Food is supposed to be satisfying, isn't it? And, for the most part, it is. We all have favorite restaurants we visit time and again, or a favorite meal we like to prepare and serve to those we love, right? And most likely, we also have the opposite; the restaurant we never want to see again, or the meal we dread, knowing that Mom is it making for supper. Again.
John is about to get a look at the menu for the great supper God is preparing. I can almost see the look on his face. And, take it from me, none of us want to be invited!
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men, and slaves, and small and great." Revelation 19:17-18
John witnessed the King of kings and Lord of lords riding majestically toward earth on His white horse with His armies following him in like manner. Being told the King will strike down the nations. As he continues to look toward heaven, he sees one angel standing in the sun. The angel has taken a position "in the sun" or the highest point of midheaven from which he can command the birds which fly below him in midheaven. From his location, all the birds of the sky will see him and hear his directive. His voice is loud and mighty as He roars out an invitation for them to come (their presence is mandatory) and convene to eat the feast God will prepare for them.
Just look at this menu! Flesh! The banquet serves one thing only; flesh! But flesh of all different kinds!
Flesh of kings.
Flesh of commanders.
Flesh of mighty men.
Flesh of horses.
Flesh of those who sit on the horses.
Flesh of all types of men.
Flesh of free men.
Flesh of slaves.
Flesh of the small.
Flesh of the great.
The birds will gorge themselves until they are satiated. But first, they will assemble. The birds are going to watch the preparation of their supper.
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him, the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:19-21
Do you recognize anybody? Mr. ReallyInTroubleNow and his side-kick Mr. TreacheryRme are there, along with their puppet kings and minion armies whom we have seen before. The false prophet performed signs in the beast's presence, thus deceiving everyone who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped the beast's image. This time, I don't think they will like the attention they are about to receive!
Let's set the scene. Picture two opposing military forces lined up, each line facing the enemy. On one side, you have the beast, the false prophet, the kings of the earth, and their armies. Directly opposite them, you have our valiant Warrior-Messiah on His brilliant white horse with His army behind Him. The global army and its leaders come from the north; the Magnificent Rider and His army come from the south.
If you remember the sixth bowl judgment from Revelation 16:12-16, we learned that the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet (using demonic spirits) would gather the kings of the whole world to Har-Magedon. It is a renowned battlefield in northeast Israel where many historic wars have taken place. This time, however, the combat would not take place there; instead, they would march southward toward Jerusalem. They do not know that God has arranged all of this to administer His perfect justice and judgments. God has named this war; He identifies it as the War of the Great Day of God, the Almighty!
Once the evil army reaches Jerusalem, they immediately begin their onslaught. Many places in Scripture give us a picture of the condition of Jerusalem and those living in her when the Word of God arrives on the scene.
Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised You, has been burned by fire; and all our precious things have become a ruin. Isaiah 64:10-11
Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the LORD's hand the cup of His anger; the chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs. There is none to guide her among all the sons she has borne, nor is there one to take her by the hand among all the sons she has reared. These two things have befallen you; who will mourn for you? The devastation and destruction, famine and sword; how shall I comfort you? Your sons have fainted, they lie helpless at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net, full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God.
Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine: Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God who contends for His people, "Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, the chalice of My anger; you will never drink it again. I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, 'Lie down that we may walk over you.' You have even made your back like the ground and like the street for those who walk over it." Isaiah 51:17-23
Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer come into you. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. Isaiah 52:1-2
From the above Scriptures, note who is really behind the suffering God's people are going through. It is the LORD, isn't it? His people have "drunk from the LORD's hand the cup of His anger." He will judge His people for their unceasing rebellion against Him.
Will the Lord's anger against His people be satisfied and finished? Yes, He will take the cup of reeling, the vessel of His rage from her. In addition, He promises her that she will never drink it again.
And yet, who else does God hold accountable for the atrocities done to Jerusalem? Her tormentors. So the Lord will now put His cup of wrath into their hands. And they will drink. They will drink to the dregs.
What is the condition of Jerusalem and her people when God arrives? She is destitute and on the verge of death. But all is not over for her, not yet!
The above Scriptures from Isaiah refer to the exact point in time we are observing in Revelation 19:17-21.
The "unholy trinity" and their armies are about to face off against God. Hmmm… No problem here deciding which team to choose! If you remember from Revelation 19:11-16, the church will be part of the armies that follow the Lamb on His white horse. So I'm feeling real good sitting behind Him on my white horse. It's going to be a good day! The Word of God is going to save His people and administer His judgment on the nations today! Hallelujah!!! Praise Him for His actions; they are righteous and pure!!!
The battle begins, and the birds are getting excited. The beast (antichrist) and the false prophet are plucked right out of their saddles, or shoes, or whatever when the King of kings and the Lord of lords shows up! He throws them, like so much trash, into the lake of fire. A word from His mouth, a flick of His wrist; they are tossed alive into their new residence, the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. We know from Matthew 25:31-46 that the goats (the unrighteous nations) have already moved in. More occupants will soon arrive, but only the goats and this detestable duo experience the eternal suffering of this appalling pond thus far.
Who does the fighting? My Jesus, my Bridegroom. He fights the battle alone. The battle belongs to the Lord, and yet, amazingly, He aligns Himself with His bride.
Don't worry, armies of the world! The Rider who sits on His horse (notice that He has not dismounted yet) will kill the rest of you with the sword which comes from His mouth! He who created you will destroy you. His word creates, sustains, and destroys. The winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, is trodden grape by grape.
Finally! This is the moment for the birds to begin their mission! They will glut and gorge themselves with the fresh flesh God has dished up for them. They will fill themselves to the full with the flesh of those who are dead, killed in the War of the Great Day of God, the Almighty. Remember the blood up to a bridle's height for two hundred miles from Revelation 14:20? Guess whose blood?
Think with me for a minute. If there will be that much blood, it's almost impossible to imagine how many dead there will be. However, we're talking about all the armies of the world! Try to imagine the number of birds needed to eat all the flesh from the men who lost their blood? Way more than we can even visualize in our minds. Birds will be everywhere, flocks that will bring complete darkness to the land. Vultures, buzzards, and condors. Eagles, hawks, crows, and ravens. Gulls and terns.
Will it just be birds of prey, or will all types of birds gather for this breathtaking event? The angel did not specify any particular kinds of birds; instead, he ordered all the birds which fly to come. It makes sense; the number of birds required to eat that much flesh would need to be higher than we could imagine. God is not limited in any way by His creation; His creation serves Him. So if God says, "Eat!" eat, they will! Robin, bluebird, and oriole, too!
The beast and the false prophet are burning and screaming in the lake of fire. But what about the dragon? Keep reading. In the next chapter, we will see that God has other plans for the dragon before he joins his deceitful comrades in the lake of fire.