The term “war” is singular in each relevant passage of Revelation, and in the Book’s Greek text, the noun form is accompanied by a definite article or “the.” It is “the war.” Both the Greek noun and its related verb are applied to the same event.

Much of the language used to describe this war is from the Book of Daniel, especially the account in Chapter 7 of the war against the “saints” by the pagan ruler known as “the Little Horn”:

• “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most-High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” – (Daniel 7:21-22).

For example, after “the Two Witnesses” completed their “testimony,” the “Beast” ascended from the “Abyss,” and “he waged war with them, overcame and killed them.” The Two Witnesses are identified as “two lampstands,” and elsewhere in the Book of Revelation, “lampstands” represent churches. The description represents an attack or attacks against the Church – (Revelation 1:20, 11:7).

The same war is described in Chapter 12. John saw the war raging in the Heavens. The “Dragon” was defeated, expelled, and exiled to the Earth. He then set out to destroy the “Woman clothed with the sun,” but his plan was thwarted, so he launched his “war” against the Woman’s offspring:

• “The Dragon was enraged with the Woman and departed to make war with the rest of her seed, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” – (Revelation 12:17).

The followers of Jesus Christ, the “Lamb,” are the victims of Satan’s assault. This vision concludes with the Dragon standing on the seashore summoning his seed from the sea to execute his war, “the Beast from the Sea” and “the Beast from the Earth,” the latter also called “the False Prophet” in later chapters of the Book - (Revelation 16:13, 19:20, 20:10).

John next saw the first “Beast ascending from the Sea,” an image parallel to the Beast’s “ascent from the Abyss.” This creature has the political authority of the “Dragon,” which it uses to launch the war against the saints, once again echoing Daniel 7:21:

• “And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. <…> Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” - (Revelation 13:7-10).

• “Here is the patience of the saints, those men who keep the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus” - (Revelation 14:12).

ARMAGEDDON

This same “war” is depicted when an angel empties the Sixth Bowl of Wrath, “on the great river, Euphrates.” The riverbed is dried so the “kings of the east” and their invading armies may cross it. Their intended target is not identified, though the passage does indicate their intention to confront God – (Revelation 16:12-16).

Then demons are released from the mouths of the “Dragon,” the “Beast,” and the “False Prophet.” They orchestrate the “gathering” of the Kings of the Earth for “the war of the Great Day of God, the Almighty” at the place called ‘Armageddon’, where their army is destroyed.

In Chapter 17, the “Ten Horns” of the “Beast” represent “ten kings” who give their political authority to the Beast to “wage war against the Lamb.” However, Jesus overcomes them. He is the Ruler who possesses all power and authority, even over the realm of the Dead. The declaration of Chapter 17 anticipates the victory of the “Rider on the White Horse” in Chapter 19. On his thigh John saw the designation, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” In both visions, the followers of the Lamb participate in his victory over his opponents – (Revelation 19:11-16).

• “These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. And they also will overcome, those who are with him, called and chosen and faithful” – (Revelation 17:14).

• “And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. <…> And the armies that are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure” – (Revelation 19:11-14).

• “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth. Unto him who loves us and loosed us from our sins by his blood” – (Revelation 1:5).

• “I am the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and of Hades” – (Revelation 1:18).

The battle is described with language from the Book of Ezekiel applied originally to the army of “Gog and Magog.” Just as the “Kings of the Earth” were “gathered together” at Armageddon for their destruction, so the “Beast and the Kings of the Earth and their armies” are “gathered together to make war” against the one who rides the white horse. The battle described in Chapter 19 is the same one that occurred when the Sixth Bowl of Wrath was emptied in Chapter 16 – (Revelation 16:12-16, 19:10-21).

The passage in Chapter 19 does not describe the battle, only its aftermath when the “Beast” and “False Prophet” are thrown alive into the “Lake of Fire,” and the rest of their force is destroyed by the “sword of him that sat upon the horse.”

Finally, Satan is released from the “Abyss in Chapter 20, an event conceptually parallel to the “ascents” of beasts from the “Abyss,” the “Sea,” and “the Earth.” The Dragon “gathers” the nations “from the four corners of the Earth to the war, Gog and Magog.” The link to Ezekiel’s vision of “Gog and Magog” is explicit – (Ezekiel 38:1-2, Revelation 20:1-10).

The narrative describes this force as “ascending over the face of the Earth to surround the camp of the Saints.” The extent of this final assault is global, the last attempt by Satan to destroy the Church. As before, no description of the battle is provided. It simply states that “fire came down out of heaven and devoured them.” Their destruction is followed by the final judgment before the “Great White Throne.”

The verbal parallels in Chapter 20 with the preceding passages are clear. This is the same “war” found in Chapters 16 and 19, only here, its victims are identified as the “saints,” the same group persecuted by the “Beast from the Sea” – (Revelation 13:7).

The use of language from Daniel and Ezekiel to describe this war, the verbal and conceptual links (e.g., ascent/release from the “Abyss”), and the identity of the victims of the Dragon, all demonstrate that the same Cosmic War is in view, the campaign of Satan to annihilate the People of God.

Before the end of the age, the Devil will launch his final great assault against the Church, his last-ditch effort to destroy the true followers of the “Lamb.” The only way Satan can wage war effectively against Jesus is by attacking his people. Even now, we see smaller skirmishes taking place as Satan harasses individual congregations around the world, a foretaste of final things to come.

The stakes are higher than just the victory of the Church, however, for if the “Lamb” is victorious over all his enemies, the New Creation will arrive:

• “And I saw the new heavens and new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and the sea was no more” – (Revelation 21:1).

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SEE ALSO:

• The Ascending Beast - (To identify the Antichrist, we must understand what the relevant passages say about him, his methods, and his agenda)

• War Against the Saints - (The Beast from the sea is authorized to wage war on the SAINTS for its overlord, the Ancient Serpent, the Dragon – Revelation 13:6-10)

• Antichrists in the Church - (Throughout the present age, the Church is being plagued by deceivers from within who are sent to destroy the Body of Christ)

• The Spirit of Antichrist - (The Antichrist Spirit works to destroy the church from within, especially through deception propagated by false teachers and other deceivers – 1 John 2:18-22)